Jon McCormack, Apple’s VP of camera software engineering, explained in an interview why the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s tetraprism lens system is limited to 5x optical zoom instead of 10x like on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
iPhone 15 Pro Max has 5x zoom because it’s easier to stabilize
Apple says the Telephoto lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max features the company’s most advanced camera stabilization system yet, with a combination of optical image stabilization and an autofocus 3D sensor shift module. McCormack said the iPhone’s 5x zoom lens can stabilize “incredibly well” compared to the 10x lens.
McCormack in the interview “5x zoom is something we can stabilize incredibly well. “If you look at the 10x zoom, it’s really hard to use unless you have the steadiest hands in the world or a tripod.” says.
In his interview, Maxime Veron, Apple’s senior director of iPhone product marketing, added that the 5x lens of the iPhone 15 Pro Max opens at ƒ/2.8, providing “perfect light management.” In comparison, the 10x lens of the Galaxy S23 Ultra has an aperture of ƒ/4.9.
A lower aperture allows more light to be captured by the camera’s sensor, which is especially useful for Night mode photos.
5x optical zoom is exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, while the iPhone 15 Pro is limited to 3x optical zoom. Apple is said to be planning to expand the tetraprism lens system to both iPhone 16 Pro models next year.
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