Apple iPhone 11 Pro Camera Review

The iPhone 11 Pro is the latest generation iPhone from Apple. Released in September of 2019, it was designed to appeal to creative photographers and videographers, looking for a versatile, yet compact tool with excellent features and decent image quality. In this review, we will take a look at the iPhone 11 Pro / Pro Max, and assess its potential as a camera for photography needs. In particular, we will take a look at the performance of the three cameras on these phones.

Before we talk about the triple cameras on the iPhone 11 Pro and what they are capable of, let’s check out the specifications for both iPhones.

iPhone 11 Pro / Pro Max Specifications

• Cameras: Triple 12 MP Ultra-Wide, Wide, and Telephoto
• Sensor Size: 1/2.55″ (Wide), 1/3.6″ (Ultra-Wide and Telephoto)
• Ultra-Wide Camera: 1.54mm f/2.4 (13mm FF equivalent)
• Ultra-Wide Camera Lens Elements: 5
• Wide Camera: 4.25mm f/1.8 (26mm FF equivalent)
• Wide Camera Lens Elements: 6
• Telephoto Camera: 6mm f/2.0 (52mm FF equivalent)
• Telephoto Camera Lens Elements: 6
• Image Stabilization: Dual optical image stabilization (Wide and Telephoto)
• Built-in Camera Features: Portrait Mode, Portrait Lighting, Panorama, Night Mode, Smart HDR, Live Photos, Advanced Red‑Eye Correction, Photo Geotagging, Burst Mode
• Image Formats: HEIF and JPEG
• Video Recording: Up to 4K @ Up to 60 FPS
• Optical Image Stabilization for Video: Wide and Telephoto Cameras
• Slow Motion: 1080p at 120 FPS or 240 FPS
• Video Formats: HEVC and H.264
• Processor: A13 Bionic Chip
• Display: 5.8″ OLED (iPhone 11 Pro), 6.5″ OLED (iPhone 11 Pro Max)
• Weather Sealing: Splash, Water, and Dust Resistant, Rated IP68
• Capacity: 64GB, 256GB, 512GB
• Weight: 188 grams (iPhone 11 Pro), 226 grams (iPhone 11 Pro Max)
• Dimensions: 144.0×8.1×71.4mm (iPhone 11 Pro), 158.0×8.1×77.8mm (iPhone 11 Pro Max)
• Finish: Gold, Space Gray, Silver, Midnight Green

Although the iPhone 11 Pro / Pro Max have three different cameras, each of them has its own unique features and limitations. The 1.54mm lens on the new ultra-wide angle camera (13mm full-frame equivalent) has a relatively slow maximum aperture of f/2.4, has five elements and the sensor behind it is fairly small at 1/3.6″. The 4.25mm wide angle lens (26mm FF equivalent) has the best features, with its maximum aperture f/1.8, six elements, and the sensor size is 1/2.55″. The 6mm telephoto lens (52mm FF equivalent) has a maximum aperture of f/2.0, six total elements, and its sensor is similar in size to the ultra-wide angle lens at 1/3.6″. Out of the three, only the wide-angle and the telephoto cameras are image stabilized.

While both iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max have the new “Night Mode”, only the main wide-angle lens is able to take advantage of it. The Night Mode is disabled when using the ultra-wide angle lens, and when using the telephoto lens, it switches to 2x digital zoom. These are important limitations to be aware of when shooting with the iPhone 11 Pro in the field. Let’s dive deeper into the three cameras of the camera.