The iPhone 11 Pro’s cameras may look silly but the photos they take are anything but

The iPhone 11 Pro’s triple cameras might be easy to laugh at, but they’re the standout feature on a phone that offers little innovation.

The iPhone 11 Pro is the first Apple smartphone to feature a rear triple-camera array, and it’s been polarising to say the least.

When it was first unveiled, social media was quick to tee off on the triangle of lenses, mocking its layout and comparing it to everything from bowling balls, to fidget spinners and shavers.

When the world is running after iphone 11, I already got iphone 12 with four camera😏🤲🏻 pic.twitter.com/n2ha5VselG

— ج Ùˆ ا د 🐥 (@jawad_jari) September 18, 2019

Someone said the iPhone 11 Pro cameras must have been sponsored by the fidget spinner and I cant stop thinking about that. Lmmaoooooo😂😂😭 pic.twitter.com/d33r9kzRdz

— iron deficiency gang (@lewymwaki) September 11, 2019

iphone 11 pro cameras vs bowling ball holes.

#AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/OyM8NONaHl

— Abtin (@Abtiiiiin) September 10, 2019

There were also reports of the new design triggering people afflicted with trypophobia — a fear of the sight of tightly clustered holes or circles.

It’s not the first time Apple has been mocked for a design choice and it’s unlikely to be the last, but luckily for the tech giant, the new camera array brings with it the performance to quickly place its vocal critics into silent mode.

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WHY ARE THERE THREE CAMERAS?

Triple camera arrays first appeared on Huawei’s P20 Pro smartphone last year and have quickly been embraced by rival manufacturers.

The Huawei P20 Pro smartphone is the first to feature a Leica "triple camera".

The new iPhone 11 Pro features a regular wide angle camera like you would have found on previous models, but it’s complemented by a telephoto camera with a 2x optical zoom, and an ultra-wide that captures more in the frame.

The iPhone 11 Pro’s ultra-wide camera in action

The iPhone 11 Pro’s standard wide angle camera.

The iPhone 11 Pro’s 2x Telephoto camera

The three cameras can also work together to create stunning portraits by capturing and mapping different depths to create more realistic bokeh.

Photographers can adjust the amount of background blur and change portrait lighting after the shutter has been pressed using the redesigned Photos app in iOS 13, so any shot can be tweaked, with the results seen in real-time.

LOOK OUTSIDE THE FRAME

When using the 2x telephoto and the standard wide camera, the top and bottom of the camera become transparent.

This gives users the ability to see what’s outside the frame, letting them see what they’re missing and what’s about to enter the frame.

SEE IN THE DARK

The iPhone 11 also introduces Night mode for the first time on an iPhone.

Night mode works by taking a series of images at different exposures and stitching them together to create bright and natural images even in lowlight.

Night mode turns on automatically and helps photographers capture more detail without the need to use a harsh flash.

SMOOTH SLOW MOTION SELFIES

All four of the iPhone Pro’s cameras, including its front-facing camera, can shoot video in 4K up to 60fps with extended dynamic range.

Additionally, the front camera can also shoot up to 120 fps for smoother slow motion performance.

Apple has branded these slow-motion selfie videos “slofies”, but whether this name ends up catching on remains to be seen. In any case, this feature is likely intended to act as a bit of fun rather than for any serious “Pro” use.

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There’s more to the iPhone 11 Pro than its fancy new cameras obviously. While the entry-level iPhone 11 is largely similar to its recent predecessors, the Pro model boasts significantly higher specs that helps the photos and videos you take look even better on it.

The 5.8-inch diagonal OLED display has a massive 2 million:1 contrast ratio (compared to 1400:1 on the base model) that turns off black pixels for deeper, darker blacks.

Apple’s TrueTone display also adjusts to ambient light to render more natural colours by changing the white balance of the display, which also reduces eyestrain from staring at blue lighting.

While Apple has copped flak for its less than subtle clustering of its triple-camera array, the images these cameras produce and the ease and speed with which they do make the iPhone 11 Pro one of the best cameras for photography. The software optimisations and versatile editing features Apple have included on top of them only boost the argument.

What do you think of the iPhone 11 Pro’s divisive new camera setup? Let us know in the comments below.