Camera comparison: cameras in iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus

Austin Mann is a former pioneer and self-taught in the fields of photography, Photoshop and Apple Mac - on his website he presents a comparison of photographs with the cameras of the 7 iPhone Plus and the 8 iPhone Plus. With the kind permission of Austin, I present you the camera comparison of the two Apple smartphones from his blog here in German. I will not translate the comparison of the cameras of the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus 1: 1, but reproduce it accordingly, as well as some photos from the original post austinmann.com Install.

iPhone 8 Plus: HDR, Portrait (Lighting) mode and Slow Sync

With the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus, Apple has on the September Keynote 2017 presented two new high-performance smartphones that not only feature the new A11 Bionic CPU, but also many other innovations. Among them are the new cameras - again there were two rear cameras on the Plus model of the iPhone 8. Here is the comparison of the technical data of the cameras of the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus:

iPhone 7 Plus:

• 12 megapixel camera with wide-angle and telephoto lens
• Wide angle: ƒ / 1.8 aperture
• Telephoto lens: ƒ / 2.8 aperture
• Optical zoom, up to 10x digital zoom
• Portrait mode
• Buy here

iPhone 8 Plus:

• 12 megapixel camera with wide-angle and telephoto lens
• Wide angle: ƒ / 1.8 aperture
• Telephoto lens: ƒ / 2.8 aperture
• Optical zoom, up to 10x digital zoom
• Portrait mode
• Portrait Lighting
• Buy here

It doesn't look like spectacular changes at first, actually no changes at all. However, the iPhone 8 Plus has better image stabilization implemented by the hardware, a smarter sensor and new software features such as (better) HDR images, portrait light mode and slow sync. Austin Mann particularly emphasizes the latter feature in his article. You can see why in the picture above.

Slow sync details

Austin describes the iPhone 8 Plus camera's slow-sync shutter as a "hidden gem." Almost no one lets out about it, and also at the Keynote portrait light and animojis were more important. However, the Slow Sync function ensures better light in the picture: "[...] Traditional photographers are already familiar with this, but for those of you who aren't - Slow Sync keeps the shutter open a bit longer to let in more natural light when shooting with the flash. As a result, the image is not only illuminated by the light provided by the flash, but is instead balanced with the surrounding light, creating a more balanced, natural shot."

Portrait and portrait light mode

Austin emphasizes in his post how far smartphone photography has come in just one year thanks to Apple. The post-processing options under iOS 11 with the various portrait and exposure modes make it possible to better emphasize details, literally put the person being photographed in a better light, and so on. Another great advantage: the portrait mode can also be switched off for all exposures. This means that although the person is exposed differently depending on the mode, the background is not (additionally) edited out of focus. Especially when there are delicate details such as protruding hair, it is worth switching off portrait mode - there is a clear video on the Austin page linked above!

HDR portraits

“Perhaps the most impressive update” in terms of smartphone photography with the iPhone 8 Plus for Austin is the possibility of HDR portraits. He describes a trip through India during which he tested the cameras on the new Apple smartphone. It was noon and the sun was shining brightly - bad conditions for a good portrait. He saw a Rabari shepherd named Balaram with his sheep and got out of the wagon. He was allowed to take a portrait of him - or two of them. One with and one without High Dynamic Range mode. This is the result (pay attention to the details on the man's face and shirt):

Without HDR	With HDR

3 defects that were noticed

But not only the great advantages are highlighted in Austin's contribution, but also shortcomings and negative points. Altogether there are three comments that he lists under the heading "A few problems":

1. During the outdoor test of the iPhone cameras it happened several times that the display got darker because the brightness was automatically reduced. That made it difficult to even see what you were recording, or to look at what you were recording. Manual brightness adjustments and turning off True Tone didn't help much.
   The problem could be under Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> Display adjustments be solved by there the automatic Brightness
2. Images were not shown too sharp, but rather "soft" on the display. Even after numerous stabilization and lighting efforts (tripod, no diffuse light, etc.), the images were not really “sharp-edged”. After transferring and viewing it on the Mac, you can be sure that it is due to the iPhone 8 Plus display.
3. Mac compatibility with the HEIF format: For more options with the original image, it is saved locally, including all possible edits (portrait on / off, exposure modes, HDR, etc.). For this, Apple used a memory-saving raw format called HEIF. So that you can use it fully on the Mac, this should be a Upgrade to macOS 10.13 High Sierra

6 silent benefits for creative professionals

In addition to the three shortcomings that won't be a major disadvantage for everyone, there are also six advantages that Austin can list. I will not reproduce the complete text passages, but only briefly touch on the individual points and notes:

1. Fast charging means shorter waiting times. Notes and accessories for quickly charging the iPhone 8 (Plus) and iPhone X. can be found in this post.
2. Half-size files mean double the space. HEIF and HEVC do not take up so much space, which is reflected not only on the iPhone, but also in the iCloud, when transferring to it, as well as on the Mac, iMac or MacBook.
3. Camera mode can be secured. If you between cameraApp and other apps, so you don't have to start in photo mode again after returning if you want to make videos. You can continue directly in the selected mode.
4. Blur can be turned off. The blur effect can now be switched on and off in portrait mode, which ensures even more individuality in your iPhone photos.
5. The “smarter” sensor. Austin Mann counts among his customers Apple himself, which is why he was advised directly by the manufacturer on his camera test. Apple pointed out the “smarter” sensor, which now better implements scenes such as a sunset, a concert and other lighting conditions.
6. Camera menu under iOS 11. Under the new mobile Apple operating system iOS 11 there is now a separate camera point in the settings. An advantage for all creative people and those who want to customize the iPhone's camera quickly and easily.

Conclusion on the iPhone 8 Plus camera test

In addition to the new, improved portrait mode, there are new options for the iPhone 8 Plus and iOS 11. The two cameras, their improved hardware and, above all, the “smarter” sensor make even more professional photos possible. With this amazing upgrade, you can see Apple's clear line of optimizing mobile devices such as the Plus models of the iPhones, the iPad Pro range and the iMac Pro, especially for the creative (or professionally creative) target group .

Finally, once again the reference to Austin's contribution, in which you can find further explanations and pictures;)

Johannes Domke

After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.