iPhone vs Full-Frame Bokeh


Set to f/1.4. bigger.	Set to f/4.5 (default). bigger.	Set to f/16. bigger.

iPhone Xs Max variable depth-of-field. To do this, first shoot a picture in PORTRAIT mode. Then play it back in Photos and tap EDIT, which shows this screen on which you can slide the aperture to change it — after you've shot it.

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September 2018 Better Pictures Apple Nikon Canon Sony All Reviews

Now that the iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max and iPhone XR have variable depth-of-field, how does its defocus, depth-of-field and bokeh compare to state-of-the-art full-frame professional cameras?

Here's a weather station at about headshot distance shot with the iPhone Xs Max and then with the world's fastest autofocus lens, the extraordinary Canon EF 50mm f/1 L, and then with the even more amazing new Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L. Both Canons were shot on the on the newest Canon EOS-R. These were all shot hand-held from slightly different positions.

Davis 6250 weather station, 22 September 2018. Direct file from the iPhone Xs Max's longer 6mm-lensed camera at f/2.4. bigger or full-resolution file.

Davis 6250 weather station, 22 September 2018. Same photo, processed to a synthetic f/16 equivalent in the iPhone. bigger or full-resolution file.

Davis 6250 weather station, 22 September 2018. Same photo, processed to a synthetic f/4.5 equivalent in the iPhone. This is the standard look in the iPhone's Portrait mode. bigger or full-resolution file.

Davis 6250 weather station, 22 September 2018. Same photo, processed to a synthetic f/1.4 equivalent in the iPhone. bigger or full-resolution file.

Davis 6250 weather station, 11 September 2018. Canon EOS-R with Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L at f/1.2. bigger or camera-original © file.

Davis 6250 weather station, 22 September 2018. Canon EOS-R with 50mm f/1 L on EF Adapter at f/1 at 1/3,200 at ISO 100 with Tiffen ND 0.9. bigger or camera-original © file.

Davis 6250 weather station, 22 September 2018. Canon EOS-R with 50mm f/1 L on EF Adapter at f/2 at 1/800 at ISO 100 with Tiffen ND 0.9. bigger or camera-original © file.

Davis 6250 weather station, 11 September 2018. Canon EOS-R with Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L at f/2.8. bigger or camera-original © file.

Davis 6250 weather station, 22 September 2018. Canon EOS-R with 50mm f/1 L on EF Adapter at f/4 at 1/200 at ISO 100 with Tiffen ND 0.9. bigger or camera-original © file.

Davis 6250 weather station, 11 September 2018. Canon EOS-R with Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L at f/5.6. bigger or camera-original © file.

Zoey, iPhone Xs Max Portrait mode at default synthetic f/4.5, 22 September 2018. iPhone Xs Max 6mm camera at true f/2.4 at 1/122 at Auto ISO 32. bigger.

Analysis & Recommendations

The iPhone actually works! Its bokeh and depth-of-field looks just like the 50mm full-frame lenses at the same real or synthetic apertures. There's more difference in bokeh between the two Canon lenses than there is between the iPhone and Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L.

The Canons may seem more vivid here only because I shoot my Canon EOS-R with its color saturation pegged at +4, while the iPhone shoots as it always does. I didn't crank-down the Canon EOS-R to normal colors for this comparison; in fact I hadn't even thought of making a comparison until I had shot all these for individual reviews and noticed that they were so similar I wanted to see them on the same page.

I give Apple a lot of credit: this is a random object, and even without a head or face it still does a remarkable job of identifying this random object and figuring out what to do.

What's different about the iPhone's out-of-focus areas using the Portrait mode is that while backgrounds are blurred just as they are with a full-frame professional camera, the foregrounds are not blurred more in portrait mode. This is even better than full-frame cameras because the human eye usually finds it weird and unnatural when foregrounds are fuzzy. While full-frame cameras blur foregrounds and backgrounds equally, the iPhone's portrait mode applies additional blurring only to the backgrounds, which looks even better.

One thing you'll notice is that even with the same lens there isn't much difference in depth-of-field with just a one-stop change in aperture. You need at least two stops to see much difference; camera companies love it when they get people to pay for f/2.8 zooms when f/4 zooms look almost the same for throwing backgrounds out-of-focus.

The iPhone Xs Max and Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L look astoundingly similar, even though I didn't shoot them at the same aperture or even on the same day. Each has superb bokeh; the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L is my new reference for 50mm bokeh and my Phone Xs Max looks just as good — at a fraction of the price!

The beastly 50mm f/1 L powerhouse is all about speed, not finesse. It's 2/3 of a stop faster than an f/1.2 lens. Its bokeh is pretty messy. The 50mm f/1 L has a lot of defocus, but its bokeh (the quality of out-of-focus areas, not simply how far out of focus they are), is only fair.

I used the absolute state-of-the-art in the world's highest-speed 50mm lenses. Most 50mm lenses are only f/1.4 (not f/1.2 or f/1), and most pros never use these but instead use 24-70mm f/2.8 zooms, which are only f/2.8. For head shots pro portrait shooters usually use longer lenses, which have even more in defocus, but I wanted to make as straight a comparison as possible to the normal field-of-view f/1.4 lens simulated by the iPhone.

I'm astonished at how well Apple simulates — and often exceeds — the defocus quality of professional full-frame cameras. Bravo Apple!

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Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

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September 2018