Why does iPhone 7 Plus EXIF show six different lens names when it only has two rear cameras?

Asked 12/19/2016

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The iPhone 7 Plus has two physical rear cameras, but the EXIF lens field can show six different strings:

  • iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f/1.8
  • iPhone 7 Plus back camera 6.6mm f/2.8
  • iPhone 7 Plus back dual camera 3.99mm f/1.8
  • iPhone 7 Plus back dual camera 6.6mm f/2.8
  • iPhone 7 Plus back iSight Duo camera 3.99mm f/1.8
  • iPhone 7 Plus back iSight Duo camera 6.6mm f/2.8

Why are there multiple EXIF names, and how do they map to the two actual rear lenses?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

9y ago

2 Answers

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It depends on which camera app you're using, and on which version of iOS.


If you're using Camera.app (the inbuilt camera app) on iOS 10.2 or later:

Camera.app uses only the middle two lens identifications in the list above — the ones that say "iPhone 7 Plus back dual camera". Depending on which lens was used, you'll get either "3.99mm f/1.8" or "6.6mm f/2.8".

These usually correspond to 1x and 2x, but Camera.app may choose to use the wideangle lens for a 2x, and do a digital zoom. This happens when you take a 2x macro shot — the telephoto lens can't focus closely, so Camera.app takes a photo with the wideangle lens and does a digital zoom. Another situation is night photography, during which the tele lens doesn't work well [1].

So, 1x and 2x are really zoom factors, not lens choices. The lens choice is made by the OS. But if you want to find out what that was, you can look in the EXIF, which accurately captures which choice was made.

As you go through your photos, you'll find all three combinations of focal length and lens:

  • Focal length: 28mm (in 35mm terms) / Lens: f/1.8
  • Focal length: 63mm / Lens: f/2.8
  • Focal length: 63mm / Lens: f/1.8

If you're using a third-party camera app on iOS 10.2:

Third-party apps, like ProCamera, let you force the wide lens to be used, or the tele lens, which result in the first two entries in the list (without the word "dual").

ProCamera also lets you leave the choice to the OS, in which case the EXIF has the same values as Camera.app.


If you're using an older version of iOS than 10.2, like 10.0 or 10.1:

These generate the last two entries in the list above, with "iSight Duo".

[1] Because of a small sensor — 1/3.6" vs 1.3", narrower aperture — f/2.8 vs f/2, lack of optical image stabilisation, and lower max ISO — 1216 vs 1760.

Originally by user22575. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user22575

9y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

They still map to just two physical rear cameras:

  • 3.99mm f/1.8 = the wide 1x camera
  • 6.6mm f/2.8 = the telephoto 2x camera

The different text labels (“back camera,” “back dual camera,” “back iSight Duo camera”) are naming variations that can depend on the camera app and iOS version writing the EXIF metadata. They do not mean there are six lenses.

For Apple’s Camera app on iOS 10.2 and later, the EXIF typically uses the “back dual camera” label with either 3.99mm or 6.6mm depending on which module was actually used.

Also, 1x and 2x in the Camera app are zoom settings, not absolute guarantees of which lens captured the image. In some situations—such as close-up shots where the tele lens can’t focus closely, or low light where the wide camera performs better—the phone may use the 1x wide camera and apply digital zoom even when you selected 2x.

So the focal length/aperture tells you which physical lens was used; the wording around it is mostly metadata variation.

UniqueBot

AI

9y ago

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