Phones? Or do I mean cameras that can make calls and send texts? That’s how I feel about the state of smartphones these days and the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus? They’re off the charts. iPhone 7 has been out for about four months now, which has given us plenty of time to dive into the incredible camera features that this new phone has to offer. I won’t pretend like there aren’t lots of other great smartphones on the market with remarkable photography/video capabilities, but for the purpose of this article I’m going to focus on what I know and love, the iPhone 7 plus.

Personally, I find one of the most exciting realizations about camera quality this good is the ability to produce video at a wildly high standard. It's so good that businesses, musicians, and filmmakers are using their iPhone to create company content, music videos, and full-length films. Talk about a revolution!

Well, okay. It’s a video revolution.

The cost of a decent video camera in the 1980s ranged into the thousands, and the world’s first offline non-linear video editing program (CMX 600) came with the price tag of $250,000 (seriously) when first introduced. Only network news companies could afford such a thing. Living in times with video production and editing software as good and affordable as it has indeed changed how we spend money, creative time and energy.

Why you should get on board with producing video content.

All of this is good and well, but you might be wondering what this means for you. As you’re probably well aware, we as a society have gone video crazy, and without a doubt, it’s our number one choice for the consumption of content. Aside from the entertainment value, I believe this has to do with the convenience factor. In a go-go world with so much information, we don’t have the time to read every think piece that piques our interest. We need as much info as possible in a short period, making video our format of choice. So, if you’re a content marketer who’s making a company explainer video, a musician filming a cover for your YouTube channel or an indie filmmaker making a film; a great video is now easier and more affordable to achieve, but here’s the catch. Despite all these great things we still need to know how to wield the tools correctly to make the best end product.

I find the psychology behind our love of video to be really fascinating. Check out some of my favourite statistics/facts on the power of video:

People remember 50% more from a video than they do written text.

The brain processes video 60,000x faster than text.

A video is a form of escapism.

We build emotional, empathetic connections with visuals.

(Source; Psychology Today, Now Creative Group)

What’s new and special about the iPhone 7 Plus Camera?

Not one, but two 12 megapixel lenses on the back of the iPhone 7 plus. One is a wide-angle lens, and the other is telephoto. The aperture of the wide angle is f/1.8, and the telephoto aperture is f/2.8. The two lenses work in conjunction to offer a high-res optical zoom. The dual-lens is a brand new feature for the iPhone lineup.

Here are some of the tech specs from Apple’s website:

• 4K video recording at 30 fps

• 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps

• 720p HD video recording at 30 fps

• Optical image stabilization for video

• Optical zoom at 2x; 6x digital zoom (iPhone 7 Plus only)

• Quad-LED True Tone flash

• Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps

• Time‑lapse video with stabilization

• Cinematic video stabilization (1080p and 720p)

• Continuous autofocus video

• Body and face detection

• Noise reduction

• Take 8-megapixel still photos while recording 4K video

• Playback zoom

• Video geotagging

(Source; Apple)

We can’t mention new camera features without mentioning ‘Portrait Mode’.

A new and exciting feature on the 7 plus is the portrait mode feature. Previously, we never had control over the depth of field when taking photos on the iPhone. The two rear cameras make it possible to blend two images into one resulting in a sharp, focused foreground subject with a blurred background. This works well for portraits, hence the portrait mode! We can now achieve a style that is similar to high-end DSLR cameras that capture a shallow depth of field.

Fun fact: The soft blurriness in the background of a portrait photo is called “bokeh.” Bokeh is a term that came from the Japanese.

Enable 4K Video Recording

4k video aka ultra high definition video is available on both iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models. Although out of the box the default mode is set to 1080p HD at 60 fps. Let’s change that. As you could have probably guessed, higher the definition means the bigger the file size. It’s something to be aware of if you’re a shutterbug. One minute of 4K video is equal to approx. 350 MB of space.

1. Open the Settings app from the home screen.