It’s time to equip all iPhones with zoom cameras

The rules of photo composition are not set in stone, but there are two related rules that almost always apply: filling the frame and eliminating dead spots. For example, if your subject is a car, unless its surroundings are useful, the car should dominate the picture. Any featureless parts of the frame are “dead” unless they are designed. So why does Apple seem to treat zoom as a second-class feature of its iPhone and iPad cameras, while Samsung makes it a priority?

Consider the iPhone 12 series. Both standard phones and Mini are equipped with dual lenses, but these are wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle components. On full-size DSLR cameras, their focal lengths are equivalent to 26 mm and 13 mm, which keeps the shooter away from the action. You have to add a telephoto lens to the Pro or Pro Max. Even those iPhones can achieve 2x and 2.5x optical zoom-equivalent to 52 mm and 65 mm, both of which are only mid-range in the SLR world. We discounted Apple’s 10x “digital” zoom, and it will only explode the image if it exceeds the 2/2.5x mark, making the image more and more pixelated and blurry.

This is in sharp contrast to Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series, which provides at least 3x “hybrid optical” (optical/digital) zoom. This is not much better than the iPhone 12 Pro, but you can get up to 10x optical zoom on the Galaxy S21 Ultra-this is equivalent to a 240mm full-size lens, even better than the lenses usually used by photojournalists. It is worth noting that all Samsung Galaxy S21 phones also provide a complete triple camera: wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle and zoom. Oops, even the super affordable Galaxy S20 FE can do it.

Some other Android phone manufacturers are also on the same track. For example, flagship devices like OnePlus 9 Pro usually include a 3.3x telephoto and an ultra-wide angle and a wide-angle main shooter. However, many more affordable Android phones share the iPhone 12 wide/ultra wide combination. This is especially common in the budget sector (there is usually an extra third shooter game like a macro camera), but for affordable flagship products like Google Pixel 5, Xiaomi Mi 11, and OnePlus 9 without a professional version The same is true. To be fair, this is not a useless arrangement. The ultra-wide-angle lens is good at capturing spaces and large groups, which is very convenient for activities such as architecture, scenery, and parties. However, outside of these use cases, they tend to make good composition tricky and can cause perspective distortion at the edges of the frame. From experience, this is why professionals rarely shoot portraits with ultra-wide angles.

You can also take a look: A complete guide to ultra-wide camera phones

Telephotos have their own limitations, but they are almost always more useful-not only for composition, but because people usually try to get closer to the subject rather than further away. If you are shooting a concert, the crowd may separate you from the stage. If you are attending a wedding, you can only approach the altar. A telephoto lens may mean the difference between shooting or ultimately not having any value. These lenses should be the standard configuration of the iPhone, especially Samsung breathing on Apple’s neck. However, more importantly, consumers should not make choices.

Apple may pursue its current strategy for several reasons.The popularity of consumers cannot be ruled out-and recently Android Authority The poll found that most people prefer telephoto, and 45.81% of readers chose ultra-wide angle. Depending on whose opinions Apple is listening to, its market research may support the expansion.

The company is also obsessed with thin and stylish designs, sometimes at the expense of practicality. Modern iPhones already have a camera bump, and more than 2.5x optical zoom may require larger sensors and periscope lens technology. In turn, this may force Apple to enlarge the bumps or to commit the most serious of all crimes (in Apple’s eyes) by making the chassis significantly thicker.

related: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

However, its main motivation may be to minimize component costs. Periscope lenses are currently more expensive, and if shoppers can tolerate the status quo, even a thicker chassis may be seen as an unnecessary cost increase. Therefore, it makes sense to choose an ultra-wide-angle lens as an additional lens on the iPad and vanilla iPhone.

Based on this assumption, it is unlikely that Apple will add a telephoto function to its standard iPhone in the short term. There are even rumors that on the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, autofocus will achieve an ultra-wide angle before a more affordable price. If the telephoto really jumps to the entry-level iPhone, it may be attributed to the combined effect of market pressure and falling component prices.

If we criticize Apple here, it is not out of malice. For about ten years, the company has had some of the best smartphone cameras on the market. When a company hinders its own technology or requires customers to pay extra for what should be on each device, it is simply frustrating. The three-lens setting should be the standard for this caliber mobile phone. If Samsung can do it, there is no reason why Apple can’t.

Next: The best three-camera phone-what options do you have?