It shouldn't be surprising to hear that the iPhone 8 has a better camera than the iPhone 7; anything else would be a horrible disappointment. But just how better is the iPhone 8?
In comparing the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 cameras, we set a couple of rules: photos were taken on auto, we kept the flash off and had HDR on. Before we get into a shot by shot breakdown, here are our key findings:
- The iPhone 8's camera improvements are most noticeable when shooting in adverse situations.
- When shooting in direct sunlight, the iPhone 8 is less prone to blowout than the iPhone 7, and images exhibit better contrast.
- When shooting at night, images are brighter, less grainy and sharper.
- Photos taken by the iPhone 8 tend to be more detailed across the board.
- In terms of colour, the iPhone 8's images tend to be more saturated, giving them extra pop.
- Both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 have 12MP cameras, so the images produced are identical in resolution.
Camera samples
(slide the bar in the center to see both images)
In the above image, we shot directly into the sun. The iPhone 8's camera captured a more detailed image with greater contrast, while the image produced by the iPhone 7 is on the verge of blowing out. AAA
The above image highlights the iPhone 8's increased saturation. Colours in the photo taken by the iPhone 8 are deeper than those taken by the iPhone 7.
The above is a 100% crop of the previous image, and in addition to reinforcing the increased saturation, it showcases extra detail and gentler highlights.
The above images showcase the iPhone 8's improvements in lowlight photography. While the buildings on either side of the image are barely visible in the photo taken by the iPhone 7, they're much more prominent in the iPhone 8 image.
While the iPhone 8 image is noticeably brighter than the photo take by the iPhone 7, the biggest improvements are more noticeable when you zoom in.
The above is a 100% crop of the previous image, and demonstrates the iPhone 8's improvements in detail and sharpness. The image taken by the iPhone 8 is much cleaner when it comes to camera noise and artifacts.
While there are minor differences in colour, the above image shows how similarly the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 perform when shooting in well lit, unchallenging environments.
The two images above are once again quite similar, but the tiles and power lines are sharper in the photo taken by the iPhone 8.
The above image is another example of lowlight photography. In addition to being brighter overall, details such as the guitar strings are sharper on the image captured by the iPhone 8.
These images are another example of how the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 compare when in lowlight environments.
The above photos showcase the difference in how the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 handle a strong backlight. While the iPhone 7 partially blew out the backlight, the iPhone 8 managed to maintain colour while producing a brighter overall image.
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