Apple has supplemented the cameras on the new iPhone 13 series with an impressive Cinematic mode. As mobile cameras continue to improve, users are able to become more creative in how they capture video. New tools for recording can completely change the way an iPhone-shot video looks, and the iPhone 13 looks unlikely to disappoint in this department.
In the past, Apple has provided different tools in order to capture better home movies. For instance, slo-mo mode allowed users to capture high-resolution video at a high framerate to enable the user to capture and watch epic video at slow speeds. Under the hood, Apple has also improved optical image stabilization and low-light performance over time as well. With these combined, Apple’s new feature is all the more impressive.
The new feature is called Cinematic mode and genuinely changes the game when it comes to mobile videography. In summary, an iPhone combines AI with actual techniques used by filmmakers to automatically change focus and create intense depth during a shoot. When a subject enters the frame, the focus will change automatically to direct the viewer’s eyes naturally. If that subject looks away, or at another person on set, the iPhone will change focus to the new person. The user also has the ability to manually change the focus by selecting a face that the iPhone detects during the shot. This comes in handy when the shooter wants the audience’s attention to be directed towards something more specific. If the iPhone’s AI doesn’t get it right, the user can then change the depth of field after the shot – something that is not often found on cameras. Cinematic mode also records in Dolby Vision HDR, allowing for better colors and details and further enhancing what’s recorded.
Cinematic Like A Pro
These features are available on the iPhone 13, but the iPhone 13 Pro gets something a little more special. On the Pro, users have the option to shoot with either the wide, telephoto, or TrueDepth camera in Cinematic mode. While all of the depth adjustments happen in real-time, the process is actually pretty complicated, according to Apple. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro use high-quality depth data between a subject’s face and the camera in order to precisely measure where the focus needs to shift to. This data is constantly being updated at 30 frames per second – close to the standard framerate for movies. The ability for the iPhone to decide where the focus needs to be pulled is done continuously by the Neural Engine included with the A15 Bionic chip.
Cinematic mode really changes the game in terms of mobile videography. Having the ability to shoot in Dolby Vision HDR and create cinematic effects while on the go is quite the update for anyone who shoots video. As interest in shooting video on a mobile device increases, Apple’s new camera improvements are likely to prove all the more popular with iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro users.
