Other 15 Pro / Pro Max camera hardware changes are really disappointing

[the future]

Nonsense. All the parts of a camera work together to facilitate captures, so claiming "cameras are really disappointing" without having yet used the new iPhone 15 Pro cameras is total nonsense. Absurd even. New chip, new tele lens, etc. are obvious hardware changes, and the software, OIS, etc. are no doubt also new.

Make your "cameras are really disappointing" claims after testing the new iPhone 15 Pro Max camera. Until then this thread OP is nonsense.

Well I could (and maybe should) have called the thread „camera hardware is disappointing“ because 5 of the 6 cameras are actually absolutely identical to the 14 Pro (and the one that is changed is for me personally a step in the wrong direction). A new chip - I assume you mean the A17 - is not „photography hardware“, sorry; and there is literally no „etc.“ 😂

As I already said in this thread (if you had cared to read everything), of course software is very important, too, but, to quote myself, computational wizardry only goes so far and hardware progress cannot be dismissed. And just for you I‘ll say/repeat that IMHO the iPhone Pro models are wonderful smartphone cameras and far and away the best you can buy. Which doesn‘t mean that a meagre year for new hardware can‘t be criticized.

 

[JH101]

You do realise even the 14 Pro (1/1.28) had a sensor not that much smaller than a 1 inch type sensor? Any bigger and you start going into pointless territory without making the glass in front of it larger.

yes, but every bit counts when it comes to light (there are big differences between cameras sensor sizes as I've tried them all!). We see what they can do in a years time.

 

[Cod3rror]

Seems like innovation is exclusively for their competitors these days.

No, it is not. I don't have an iPhone. I am an Android user. It's the same there. Barely any improvement at all.

 

[Spock]

If it weren't for the USB-C, I most likely would not be upgrading this year from my 14 Pro. I can't wait to have all my devices charge with the same cable.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Well I could (and maybe should) have called the thread „camera hardware is disappointing“ because 5 of the 6 cameras are actually absolutely identical to the 14 Pro (and the one that is changed is for me personally a step in the wrong direction). A new chip - I assume you mean the A17 - is not „photography hardware“, sorry; and there is literally no „etc.“ 😂

As I already said in this thread (if you had cared to read everything), of course software is very important, too, but, to quote myself, computational wizardry only goes so far and hardware progress cannot be dismissed. And just for you I‘ll say/repeat that IMHO the iPhone Pro models are wonderful smartphone cameras and far and away the best you can buy. Which doesn‘t mean that a meagre year for new hardware can‘t be criticized.

You say the chip is not „photography hardware“ but I strongly disagree. Just like each new version of Nikon Expeed significantly affects Nikon ILCs, Apple's onboard computing is essential to its smartphone cameras. I do not know where Apple's camera computing support lives (perhaps technically not part of the A17) but it is upgraded.

Bottom line is we cannot presuppose the camera competence before we have a camera in hand. I am a photog, and I have always been amazed by the increased competence of each new iPhone camera. So your claim of "disappointing" (with no camera to test) goes contrary to my consistent experience with all previous versions v3 and up.

 

[KPOM]

13 Pro Max here and I'm upgrading because there's a pretty significant jump in the camera in the 14 and 15 models, the 2 year cycle also makes sense so we'll likely see a difference in performance as well.

Most of the carrier promotions are premised on upgrading every 2 (T-Mobile) or 3 (AT&T and Verizon) years, kind of like the early/pre-iPhone days. Last year the focus was the camera. This year the focus was the shift to titanium and the GPU improvements.

 

[unobtainium]

I wonder whether the ability to take spatial videos with multiple lenses is entirely software based and will be coming to the 14 and 13 PM.

 

[MareLuce]

If it weren't for the USB-C, I most likely would not be upgrading this year from my 14 Pro. I can't wait to have all my devices charge with the same cable.

Whose USB-C cables are you going to use for charging?

 

[_Refurbished_]

Nonsense. All the parts of a camera work together to facilitate captures, so claiming "cameras are really disappointing" without having yet used the new iPhone 15 Pro cameras is total nonsense. Absurd even. New chip, new tele lens, etc. are obvious hardware changes, and the software, OIS, etc. are no doubt also new.

Make your "cameras are really disappointing" claims after testing the new iPhone 15 Pro Max camera. Until then this thread OP is nonsense.

​

Amen.

 

[ShadowGuardian87]

Not trying to be a downer as I am a Apple fanboy but I have been on the fence about upgrading from the 14 pro max to 15 pro max.

The points OP made here are the ones that make me hesitant.

 

[Clamjuice65]

Here are the hard facts after doing some research:

• The main 1x camera on both new Pro models is exactly the same as on the 14 Pro / Pro Max. No new sensor, no new glass.
• The ultra wide 0,5x camera on both new Pro models is also exactly the same as on the 14 Pro / Pro Max. No new sensor, no new glass.
• The 3x tele camera on the 15 Pro is exactly the same as on the 14 Pro / Pro Max, which was already exactly the same as on the 13 Pro / Pro Max. Again, no new sensor, no new glass.
• The 5x tele camera on the 15 Pro Max is indeed brand new. Sadly, it replaces the 3x camera instead of being added. So on the Pro Max, you now have native optical focal lengths of 13 mm, 24 mm and 120 mm. For my personal use cases, this is actually worse than the native optical focal lengths trio of the regular Pro at 13 mm, 24 mm and 77 mm. The gap between 24 and 120 is huge and for me 77 is a more frequently usable focal length than 120.

All other photography-related improvements mentioned in the keynote are indeed software based. Will they come to the 14 Pro models as well? Probably not.

Long story short, from a hardware camera / photography point of view, the only real reason to get a 15 model is if you know you‘ll use the 120 mm tele lens from the Pro Max a lot.

Edit: If you want to call this a „hardware improvement“, there is apparently a new nanoscale coating on the wide-angle lens to reduce lens flare. Better than nothing, I guess.

This is all well very may true You still gonna upgrade to the 15promax right ? look we all know this 15 series is a Mediocre upgrade but we should all upgrade and treat ourselves.😊😊😊

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I wonder whether the ability to take spatial videos with multiple lenses is entirely software based and will be coming to the 14 and 13 PM.

My guess would be no, because the spatial image processing requires the much stronger new chip. But I am only guessing.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Not trying to be a downer as I am a Apple fanboy but I have been on the fence about upgrading from the 14 pro max to 15 pro max.

The points OP made here are the ones that make me hesitant.

Folks like us with 14 Pro phones already have an excellent device. If the OP's point resonates with you just wait and demo the 15 Pro Max at an Apple Store. Worst case is you miss out on a month of 15 if you decide you want one.

Personally I totally disagree with the OP and will preorder a 15 Pro Max to avoid possibly getting stuck waiting for resupply. I have no doubt that the 15 Pro Max will be a great phone, including its camera.

 

[skrungemaster]

Yeah it stinks the cameras are the same, but what matters more is the software side, which has been AWFUL.

If there has been major improvements on that side of things, and the 15 series no longer produces smudgy oil painting pictures in all but the perfect lighting conditions I’ll upgrade.

I mean the 14 pro has a bigger sensor than the 13 etc. but the pictures it takes aren’t better, and in some cases even worse.

 

[zonai]

I wonder whether the ability to take spatial videos with multiple lenses is entirely software based and will be coming to the 14 and 13 PM.

It certainly sounds like it is a software feature but Apple does not release software improvements to iPhone cameras after launch, so it will not be available on older iPhones. They have to put it in the iPhone 15 because people would look ridiculous recording spatial videos on Vision Pro, but they didn't reveal the new iPhone yet so it had to be held back from the video.

 

[drygioni]

Yeah it stinks the cameras are the same, but what matters more is the software side, which has been AWFUL.

If there has been major improvements on that side of things, and the 15 series no longer produces smudgy oil painting pictures in all but the perfect lighting conditions I’ll upgrade.

I mean the 14 pro has a bigger sensor than the 13 etc. but the pictures it takes aren’t better, and in some cases even worse.

Not entirely sure that’s right based on the testing here. Also, given the stated processing time for full RAW pictures the a17 should help.

iPhone 14 Pro Camera Review: A Small Step, A Huge Leap

When the iPhone was first introduced, it packed in quite a few innovations. At a now-legendary keynote, Steve Jobs announced that Apple was launching a widescreen iPod, a phone and an internet communications device. These three devices were not separate new products, he revealed — they were all...

www.lux.camera

 

[TH3D4RKKN1GH7]

I'm upgrading from a 12 Pro Max to a 15 Pro. I'm sure the camera upgrades will be felt for me, but I don't love how much of the software improvements don't get ported back to previous devices. Sony has a similar issue with their professional mirrorless line and it's irritating there as well. The performance improvements from the A16 Bionic to the A17 Pro don't appear vast enough to make some of these features IMPOSSIBLE on a 14 Pro. They gatekeep image quality improvements that come via software to their newest hardware, which is great business sense, but is ****** from a consumer standpoint.

My iPhone is my most used camera even though I own 7 proper cameras, lol.

 

[Ralfi]

exactly the same as on the 14 Pro / Pro Max.

exactly the same as on the 14 Pro / Pro Max.

exactly the same as on the 14 Pro / Pro Max,

THIS PHONE IS NOT MADE FOR YOU.

The camera's are fantastic even for me (coming from an iPhone 13).

Be smarter with your expectations & money, ignore this release & let those who it's aimed for appreciate the tech advances it brings compared to our more dated devices.

 

[oRBIT2002]

So, sensor size is the same comparing 14pro and 15pro. But is it the exactly same sensor? Could this affect imagequality even if the size is the same but the brand is not?

 

[Ralfi]

So, sensor size is the same comparing 14pro and 15pro. But is it the exactly same sensor? Could this affect image quality even if the size is the same but the brand is not?

How would this even be distinguishable? Would it even matter to people who are taking photos on a phone & not blowing them up to print/frame?

 

[5105973]

Yeah it stinks the cameras are the same, but what matters more is the software side, which has been AWFUL.

If there has been major improvements on that side of things, and the 15 series no longer produces smudgy oil painting pictures in all but the perfect lighting conditions I’ll upgrade.

I mean the 14 pro has a bigger sensor than the 13 etc. but the pictures it takes aren’t better, and in some cases even worse.

My 14 Pro Max doesn’t make photos like you describe but my 13 Pro did and yet I’ve heard people say their 13 Pro photos were generally very good. Are you sure you don’t have a wonky camera? I’m pretty sure some things weren’t right about my 13 Pro camera.

 

[drugdoubles]

So, sensor size is the same comparing 14pro and 15pro. But is it the exactly same sensor? Could this affect imagequality even if the size is the same but the brand is not?

Should be exactly the same except some coating

 

[Lakersfan74]

who are these weirdos who seek to update their phones every year and get pissy when the improvements aren't earth shattering? jfc

I don’t get that either people have become obsessed with having the current phone every year. I’m going from 12P to 15 Pro Max. Larger size, more storage and trade in my current phone before the value drops too low are my main reasons to upgrade.

 

[drygioni]

My 14 Pro Max doesn’t make photos like you describe but my 13 Pro did and yet I’ve heard people say their 13 Pro photos were generally very good. Are you sure you don’t have a wonky camera? I’m pretty sure some things weren’t right about my 13 Pro camera.

I posted a link a few posts up showing exactly that issue from the 13 Pro being resolved on the 14 Pro. It’s one of the main things that sold on the 15, the existing kit is already great, and I’m currently rocking an 11…

 

[vngannxx]

Apple will probably use the 48 mp sensor for the ultrawide camera next year.

It will allow for higher resolution macro images. Most macro lenses for dedicated cameras are telephoto length because you don’t want to get so close to your subject to block light and scare it off (insects/animals). If you try to take a 4x macro image to simulate a telephoto macro view with the current iPhone, you are cropping in on the 12mp sensor and getting a 0.75mp image (16x reduced resolution). That resolution is barely usable. With the 48mp sensor, that same image is now 3mp, much more usable and four times the resolution. 2x macros would be 12mp, up from 3mp.