A report from late last year said that the iPhone Air 2 would be getting a second camera, but it wasn’t clear at the time whether this would be an ultrawide or telephoto.
Bloomberg now reports that this will be an ultrawide — but if true, is Apple making the right call?
The question is a potentially contentious one, as proponents of each option tend to be very vocal about their views. Each side seems to view it as obvious that their preference is the correct one.
In an attempt to apply some objectivity to the issue, one approach is to use smart folders in the Photos app on Mac to see which of the two additional lenses gets used most. The data isn’t always clear-cut, however. More than 90% of photos and videos are typically shot using the standard lens, and for the remainder, usage tends to split evenly between photos and video.
For photo exceptions, the ultrawide lens sees the most use, including for macro shots. When it comes to video, however, the zoom capability tends to get far more use, with the ultrawide rarely featuring — partly because low-light video performance using the ultrawide lens is notably poor, though that likely isn’t the only reason.
Choosing between the two cameras is genuinely difficult, which may itself explain why the iPhone Air’s single-camera setup has been a sticking point for some potential buyers. Whether Apple’s reported choice of ultrawide is the right one ultimately depends on how individual users shoot — and that’s a debate worth having.
