Apple is reputed for putting in incremental changes to the iPhone camera each time it releases a new version of the smartphone. But the iPhone 7's release reveals a revolutionary change - the dual-lens configuration in the Plus version provides a host of promising improvements that have taken a leap from previous iPhone versions.

Dual-lens

Computational photography is at the core of the iPhone 7 Plus' dual-lens setup, meaning that the new camera can exceed limitations borne out of the single lens and sensor format seen in previous iPhones. Although said technology has been present since the introduction of panorama photo stitching, its application on Apple's newest smartphone comes in the form of background defocusing, giving it practically the capabilities typically attributed to DSLR and mirrorless cameras. A 12-megapixel and 28mm f1.8 lens camera and another with 12 megapixels and a 56mm f2.8 "telephoto" lens form the dual-lens.

Depth of field

This is perhaps one aspect of the iPhone 7 Plus' dual-lens users will be most excited about, especially given creative limitations in past iPhone cameras. The new smartphone's ability to produce photos with a defocused background and a sharp foreground - those typically produced by DSLR and mirrorless cameras, owes to the device's extensive use of computational photography. Algorithmically-produced depth of field differs from those produced optically, in that the former blurs out parts of the photo that aren't detected as part of the subject, while the latter relies on planar differences.