iPhone 13 Pro Photography

iPhone photography has evolved so much. The ability to shoot in RAW format was first introduced in iPhone 12 Pro. The format is known as Apple ProRAW. Just like a DSLR RAW file, each ProRAW file stores more details. It has higher image quality, which means it is also ten times larger than the JPEG and HEIF files of the normal iPhone photo. It will take up more storage in the phone. Ultimately it gives more editing opportunities and control during post-processing.

Apple ProRAW files use the industry-standard digital negative (DNG). You can edit it with the iPhone Photo app or any other photo editing app that opens a DNG file. I am using Lightroom to edit these photos on my MacBook Pro. When I am on the move, either the iPhone Photo app or Lightroom mobile app is the most convenient way to edit my photos. Image quality is excellent, crisp and sharp.

iPhone 13 Pro has three 12MP camera systems - ultra-wide (.5), wide (1x) and telephoto (3). I have been using the ultra-wide quite a bit to create an expansive creative effect of a scene.

Here are some spectacular views of Singapore at sunset that were shot on iPhone 13 Pro.

Using the ultra-wide (.5) which is equivalent to a 13 mm lens shows the vastness of the cityscape with a dramatic sky. Modern skyscrapers are on the left and those buildings with orange roofs are olden days shophouses. As expected, a wide-angle lens always either distorts or warps a building's straight lines.

Another scene shot with the ultra-wide lens shows the contrast between these colourful shophouses in Chinatown and the modern high-rise in the background.

The colourful residential blocks and recreation areas in Chinatown are shot vertically with the ultra-wide. I like the creativity and the exaggeration of perspective that the ultra-wide lens could do to the scenery.

Marina Bay and beyond. With the ultra-wide, those three buildings are in the foreground as a leading line into the Marina Bay Sands. Details were sharply captured including those ships in the background.

This was shot with the 3x optical zoom to get a little closer to the Marina Bay Sands. The 3x optical zoom is equivalent to a 77mm lens. The photo is sharp and crisp.

The Pinnacle@Duxton is the world's tallest public residential building of 50 storeys. It has seven connected towers and two sky gardens of 500 metres each which are the longest-ever built on a skyscraper. This was shot with the 3x optical zoom-in.

In the foreground is The Esplanade, Theatres On The Bay, also known as the "Durians" due to its spiky roofs. Using the wide angle, the Durians and those white and grey buildings are prominently anchored in this composition. Farther subjects appeared much smaller in the background, simply to give a sense of endless buildings dominating most of the landscape of this city-state.

Suburban Singapore is a combination of shophouses, high rise residential and commercial buildings. This photo was shot right after a heavy downpour. Siltation is visible on the Singapore River. This was shot with the 1x zoom which is the default and also the regular wide-angle lens on all iPhones. It is equivalent to a 26mm lens.

Looking down at one of the busy roads within the Central Business District, this was shot vertically using the ultra-wide. This allows more interesting elements to be captured, such as patterns, cars, road markings, greenery and a partial view of the surrounding buildings.

Expect to get high-quality images from shooting in the Apple ProRAW. The details on each photo captured with those three lens systems are excellent. Knowing what exactly you want to capture will help you to decide which lens effect works best to tell your visual story. Nevertheless, light is always important to get a good picture.

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