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A pro photographer took 2,000+ pictures to test the iPhone 8 Plus camera

Published Sep 19th, 2017 12:34PM EDT
iPhone 8 Plus Camera Review
Image: Apple Inc.

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One of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus reviews you should read before deciding whether the iPhone X is worth the wait was focused solely on the camera features of the phone. The iPhone has always been one of the most popular cameras around, and Apple has improved camera performance year after year. The iPhone 8 models ship with improved camera features as well, with the iPhone 8 Plus being the obvious choice for photographers. One professional took more than 2,000 photos with the new phone to judge its performance, and you’ll definitely want to see what he had to say.

It turns out that the iPhone 8 Plus is really impressive, taking the iPhone’s camera game to a whole new level.

“More than 2,000 photos later, I feel like I have a good sense of what this new camera can do. I’m definitely impressed,” CNET’s James Martin explains.

According to Martin, iPhone 8 Plus photos are richer when it comes to colors and detail, and the phone’s powerful image processing power is what helps Apple produce impressive images even in low-light conditions. It’s the A11 Bionic chip that lets the iPhone 8 Plus compete with DSLR cameras, even if it the handset can’t match them when it comes to resolution.

Here’s one photo Martin took:

Image source: CNET

And here are his explanations:

The most dramatic and noticeable effect is the quality of textures, down to the most minute scale.

The details of textures in this image of a saxophone player in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco jump out of the photograph. You see the fine etchings on the instrument on the right-hand side, the wrinkles in the skin of his hand and the individual threads of his suit jacket.

The photographer also noticed much better Portrait Mode performance, complete with a more natural bokeh blur effect. He sang praise of the new Portrait Lighting effect that is still in beta, which offers users different ways of lighting the shot, both before and after the picture is taken.

“My photos look just as my eye had seen them. The images are as detailed as I remember them,” the photographer concludes. Martin’s iPhone 8 Plus camera review, complete with plenty of pictures to prove his points, is available at this link.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.