iPhone 12 Pro Max Camera
The interpretation of the imaging capabilities was the most colorful page of this year’s iPhone 12 series launch. We’ve already seen the LiDAR sensor on the iPad Pro, so LiDAR technology doesn’t arouse more curiosity. Our attention was mostly drawn to the larger, more light-filled, and “motion” sensor on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
In the new main camera, Apple has introduced the technology used in professional DSLR cameras, namely the sensor-shift optical image stabilization feature. What are the advantages of this sensor-shift technology? What changes did it bring to the iPhone?
First of all, there are two main types of stabilization technologies commonly found on DSLR cameras: lens stabilization and body stabilization, the sensor displacement stabilization that is new to the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Body stabilization is to offset the shake of your hand or the vibration brought by the machine through the movement of the sensor, for example, if your hand moves downward, then the sensor will actively move upward to offset, to keep the sensor stable and achieve optical stabilization for better imaging performance, which is the principle of the new sensor stabilization on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Of course, the sensor’s anti-shake design is the first step, the processor and the software algorithm also need to follow up simultaneously, the sensor displacement type of anti-shake requires a large number of calculations in a short time, the value of up to 5000 times per second.
However, because Apple has exclusive software algorithms in the industry, and the new phone is equipped with an A14 chip with powerful computing power (supports shooting 4K 60 fps Dolby Vision video and editing), so it meets the prerequisites for this technology to get off the ground.
The Micro pan-tilt consists of the entire camera module (lens + CMOS sensor) with a double ball suspension and magnetic frame. The principle is the same, but the design direction is different. Vivo’s Micro pan-tilt structure connects the lens group and sensor into a whole, when shaking, the whole camera module moves together, the lens and CMOS sensor always remain “relatively still”. In contrast, Apple, only the image sensor is moving.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max has become Apple’s most powerful camera phone ever, with the addition of sensor-shifting optical image stabilization. Besides, what’s even bigger than the Pro is the size of the sensor.
Apple’s largest image sensor to date is 47% larger than the iPhone 12 Pro
This time around, the iPhone 12 Pro Max features a larger image sensor, which is 47% larger than the iPhone 12 Pro, and the improved ability to shoot in low light is evident. Also, the addition of LIDAR technology as an aid makes the new camera up to 6x faster autofocus in low light conditions.
Is worth mentioning, this time the main camera sensor size increased. But Apple still chose to let the iPhone 12 Pro Max maintain 12 megapixels camera, many people will groan its “10,000 years 12 megapixels”, Android camp has entered the “100-megapixels” new track.
Apple chose to increase the sensor area, and keep the same 12 megapixels so that the unit pixel size of the photo is much larger, and a larger unit pixel can allow better control of the imaging noise, to ensure image quality.
Through the analysis of iPhone iterations over the years, we can easily find a pattern that is relatively conservative in upgrading the iPhone technology. The new technology should first ensure user experience and make users feel the difference. This is in line with Apple’s consistent tone, this approach has its pros and cons, here we do not describe the contradiction between strong performance and very poor battery life (fast charging), I believe we all have understood.
This time, Apple’s upgrade to the image sensor size, the actual effect, we just need to believe what our eyes see. This year’s iPhone 12 series has a different product strategy from previous years, with a much more differentiated image. iPhone 12 Pro Max is not only exclusive to a larger sensor.
And the addition of the new sensor displacement optical image stabilization makes it the most powerful camera phone in Apple’s history. Not only sensor displacement stabilization, but Apple also relies on the computing performance of the A-series bionic chip, the simultaneous upgrade of intelligent HDR 3 function and deep fusion technology, A14 bionic neural network engine can even enable the analysis of every pixel in the picture.
This year, the division of the four iPhone 12 series is more detailed, and Apple intends to elevate the image of Max to meet the needs of professional video creators. According to this pattern, the watershed in imaging technology is only the first step, and the gap between the Pro and Pro Max may continue to widen in the future.
The popularity of the industry’s technology is often led by tech giants, and the huge annual shipments of Apple’s iPhone are enough to drive the rapid maturation of the technology in the upstream industry chain.
Source: Zhongguancun (ZOL)
