iPhone 7 Camera Tech

The iPhone has long been one of the top picks for serious smartphone photographers. But recently, other companies such as Samsung and LG have stepped up their games, offering phones that meet or even exceed the photography prowess of Apple's devices. 

With the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, however, Apple made some big improvements to its camera tech, making it the perfect time to take a closer look at the new camera features and specs. Perhaps these additions will give the iPhone a shot at reclaiming the title for the best smartphone camera. 

If you take a quick look at the latest iPhones' specs, you may think the potential improvement in picture quality over the last generation won't be that big. That's because the iPhone 7's 12-megapixel rear camera is the same resolution as the iPhone 6s' camera. But cameras can't be summed up by their resolutions alone, so let's dig a little deeper. 

MORE: iPhone 7 Hands-on: The Plus Reigns Supreme

A wider aperture is a big deal

With its rear camera sporting an aperture of f/1.8 versus the iPhone 6s' f/2.2, the iPhone 7's rear camera is two-thirds of a stop faster than the iPhone 6s. This means that in the same situation, 66 percent more light will reach the iPhone 7's sensor compared to the iPhone 6s — that's quite a bit.

This should result in significantly brighter and less blurry photos in low-light scenarios. More light means the iPhone's camera can increase the shutter speed (reducing camera shake) and do more with what light there is in dim environments (so photos won't look as dark). 

However, the iPhone 7's f/1.8 aperture is still slightly smaller than the f.1/7 aperture in Samsung's Galaxy S7 and Note 7 phones. This gives Samsung's phones an edge when it comes to how much light actually reaches the camera's sensor.

Optical image stabilization now on both iPhone 7s

Previously, one of the big reasons to spend more for the iPhone Plus was because the bigger iPhone's camera came with optical image stabilization. But both of the new iPhone models sport built-in OIS, so you'll get the same shake-reducing tech with either version. That means the camera on both phones can keep the shutter open longer without sacrificing sharpness. 

Once again, Apple is catching up to other devices here. All versions of the Galaxy S6 and S7, as well as the LG G4 and G5 feature OIS. In fact, it's actually Sony who is leading the way in image stabilization on the recently announced Xperia XZ. It will bring five-axis OIS to smartphones for the first time.

MORE: The Best Places to Buy and Sell a Used iPhone

Apple's new ISP, Quad LED Flash and Flicker Sensor

An image signal processor (ISP) is the black magic that turns the data captured by a camera's sensor into a digital file that can be displayed on your screen or sent to others. On the iPhone 7, Apple claims that the new ISP built into the phone's A10 Fusion processor should allow for faster focus times, improved tone mapping and better white balance. This is just a general way of saying that your photos will look sharper and more accurate. But if the new ISP can really correct for some of the off-color shots we saw during our Galaxy S7 versus iPhone 6s face-off, it'll be a welcome upgrade.

The same could be said about the iPhone 7's new quad-LED flash, which attempts to adjust the intensity and color temperature of the flash to suit the surrounding environment. There's also the new iPhone flicker sensor, which can determine the kind of indoor lights that are around and automatically adjust the shutter speed to avoid the nasty strobe effect you sometimes get in shots.

Higher-res FaceTime Cam

For the selfie fanatics out there, let's not forget that the iPhone 7 front FaceTime cam has been upgraded with a 7-MP sensor and something Apple calls wide color capture. While I have to wonder about this ambiguous feature, it's nice to see Apple outdo the 5-MP selfie cam on the Galaxy S7, even if the LG G5's 8-MP front cam and the Xperia XZ's 13-MP front cam still lead the way.  

What about the iPhone 7 Plus' dual cameras?

With the dual-camera setup on the iPhone 7 Plus, Apple has created a much larger gap in the photo-taking abilities of the standard model and its upsized bigger brother. Two cameras instead of one might make the Plus seem likes it's twice as good, but that means it's even more important to figure out what this dual cam setup can and can't do.

Pseudo 2X optical zoom

One of Apple's big new bullet points for the iPhone 7 Plus is the phone's 2X optical zoom, except that isn't quite an accurate description. What's really going on is that the iPhone 7 Plus' two cameras features different focal lengths, so you can switch between the two depending on whether you want to be closer or farther away.

One 12-MP camera has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 28mm and a f/1.8 lens, while the other 12-MP camera sports a 56mm focal length and a f/2.8 lens. 

That's why, in the demos, Apple showed off a button in the camera app that switches from standard view directly to a 2X zoom, because there isn't actually anything in between.

It's kind of a low-tech solution to an otherwise complex problem, and it will certainly give the Plus a leg up on most smartphones that don't offer any sort of optical zoom. The iPhone 7 Plus can then go up to 10x digital zoom by sliding your finger from left to right. 

Enhanced depth of field

Another advantage the dual-camera setup brings is that, similar to the way your eyes operate, the two cameras can work together to capture more depth information about your subject and the background behind it. Then, the phone can take that data and adjust the photo so that the background is even more out of focus, thereby increasing the picture's overall depth of field.

Other companies have tried putting dual-cameras on a smartphone before. LG uses it on the G5 and the upcoming V20 to provide a second camera with a superwide field of view — good for big landscape shots. Meanwhile, Huawei, echoing Apple, features two cameras in its P9 and Honor 8 phones to simulate a shallow depth of field effect.

RAW photos come to the iPhone

For photographers who want to get the absolute best photos out of their cameras, native RAW shooting on the iPhone 7 is a big deal. Instead of compressing and processing image data into a JPEG, the new iPhone will save photos in a much more unadulterated state. And with the iOS version of Adobe Lightroom soon to support editing in RAW, you will be able to produce sharper and more colorful pictures on your phone without ever needing a PC.

But again, at risk of sounding like a broken record, a lot of Android phones have supported RAW photos for a while, including the Galaxy S7, LG G5 and HTC 10. And if the rumors are true, the next iteration of Google's Camera app will also support shooting in RAW + JPEG modes.

Outlook

Contrary to the bravado Apple execs showed off on stage during the iPhone 7 launch, the phones new camera features — such as OIS on both models, an f/1.8 lens and RAW photo capture — are more about bringing the iPhone back up to par with rivals such as the Galaxy S7 and LG G5.

The iPhone 7 Plus' dual-camera features are welcome, but not exactly game-changing. So Apple's going to have to depend on its new six-element lens, improved ISP and flicker sensor to propel the iPhone the rest of the way. But until we actually get an iPhone in our hands, we won't know for sure. Check back with Tom's Guide for more iPhone 7 coverage as we get closer to the phones' release on Sept. 16. 

GoPro Hero4 Silver Review

The Hero4 Silver is GoPro's second-billed camera (behind the Hero4 Black), but it's actually the best one for the money. The Silver offers the same detailed image quality and steady-looking video as the Black, along with advanced recording modes with the image-quality and adjustment tools for professional photo and video editing. The main thing you give up is 4K/UHD video. In exchange you not only save $100 but also get a gorgeous 1.7-inch touchscreen that the Hero4 Black lacks, which makes the Silver much easier to use. Find out what else makes this the best all-around action camera.

Design: Case Required

The Hero4 Silver has the now-classic GoPro design – a black-and-metallic block measuring 2.3 x 1.1 x 1.6 inches (including the protruding lens) and weighing a scant 2.9 ounces. The camera is neither ruggedized nor mountable without a case, however. The standard case that comes with the Hero4 Silver expands its size to about 2.8 x 2.6 x 1.5 inches and weighs 5.2 ounces. (There are lighter, less-rugged case options.)

The standard case makes the Hero4 Silver waterproof to SCUBA-grade depth of 40 meters (about 131 feet). But beware GoPro's scary warning in the user manual: "Keep the camera housing’s rubber seal clean. A single hair or grain of sand can cause a leak and damage your camera. 

Controls and Usability: Hooray For The Touchscreen

LCD screens are standard on other cameras (and obviously on cellphones) but surprisingly absent from most action cams. That seems especially crazy when you see just how handy the Silver's touchscreen proves. Instead of fiddling with a symphony of button presses to make adjustments (as with most other action cameras) you can flip through options on the Silver's screen and get a nice preview of what the camera will shoot. 

The preview is especially handy because GoPro offers four field of view settings with very different effects. There’s one shortcoming, however: You can't access the touchscreen after you have clipped the case shut.

For that occasion, you can use GoPro's great wireless smartphone app (Android, iOS and Windows Phone). Wi-Fi pairing to the camera's built-in hotspot was fast and reliable. The app was excellent in that it quickly connected, and stayed connected, to the camera.

The app provides a live preview and access to recording modes, including photo, standard video, slow-motion video and timelapse. You can make basic adjustment such as field of view (from Narrow to Superwide). GoPro enables a finer level of control than most action cameras do via its Protune mode, with such photo and video settings as White Balance and Sharpness. You can also set the camera to record in Flat Color format for later applying Hollywood-style custom color grading in edit.

Video And Photo Quality: Among The Best

Overall, the Hero4 Silver provided the top level of photo and video quality among a half-dozen action cameras we tested. Its quality is identical to that of the Hero4 Black and about tied with that of Sony's action cameras, the 4K/UHD-capable FDR-X1000V and the full-HD HDR-AS200V. GoPros tend to be conservative on contrast and color saturation. The trade-off is more fine detail in colors and shading. For example, I could make out individual branches and leaves under a canopy of trees while mountain biking north of San Francisco.

Other cameras I had mounted to the same helmet, such as  captured video that was had too much contrast to show such fine detail. (That said, the SP1 is still a great buy, with respectable quality for half the price.)

The Hero4 Silver video isn't perfect. Video in bright sun can look hazy, and bright points of light, such as the sun or a streetlight, can produce a large starburst effect.

GoPro cameras don't have image stabilization, but I found the video from the Hero4 Silver (and Black) to be less jittery or wobbly looking than that from most other cameras. (Sony's action cameras, which do have digital image stabilization, deliver slightly steadier video.)

The Hero4 Silver offers four field-of-view settings: Superview, Ultrawide, Medium and Narrow. Superview creates the most distortion, increasingly warping shapes the farther you get from the center. I tended to use the default Ultrawide in my testing. You might go all the way to Narrow if you were shooting something other than action, such as a music performance.

We received the new after we did our initial round of testing for action cameras. I did some spot checks, and the video quality is essentially the same. One big benefit to the Session, though, is that it doesn't require a case for protection (even in water) so it's microphone is not muffled. 

Here's a clip with the Hero4 Silver from a leisurely rafting trip in Utah.

Can you make out the dialog? Watch — and listen to — the same sequence shot on the Hero4 Session.

Night video is pretty sharp on this ride through Brooklyn. The Silver video, however, does suffer from the starburst-like lens flare around lights that afflicts all GoPros. It also has an amber tint.

Photo quality was similar to that of videos. However, the flat look of video (which I found OK) is a bit more pronounced in still images, making them look hazy.

You can see the difference in a comparison with Sony's competing camcorder, the HDR-AS200V.

GoPro does have a Night mode for photos (but not videos) that helped low-light image quality considerably.  

Battery Life and Storage: Short Shooting Time

With the included 1160mAh Lithium-ion, the Hero Silver 4 can record 1 hour and 50 minutes of 1080p/30 fps video. Enabling Wi-Fi and the smartphone app drops battery time by 10 minutes. That's a bit skimpy compared to competitors, such as about 2 hours 10 minutes for the Kodak Pixpro SP1 (at 1080p/30fps). GoPro Hero batteries sell for about $20 each, and it's a good idea to pick up an extra one or two.

The Hero4 Silver has a microSD slot and takes cards up to 64GB, enough to hold about 4 hours and 40 minutes of 1080p/60fps video. GoPro publishes a list of recommended cards.

Live Streaming: Cool But Potentially Pricey

The Hero4 Silver (and some other GoPros) can connect to a smartphone or tablet not only for remote control but also to send live video to an app such as Livestream or Meerkat to stream straight to the Web. Livestream added the option to its iOS app in late 2014 to select a Wi-Fi connected GoPro instead of the built-in iPhone or iPad camera as the video source. (Meerkat, another streaming service, also can accept GoPro streams right from its iOS app.) Sony's action cams can do the same with rival streaming service Ustream running on iOS or Android devices.

Setup is a cinch: Simply connect to the Silver with an iPhone as you normally would. When you fire up the latest versions of Livestream App, GoPro Hero appears as one of three input options, after Front Camera and Rear Camera of your mobile. Videos appear on your Livestream channel with about a 10-second delay.

Some live streamers have developed huge followings, but that takes time and some great material to build up. Plus, you'll spend a lot on your wireless data plan in the meantime as you send HD video to the Net over your cell connection. Unless you are reporting from the scene, Vice news-style, you'll probably find a better audience (and certainly save money) posting your best video clips afterwards on a site like YouTube or Vimeo.

Accessories: Anything You Need

You will need different cases and mounts for the Hero4 Silver depending on what you shoot, and GoPro has an astounding selection. The standard kit I tested comes with the waterproof housing, a curved adhesive mount (say, for sticking to the top of a bicycle helmet) a flat mount (say, for a car hood), and a three-way pivot arm for angling the camera in any direction. GoPro also sells versions with special mounting hardware for surfing or musical instruments (think music videos).

You'll probably need an extra battery for long shoots. For $50 you can get a battery and the GoPro's Dual Battery Charger for topping off two cells at once. While the smartphone control app is very powerful, it won't be very easy or safe to use once you are in motion. If you'd like to control the camera (say start and stop video or snap a picture) while in the thick of it, use the $80 wireless SmartRemote. 

Bottom Line

The Hero4 Silver is a very capable action camera well worth the price for the quality, usability and availability of great accessories. It also stands out among all the action cameras we've tested for its large, bright LCD touchscreen — which makes it several times easier to use than other devices with their symphony of button presses. GoPro also has the best remote-control software, as well as advanced image-control settings. If $400 is simply too much for you, the $200 Kodak Pixpro SP1, at half the price, is your best option. But if you can swing it, the GoPro Hero4 Silver is worth every dollar.