The Apple iPhone 16 Pro (2024) shoots Apple ProRAW in DNG format and has no mechanical shutter — the image counter stored in each DNG file records total electronic captures. Drop a ProRAW file to read it instantly.
Check Image Counter →The iPhone 16 Pro is powered by Apple’s A18 Pro chip (3 nm second-generation, 6-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) and features a redesigned triple-camera system: a 48 MP main Fusion sensor (f/1.78, second-generation sensor-shift OIS), a 48 MP ultrawide camera with autofocus for the first time (f/2.2), and a 12 MP 5× telephoto with Tetra Prism design (f/2.8). The headline hardware addition is the Camera Control — a physical capacitive button on the right side that enables single-handed camera operation, gesture-based zoom, and direct access to camera features.
Like all iPhones, the 16 Pro uses CMOS electronic readout only. There is no mechanical focal-plane shutter. Every image — regardless of which lens captures it — increments the persistent electronic image counter embedded in ProRAW DNG files.
| Model | Release | Main Sensor | Shutter Type | RAW Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 16 Pro | 2024 | 48 MP CMOS (f/1.78) | Electronic only | ProRAW (DNG) |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | 2024 | 48 MP CMOS (f/1.78) | Electronic only | ProRAW (DNG) |
| iPhone 15 Pro | 2023 | 48 MP CMOS (f/1.78) | Electronic only | ProRAW (DNG) |
| Canon EOS R5 II | 2024 | 45 MP FF CMOS | Mechanical + Electronic | CR3 |
.dng extension.exiftool -ImageNumber yourfile.DNG to read the counter directly from the metadata.The image counter is a useful indicator of how intensively the device was used, but it carries no mechanical wear significance. These are the meaningful factors to evaluate:
| What to Check | How |
|---|---|
| Battery health | Settings → Battery → Battery Health & Charging. Apple considers below 80% as degraded; replacement is recommended |
| Display condition | Inspect the 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED ProMotion display for burn-in, dead pixels, or delamination at the edges |
| Camera lenses & sensors | Check all three lenses for scratches, chips, or internal fogging with a flashlight; test autofocus on the ultrawide (new in 16 Pro) |
| Titanium frame | Inspect Grade 5 titanium edges for dents or structural damage, especially around USB-C port and Camera Control |
| Camera Control button | Test the capacitive Camera Control button for responsiveness and confirm haptic feedback works correctly |
| Face ID & TrueDepth | Verify Face ID works in dim lighting; TrueDepth sensor damage is expensive to repair |
| Image counter | High count (>50,000) indicates intensive use — useful context, not a hardware failure indicator |
Apple ProRAW on the 16 Pro is a DNG-based format that merges raw sensor data with the output of Apple’s computational photography pipeline. Unlike a traditional camera RAW, ProRAW captures have already undergone Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 5, and (if applicable) Night Mode processing — the result is a RAW file with baked-in computational enhancements that can still be further adjusted in RAW-capable editors.
The image counter is stored in the DNG EXIF metadata under the ImageNumber field within Apple’s MakerNote IFD. This is a persistent hardware counter that increments with every capture across all camera modes — Photo, Portrait, Action, Cinematic, and Panorama — and cannot be reset by a factory restore or iOS reinstall.
The iPhone 16 Pro offers ProRAW at two resolutions: a standard 12 MP mode and a maximum-resolution 48 MP mode (enabled via the 48MP toggle in Camera settings). For reading the image counter, either resolution works identically — both embed the same ImageNumber counter in their DNG metadata.
No. All iPhones use CMOS electronic readout. The Camera Control button is a hardware input device, not a mechanical shutter curtain. There is no focal-plane shutter mechanism and no rated mechanical lifespan.
Go to Settings → Camera → Formats and enable Apple ProRAW. In the Camera app, tap the RAW badge at the top to activate it, or customise the Camera Control to toggle ProRAW directly. ProRAW is available only on Pro and Pro Max models.
No. The image counter is stored in persistent hardware memory and cannot be reset by a factory reset, iOS update, or any user action. This makes it a reliable indicator of total device usage.
A casual user accumulates roughly 5,000–20,000 captures per year; an active photographer or social media user may exceed 50,000 per year. There is no mechanical wear threshold to worry about — a high count indicates heavy use, not proximity to failure.
The main differences are display size (6.3-inch vs 6.9-inch), battery life (16 Pro Max is notably longer), and weight. The camera systems are identical on both models: same 48 MP main, 48 MP ultrawide with AF, and 5× telephoto. The ProRAW image counter works the same way on both.