Photographer Austin Mann's iPhone 13 Pro Test Looks at Camera Improvements With Macro, Photographic Styles, New Lenses, and More - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Photographer Austin Mann's iPhone 13 Pro Test Looks at Camera Improvements With Macro, Photographic Styles, New Lenses, and More

The photographer Austin Mann has today published his in-depth annual review of the latest iPhone's camera capabilities, this time focusing on the iPhone 13 Pro. Mann's tests were performed in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania, looking at each of the iPhone 13 Pro's camera upgrades, including Macro mode, increased telephoto zoom and Cinematic mode.

iphone 13 pro austin mann telephoto mainProRAW image shot with the iPhone 13 Pro's Telephoto camera and edited in Lightroom CC.

Mann said that macro mode, which uses the Ultra Wide lens and allows users to take photos around 2cm away from a subject, is "perhaps the strongest advancement in this year's camera system" and fulfills a clear need for many photographers. Images in Macro mode are still able to be fairly sharp in low-light and amid camera shake. Macro effectively functions "as a fourth lens" and is "not just an iterative increase."

iphone 13 pro austin mann macroProRAW image shot with the iPhone 13 Pro's Ultra Wide camera in macro and edited in Lightroom CC.

The new 13mm Ultra Wide lens with f/1.8 aperture is said to offer sharper low-light images with faster shutter speeds. While the Ultra Wide still has some lens distortion, according to Mann, the overall sharpness is "drastically improved."

iphone 13 pro austin mann ultra wideProRAW image shot with the iPhone 13 Pro's Ultra Wide camera and edited in Lightroom CC.

The new 77mm Telephoto camera offers a 33 percent increase in size over the same lens on the iPhone 12 Pro, but it is also boosted with a substantially larger sensor. Mann praised the results of these improvements, saying "everything I shoot with the Telephoto feels naturally cinematic and has a different feel than imagery captured by previous models" and "my eye isn't accustomed to seeing this kind of depth compression from my iPhone."

iphone 13 pro austin mann telephotoProRAW image shot with the iPhone 13 Pro's Telephoto camera and edited in Lightroom CC.

Mann also experimented with the new Photographic Styles feature, which allows photographers to finely tune a distinctive look for all of their photos without sacrificing the sense of depth. He commented that Photographic Styles are intentionally "very subtle" and feature "a lot more depth instead of the flat nature of a preset." While Mann noted that photographers are likely to shoot in ProRAW for clients, Photographic Styles "will be perfect" for times "when I just want great looking images right now versus maximum processing control later."

iphone 13 pro austin mann photographic stylesImage shot with Photographic Styles on the iPhone 13 Pro.

He added that features like Photographic Styles and Smart HDR 4 are among the more nuanced upgrades this year, saying that they "will impact every single photo you take, but not at the same transformative level."

Mann shot a range of video clips in Cinematic mode and was impressed by the iPhone's new computational videography capabilities. He noted that it was particularly impressive that you can change focus at the perfect frame later on in the editing process.

See Mann's full report for many more images and additional information about the technical capabilities of the ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌'s improved camera setup.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

apple pro tell logo

Apple Launching Five New Products This Friday

Monday November 2, 2026 1:22 am PST by
Apple is releasing five new products this Friday, November 6, following pre-orders that opened last week, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. The following new products will be available from Friday: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED...
iPhone Duo Display Cracking

Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue

Friday October 30, 2026 3:20 pm PDT by
In a memo shared with Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers this week, and later obtained by MacRumors, Apple provided technicians with guidance on how to diagnose and address the iPhone Duo's inner display cracking issue. If a customer reports the issue, Apple advised technicians to inspect the iPhone Duo and repair or replace it in accordance with their standard procedures....
Apple Logo Gradient 16x9 1

Apple Isn't Done With 2026: Here's What's Still Coming

Monday November 2, 2026 7:27 am PST by
Apple's busiest season isn't over yet. Far from it. With two hardware launch dates still to come in November, plus software updates and new smart home accessories running into December, there's more on the way from Apple before the end of 2026, so be sure to stick around. Below, we've rounded up what's still coming, along with one date in particular that's worth watching if you're a holiday...

Top Rated Comments

Iconoclysm Avatar
67 months ago

i cant help myself but this photo looks like an oil painting, it looks terrible



It's a photo showing off the telephoto depth compression, it's literally SUPPOSED to look like this.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
67 months ago

Editing the photos in Lightroom is cheating.
But the iPhone 13 sure has a great camera.
I take it you don’t know what RAW is and what editing in LR entails…
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mollyc Avatar
67 months ago

Editing the photos in Lightroom is cheating.
But the iPhone 13 sure has a great camera.
no it isn’t
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
67 months ago

Editing the photos in Lightroom is cheating.
Most professional photographers edit their photos, even when using an expensive full-frame camera. The way I see it, he was able to treat the iPhone as a regular camera which is saying a lot.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
67 months ago

Exactly! For all the years I've had iPhones and taken photos with them I've immediately edited them in one or another photographic software editing program.....it does make a difference! Did the images "need" it? Could I have simply sent them off to friends and family SOOC without editing? Sure, but running them through an image editing program can make just that much of a subtle difference that turns an image from a "oh, how nice...." shot to a "wow!!" shot......
Absolutely. All photographers who take photography seriously edit their photos. Either digitally or in the darkroom.

Here's a typical set of dodge and burn instructions Richard Avedon (one of my most admired portrait photographers, and passed away in 2004) gave the person printing his photos.



Attachment Image
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PrecisionGem Avatar
67 months ago

Most professional photographers edit their photos, even when using an expensive full-frame camera. The way I see it, he was able to treat the iPhone as a regular camera which is saying a lot.
ALL professionals edit their photos.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Apple Requiring Developers to Disclose Location Sharing and Dating Features in Apps
Apple Requiring Developers to Disclose Location Sharing and Dating Features in Apps
5 hours ago
Apple's Q4 2026 Earnings Call Takeaways
Apple's Q4 2026 Earnings Call Takeaways
5 hours ago
Apple Dodges Question on More Price Hikes as Memory Costs Climb
Apple Dodges Question on More Price Hikes as Memory Costs Climb
5 hours ago
Apple CEO Ternus Says iPhone Duo Shortages Have No End Date in Sight
Apple CEO Ternus Says iPhone Duo Shortages Have No End Date in Sight
7 hours ago
Apple Reports 4Q 2026 Results: $30.7B Profit on $114.5B Revenue
Apple Reports 4Q 2026 Results: $30.7B Profit on $114.5B Revenue
8 hours ago
Early Black Friday Brings Steep Price Drops on Apple's Latest iPhone Cases
Early Black Friday Brings Steep Price Drops on Apple's Latest iPhone Cases
11 hours ago
John Ternus Hosting His First Earnings Call as Apple CEO Today
John Ternus Hosting His First Earnings Call as Apple CEO Today
12 hours ago
Here's What Spotify Looks Like on Apple's HomeView
Here's What Spotify Looks Like on Apple's HomeView
12 hours ago
iOS 27.2.1 Coming Soon, iOS 27.3 Beta Likely Available Tomorrow
iOS 27.2.1 Coming Soon, iOS 27.3 Beta Likely Available Tomorrow
13 hours ago
Mark Gurman: Apple Initially Aimed to Release iPhone Duo in November
Mark Gurman: Apple Initially Aimed to Release iPhone Duo in November
14 hours ago
Best Early Black Friday Deals on Apple Products Available Now
Best Early Black Friday Deals on Apple Products Available Now
14 hours ago
Apple Isn't Done With 2026: Here's What's Still Coming
Apple Isn't Done With 2026: Here's What's Still Coming
14 hours ago
Apple 'HomeView Ultra' With 9-Inch 360º Screen Detailed in New Report
Apple 'HomeView Ultra' With 9-Inch 360º Screen Detailed in New Report
14 hours ago
Apple TV 4K Pre-Order Discount Returns at Amazon
Apple TV 4K Pre-Order Discount Returns at Amazon
15 hours ago
Zoom and These Microsoft Apps Now Optimized for iPhone Duo
Zoom and These Microsoft Apps Now Optimized for iPhone Duo
15 hours ago
Canva Brings Free All-in-One Affinity App to iPad
Canva Brings Free All-in-One Affinity App to iPad
15 hours ago
iPhone Duo: Latest Buyer Wait Times
iPhone Duo: Latest Buyer Wait Times
17 hours ago
iPhone Duo Owners Can't Change Display Zoom After Setup
iPhone Duo Owners Can't Change Display Zoom After Setup
13 hours ago
Apple HomeView Could Double as a Security Camera
Apple HomeView Could Double as a Security Camera
19 hours ago
Apple Launching Five New Products This Friday
Apple Launching Five New Products This Friday
20 hours ago
Nearly Every M5 MacBook Air Now $200 Off on Amazon
Nearly Every M5 MacBook Air Now $200 Off on Amazon
2 days ago
Apple's HomeView Ships With Six-Month-Old Software
Apple's HomeView Ships With Six-Month-Old Software
2 days ago
Three New iPads Rumored to Launch in First Half of 2027
Three New iPads Rumored to Launch in First Half of 2027
2 days ago
Apple Offers Steps to Fix Daylight Saving Time Bug on Apple Watch
Apple Offers Steps to Fix Daylight Saving Time Bug on Apple Watch
2 days ago
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Hits All-Time Low Price With Amazon's $99 Discount
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Hits All-Time Low Price With Amazon's $99 Discount
3 days ago
Reminder: Apple's Big Discount on Beats 360 Ear Cushions Ends Today
Reminder: Apple's Big Discount on Beats 360 Ear Cushions Ends Today
3 days ago
Here's a New Tour of Apple's HomeView Software
Here's a New Tour of Apple's HomeView Software
3 days ago
Apple Reveals New iPad Mini's Battery Capacity
Apple Reveals New iPad Mini's Battery Capacity
3 days ago
Top Stories: Apple's Big MacBook Pro, iPad mini and iMac Updates
Top Stories: Apple's Big MacBook Pro, iPad mini and iMac Updates
3 days ago
'Pluribus' Season 2 Reportedly Starts Production Today
'Pluribus' Season 2 Reportedly Starts Production Today
3 days ago