sdwOct 4, 2023
iPhone 15 Pro: the shots. A thread.
Show threadsdwOct 4, 2023

I realize that might sound a bit loopy.

On paper, isn’t this the same hardware as last year’s iPhone 14 Pro? It gets a new telephoto lens and that’s it, surely?

On paper, sure. But iPhone cameras are all about all the parts integrated into one greater whole.

Show threadsdwOct 4, 2023

I’m a big camera nerd. I shoot with @halide, ProRAW, the works. I was snapping 48MP shots for a year.

Most users didn’t. What they’ll see:

- Going from 12 to 24 megapixel for all their shots
- Effectively doubling their zoom range
- Portrait mode is basically always-on

Show threadsdwOct 4, 2023

And that’s coming from an iPhone 14 Pro, mind you. Nobody upgrades their phone every year.

You’d get an iPhone that suddenly does all things camera WAY better. Not just on paper — in practice. Zoom out of an airplane window? Here, individual trees.

Show threadsdw

Where does that leave the pros? Well, we are left to enjoy the long tail.

It’s got a proper camera button now*. It’s nicer to hold. USB-C video output, ProRes Log. And a has a lens that will really make you work hard for a great composition.

* sort of

Oct 4, 2023 at 8:24pmIvory for Mac
Show threadsdwOct 4, 2023

Apple will have to prove the worth of virtual lenses to me—and I do miss a physical 2× or 3× lens. But you can’t deny that this iPhone upgrade is one focused on depth, instead of spec sheets or gimmicks.

The camera experience for everyone is meaningfully upgraded.

Show threadsdwOct 4, 2023

Me? I’m left a bit frustrated: Apple doesn’t let us devs use what makes this phone so great (24MP capture, special binning modes, night mode). I’m really being humbled by the creative challenge of a 120mm lens.

But I’m cheering for how meaningful the progress is this year.

Show threadsdwOct 4, 2023

Read my whole review, all 5,000 words of it, here: http://lux.camera/iphone-15-pro-max-review

These photos were taken w/ Halide and the stock camera app in ProRAW & native RAW. We have a big update out that lets you use the Action button in a neat way, too. ➡️ @halide

Thanks for reading!

iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera Review: Depth and Reach

Sebastiaan de With reviews the latest telephoto-equipped camera out of Cupertino in our annual iPhone 15 Pro Max camera review.

Lux
Show threadSimon HarperOct 4, 2023
@sdw @halide Thank you again for an in depth review. One I await every time we see a new iPhone. Hats off Seb 🙌🏼
Show threadAnhOct 4, 2023
@sdw Thanks for the great review as always. Is it worth it to upgrade to the 15 Pro from the 14 Pro? Or straight to the Pro Max?
Show threadSven KortmannOct 6, 2023

@anhdo @sdw I don’t think it’s worth it. I am faced with the same dilemma and pull myself because the difference is only quite small. If you really want the 120mm camera, then you can’t avoid changing.

But if you can wait, the change will be all the more worthwhile next year.

Look at comparisons between 120 ip15 and 77 ip14. The result is interchangeable.

Show threadGreg SeayOct 5, 2023
@sdw @halide that was great. Your 1x vs 5x comparison was by far the best I’ve seen. Thank you.
Show threadsdwOct 5, 2023
@seay Thanks Greg!
Show threadCarlosOct 5, 2023
@sdw loved the review. Thank you. I love the “coming from X phone” part too! Very useful. I currently have a 12 Pro Max and the upgrade will be massive for me
Show threadEdwinOct 5, 2023
@cmaciasjimenez @sdw you’ll be pleased! I came from the 12 Pro Max
too and am loving it. 120 mm. is great.
Show threadCarlosOct 5, 2023
@Maillard great to hear! Thank you
Show threadsdwOct 5, 2023
@cmaciasjimenez yeah it'll be a significant one for ya!
Show threadFreediverXOct 5, 2023
@sdw @halide
It’s a shame the action button’s placed in the worst possible location for ergonomics, which makes it almost useless.
Show threadsdwOct 5, 2023
@freediverx it is a bit high up for me, for sure.
Show threadFreediverXOct 5, 2023
@sdw
This is my first "max" iPhone so that exacerbates the problem for me, lol.
Show threadJohn LagomarsinoOct 4, 2023
@sdw maybe this is an ignorant question, but is there a reason even the native camera app can’t produce 24 MP (Pro)RAW? It seems like it would be such a nice compromise between file size and detail. But maybe the cropping/compositing happens too far down the pipeline to hang onto useful data?
Show threadsdwOct 4, 2023
@johnlago I think you hit the nail on the head, the pipeline 'exits' is on the processed side and there is no actual RAW 24MP output possible. I am guessing we'll get it in the future. I hope so, at least.
Show threadJyrgen NOct 5, 2023

@sdw These are all great shots, and I don’t mean the technical quality.
But the technical quality is impressive, too. Maybe I should get a new iPhone after all and not a new small camera (was thinking GR IIIx or G5 X Mark II), *although* I bought a new SE last year and everything bigger than that or a Mini feels too big for me. Huh.

One thing important to me is candid portraits in social setting, a.k.a. pub shots, so quite low-light. How would the phone cope in such a situation?

Show threadsdwOct 5, 2023
@jyrgenn it does about as well as a camera can in the dark. expect motion to be a challenge
Show threadJyrgen NOct 5, 2023
@sdw Huh, thought so. I mean, night mode (which I saw on an iPhone 11) was amazing, but not for doing faces. Is that the kind of motion that would be a challenge?
Show threadsdwOct 5, 2023
@jyrgenn Indeed, though they're a lot better at picking a sharp frame and larger sensors makes night mode kick later than the 11. It'll do a lot better, but depending on your pub dimness, it will always be tricky. 1-candle light? You're gonna get blurry faces. A few more, probably better.
Show threadChuck SkodaOct 5, 2023
@sdw Does portrait mode work from the 5x lens? I’d imagine the depth mask would be extremely low fidelity, having to generate parallax from such a tiny fraction of the 1x sensor.
Show threadsdwOct 5, 2023
@skoda it works very, very well. As you mentioned, it is technically surprising and very imrpessive.
Show threadAaron BelichOct 8, 2023
@sdw whoa… that second image (USPS trucks) looks almost like it’s taken with a tilt-shift lens! Fun!