Apple iPhone 17 Pro: What’s new with the cameras?
With the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, Apple has introduced a new design for the back of its highest-end smartphones. Instead of a camera bump, we now have a camera platform that extends almost across the entire back of the device. The camera platform houses an improved camera system, including a redesigned telephoto lens.
This means that all three cameras on the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max have a resolution of 48 megapixels. The individual lenses can be switched between five different zoom levels.
New iPhone 17 Pro Telephoto Lens
The 48-megapixel Fusion Telephoto lens on the iPhone 17 Pro is new and an upgrade over the 12-megapixel telephoto lens in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. It supports 4x zoom or a focal length of 100 mm. With 4x zoom, you can capture 48-megapixel images.
It also supports 8x zoom, which corresponds to a focal length of 200mm. 8x zoom images are limited to 12 megapixels. According to Apple, the telephoto sensor is 56 percent larger, enabling improved performance in low-light conditions.
The telephoto lens also features Hybrid Focus Pixels, 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilization, and autofocus under the hood, and features the tetraprism design Apple introduced last year.
The 8x optical zoom can be extended to 40x digital zoom. While it doesn’t quite reach the 100x zoom for which Samsung’s smartphones are known, it does at least extend the zoom range compared to previous iPhones.
Wide-angle lens
The iPhone 17 Pro’s 48-megapixel wide-angle lens, or Fusion Main lens as Apple calls it, hasn’t changed significantly compared to the iPhone 16 Pro. changed.
You can capture 24-megapixel or 48-megapixel images with the standard 24 mm focal length, or 12-megapixel images with a 2x telephoto lens at a 48 mm focal length. Features include second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100 percent focus pixels, and an aperture of f/1.78.
Ultra Wide Lens
Apple calls the iPhone 17 Pro’s 48-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens the Fusion Ultra Wide. It has a focal length of 13 mm, an aperture of f/2.2, and a field of view of 120 degrees. It enables close-up shots with 48 megapixels and supports the so-called Hybrid Focus Pixels.
LiDAR and Flash
On the right side of the camera plate are an adaptive True Tone flash and a LiDAR scanner.
Other Camera Features
But there are other camera technologies that Apple has introduced over the years:
- Photonic Engine: Combines the best pixels of a high-resolution image with an image optimized for light capture, creating a 24-megapixel image with details from an image with twice the resolution. The Photonic Engine is used for low-light images.
- Deep Fusion: Works in medium to low-light conditions and highlights texture and detail in the image. Enhances images in medium light.
- Smart HDR 5: Detects one or more people in a scene and optimizes contrast, lighting, and skin tones so everyone looks their best.
- Portrait shots with focus and depth control: You don’t need to activate Portrait mode before shooting to get a portrait photo. You can simply take a photo. If a person or pet is included, depth information is captured and Portrait mode with a blurred background is automatically activated. This also works in Night mode.
- Portrait Lighting: Changes the lighting of Portrait mode photos with effects such as Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, and High-Key Mono.
- Night Mode: Captures and combines a series of images within a few seconds to enable photography in extremely low-light conditions.
- Panorama: Captures panoramic shots up to 63 megapixels in size.
- Photographic Styles (including a new Bright option this year): Photographic Styles are filters you can apply before taking a picture and preview during shooting.
- Spatial Photos and Videos: Videos and photos captured in Spatial Mode can be viewed on the Vision Pro in 3D.
- ProRAW: A professional video recording option.
- Lens Correction (for ultra-wide angle): Eliminates distortion.
- Automatic Image Stabilization: Corrects camera shake.
- Burst Mode: Allows you to capture a series of images simultaneously, which is great for action shots.
Video Features
The iPhone 17 Pro models support 4K Dolby Vision video recording at up to 120 frames per second. 4K 120fps ProRes video recording is possible with a connected external storage device, and the iPhone 17 Pro models support ProRes RAW recording, a new feature this year. There’s also support for Apple Log 2 and Genlock video sync, professional features for filmmakers.
Apple has equipped the iPhone 17 Pro models with a Dual Capture feature that records simultaneously from the front and rear cameras. Dual Capture supports up to 4K Dolby Vision recording at 30 frames per second. Other video features that Apple has added over the years are also available.
- Cinema mode with up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps to keep focus on the main subject while you move
- Action mode with up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps to improve stabilization and reduce camera shake
- Spatial video recording at 1080p at 30 fps, with spatial audio
- Academy color-coding system
- Macro video recording, including slow and time-lapse
- 1080p slo-mo support at up to 240 fps or 4K Dolby Vision at 120 fps
- Time-lapse
- QuickTake
- Digital zoom up to 15x
- Cinematic video stabilization
- Continuous autofocus video
- Audio mix and wind noise reduction
iPhone 17 Pro front camera
Apple has installed a new 18-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video calls in the iPhone 17 Pro models: the Center Stage camera. It has an aperture of f/1.8 and, as the name suggests, supports Center Stage. Center Stage is the feature that keeps you in the frame during video calls as you move.
The updated front-facing camera sensor is larger and squarer, allowing more content to fit in the frame than before. You can even use the front-facing camera in landscape or portrait mode without having to rotate the phone. Apple has also improved stabilization for iPhone 17 Pro video recordings.
Dual Capture Video works with both the front and rear cameras on the iPhone 17 Pro, allowing you to record a scene and your reaction simultaneously.
Other iPhones
The iPhone 17 Pro models are the only devices with three cameras. The standard iPhone 17 features a dual camera setup with wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses, while the iPhone Air has a single camera that matches the main camera of the 17 Pro.
