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iPhone 12's superb camera took all of these photos, and we're impressed

We took the iPhone 12's camera for a spin around Edinburgh, and the photos did not disappoint.

Andrew Lanxon Editor At Large, Lead Photographer, Europe
Andrew is CNET's go-to guy for product coverage and lead photographer for Europe. When not testing the latest phones, he can normally be found with his camera in hand, behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food. Sometimes all at once.
Expertise Smartphones, Photography, iOS, Android, gaming, outdoor pursuits Credentials
  • Shortlisted for British Photography Awards 2022, Commended in Landscape Photographer of the Year 2022
Andrew Lanxon
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Angela Lang/CNET

The iPhone 12 has already earned a glowing review from CNET due to its new design, great performance and handy MagSafe charging pad compatibility. But we also loved its great camera, so I was particularly keen to take my model out for a test run and see what the camera is capable of. 

All images throughout this piece have been taken with the standard camera mode, in Apple's HEIC format, which have been converted to JPEG via Adobe Lightroom as our image uploader doesn't support HEIC format. No adjustments to the look of the image or the resolution have been made. Enjoy!

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This morning shot of Dean Village is vibrant and well exposed. Its colors are on the cooler side of the spectrum, but that was accurate for the time of day. 

Andrew Hoyle/CNET
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Switching to the super-wide lens, I'm pleased to see that there isn't a white balance shift when using the different zoom options.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET
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A great balance of bright sky with darker shadows.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET
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Here. though, the phone's attempt to balance the shadows looks a bit unrealistic, particularly on the statue.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET
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I love the rich blue of the sky in this shot using the standard lens.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET
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The sky is just as rich here, too, with vibrant colors on the trees as well. 

Andrew Hoyle/CNET
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The super-wide lens has let me capture all of this impressive fountain without having to move to get the shot. As with the standard shot, colors are spot on.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET
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A self portrait in front of the Forth Bridge, shot with the phone on a tripod using the 10-second self timer.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET
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Extremely accurate color tones here, as well as a brilliant balance of the exposure, with a controlled sky and plenty of details in the shadows.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET
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A masked-up selfie; check out those vibrant colors!

Andrew Hoyle/CNET
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Even though I was shooting directly into the sun, the camera was able to control that bright sky and keep loads of details in the foreground.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET
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The iPhone 12's camera is superb for landscape photography.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET