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Photographer Austin Mann reviews the iPhone 18 Pro camera

2026-09-17 | original

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Why This Matters

This story matters because it offers an expert, hands-on assessment of Apple's latest flagship camera hardware and software from a trusted voice in mobile photography, helping consumers and creators understand real-world image quality improvements before buying. It also signals Apple's continued push to appeal to professional and enthusiast photographers with granular manual controls, which could influence competitors' camera software design.

Key Takeaways

The iPhone 18 Pro introduces a variable aperture that intelligently auto-adjusts (e.g., f/1.48 indoors) and generally outperforms manual selection.
New Pro controls add long-requested features like separating manual focus from exposure, with effective focus peaking for precise control.
Photographic Styles 3 enables a film-like aesthetic through specific settings—underexposing, shooting wide open, using manual focus, HEIF format, and adjusting tone-mapping via the D-Pad.

Worth a Look

Apple iPhone 18 Pro — This is the exact device Austin Mann put through its paces, showcasing the new variable aperture and Pro camera controls in stunning detail. If you're a mobile photography enthusiast inspired by his review, the iPhone 18 Pro puts that same camera system in your hands.

See Apple iPhone 18 Pro on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max bring several changes to the Main camera and iOS Camera app, and photographer Austin Mann has just published a great review of everything new.

Austin Mann publishes in-depth review of iPhone 18 Pro camera upgrades

Credit: Austin Mann using iPhone 18 Pro

Every year, photographer Austin Mann puts out an in-depth review of the iPhone’s new camera features—complete with plenty of photos, of course.

Mann’s review of the iPhone 18 Pro camera upgrades was published today. I highly recommend checking it out for an overview of the new features and sampling of photos they enable.

On the new variable aperture feature, Mann says:

I recommend leaving your aperture in Auto. The camera is very, very good at picking the best aperture for the scene, and it’s usually better at it than me. Inside at dinner? f/1.48, auto-selected. Outside with plenty of light and depth? It picks a higher f-stop to keep everything in focus.

He shares beautiful examples of iPhone 18 Pro’s new wider aperture capturing the Colorado sky at night.

Credit: Austin Mann using iPhone 18 Pro

Regarding the new Pro controls that are exclusive to iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Mann was especially excited to find Manual Focus:

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