Is the new iPhone 11 camera TRULY “Pro Level” as Apple says? Let’s see…

Earlier this week I sent an email to all the major smartphone manufacturers.

In it I mentioned that as vendors these days flog their phones based on the video / photographic credentials as much as anything else, then it made sense that the only dedicated video / film creation and hardware oriented magazine in Australia should be of interest to them in terms of review and critique.

Depending on the content of the post, we can reach up to 160,000 people via our network of Facebook Groups dedicated to video and all its disciplines, not to mention Twitter, Instagram etc as well as our own, not insignificant number of web / mag subscribers.

And of course, it is a safe bet that every single one of those people have a smartphone.

To date, not one reply.

The iPhone 11

Today – well overnight – Apple announced its latest in iPhone whizzbangery and as usual, it is full of made up technology names with Capital Letters such as Stage Mono, True Tone Flash, Slow Sync, Live Photos, Smart HDR and Deep Fusion.

There is also a claim that it has the “fastest CPU in a smartphone”, like ever, a statement that I and others have reported has nothing to verify its accuracy whatsoever.

I’ll leave it to others to speculate on just how good the iPhone 11 is in the camera / camcorder department on its own merits.  I’ll wait (with bated breath) until I have before I comment.

But I was curious. Apple has released a sort of a specification list of the iPhone 11’s camera, so I thought it might be interesting to compare those side by side with a camcorder. For the full list of these Apple specs, see https://www.apple.com/au/iphone-11/specs/

In the press release, Apple has stated that the camera in the iPhone is “A Pro Camera System for Everyone”, so we’ll put it up against a proper pro camera shall we and see… and the one I chose to reflect portability and connectivity is the Sony RX0 Mk II.  For the Sony full specs see https://www.sony.com.au/electronics/cyber-shot-compact-cameras/dsc-rx0m2/specifications

The Sony RX0 MK II

The Sony RX0 MK II is priced at $949; the iPhone 11 starts at $1249 and climbs to an eye watering $1849. I am mainly comparing video capabilities by the way.

Comparison

Specification	Sony RX0 Mk II	Apple iPhone 11
Sensor Size	13.2mm x 8.8mm	Not Stated
Recording	NTSC/PAL Selector: [PAL] mode AVCHD: 24M FX(1,920×1,080/50i) / 17M FH(1,920×1,080/50i), XAVC S 4K10: 25p 100M(3,840×2,160/25p) / 25p 60M(3,840×2,160/25p), XAVC S HD: 50p 50M(1,920×1,080/50p) / 50p 25M(1,920×1,080/50p) /25p 50M(1,920×1,080/25p) /25p 25M(1,920×1,080/25p)/ 100p 60M(1,920×1,080/100p)10 / 100p 100M(1,920×1,080/100p)10	4K at 24fps, 30fps, 60 fps 1080p HD at 30fps or 60fps
Max Frame Rate	1000fps (HD only)	120 fps (HD only)
Image Stabilisation	Electronic	Optical for 4K, 1080p and 720p
Optical Zoom	No	2x
ISO	125-12800	Not Stated
Slo Mo Support	Up to 1000 fps	240fps and 120fps at 1080p
Autofocus	Continuous AF	Continuous
Aperture	f/4	f/1.8
Shutter Speed	1/3 sec to 1/32000 sec	Not Stated
Focal Length	f-7.9mm	Not Stated
Angle of View	84 degree	120 degree
Megapixel`	15.3Mp	12Mp
HDR Support	Yes	Photos only
Video formats	RAW, XAVC, AVCHD, H.264, HEVC	HEVC and H.264
Transfer Rate	100Mbps	No Stated
Photo while videoing?	Yes (HD only)	8Mp while 4K recording
Waterproof	Yes	Splash only
Tiltable LCD	Yes	No

Conclusion

Hardly “pro level” you’d have to say. Effectively it shoots 4K video, just as say the brilliant little Panasonic VX1 does (at a retail price of $899) or even a DJI Action Camera at $499 (and the DJI has far more versatility).

But “pro level”? Err No.

If you want to have a decent, flexible 4K camera, there are two options there alone that are far cheaper than an iPhone. If you want pro level specs, the Sony RX0 MKII is STILL far cheaper than an iPhone.

So, get a Samsung A20 or similar and a proper camera and you’re miles ahead. Or stick with the iPhone you have already and get a decent camera.

You’ll still be able to waste that 4K video on Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook …