Comparing the iPhone 8 to its Predecessor: A Detailed Analysis

The iPhone 8, with its improved internals and new features, has been compared to its predecessor, the iPhone 7. In this analysis, we will delve into the details of both devices, focusing on autofocus speed and accuracy, detail color reproduction, dynamic range, and overall image quality.

Testing Autofocus Speed and Accuracy

To test the autofocus speed and accuracy of both devices, the authors took 20 photos as quickly as possible while alternating focus between the subject and background. The results showed that the iPhone 7 would not take a photo until all lateral motion stopped, whereas the iPhone 8 was able to focus perfectly sharp photos while panning.

The authors observed that the iPhone 8's autofocus speed is significantly faster than its predecessor, allowing for sharper images in various shooting conditions. This improvement is particularly noticeable in low-light situations, where the iPhone 7 would struggle to capture clear images.

Low-Light Photography

To illustrate image quality, the authors started with some low-light photos taken in portrait mode. The iPhone 8's improved sensor and lens allowed it to expose brighter and have more vibrant colors than its predecessor. Upon zooming in, the difference became even more apparent, with the iPhone 8 producing significantly better detail and color accuracy.

In one of the shots, the authors noticed that the iPhone 8 renders the scene a little brighter than the iPhone 7, resulting in more accurate colors in the dry grass. This improvement was also observed in another shot, where the iPhone 8 outperformed its predecessor in capturing detailed images of leaves and branches.

The Noise Reduction Process

When examining the images on a larger monitor, it became apparent that Apple's noise reduction process produces slight smearing around details like jeans. However, this effect was not noticeable when viewing the images on an iPhone screen. The authors also observed less visible noise in the sky and more saturated colors when cropping in.

Portrait Lighting Feature

The Portrait lighting feature, exclusive to the iPhone 8 and 10 series, allows users to change the lighting of their subject and add studio effects even after editing. This feature is particularly useful for photographers who want to create complex lighting setups without needing external equipment.

In one example, the authors reproduced a shot three times to ensure the results were correct. The third instance showed significant differences in image quality between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8, demonstrating the latter's superior capabilities in capturing detailed images with accurate colors.

Shooting Against the Sun

When shooting against the sun, the authors noticed that the iPhone 7 greatly suffered from flaring and overexposure. In contrast, the iPhone 8 performed much better, retaining more detail and color accuracy despite the challenging lighting conditions.

However, upon closer inspection, it became apparent that both devices had some issues with compression artifacts in shadows. The authors speculate that this might be due to the increased brightness of the image on the iPhone 7, which caused the shadows to become overexposed.

HDR Images

To test dynamic range, the authors set both devices to capture HDR images. In one shot, they observed that the iPhone 8 shows more information within the shadows compared to its predecessor. The resulting image had better contrast and display, with visible details in areas where the iPhone 7 would have blown out.

In another example, the authors noticed that while the iPhone 8's dynamic range was closer to what a human eye sees, it also tended to overexpose the scene slightly. This allowed for more flexibility when editing images, as the colors remained true to life even in shadows.

Conclusion

Overall, the iPhone 8 has demonstrated significant improvements over its predecessor in various aspects of image quality. With faster autofocus speed and accuracy, better color reproduction, and enhanced dynamic range capabilities, the iPhone 8 is well-equipped for capturing high-quality images in a variety of situations.

While both devices have their strengths and weaknesses, the iPhone 8's advancements make it a compelling choice for photographers and casual users alike. Whether you're looking to improve your low-light photography skills or simply want a device that can deliver exceptional image quality, the iPhone 8 is definitely worth considering.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enalthough the new iPhone 8 still sports a 12 megapixel rear camera like its iPhone 7 predecessor Apple has improved its internals with an all-new sensor that captures better video and let's in more light the larger 8 plus gets dual 12 megapixel cameras to support Apple's new portrait lighting feature and both get new slow sync flash to learn how that works and see how it compares to the sevens flash click the card above or use the link at the end of the video in this video we'll be comparing the iPhone 8 against iPhone 7 focusing on autofocus speed and accuracy detail color reproduction and dynamic range we tested autofocus by taking 20 photos as fast as possible while alternating focus between the subject and background in our tests we noticed that the 7 would not take a photo until all lateral motion stopped the iPhone 8 on the other hand focuses so quick it was able to take perfectly sharp photos while panning there's a lot of photos we'll be covering to illustrate image quality so make sure to pause the video when you want to take a closer look let's start with some low-light photos in this portrait mode photo you can instantly tell that the 8 is exposed brighter and has more vibrant colors zooming in we notice that has much more detail in this wide photo we see the 8 producing better colors and much better detail and the leaves and branches next we could tell the 8 renders the scene a little brighter than the 7 with more accurate colors in the dry grass we also see a huge improvement in the detail around the leaves in this portrait photo the eights photo is again brighter with better colors and less visible noise looking at the image on a larger monitor it seems as though apples noise reduction produces slight smearing like details around the jeans but this wasn't noticeable on iphone screen here we can see less noise in the sky and when cropping in more saturated colors and much more detail in this portrait mode photo died funny and seven look extremely similar but it seems iPhone 7 over sharpens the image leaving crispy aliasing lines in areas like the eyebrows this is also a good time to show off the portrait lighting feature exclusive to the 8 and 10 iPhones which allows you to change the lighting of the subject and add studio effects even in post now here is one with a huge difference and render detail interestingly the shot came out to be three point six megabytes on the 7 in 4.7 megabytes for the 8 we reproduced a shot three times to make sure the results were correct in this close-up shot there isn't as much of a difference because still see better color accuracy in more detail an iPhone 8 version and the same goes for this shot you really can't tell the difference until you crop in in this photo we decided to shoot against the Sun and we instantly see the sky and Sun is more blown out on the seven but the subject space is brighter we see more flaring on the eights image but it gets much better detail here we do the same thing but in portrait mode the seven greatly suffers from flaring whereas the eight can better handle the extreme lighting conditions the sevens colors look way off in the image lacks detail now let's show off some shots focusing on dynamic range for these tests we set both phones to capture HDR images in this shot the eight shows much more information within the shadows cropping in on the Clocktower you can see that the seven is blowing out detail here the eight is properly exposing for the shadows under the bridge as well as retaining highlight details the sevens image is blown out greatly washing out the details and colors as a result now here is one with an obvious difference both examples are similar in detail but the seven has higher contrasts the eight is closer to what you would see with your eyes but it does go a little overboard on the HDR you can add some contrast back in to make it look more natural and post the eight also retains colors like in the sky on the fence and especially in the rocks which look black on the seven moving on to our final photo the difference is startling the seven shows the subject as G dark and colors and highlight regions are washed out the eight retains the highlights while also showing true to life colors even in the shadows the subjects face is properly exposed except we do see some compression artifacts on the jacket likely from a boost in the shadow brightness overall Apple has done a nice job upgrading the iPhone eights cameras compared to the seven we get faster autofocus better color accuracy lower noise much better flash capabilities thanks to a slow sink in the massive improvement and dynamic range if you enjoyed this video like it and hit that subscribe button also check out a price guide which makes it extremely easy to find the best deals and Apple products updated daily be sure to follow us on social media and we'll see you in the next video youalthough the new iPhone 8 still sports a 12 megapixel rear camera like its iPhone 7 predecessor Apple has improved its internals with an all-new sensor that captures better video and let's in more light the larger 8 plus gets dual 12 megapixel cameras to support Apple's new portrait lighting feature and both get new slow sync flash to learn how that works and see how it compares to the sevens flash click the card above or use the link at the end of the video in this video we'll be comparing the iPhone 8 against iPhone 7 focusing on autofocus speed and accuracy detail color reproduction and dynamic range we tested autofocus by taking 20 photos as fast as possible while alternating focus between the subject and background in our tests we noticed that the 7 would not take a photo until all lateral motion stopped the iPhone 8 on the other hand focuses so quick it was able to take perfectly sharp photos while panning there's a lot of photos we'll be covering to illustrate image quality so make sure to pause the video when you want to take a closer look let's start with some low-light photos in this portrait mode photo you can instantly tell that the 8 is exposed brighter and has more vibrant colors zooming in we notice that has much more detail in this wide photo we see the 8 producing better colors and much better detail and the leaves and branches next we could tell the 8 renders the scene a little brighter than the 7 with more accurate colors in the dry grass we also see a huge improvement in the detail around the leaves in this portrait photo the eights photo is again brighter with better colors and less visible noise looking at the image on a larger monitor it seems as though apples noise reduction produces slight smearing like details around the jeans but this wasn't noticeable on iphone screen here we can see less noise in the sky and when cropping in more saturated colors and much more detail in this portrait mode photo died funny and seven look extremely similar but it seems iPhone 7 over sharpens the image leaving crispy aliasing lines in areas like the eyebrows this is also a good time to show off the portrait lighting feature exclusive to the 8 and 10 iPhones which allows you to change the lighting of the subject and add studio effects even in post now here is one with a huge difference and render detail interestingly the shot came out to be three point six megabytes on the 7 in 4.7 megabytes for the 8 we reproduced a shot three times to make sure the results were correct in this close-up shot there isn't as much of a difference because still see better color accuracy in more detail an iPhone 8 version and the same goes for this shot you really can't tell the difference until you crop in in this photo we decided to shoot against the Sun and we instantly see the sky and Sun is more blown out on the seven but the subject space is brighter we see more flaring on the eights image but it gets much better detail here we do the same thing but in portrait mode the seven greatly suffers from flaring whereas the eight can better handle the extreme lighting conditions the sevens colors look way off in the image lacks detail now let's show off some shots focusing on dynamic range for these tests we set both phones to capture HDR images in this shot the eight shows much more information within the shadows cropping in on the Clocktower you can see that the seven is blowing out detail here the eight is properly exposing for the shadows under the bridge as well as retaining highlight details the sevens image is blown out greatly washing out the details and colors as a result now here is one with an obvious difference both examples are similar in detail but the seven has higher contrasts the eight is closer to what you would see with your eyes but it does go a little overboard on the HDR you can add some contrast back in to make it look more natural and post the eight also retains colors like in the sky on the fence and especially in the rocks which look black on the seven moving on to our final photo the difference is startling the seven shows the subject as G dark and colors and highlight regions are washed out the eight retains the highlights while also showing true to life colors even in the shadows the subjects face is properly exposed except we do see some compression artifacts on the jacket likely from a boost in the shadow brightness overall Apple has done a nice job upgrading the iPhone eights cameras compared to the seven we get faster autofocus better color accuracy lower noise much better flash capabilities thanks to a slow sink in the massive improvement and dynamic range if you enjoyed this video like it and hit that subscribe button also check out a price guide which makes it extremely easy to find the best deals and Apple products updated daily be sure to follow us on social media and we'll see you in the next video you\n"