iPhone 17 Pro vs. Olympus mirrorless camera zoom test: 4x optical with 48MP sensor holds its own against dedicated camera gear
By
John Velasco
An everything bagel for the brain. Substantive, layered, well-seasoned.
Summary
The article compares the iPhone 17 Pro's zoom capabilities against a $1,900 Olympus mirrorless camera kit. Despite the iPhone 17 Pro reducing optical zoom from 5x to 4x compared to its predecessor, it pairs this with a larger 48MP sensor (up from 12MP). The author tests whether a smartphone can outperform dedicated optical glass at 16x zoom, finding surprising results that challenge assumptions about hardware zoom being the only factor in image quality.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe average person will automatically think it's a downgrade, but there's more to it than just hardware zoom.
I pit the iPhone 17 Pro's zoom against a $1,898 Olympus mirrorless camera kit to see if a smartphone can truly beat dedicated optical glass at 16x.
The iPhone 17 Pro pairs that 4x optical zoom with a much larger 48MP sensor — up from the 12MP sensor on the previous iPhone 16 Pro.
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