Get to Know the Camera in Your iPhone

As of this writing, Apple produces iPhones that have a single lens camera, a dual lens, and a triple lens. Understanding these hardware differences straight-away can help you navigate your own iPhone better, as well as help you with future purchasing decisions.

One thing to keep in mind is that it doesn’t matter if your iPhone model only has one lens. Don’t ever feel that you may be left out because of your model of iPhone! Here is a truth that you can hold onto: Learning about composition, light, color, and photographic genre best-practices are more important than having the latest and greatest gear. Rest assured, you’ll succeed regardless of your iPhone model and its age.

The following list describes which iPhone model has what lenses. Included are iPhones that are supported by iOS 13, as of this writing.

• Triple Ultra Wide, wide, and telephoto lens iPhone models: 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max
• Dual Ultra Wide and wide angle lens iPhone models: iPhone 11
• Dual wide and telephoto lens iPhone models: Xs, Xs Max, X, 8 Plus, and 7 Plus
• Single lens wide angle iPhone models: Xr, 8, 7, 6s Plus, 6s, 6 Plus, and SE

iPhone models with one lens

The single lens iPhone has one camera that has a wide-angle view, which means that a single lens iPhone is fantastic for landscapes, travel or vacation photography, street photography, architecture, full-body portraiture, and many more genres. But that’s not all . . . this lens (as with all iPhone wide angle lenses) can photograph small objects at a very close distance. Thus, it becomes a useful substitute when DSLR (large camera) photographers need to photograph something small, but don’t have what are called close-up macro lenses with them.

The following figure shows an example of the out-of-production but highly regarded iPhone SE, which sports a single lens. All iPhone series earlier than the 11 models have a single lens option and are usually less expensive to purchase.

iPhone models with two lenses

Most dual lens iPhones add what Apple calls a telephoto view, which means that the second additional lens has what is popularly called a zoomed-in view. That description is technically incorrect as the lens cannot physically zoom in an out. However, it’s an adequate description in that you’ll be able to see far away objects much better by using this additional lens.

This telephoto lens is very similar to the viewing angle of your eyes. Thus, it has been a popular field of view for those who want an accurate display of whatever is in front of their lens.

With the advent of the iPhone 11 series, the non-Pro dual lens models called iPhone 11 do not have a telephoto lens option. However, they can certainly zoom in with what is called digital zoom. Their lenses are the wide and the ultra-wide-angle versions. The triple lens iPhone 11 Pro series includes the telephoto lens as well as the two wide angle options.

The following figure is an example of what a typical two lens iPhone would look like. Keep in mind that earlier series iPhones had the two lenses side-by-side in a horizontal arrangement, while later series iPhones had the two lenses stacked vertically.

iPhone models with three lenses

With the advent of the iPhone 11 Pro models, Apple has entered the three-lens game. The new addition is called an Ultra Wide angle lens, and it is truly wide! You’ll be able to fit in your composition a huge amount of the scene in front of you for a unique super wide view.

The Ultra Wide lens is perfect for landscape and architectural photographers, and street photographers have been putting this lens to very good use as well. The other two lenses haven’t changed much with regards to the viewing angle. You’ll still have the normal wide angle and telephoto view, much the same as what you would have been used to with any older dual lens iPhone models.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max and its triple lens layout is shown in the following figure. However, keep in mind that the 11 Pro (which is a bit smaller in size) has the same three lenses with the same image quality.

Future iPhone models with more than three lenses

Could there ever be a four-lens iPhone model? At the time of this writing, there are only rumors. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to have an additional fourth lens in the future that is even more of a telephoto view than the normal telephoto lens. While it would take a near engineering miracle to fit a longer telephoto lens on an iPhone, micro technology is advancing at such a rate that we may see such an iPhone within a short amount of time.

Your iPhone camera versus a professional camera

A lot of people get tempted by the allure of a very expensive professional DSLR camera, as they believe that they can create better photographs with it. While improved photographs can certainly be true, keep in mind that most photography these days is viewed on a screen. This view means that its often difficult to judge which image is from an iPhone and which is from a pro-level DSLR when compared on a portable device.

So, the general rule is to take your iPhone camera to the furthest that you can push it. And when you feel that you have mastered the iPhone and are feeling creatively held-back, then consider a DSLR or Mirrorless style of camera. The larger cameras will have greater resolution, but keep in mind that they don’t have the convenience of the iPhone, which often makes the iPhone a better choice for daily use.