As every year, Apple introduced a new generation of its iPhone family. The iPhone 14 is available in four variants: iPhone 14, larger iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, which is even larger.
The two “Pro” models are more interesting for photographers, since they only have a telephoto camera in addition to the ultra wide-angle and wide-angle (main camera) – but they are also more expensive. And: Only the two Pro models get Apple’s new and larger 48-megapixel sensor.
Ultra wide and telephoto on the iPhone 14 versus the iPhone 13
However, the large sensor is only available for the main camera. Ultra wide-angle and telephoto cameras continue to record with 12-megapixel resolution. Only the focal length of the ultra wide angle has changed (now the equivalent of 14 millimeters, with the iPhone 13 it was a bit more extreme 13 millimeters) and the autofocus: It has become significantly faster. This is particularly relevant for macro shots, since this is where the ultra wide angle shows its strengths. It is also used more often on the iPhone 14 Pro, since the new main camera has a longer close-up limit than that of the iPhone 13. A disadvantage compared to its predecessor, as the main camera has better quality than the ultra-wide-angle camera.
Has the iPhone 14’s main camera gotten better?
Apple has improved the “main camera” on its newcomer: the wide angle now has a focal length of 24 instead of 26 millimeters and the 48 megapixel sensor mentioned above. The captured photos in HEIC format still only have a resolution of 12 megapixels. That’s because here four small-size pixels (1.22 microns) are merged into a new pixel that is double the 2.44 microns. This method, which is used by other manufacturers under the name “Quad Bayer Filter”, leads to significantly less interference and noise on the small sensor.
In practice it has been shown that in daylight the photos between the older iPhone 13 Pro and the new iPhone 14 Pro cannot be distinguished. In poor light conditions, the Quad Bayer process shows its advantages and the photos are much sharper, more colorful and the noise is manageable even at ISO 2000. The new lens makes a (very) small contribution to this, which with an initial aperture of f/1.5 is a little faster than the previous f/1.7. The lion’s share, however, goes back to the Quad Bayer filter, which Apple calls “Quad Pixel Sensor” and the image processing “Photonic Engine”. Together with the optical image stabilization, urban night shots are possible in practice from the hand.
Shooting raw images and more megapixels
Alternatively, photographers can also use the 48 megapixels for the resolution. Then you have to set the camera to “Raw” in the options. The photos are saved in Apple ProRaw and take up around 60 MB of space on the iPhone memory or later on the computer. The DNG format can be edited by Apple’s photo application as well as by Lightroom or Photoshop. In the test, Lightroom still had difficulties assigning the correct profile – this can be fixed manually and a future update will certainly take the iPhone 14 data into account. More details can be preserved in the raw than in the HEIC data, which Apple processes somewhat aggressively and which only has a resolution of 12 megapixels. However: With night photos, the pixel binning of the Quad Bayer filter is preferable to the raw mode, as this is the only way to get the noise under control.
And the new sensor is accompanied by another improvement: Apple has now been able to add the factor “2” to the iPhone in addition to the previous zoom factors “05” (ultra wide angle), “1” (main camera) and “3” (telephoto focal length). This gains “real” (not interpolated) 12 megapixels from the 48 megapixel sensor. A “normal focal length” mode is again available to iPhone users. However, the improvements of the Quad Bayer filter are not available in this mode either.
What can the front camera of the iPhone 14 do?
The front camera (mostly used for selfies) now has an autofocus and automatically focuses on the face. In addition, Apple has also installed a slightly larger aperture here than in the previous model, so that better selfies are created in poor light conditions. But the front camera is a long way from the low-light capabilities of the main camera.
Video recordings with the iPhone
With the iPhone 13, Apple introduced cinema mode: an artificially calculated bokeh not only for photos but also for videos. On the iPhone 14 Pro, it now not only works in HD (the default), but can also be used in 4K resolution. You can choose between 24 frames/s and 30 frames/s, with the latter setting already requiring 170 MB per minute as storage space. Incidentally, with “normal” videos without calculated bokeh, 4K with up to 60 frames/s are possible, which are then saved with around 440 MB per minute. Video quality and storage requirements can be significantly increased when recording in Apple ProRes format. Then up to 6 GB per minute are due. This mode only works with iPhones 14 Pro with a memory of 256 gigabytes or more.
In the case of videos, digital stabilization can now also be switched on in addition to optical stabilization. This is particularly advantageous when the cameraman or woman moves a lot. However, the image section is then cropped.
What else does the iPhone 14 have to offer?
The LED flash can now adapt to the focal length of the cameras and illuminate the relevant section. In addition to the improved camera and flash, the iPhone 14 Pro has the new A16 Bionic processor and an “always-on” display: photos and text info are always visible, even in sleep mode (slightly dimmed). There is also a satellite-supported emergency call mode, with which an emergency signal can also be issued without cell phone reception. However, this has not yet been activated and may take some time in Europe. In addition, it has accident detection and a very precise dual-frequency GPS.
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