Left My Nikon Home, Shot Tahiti on iPhone 17 Pro

A Dream Trip to Tahiti with the iPhone 17 Pro

My family and I recently returned from a dream trip to Tahiti, a place known for its breathtaking beauty. Normally, I would bring my large Nikon camera with a 400mm zoom lens attached. However, Apple kindly sent me the iPhone 17 Pro to test, and I must say, I'm impressed. The phone is lightweight, easy to carry around, and takes incredible photos.

The iPhone 17 Pro features three 48-megapixel "Fusion" lenses: a main, ultra-wide, and a telephoto lens that offers 4x optical zoom, plus up to 40x digital zoom. This telephoto lens proved especially helpful when capturing architecture, wildlife, or distant landscapes. It was the reason I didn’t bring my heavy Nikon DSLR to Bora Bora, which I had used on previous visits. Initially, it was nerve-racking not having my usual gear, but it also felt relieving because the Nikon isn't light and takes up a lot of space in my carry-on bag.

Some airlines, including Air Tahiti, weigh carry-ons and have a 5kg (11lbs) limit. My Briggs & Riley bag alone weighs close to that without anything else in it, let alone my laptop, portable power bank, emergency kit, and other travel essentials and gadgets.

I first tested the iPhone 17 Pro camera when I attended a Rams game at SoFi Stadium. (My thanks to Visit Melbourne, who invited me to their incredible field suite.) As you can see from the photo above, it looks like one of the Rams cheerleaders was close to me, but I took this photo from my seat.

FYI: If you're wondering why Visit Melbourne would have a field suite, it's because the city will host the first NFL game in Australia in September. It will be the Rams versus an opponent the NFL has, as of now, not yet disclosed.

Back to our trip to Tahiti. We flew with Air Tahiti Nui (here's my trip report). We visited four different islands, starting with Tahiti, French Polynesia’s main island and home to its largest city and airport, Papeete (PPT).

After a few nights, we flew to Raiatea, often called the “sacred island” since it's considered the original center of Polynesian civilization. Above is a photo I took of a ferry that was really far away, but you can see how great the zoom lens is on the iPhone 17 Pro.

From there, we took a 30-minute boat ride to Taha’a, also known as the Vanilla Island. It's famous for its crystal clear waters, pearl farms, and fragrant plantations.

It's also known for its calm lagoons, coral reefs, and motus (small islets).

Then we flew nine minutes to Bora Bora, one of the world’s most famous islands thanks to its turquoise lagoon, stunning coral reefs, and iconic Mount Otemanu rising dramatically at its center.

We also swam with sharks and stingrays.

The iPhone 17 Pro camera is so good that when our scheduled photo shoot fell through due to a scheduling conflict, we decided to take our family Christmas card photo ourselves on the phone.

Below are some more of the photos I captured with my iPhone 17 Pro to give you an idea of how incredible it is:

Being greeted in Bora Bora with a traditional Tahitian flower garland or necklace called hei.

Transferring from Bora Bora Airport (BOB) to the Four Seasons Bora Bora.

Lunch is served on the beach in Bora Bora.

The stunning scenery at the Four Seasons Bora Bora.

If you're looking for more information on which new iPhone 17 is best for travel, here’s a breakdown of what makes each model unique and which might be right for you.