Well-known travel photographer Austin Mann has shared his thoughts, opinions, and praise about the new triple-lens camera setup on the new iPhone 11 Pro.
Apple traditionally offers Mann the chance to try its latest iPhone just before its official launch. This year, the famed travel photographer took an iPhone 11 Pro with him on a trip to China, where Mann is documenting The Bach Project featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Mann said he was “anxious to see what this Ultra Wide lens can do, so shortly after the performance I popped out to the countryside to find some epic landscapes and have been out exploring this big, beautiful country ever since.”
“One of the most interesting camera features introduced this year is ‘Capture Outside the Frame,'” Mann wrote. “Basically, if I’m shooting with the Wide (26 mm), the iPhone 11 Pro is also capturing with the Ultra Wide (13 mm) so I can decide later about my framing. If the software detects a human on the edge of your frame, a little icon pops up to indicate you might want to crop out, which is pretty cool. As part of this feature, I can see what’s just outside of my frame (a preview of what would be included in my shot if I switched to the Ultra Wide 13 mm).”
Mann appreciated the device’s ultra wide lens, saying he was glad he had the new lens in his pocket. However, he did note that it performed best in well-lit situations.
Mann absolutely loved the iPhone 11 Pro’s new Night Mode. Night Mode captures a series of shots – over-exposed, under-exposed, and long exposure shots, all captured together. The new iPhone’s A13 Bionic processor then combines these images, using them to create a well-balance night shot. THis allows users to shoot night shots while holding the iPhone in their hand. Shooting a long exposure shots with a traditional camera would usually deliver an unusably blurry shot.
“One thing I love about Apple’s approach to Night mode is the strategic balance of solving a technical problem while also caring deeply about artistic expression,” Mann wrote. “When you look at the image above, it’s clear their team didn’t take the let’s-make-night-look-like-day approach, as some of their competitors have. Instead, it feels more like an embrace of what it actually is (night) while asking, How do we capture the feel of this scene in a beautiful way?'”
Overall, Mann appears to be happy with the new iPhone 11 Pro and its new lenses.
“I think I can say this is easily the most dramatic leap forward we’ve seen since the introduction of panorama mode on the iPhone 5 in 2012,” wrote Mann. “It’s the first time in a long time I’ve looked at an image and said to myself wow, I can’t believe I shot this with my phone.'”
Mann did have a small issue with the iPhone’s “Capture Outside the Frame” feature.
“While I really like the idea of capturing the area outside the frame so I can improve composition/geometry later, I didn’t love the live preview of what’s outside my frame,” said Mann “When working on a tripod and meticulously composing an image, I sometimes had trouble looking at the frame for the visual balance of what was actually IN the frame, instead of being distracted by what is just outside of the frame. In the image above, notice what used to be solid black is now translucent and shows through.”
(All Photos Courtesy Austin Mann)
