Apple’s new Camera Control button on iPhone 16 models makes the pro camera system more versatile with an innovative new way to quickly launch the camera, take a photo, and start video recording. It has a tactile switch that powers the click experience, a high-precision force sensor that enables the light press gesture, and a capacitive sensor that allows for touch interactions. A new camera preview helps users frame the shot and adjust other control options — such as zoom, exposure, or depth of field — to compose a stunning photo or video by sliding their finger on the Camera Control. Later this fall, Camera Control will be updated with a two-stage shutter to automatically lock focus and exposure on a subject with a light press, letting users reframe the shot without losing focus. Additionally, developers will be able to bring Camera Control to third-party apps such as Kino, which will offer users the ability to adjust white balance and set focus points, including at various levels of depth in their scene.
Harry McCracken for FastCompany:
In my brief time with the Camera Control at an Apple demo station, its sheer physicality made the iPhone feel radically more camera-like than when you interact with it entirely by poking at its screen. But the way Apple is already using the feature as a gateway to Apple Intelligence and opening it up to other app creators shows its potential to be far more than a mere shutter button. It feels like the future, and introducing it as an iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max exclusive might have made perfect sense.
Instead, Apple is putting the Camera Control in every new iPhone from the $799 iPhone 16 on up, giving it a shot at becoming an iconic, differentiating feature for the entire line. Moreover, the company is adding last year’s Action Button to the non-Pro iPhone 16 models, further erring on the side of tricking out entry-level iPhones as well as the high-end variants.
Meanwhile, you do need to buy an iPhone Pro to get the 5X zoom camera that debuted in last year’s iPhone Pro 15 Max. This year, however, the feature has migrated to the smaller iPhone 15 Pro as well, reducing the starting price for a 5X-zoom iPhone from $1,199 to $999.
MacDailyNews Take: The iPhone 16 family is certainly a boon for photographers!
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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
