TheiPhone 16 Prohas amassed quite some enviable report as a air pocket camera fireball , and for good intellect . This time around , Apple sharpen as much on “ prosumer ” features as it did on tricks that an modal mortal wo n’t have a hard time figuring out .
Takethe raw Photographic Styles system , for illustration . I have been as impressed with the raw 4K/120 - underframe - per - 2d seizure mode with the audio mixing system of rules in tow . All that revel get me wondering just how far we ’ve come in terms of iPhone picture taking within the span of a decade .
To judge that , I got my hands on aniPhone 6s — yes , those can still be found in refurbished or even sealed Department of State — for a fraction of its original asking price . call up , the iPhone 6S itself was quite a camera leap at launch .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
It begin the era of 12 - megapixel sensors on the iPhones , a trend that lives to this 24-hour interval , include the iPhone 16 Pro ’s telephoto sensor . It also pave the elbow room forward for 4 K video capture on smartphones and introduced the alive Photos system , too .
Apple also equip the iPhone 6s with a self - designed prototype signaling mainframe ( ISP ) and build up it with an improved iteration of the Focus Pixels technical school , which was essentially the companionship ’s take on Phase Detection Autofocus ( PFAF ) tech .
The substance total of all those creation was a camera that eased the chore of clicking dependable picture . It was n’t quite a twenty-four hours - and - night rise over contender like theLG G4and theSamsung Galaxy S6back then , but the Apple smartphone was still a revered snapper on its own .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
Over a decennium later , how does the iPhone 6s stack up to the up-to-the-minute iPhone 16 Pro ? Naturally , I discover out .
Obvious contest. Unexpected surprises
So , how do the two phones equate ? Not too spoiled , I ’d say . There are some obvious compromise , of course . The stabilisation and the shutter response on the a la mode Apple flagship are leagues ahead .
The HDR pipeline is far better with exposure ; you get a portraiture seizure perk , and the larger sensor can press dramatically more detail in the frame . If you were to get into the nitty - gritty , a lot is unabashedly lacking on the iPhone 6s from a comparative lens .
potent highlights are handled poorly by the iPhone 6s , shadows are demolish , the exposure compensation is slipshod , and the frame edges are almost noticeably softer .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
Those shortcoming are expected , specially when deal with a television camera with a megapixel count that ’s four times behind , narrower aperture , no proper deepness estimation pipeline , and the common set of benefits from pixel binning and computational proficiency .
Interestingly , with a bit of patient framing and exposure fitting , the photos clicked by the iPhone 6s still serve up an satisfactory level of sharpness . Take a look at this picture of my by artificial means unsatisfied cat and the level of detail keep back in the frame .
Low - visible radiation capture , expectedly , happen to be the weakest orbit , as you may clearly see from the blurry edges , randomness artifacts , and muffle colors in the equivalence shots below .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
That , however , does n’t mean the iPhone 6s camera is full trash . Quite the contrary . Take this picture of roots hanging from a Banyan tree . The iPhone sextuplet gets a shade challenging with the exposure ; the highlights leave much elbow room for betterment , and the surface details are also crushed .
The output from the tenner - old iPhone is not terrible , and if that ’s all you have to work on , there is heap of room to salvage it .
I enhanced the contrast , slightly increased the chroma , boosted the texture details , and adjusted the highlights to get the image you see below . All those modification were made in the native Photos app editor program , which is missing a peck of selection compared to modern - years iPhones .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
I had plan to double the iPhone 16 Pro ’s coloring material chemistry , which leans more toward the colder side . But I recognize that the emended iPhone 6s click leaned closer to what my eyes saw .
In a few scenario , the iPhone half a dozen ostensibly has the upper paw . In the frame below render a attack fire extinguisher , the iPhone 16 Pro ( left-hand ) aim for a higher ISO mark and saturation . In doing so , the subject stupefy an by artificial means vibrant fictitious character .
The iPhone 6s stays closer to the genuine coloring look of the depicted object , especially with respect to the outside illumination . Notice the colors on the valve at the top and how realistically game it looks .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
That ’s in the main because of the algorithmic processing and its love for over - saturation . The iPhone 16 Pro scores points for expert apparition ascendancy , surface detail , and desktop element , in finical .
In the image below , you may notice the disparity in colouring temperature and the overall key . The big surprisal , however , is the close contest between two cameras that go far a X aside .
Another reason why this picture astonish me is because the iPhone 16 Pro instantly switched to macro mode . The iPhone sise does n’t offer any macro gaining control capabilities , but it still bring forth a fantastic shot .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
The only reason I would find fault the iPhone 16 Pro ’s click in this competition is because there is more aerofoil definition and deepness . To an average person who merely seeks to preserve memories , these differences matter the instant you start looking cryptic .
If you’re able to avoid debate about clobber like native ISO inclinations , the iPhone 16 Pro would still win because there is more definition , punchier color , tighter ascendancy over light source , and less softness in motion picture clicked by it compared to the iPhone 6s .
Yet , for someone cognisant of what they see in a photo — and what they want — the iPhone 6s camera still offers enough tapestry to make them wait invoke with merely a few slider accommodation justly within the phone ’s photo editor program .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
The qat picture above is your distinctive opportunistic creature lie in wait around cafe tables in a res publica of persistent turmoil . And yes , it did manage to melt off with a whole shawarma roll from my home plate .
It was hard to penetrate a non - muzzy picture even with the iPhone 16 professional , despite its faster shutter and dramatically fast focus lock . The iPhone hexad could n’t possibly fare any better . Yet , the issue still look appealing after a brief stint in Photoshop Express .
The above range of a function also came as a shocker to me because the iPhone 6s oversee a close - range shot with a exclusive sensor without any macro mode processing . It is softer than the 24MP Fusion simulacrum from the iPhone 16 Pro but still satisfactory for social share-out .
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
Overall , the iPhone 16 Pro is a hardware - software package tomography wolf , and I take hold it in high-pitched respect as a reliable snapper . However , I was not fix for just how well the iPhone six would hold up a tenner later despite being massively underpowered at every single parameter .
A love story, with evidence
When I first took out the iPhone 6s for a spin , I was prepare for a monumental disappointment . Instead , what I captured proved to be a pleasant surprisal . That primarily has to do with the progress Apple has made with the processing grapevine of iPhone cameras .
In the X that slip by since the iPhone 6s hit the fund shelf , Apple usher in camera technologies such as Deep Fusion and Photonic Engine . From good - old sensor - level processing , Apple finally change over to Neural Engine acceleration and computational techniques .
The termination is a entire reimagination of how photos are create . The latest iPhone combines long and short exposure frames to provide pictures with more depth , deeper texture , and a higher chroma visibility .
On occasions , all that AI and machine learning goes overboard , giving you a shape that looks nothing like what your eyes perceive . It is satisfactory for Night Mode pictures where you call for to exhibit more elements in the flesh , but not for daylight shots .
In side - by - side comparisons , I noticed that the iPhone 6s pictures had somewhat of a unconditional , moving-picture show - like fictional character to them compare to the punchy clicks I fuck off from the iPhone 16 Pro . Another famed difference is the persistent haze - corresponding tone in the pic .
If you are someone who appreciates food grain and stochasticity in their pictures for that vintage feel , the iPhone 6s will help that by the oodles as soon as you set in motion the photographic camera in dimly get off surround . I also think filters are a canny way to mask some of the pitfalls .
photograph with the soft B&W filter and the one with the blue - ish grime tone look sensational direct out of the photographic camera . Compared to the iPhone 16 Pro , the iPhone 6s ’ 12 - megapixel principal photographic camera ca n’t quite figure out the highlight around shiny light sources .
Thankfully , lower the ISO helps modulate the aggressive luminance in the pictures and tot some chroma character to it in post - edits . Personally , I am strongly take up toward softer pictures .
That ’s primarily because they are much easier to contact up compared to hi - ray images with a lot of algorithmic chastening applied to them . Photos snap by the iPhone 6s hit that sweet office for me .
But it ’s not just about individual inclinations . With filters slap on top or a bit of post - capture edits applied , some of the low - light shots get through by the iPhone 6s look hauntingly good .
These pic retain an almost pristine look devoid of any aggressive sharpen or denoising that is a stylemark of modern - age smartphones like the iPhone 16 Pro . Or , as any veteran photographer will tell you , “ cover the noise . ”
Yes , there are limitations even if you restrict yourself to black and white seizure , particularly against harsh light , but with a bit of slant adjustment and linear frame adjustment , you may definitely get mouse click worthy of “ esthetic ” social sensitive circles . What ’s amiss is the raise in saturation and dependent exposure you get from modern cameras , such as those from Night Sight on Google Pixels or the young crop of iPhones .
At the remnant of the day , I was absolutely floored by how much I terminate up liking the iPhone 6s camera output . It ’s far from perfect , but it can still palm Instagram expectation .
Alternatively , if artistic photography is merely an lenience for you , or ready bad photos into tending - grabbers is how you flex your editing sinew , the iPhone 6s is a delicious challenge .
If you have one lying around , I suggest rent the old warrior out for some retro - panache urban picture taking or artistic play . You might stop up adore the solvent , like I did .
