The Camera Capabilities of the iPhone 8 Plus: A Review

The world of smartphone cameras has come a long way, and one device that stands out among the rest is the iPhone 8 Plus. With its advanced camera capabilities, it's no wonder that this phone has become a favorite among photographers and casual users alike. In this article, we'll delve into the camera features of the iPhone 8 Plus, exploring its strengths and weaknesses in different lighting conditions.

Portrait Lighting Mode: A Demo

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To demonstrate the iPhone 8 Plus' portrait lighting capabilities, I stood next to a subject with me and adjusted my position relative to the light source. As you can see, the lighting behind him changes in real-time, showcasing the device's ability to adapt to different lighting conditions.

I took a photo using the portrait mode, which showcases the lighting in action. The darkness stage light contour light studio light natural light all demonstrate the iPhone 8 Plus' ability to adjust its exposure and create a beautiful, well-balanced image.

[Image: Portrait Lighting Mode Demo]

As you can see, the lighting does change in real-time, creating a dynamic and interesting effect. However, I noticed that there is some light bleeding around the edges of the subject's face. This is a minor issue, but it's worth noting for those who expect perfection from their camera.

The Difference Between 4K 16 and 4K 60

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One of the most striking differences between the iPhone 8 Plus and its predecessor, the iPhone 7 Plus, is the difference in stabilization. The iPhone 8 Plus features a new and upgraded sensor that allows for more light to enter the camera, which is then processed by the digital image signal processor (A11 fusion chip). This results in smoother footage with reduced shutter issues.

In contrast, the iPhone 7 Plus struggles with shutter issues, even at lower frame rates. For example, when recording in 4K at 16 frames per second, you can notice significant stuttering and a loss of smoothness. In contrast, the iPhone 8 Plus provides a much smoother experience, even when recording in 4K at 60 frames per second.

[Video: Comparison between iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus]

Low-Light Capabilities

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One of the most significant improvements of the iPhone 8 Plus is its low-light capabilities. With its upgraded sensor and optimized digital image signal processor, the camera can capture stunning images even in the darkest environments.

I tested the iPhone 8 Plus' low-light capabilities by panning the camera across a pitch-black environment. The results were impressive, with more color detail visible than on the iPhone 7 Plus. I also noticed that the camera's noise reduction algorithm was much more effective at suppressing grain and noise, resulting in cleaner images.

[Image: Low-Light Test]

Downtown Seattle: A Cityscape Shot

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To showcase the iPhone 8 Plus' ability to capture stunning cityscapes, I took a photo of downtown Seattle from across the street. The results were breathtaking, with crisp details visible even at night.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the colors were more vivid and realistic than on the iPhone 7 Plus. The contrast between the dark shadows and light areas was also much better preserved, resulting in an image that looked almost like a DSLR shot.

[Image: Downtown Seattle Cityscape]

Slow Sync Flash

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One of the most underrated features of the iPhone 8 Plus is its slow sync flash. This feature completely transforms nighttime photography using flash, producing images with improved color and realism.

In comparison to the iPhone 7 Plus, which struggled to produce well-balanced images with flash, the iPhone 8 Plus excels in this area. The slow sync flash algorithm works by taking multiple exposures and then combining them to create a balanced image that accurately represents the scene.

[Image: Slow Sync Flash Demo]

Conclusion

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The iPhone 8 Plus is an outstanding camera phone that sets a new benchmark for smartphone cameras. With its advanced features, improved low-light capabilities, and stunning portrait lighting mode, it's no wonder that this device has become a favorite among photographers and casual users alike. Whether you're capturing cityscapes or portraits in the dark, the iPhone 8 Plus delivers exceptional results with minimal fuss.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhile guys I have spent a few days with the iPhone 8 plus camera filming and recording and I can without a shadow of a doubt say this is the best smartphone camera I have ever used and in most areas it is an improvement over the iPhone 7 plus so in this video I just wanted to do a little comparison the iPhone 7 plus is compared to the iPhone 8 plus is the upgrade justifiable as a standalone camera device oh my goodness this thing is so beyond impressive mostly in the dark the shots you can get you could never imagine to get on such a tiny sensor from a smartphone so the magic Apple has implemented into this phone is there and I've been nothing but impressed with these shots I have taken that would have looked just mediocre on many other cameras many other smartphones but the iPhone 8 plus just manages to make it look that much better hands down this is an incredible camera but getting the details let's take a look at that quality compared to the 7 plus alright taking a tour through the gardens here you guys can get an idea of how the colors look this is a really really vibrant color here and both look good both look really good here iPhone 8 seems a little bit brighter to me a little bit more vivid I hope I'm not just saying that because it's the newer phone here fantastic detail definitely have to do a focus test see how they focus because these seven puzzles are the best there's some yellow looks great and some more so some motion for your hair this is in 4k 30 anybody and these little guys will get them in there it's hard to see but there's a lot of them just chilling in there some dogs hey everybody's close and personal these are so mild-mannered they're so cute quails alright pet the cat man please give it some love he's just chillin we should take this cat to the Halloween party all buddy this is like the best cat in the world just so relaxed and chill okay let's that's not that shutterbug so to an extent oh it is present on the h plus when looking directly at sunlight notice that chomp so that leads me to believe it certainly is a shutter issue and not a sensor issue Wow huh I am a bit disappointed to find that on there those stages of CHOP you can definitely see them on the iPhone would have thought that Apple would have fixed that by now so it's not as a parent and yeah coming from direct sunlight back to this cats immediately you can tell the blacks seem a little darker I don't know why that is you just make out more detail and the bouquet effect great on both alright smoo Vaughn to some other colors here its whitish blueish guys look fantastic and let's check out the cockadoodle x' over here got some dark watts whoa this is the iPhone 8 plusses home environment where it does really good in the dark less noise more detail you can see there behind these chickens that looks fantastic so in a lower light even with an ample amount of light the iPhone h plus still has more detailed cool I listen to a focus test here just so you guys can get an idea of how long it takes to focus so I've got this subject here up now up down both are still pretty similar they're not the fastest to find the subject does take a while to search for it so focus isn't the best on both pretty slow still I would say the galaxy it is the fastest out of these work a little light in the background here another quality test and I type a beast yeah we got Escobar I'm just getting Zapata here Zapata it's what the shirt is about mo here with some gorgeous colors may not we live in such a blessed place here unable to see stuff like this on a daily so we're gonna be seeing here a beautiful sunrise or sunset just a second are you advertising Mac Tools alright so let's do some motion tests see how this looks while running I'll be telling you all right so I don't expect there to be a difference because these are both the same spec but in some rough terrain here all right and I'll zoom in the same amount on both here so it gets a two times zoom I'm gonna be using the other lens where now hood alright so there's two times having a little trouble focusing here and I want to go all the way in see if there's a difference in that stability so very tippy top about the same here can't say one's better than the other all right selfie cameras same sensor shining bright I can see so I can't say there's a difference these are both 7 megapixels on paper they're the same camera so this is portrait lighting mode I'm gonna stand here with you and as you can see the lighting behind him does change in real time stage light and let's take one here so here's a portrait mode with the darkness stage light contour light studio light natural light all right let's take a look at those lighting does change oh that's pretty cool Wow it's quite careful with the edges except where it can't be as you can see there is some light bleeding but overall looks pretty cool looks good man alright so Wow the world of difference because this isn't a 4k 60 video you guys can't really tell what it is so much more fluid it's ridiculous so notice how these shutter issues completely not present while the iPhone is in 4k 16 even though it's not shown it does not have this issue at all so it might be something with the frames interesting so next up I wanted to extensively cover the low-light capabilities of the iPhone 8 plus so there are two things in the equation here for one the new and upgraded sensor which allows more light in its a little bit bigger higher quality so there's that but there's also another side of that equation the digital image signal processor so Apple using the a 11 fusion chip has dedicated a portion of that processor just to get the perfect image in all situations so no matter if it's dark no matter what's going on you don't even need a fidget with the HDR anymore you're gonna get that perfect picture so this is 4k 30 frames per second and I am in a pitch-black environment will not pitch black but near that so what can I tell from this just panning it's smoother onto the iPhone 8 plus in the dark that's for sure you can make out a little bit more color even at night it's not so washed out there's a green light there that's a little bit of a bluish light there and a yellowish one here so looking up at the lights you're getting more detail in those darker area certainly that is so impressive how good this thing is at night you don't get as much noise then you get look if I go all the way out to the dark you definitely can make out more details there this is my seven balls already lost focus huh sorry focus go back in the dark yeah it's definitely more detailed on the same cost and it doesn't lose focus that is a world of difference why so you can just standing here it won't focus until I tell it to and then I'm pressing on the screen and it won't focus right now there's not enough detail for it to focus on actually so on a hill across from downtown Seattle I just thought hey can be iPhone 8 plus make out the details of the city from here I've been coming here every single year with every different version of the iPhone and Wow you literally can see almost every little detail something that on a DSLR you might be able to get this shot but on an iPhone that's crazy not only is the quality better there is less noise in the image as well and the colors the colors are more vivid you can actually see the real colors of the city they're not all whitewashed like they are on the iPhone 7 plus zooming in real close you can actually make out much more I mean it is grainy on both of course this isn't a huge image sensor what you're gonna be able to make out all those details but it certainly is a huge improvement over the iPhone 7 plus in color clarity and everything else and one of the biggest changes to the iPhone 8 plus is the slow sync flash it completely transforms the night time photography using flash images look much better color and everything appears more realistic how it actually is one of the most underrated changes of the new iPhone 8 series so in general the pictures I mean they're good on both the 7 plus 1/8 plus it's very hard to distinguish between these most of the time but the colors are just a little bit better on the iPhone 8 plus when you start getting a little bit to darker shadows the iPhone 8 plus is the winner in those I mean it just looks fantastic and that's not to rain on the parade for the iPhone 7 plus that's still a fantastic camera but this this is Apple's best camera and so to wrap this up guys this is seriously the most impressive camera on a smartphone I have ever seen the perfect picture in any environment no messing around with the settings Apple optimizes that all for you to give you the best possible camera phone experience in your pocket I mean DxO mark rated it as their number one camera ever and that's the benchmark for these cameras is just crazy guys if you're looking for the best camera on a smartphone look no further hope you guys enjoyed this review peacewhile guys I have spent a few days with the iPhone 8 plus camera filming and recording and I can without a shadow of a doubt say this is the best smartphone camera I have ever used and in most areas it is an improvement over the iPhone 7 plus so in this video I just wanted to do a little comparison the iPhone 7 plus is compared to the iPhone 8 plus is the upgrade justifiable as a standalone camera device oh my goodness this thing is so beyond impressive mostly in the dark the shots you can get you could never imagine to get on such a tiny sensor from a smartphone so the magic Apple has implemented into this phone is there and I've been nothing but impressed with these shots I have taken that would have looked just mediocre on many other cameras many other smartphones but the iPhone 8 plus just manages to make it look that much better hands down this is an incredible camera but getting the details let's take a look at that quality compared to the 7 plus alright taking a tour through the gardens here you guys can get an idea of how the colors look this is a really really vibrant color here and both look good both look really good here iPhone 8 seems a little bit brighter to me a little bit more vivid I hope I'm not just saying that because it's the newer phone here fantastic detail definitely have to do a focus test see how they focus because these seven puzzles are the best there's some yellow looks great and some more so some motion for your hair this is in 4k 30 anybody and these little guys will get them in there it's hard to see but there's a lot of them just chilling in there some dogs hey everybody's close and personal these are so mild-mannered they're so cute quails alright pet the cat man please give it some love he's just chillin we should take this cat to the Halloween party all buddy this is like the best cat in the world just so relaxed and chill okay let's that's not that shutterbug so to an extent oh it is present on the h plus when looking directly at sunlight notice that chomp so that leads me to believe it certainly is a shutter issue and not a sensor issue Wow huh I am a bit disappointed to find that on there those stages of CHOP you can definitely see them on the iPhone would have thought that Apple would have fixed that by now so it's not as a parent and yeah coming from direct sunlight back to this cats immediately you can tell the blacks seem a little darker I don't know why that is you just make out more detail and the bouquet effect great on both alright smoo Vaughn to some other colors here its whitish blueish guys look fantastic and let's check out the cockadoodle x' over here got some dark watts whoa this is the iPhone 8 plusses home environment where it does really good in the dark less noise more detail you can see there behind these chickens that looks fantastic so in a lower light even with an ample amount of light the iPhone h plus still has more detailed cool I listen to a focus test here just so you guys can get an idea of how long it takes to focus so I've got this subject here up now up down both are still pretty similar they're not the fastest to find the subject does take a while to search for it so focus isn't the best on both pretty slow still I would say the galaxy it is the fastest out of these work a little light in the background here another quality test and I type a beast yeah we got Escobar I'm just getting Zapata here Zapata it's what the shirt is about mo here with some gorgeous colors may not we live in such a blessed place here unable to see stuff like this on a daily so we're gonna be seeing here a beautiful sunrise or sunset just a second are you advertising Mac Tools alright so let's do some motion tests see how this looks while running I'll be telling you all right so I don't expect there to be a difference because these are both the same spec but in some rough terrain here all right and I'll zoom in the same amount on both here so it gets a two times zoom I'm gonna be using the other lens where now hood alright so there's two times having a little trouble focusing here and I want to go all the way in see if there's a difference in that stability so very tippy top about the same here can't say one's better than the other all right selfie cameras same sensor shining bright I can see so I can't say there's a difference these are both 7 megapixels on paper they're the same camera so this is portrait lighting mode I'm gonna stand here with you and as you can see the lighting behind him does change in real time stage light and let's take one here so here's a portrait mode with the darkness stage light contour light studio light natural light all right let's take a look at those lighting does change oh that's pretty cool Wow it's quite careful with the edges except where it can't be as you can see there is some light bleeding but overall looks pretty cool looks good man alright so Wow the world of difference because this isn't a 4k 60 video you guys can't really tell what it is so much more fluid it's ridiculous so notice how these shutter issues completely not present while the iPhone is in 4k 16 even though it's not shown it does not have this issue at all so it might be something with the frames interesting so next up I wanted to extensively cover the low-light capabilities of the iPhone 8 plus so there are two things in the equation here for one the new and upgraded sensor which allows more light in its a little bit bigger higher quality so there's that but there's also another side of that equation the digital image signal processor so Apple using the a 11 fusion chip has dedicated a portion of that processor just to get the perfect image in all situations so no matter if it's dark no matter what's going on you don't even need a fidget with the HDR anymore you're gonna get that perfect picture so this is 4k 30 frames per second and I am in a pitch-black environment will not pitch black but near that so what can I tell from this just panning it's smoother onto the iPhone 8 plus in the dark that's for sure you can make out a little bit more color even at night it's not so washed out there's a green light there that's a little bit of a bluish light there and a yellowish one here so looking up at the lights you're getting more detail in those darker area certainly that is so impressive how good this thing is at night you don't get as much noise then you get look if I go all the way out to the dark you definitely can make out more details there this is my seven balls already lost focus huh sorry focus go back in the dark yeah it's definitely more detailed on the same cost and it doesn't lose focus that is a world of difference why so you can just standing here it won't focus until I tell it to and then I'm pressing on the screen and it won't focus right now there's not enough detail for it to focus on actually so on a hill across from downtown Seattle I just thought hey can be iPhone 8 plus make out the details of the city from here I've been coming here every single year with every different version of the iPhone and Wow you literally can see almost every little detail something that on a DSLR you might be able to get this shot but on an iPhone that's crazy not only is the quality better there is less noise in the image as well and the colors the colors are more vivid you can actually see the real colors of the city they're not all whitewashed like they are on the iPhone 7 plus zooming in real close you can actually make out much more I mean it is grainy on both of course this isn't a huge image sensor what you're gonna be able to make out all those details but it certainly is a huge improvement over the iPhone 7 plus in color clarity and everything else and one of the biggest changes to the iPhone 8 plus is the slow sync flash it completely transforms the night time photography using flash images look much better color and everything appears more realistic how it actually is one of the most underrated changes of the new iPhone 8 series so in general the pictures I mean they're good on both the 7 plus 1/8 plus it's very hard to distinguish between these most of the time but the colors are just a little bit better on the iPhone 8 plus when you start getting a little bit to darker shadows the iPhone 8 plus is the winner in those I mean it just looks fantastic and that's not to rain on the parade for the iPhone 7 plus that's still a fantastic camera but this this is Apple's best camera and so to wrap this up guys this is seriously the most impressive camera on a smartphone I have ever seen the perfect picture in any environment no messing around with the settings Apple optimizes that all for you to give you the best possible camera phone experience in your pocket I mean DxO mark rated it as their number one camera ever and that's the benchmark for these cameras is just crazy guys if you're looking for the best camera on a smartphone look no further hope you guys enjoyed this review peace\n"