How To Choose iPhone 12 Series If Emphasizing Camera Function Is A Turning Point (Masaichi Honda) – Engadget Japanese Version



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Since many articles have already been published about the iPhone 12 series, I would like to focus on the positioning and points of interest of the new line here.

Related article:

Summary of “iPhone 12” that can be understood in 5 minutes. 4 models of mini, Pro, Max and unmarked are now available, all models are 5G compatible

All things considered, I felt that the image quality of the camera, especially the video recording function, improved enormously. Also, the image quality when watching premium content such as movies is not terrifying, but the screen has been polished in a way that meets industry standards, so the quality is as high as that of a dedicated team. It is also impressive that there are almost no “restrictions” due to differences in size, and that the performance and philosophy common to the products calling themselves “12” and the performance and philosophy common to the products calling themselves themselves “12 Pro” are thorough.

No matter which product you buy, there is no difference in the specifications of the SoC and the modem to be installed, and you will choose the product based on the value-added part as a smartphone, specifically the screen and camera specifications, and the price. . In that regard, there are relatively few things to consider this time around, and you should be able to select products simply.

Professional series if you focus on the camera function

The first thing to consider when deciding which product to choose (although the price range is different) is whether to choose the iPhone 12 series or the iPhone 12 Pro series. There is a difference in the brightness of the mounted OLED between the two, but the biggest difference is the camera.

Apple used the term “computational photography” frequently this time. This shows how the information captured by the video sensor is calculated and analyzed by a computer and processed properly. Last year, semantic rendering was a leapfrog in the image quality of the 11-series cameras (These include (a method of performing appropriate automatic development processing using subject analysis), Smart HDR and Deep Fusion (improving image quality through pixel composition) using machine learning processing.

In the iPhone 12 series, the A14 Bionic is installed to further deepen this process, and the neural engine, ISP, and machine learning accelerator have evolved as the capabilities of the A14 Bionic increase. Of course, the wide-angle lens has gotten brighter in F1.6, which contributes greatly to image quality. However, Apple is developing with the theme of “improving the process of producing good images through arithmetic”, and the benefits are common to all iPhones equipped with A14 Bionic.

Writing the process of producing better photos is in no way over the top. Semantic rendering is a typical example, but the philosophy of the iPhone’s built-in camera is to “engineer the development process” to enhance the image, rather than add an AI-like “modification” to the captured image.

Just as the meanings of the camera’s development processing and retouching processing are different, the image processing approach built into the camera is also completely different. As a result, image processing results like Deep Fusion and Smart HDR 3 have a positive effect on high quality and natural finish. I’d like to assess how much the basic physical strength of the camera has improved after getting the actual machine, but what kind of advantage does the Pro series have while benefiting from the same A14 Bionic?

One of them is undoubtedly a telephoto camera.

With this Pro series, all four cameras, including the integrated one, can benefit from Deep Fusion and Night Mode. In that sense, it can be said that the value of the telescope has increased, but it is the existence of LiDAR that sets the Pro series even more apart. If you value the functionality of the camera, you should choose the Pro series.

LiDAR increases the possibilities of cameras

LiDAR is an abbreviation for Light Detection and Ranging, which measures distance by measuring the time it takes for light to reflect off the subject and return to the sensor, and it recognizes the shape of space. A similar sensor is also found in the Xperia 1 II.

Since distance information can be measured for each pixel, it is used on iPad Pro to provide a more realistic AR experience, but on iPhone it is more focused on improving the camera experience. Especially promising is the improvement in autofocus speed and accuracy.

LiDAR can measure distance even in total darkness, increasing focus accuracy and speed. This is because you can focus on LiDAR beforehand and then use contrast detection to achieve fine focus. Also, since the distance information for each pixel is known, the subject and background can be precisely discriminated. Even in the dark. This allows portrait mode to be handled accurately even in dark places where night mode is required.

The background blur of the iPhone is derived from the blur caused by the real lens by optical simulation, and an image is generated that gives an appropriate stereoscopic effect by capturing the distance more accurately, but it is almost completely black. It can be done even in places.

Additionally, the iPhone 12 Pro Max adds a camera shake correction feature with a sensor switch to the wide-angle camera, increasing the magnification of the telephoto camera (equivalent to the 35mm version) of the equivalent. 52mm to the 65mm equivalent of the iPhone 12 Pro.

Also, by the end of the year, the update will support Apple Pro RAW recording for iPhone 12 Pro series only. Apple Pro RAW is the RAW data from the sensor with various computational photography data analyzed by A14 Bionic. Since the information used in the camera app is recorded making full use of the CPU, GPU, ISP, and neural engine, it is derived from multi-frame images like Deep Fusion and Smart HDR even if freely manipulated by RAW development processing. You can make use of the information that has been obtained.

By the way, Apple Pro RAW will be available in third-party photo editing apps in addition to the standard iOS “photos” app.

If you just want to take beautiful pictures

At this point, you may feel like you’re driving the 12 Pro, but when you really organize the information, there seems to be a surprisingly large difference between the cameras on the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro. I just feel. If you just want to take beautiful pictures, the difference between the two is small for the most part (except for telescopes).

Also, iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are exactly the same size and designed so that they can share a MagSafe-compatible case, so the sense of size is the same too. There is a difference between a stainless steel frame and an aluminum frame, but it may not be possible to tell it apart once the box is placed.

After all, if you have little intention of actively using the camera, the iPhone 12 is enough. Also in that sense, understanding the differences between cameras is the key to selecting this product. Then choose the smaller 12 mini or the larger 12 Pro Max depending on your screen size preferences and budget.

However, as this has happened in the past, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro may have different amounts of built-in memory. That’s because only the 12 Pro series supports Apple Pro RAW.

To store and save the additional information generated in memory, it is considered that some margin in main memory is required. Whether the amount of RAM actually installed will differ or not will be known as soon as the actual machine is available.



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