A Deeper Look at the iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera

[MacRumors]

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has Apple's most advanced camera system to date, with an updated 48-megapixel lens, improved Ultra Wide lens, and a new 5x Telephoto lens that offers the most optical zoom ever in an iPhone. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera this week took a deeper look at the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with a specific focus on the camera features.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Apple's Main camera is always fantastic in good lighting conditions, but with the A17 Pro chip, the colors are even more accurate than before. HDR has been improved with Smart HDR 5, so skin tones are able to look more lifelike while other colors remain vivid. This is particularly noticeable in situations with bright backgrounds where you might see some washout with prior iPhone models.

Photos default to 24 megapixels instead of 12 megapixels, which means you're getting more detail and better quality with a still-reasonable file size, and with the A17 Pro, you can choose from different focal lengths, including 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm to better mimic what you can do with adjustable lens cameras.

Night mode is more impressive, and taking a Portrait image no longer requires swapping modes. With a person or pet in the photo (or if you tap to focus), depth information is automatically captured and you can choose to activate Portrait mode after the shot, which is super handy. It's much easier to just pop open the camera, snap a shot, and get exactly what you want.

The biggest change on the 15 Pro Max is the 5x optical zoom lens that replaces the 3x optical zoom lens. The 5x optical zoom is equivalent to a 120mm telephoto lens, which is a great focal length for portraits and a lens that can be used in ways that just didn't work with 3x zoom. The 5x lens is much more of a go-to option for just everyday shots, especially when people and pets are involved. It has excellent background blur that pairs well with the portrait feature.

For most people, video is about the same, but there are some bells and whistles for pros, including log color encoding when shooting ProRes video for better HDR and simpler post-production adjustments.

We'll have a much more in-depth look at the iPhone 15 Pro Max camera coming up, with a comparison to Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Max, so make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors for that.

Article Link: A Deeper Look at the iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera

 

[zakarhino]

Dan, do you have full res uploads anywhere?

 

[JohnC4]

Agree on the 130mm being a very useful lens. However, while it gives the background blur I’d expect from f2.8, it doesn’t feel like f2.8 worth of light. Seems to struggle a bit to focus in lower light. Also, it seems to jump to higher ISO (noise) faster that what the light feels like. I don’t have a light meter handy, just going by feel while using this camera. Do the mirrors have impact on the amount of light that actually makes it to the sensor?

 

[nvmls]

No rat pics?

 

[johan.perjus]

”Updated 48-megapixel lens” 😂

 

[PowerButton]

”Updated 48-megapixel lens” 😂

🤨 Yeah I know right. Lenses don’t have pixels. 🤣
The lens and camera/megapixels are the same as the 14 Pro Max. As far as I know it’s just the processing of the 48 megapixels that’s different.

 

[eifelbube]

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has Apple's most advanced camera system to date, with an updated 48-megapixel lens, improved Ultra Wide lens, and a new 5x Telephoto lens that offers the most optical zoom ever in an iPhone. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera this week took a deeper look at the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with a specific focus on the camera features.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Apple's Main camera is always fantastic in good lighting conditions, but with the A17 Pro chip, the colors are even more accurate than before. HDR has been improved with Smart HDR 5, so skin tones are able to look more lifelike while other colors remain vivid. This is particularly noticeable in situations with bright backgrounds where you might see some washout with prior iPhone models.

Photos default to 24 megapixels instead of 12 megapixels, which means you're getting more detail and better quality with a still-reasonable file size, and with the A17 Pro, you can choose from different focal lengths, including 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm to better mimic what you can do with adjustable lens cameras.

Night mode is more impressive, and taking a Portrait image no longer requires swapping modes. With a person or pet in the photo (or if you tap to focus), depth information is automatically captured and you can choose to activate Portrait mode after the shot, which is super handy. It's much easier to just pop open the camera, snap a shot, and get exactly what you want.

The biggest change on the 15 Pro Max is the 5x optical zoom lens that replaces the 3x optical zoom lens. The 5x optical zoom is equivalent to a 120mm telephoto lens, which is a great focal length for portraits and a lens that can be used in ways that just didn't work with 3x zoom. The 5x lens is much more of a go-to option for just everyday shots, especially when people and pets are involved. It has excellent background blur that pairs well with the portrait feature.

For most people, video is about the same, but there are some bells and whistles for pros, including log color encoding when shooting ProRes video for better HDR and simpler post-production adjustments.

We'll have a much more in-depth look at the iPhone 15 Pro Max camera coming up, with a comparison to Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Max, so make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors for that.

Article Link: A Deeper Look at the iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera

Thank you, and looking forward to the 14 v 15 co parison article.

 

[coolfactor]

Is it true that Pixel 8's camera beats the 15 Pro's camera hands-down?

 

[skiguy45]

The truly "cinematic" option with Apple Log is ACES

Home Page - ACESCentral

What is ACES? The Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) is a global standard for interchanging digital image files, managing color workflows and creating masters for delivery and archiving. It is a combination of SMPTE standards, best practices, and sophisticated color science developed by...

acescentral.com

 

[redbeard331]

Has it been confirmed yet that the pro Max has the same size sensor as last year? Seems as if it’s bigger to me.

 

[seaguy]

No rat pics?

Yo - I geeked when I saw rats in NYC. So cool. *ree ree ree* 🐀

And not to brag, but I actually *did* take photos. lmfao.

 

[GuruZac]

Has it been confirmed yet that the pro Max has the same size sensor as last year? Seems as if it’s bigger to me.

That was my understanding as well. Perhaps others on here in the know can shed light on this.

 

[-BigMac-]

”Updated 48-megapixel lens” 😂

Haha yeah honestly the articles are sometimes pretty innacurate #GrainOfSalt

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Is it true that Pixel 8's camera beats the 15 Pro's camera hands-down?

The best one is the one in your pocket ;~)

 

[svish]

Good article. My 15 Pro Max should be delivered soon. Looking forward to trying out the new cameras.

 

[Andrew-S]

IMHO iPhone reviews have been burying the lede. My old photography teachers would’ve described photography as capturing a particular view of a specific moment, but that’s not what iPhones do now. They capture a continuum of images from a brief window of time from multiple perspectives along with metadata about the scene, all available to be recombined at will to produce different interpretations of that scene. That’s a huge conceptual shift happening right under our noses, and hundreds of millions of people now routinely take photos that fit that description to some degree. It’s not just that computational photography seems like magic, it’s that Apple is normalizing it and pushing it out to the masses on a scale that boggles the mind. Phone photogaphy is improving and evolving in ways “professional” cameras can’t follow.

This isn’t to say that phone pictures are worse, or that they’re better either. But they’re different, and they’re diverging more and more from traditional photography. While this has always been true, now more than ever the camera you choose will be determined by the result you want - by mood and style.

 

[roeiz]

Is it true that Pixel 8's camera beats the 15 Pro's camera hands-down?

no, not at all

 

[SurferPup]

I use the action button for the torch and will switch to Translate app when available with a future iOS update. I totally relate to Dan's take on careless iPhones. My smart phone drops have never resulted in structural integrity breaches though the scratches and crack forming on my iPhone 14 Pro Max MagSafe case indicate possible damage that could have occurred to my phone. Micro screen scratches are a little annoying and very noticeable on my Nokia G60, I think I will pass on a screen protector this time too. I digress - I am confident that I will receive Apple's maximum trade in value. Some Android phones I have not used cases for. Considering resale value is near nil, I am indifffert and usually an Android beach phone is going to be killed from summer heat over 1.3 metre drops in the sand.

 

[PixelsMaster]

I’m more impressed with the 14>15 jump than I was with the 13>14 (49MP added). Smart HDR5 really does make a difference and while I don’t use zoom everyday, the 15PM produces some decent shots at 10x and even 25x photos are useful when you want a closer look at something. This is the first time in a long time that I‘ve found the default camera settings (24MP and live on) are the best.

 

[YJINYU]

Having a 5x telephoto lens is convenient for me as it allows me to capture fine details of objects or scenes that are far away. This is particularly useful for street photography or travel photography.

 

[polterbyte]

I used to be crazy for zoom lenses way back when I had my Pentax K-1000 in the 90s. Had a 70-200mm lens that was excellent. Never since that time I've gotten good digital zoom shots out of smartphones. I know Samsung has had good optical 10x zoom and passable digital 50x zoom (or whatever) for some time now, but I like my walled garden too much to change (to each their own, and all that). I really hope this 5x feature is as good as everyone is saying it is, especially now that I just ordered my 15 Pro Max.

 

[winxmac]

I’m more impressed with the 14>15 jump than I was with the 13>14 (49MP added). Smart HDR5 really does make a difference and while I don’t use zoom everyday, the 15PM produces some decent shots at 10x and even 25x photos are useful when you want a closer look at something. This is the first time in a long time that I‘ve found the default camera settings (24MP and live on) are the best.

Smart HDR - iPhone XS/XS Max
Smart HDR 2 - iPhone 11 Pro/Pro Max
Smart HDR 3 - iPhone 12 Pro/Pro Max
Smart HDR 4 - iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max
Smart HDR 5 - iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max

I don't understand why Apple kept Smart HDR 4 even though they introduced a 48MP sensor in iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max

iPhone 15/15 Plus uses A16 Bionic yet Apple switched to Smart HDR 5

 

[polterbyte]

I don't understand why Apple kept Smart HDR 4 even though they introduced a 48MP sensor in iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max

The way I see it, Apple still has the largest profit share of the smartphone market, which means it doesn't need to release all the features at once. More/better features won't help them enlarge the lions share of the profits that they are already pocketing.

"Let's see, we're introducing a 48MP sensor this year, so let's keep working on Smart HDR for next year", or something along those lines.

 

[roeiz]

I used to be crazy for zoom lenses way back when I had my Pentax K-1000 in the 90s. Had a 70-200mm lens that was excellent. Never since that time I've gotten good digital zoom shots out of smartphones. I know Samsung has had good optical 10x zoom and passable digital 50x zoom (or whatever) for some time now, but I like my walled garden too much to change (to each their own, and all that). I really hope this 5x feature is as good as everyone is saying it is, especially now that I just ordered my 15 Pro Max.

from all the samples i saw (i'm in the same boat), the 5X seems really solid, and useable to a degree even at 25. only downside it's just 12mp.. not sure why they couldn't bump it up to 24

 

[citysnaps]

IMHO iPhone reviews have been burying the lede. My old photography teachers would’ve described photography as capturing a particular view of a specific moment, but that’s not what iPhones do now. They capture a continuum of images from a brief window of time from multiple perspectives along with metadata about the scene, all available to be recombined at will to produce different interpretations of that scene. That’s a huge conceptual shift happening right under our noses, and hundreds of millions of people now routinely take photos that fit that description to some degree. It’s not just that computational photography seems like magic, it’s that Apple is normalizing it and pushing it out to the masses on a scale that boggles the mind. Phone photogaphy is improving and evolving in ways “professional” cameras can’t follow.

This isn’t to say that phone pictures are worse, or that they’re better either. But they’re different, and they’re diverging more and more from traditional photography. While this has always been true, now more than ever the camera you choose will be determined by the result you want - by mood and style.

My view is there are people who "take" photographs. And that's great.

And there a people who "make" photographs. Which is much much different.

In either case, it makes little difference what camera is used; say, ranging from an Arca-Swiss 4x5, to a mirrorless/dSLR, to a phone camera.

Strong/compelling photographs are made by the photographer, with his/her eye, imagination, life experiences, ability to assess the quality of light, assess what should or shouldn't be in the frame, recognize the importance of gesture when photographing people, and a dozen other considerations made in a few seconds before releasing the shutter.

Bringing photography to the masses is a good thing. Beyond that, people can choose how seriously they want to pursue their craft.