The iPhone 16's Camera Control is both over- and under-baked

You're not in a great spot when Windows Phone did it better

I really, honestly did think I was going to dig the new Camera Control feature on the new iPhone 16 range. Much as I might not like Apple’s JPEG output, I do use the iPhone camera a lot for serious work because of its unbeatable RAW workflow and Mac synergy, and I thought this would be a big help.

The dedicated shutter button is a major reason I use the Xiaomi 14 Ultra with its Photography Kit so much; the grip is nice, sure, but I figured that just integrating the shutter button into the side of the phone would get you most of the way to a more natural shooting motion. I’m often shooting things one-handed, either to experiment with angles or because I’m holding my subject in the other hand, so I was looking forward to the extra flexibility.

Unfortunately it is not good, at least not in its current implementation. I still think Apple can fix the Camera Control, but for now it’s a really minor addition to the iPhone that I’m barely using beyond the very basics.