Apple is ready to step up the photography credentials of the iPhone 17 with the addition of a mechanical camera aperture.
iPhone 17 is Set to Receive a Mechanical Aperture for Real Depth of Field Effect While Shooting Photos and Videos
iPhone users are familiar with how Portrait mode works. You take a photo, the iPhone scans the image, creates a depth map and applies fake blur to it later. It’s perfect, and it works. However, Apple is set to take things further with the iPhone 17.
According to a report by The Information, Apple is going to introduce a mechanical aperture to the iPhone 17, allowing more or less light to enter the camera lens. This would be an actual aperture, not software-based gimmickry. This means the iPhone 17 camera will will be able to capture real depth of field the moment you press the capture button.
If you have even the slightest interest in photography, you already know this is going to be a fantastic addition to the iPhone 17. However, do keep in mind that this feature might be limited to just one iPhone 17 model and I’m guessing that is the top-end model featuring three 48-megapixel cameras. And given the iPhone 17 is over a year away, I would suggest taking these rumors with a pinch of salt.
Though the news might be great and all, it remains to be seen how Apple plans to use this mechanical aperture. Portrait mode already does a great job, but fails at certain things such as hair, fur, anything that’s thin. Separating such things from the background can be an extremely tricky task. Maybe Apple wants to use the actual depth of field to somehow capture more data and separate the subject from the background.
With so much time remaining till the iPhone 17 launch, we will get to hear more on this for sure.
