Photographer Tyler Stalman is back with his annual iPhone camera review. Here’s what he had to say about the iPhone 18 Pro’s new variable aperture, photography styles, Apple’s reference image, and more. Stalman explores the iPhone 18 Pro’s variable aperture camera While this year’s iPhone 18 Pro introduces plenty of new features, including the 2nm A20 Pro chip, a new vapor chamber, and a smaller dynamic island, it’s fair to say the biggest camera update is its new variable aperture system. Also new this year are updates to Cinema mode, expanded photo styles with new texture controls, Apple’s Reference Image, and more improvements to the pro controls in the Camera app. Today, photographer Tyler Stalman published a review of all the new hardware and software features of the iPhone 18 Pro, adding to the wave of reviews that were published when the embargo was lifted, including ours. Stalman notes that while he enjoyed last year’s Cosmic Orange color on his iPhone 17 Pro, it tended to show up in reflections when shooting through windows. For this reason, he says professional photographers may want to opt for burgundy or black, as they are less likely to cast unwanted colors in photos or videos. He also notes up front that his review compares the iPhone 18 Pro’s cameras to the iPhone 15 Pro’s, while the video itself was shot almost entirely on an iPhone 17 Pro. When it comes to the main camera upgrade, which is the new variable aperture, Stalman says its addition is “a step on the way to making (the iPhone) a serious camera.” He also notes that the wider f/1.48 aperture allows more light to reach the sensor, which can help keep the ISO lower in low-light conditions and reduce the need for night mode. This part of the review includes some very interesting shots of the iris mechanism opening and closing, and Stalman notes that Apple’s implementation is somewhat unusual, with the aperture blades placed above the main lens element rather than deeper within the lens, as they typically are on traditional camera lenses. Stalman also says that the iPhone 18 Pro’s 4x zoom (also present on last year’s iPhone) is a nice improvement over the iPhone 16 Pro’s 5x zoom, which can sometimes feel too tight. And speaking of going too far, he’s quick to mention new AI-powered editing tools like Clean, Stretch, and Reframe, noting that while they’re technically impressive and quite convincing, they can make changes so significant that the resulting image no longer looks completely authentic to the original photo. When it comes to the iPhone 18 Pro’s new texture options, which include Soft Skin, Glow, and Film, Stalman demonstrates each effect by moving its intensity from 0 to 100. As for his prints, he says Soft Skin does a subtle job of reducing skin details without simply blurring them, while Glow adds a diffuse highlighting effect similar to a black fog filter. He’s also impressed by the grain and halo of the Film effect, although he wishes Apple offered more control over the amount of grain. The review also covers Apple’s flagship image, the iPhone’s Cinematic Mode (and how Stalman still recommends Apple Log for truly cinematic images), as well as the new Apple Log 2, and is naturally peppered with photo and video comparisons between the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro. You can watch the video below: Once you’re done, be sure to check out 9to5Mac’s review of the iPhone 18 Pro, which also includes multiple photo comparisons between the new device and the iPhone 17 Pro. Worth checking out on Amazon FTC – We use automatic affiliate links to generate income. Further.
