What makes the iPhone 11 Pro a Pro smartphone? It’s definitely not the ultra-wide camera.
According to Ben Sandofsky, co-developer of the photo app Halide, the ultra-wide camera does not support RAW capture of images or allow photographers to manually focus the camera.
Why Apple had to forgo these particular specs on it ultra-wide camera on the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max is unclear. The ultra-wide camera also lacks image stabilization.
Sandofsky broke the news with a tearful emoji on Twitter. Some of his technically minded followers speculated the lack of RAW support relates to Apple’s built-in distortion correction that might not work with third-party camera apps like Halide.
Screenshot: Ben Sandofsky/Twitter
The normal wide camera and telephone camera both support RAW and allow shooters to control the focus through third-party apps.
The camera apps allow iPhone users to record in RAW, an unprocessed image file that lets photographers adjust settings like white balance, exposure and color before it is compressed into a jpeg.
The fixed-focus lens on the ultra-wide camera will not be a big issue to most users, however, some photographers have noted the camera lacks the dynamic range of the standard wide camera.
It’s possible, Apple will give the ultra-wide camera RAW support in a future iOS update.
The iPhone 11 lineup was unveiled on Sept. 10 with the camera system the star feature of the phone. The newest iPhones were available for sale last Friday.
Source: DPReview
