Is the iPhone 7 worth the upgrade after all the hype? We made the switch from the 5s. Find out how the new iPhone performs in our iPhone 7 camera review.
My iPhone 5S has been looking rather battered and the 8Mp camera is dated, so a few months ago I promised myself an upgrade once the iPhone 7 was announced. Happily that day came earlier this month and I was quick off the mark to order one when the curtain fell on 9th September.
I was tempted by the dual camera configuration of the iPhone 7 Plus, but the iPhone 7 camera is a step-up in size from the 5S and I have an iPad Mini, so I wasn’t keen on the on the Plus’s bigger dimensions – or extra cost.
My shiny new iPhone 7 arrived on Friday 16th September as Apple promised and while this was good news because it meant I had it in time for Photokina 2016, it also coincided with a huge workload in preparation for the show.
Consequently I haven’t had much time to play with the phone yet, but I have been struck by how much of a step-up the camera is in comparison with the 5S. When shooting in low light for example, the on-screen image is brighter and sharper with better white balance. Naturally this translates into better quality images as what you see is what you get.
The iPhone 7 camera is capable of recording raw files, but oddly this isn’t possible using the native Camera app, instead you have to turn to a third party app. Adobe Lightroom Mobile will be the logical choice more many photographers as this is free with Adobe’s Photography Plan.
iPhone 7 Camera Review: testing the app
The latest Apple iOS hasn’t brought any major changes to the Camera app, the shooting mode is still selected by swiping along the bottom/right of the screen with Time-Lapse, Slow-Mo, Video, Photo, Square and Pano options being available.
At the top/left there are icons to select the flash, HDR, Live Photo, Self-timer and Filter options. The icon to swap between the front (12Mp) and back-facing (7Mp) camera is in the bottom right corner.
Using Adobe Lightroom Mobile with the iPhone 7 camera
The latest update for Lightroom Mobile allows you to shoot images within it, you just tap the camera icon in the bottom right corner. As usual, the first time you do this you need to give the app access to the camera.
Once you’ve done this you’ll see either DNG or JPG is selected. To change, between the file types, tap the letters and flip the switch.
Lightroom Mobile for iPhone also gives you control over the flash, white balance, exposure compensation and the self-timer. Plus, you can toggle through the grid display options and one is actually an electronic level – no more sloping horizons.
I’ll be shooting a lot more with the iPhone 7 over the coming days so keep you eyes open for updates.
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