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Camera Comparison: Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Max vs. OnePlus 11 5G
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The iPhone 14 pro max camera is dumb when used in other apps, it doesn’t switch lenses when moving closer to an object, e.g. to scan a qr code in an app. Pisses me off.
I completely agree with the mirrorless/DSLR is better than a phone camera. You don’t even have to go into those 1000+ price categories, though. I do have DSLR in that category but my partner has one for less than half and… it’s still better overall.
The thing is: it’s better if you know what you’re doing. Which most people probably don’t because mirrorless/DSLR isn’t a “point and shoot” sort of deal.
And, as always with these things: the best camera is the one you have with you 😬
I can’t count how often I cursed myself for having left the DSLR at home - but then I might still get a passable shot on my phone.
Years back I preferred talking photos with DSLR. So I carried it everywhere I travelled. Since iPhone 12PM I don't do it. I know that certain occasions I missed my DSLR but most of the times the phone was enough. When it comes to a moment that I want to take the picture in very short time, phones do a much better job than changing settings in a DSLR. A point and shoot photo taken with smartphone flagships looks better than with a DSLR. Photos those are taken with time are much better than any smartphone.
Oh, look: OnePlus devices are on the list of devices with, er, exclusive features! https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/07/chinese_android_phones_leak_pii/
My preference is for the OnePlus. To my passing glance, the One+ images seem to have finer detail. I'm far from a foto expert, JMO.
Maybe Apple does from a hardware technology perspective. Not from a software perspective. That is where the majority of Apple’s camera function resides. Their software has issues.
Article seems to suggest it's Chinese ROMS rather than global or other area specific (EU etc) ROMS.
I really wish Apple would allow us to turn off smart HDR. It annoys me so much I take a picture and when I view it in the photo app it looks nothing like it did when shot it.
I think it is safe to say that most cell phone cameras these days work well enough for the average person.
I thought it was an interesting comparison on the photography comparison, as they are similar spec'ed
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While Apple sells the iPhone 14 Pro w/256GB is $1099
iPhone 14 Pro Max w/256GB is $1199
One could say that the new camera technology is a lot more competitive and Apple doesn't have that much of a advantage if only looking at that aspect.
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I see slight color casts on most of the Android pics which is a minor nitpick but it still bothers me when I see that. I'm assuming that's intentional and that the Android camera app is doing that to enhance the photos. Looks like it produces ok results, but in a couple cases, it uses a color shade that doesn't look right to me. I generally don't see any similar coloring on the iPhone photos.
EDIT: should have cited an example so people know what I'm talking about. The photo of the kid in the skeleton shirt smiling. Compare the white shelf in the background to the same on the iPhone photo. There's a slight orangey/pinkish cast there. I'm betting the Android software is picking up that it's a person photo and adds the color cast to warm it up but it muddies things to my eye. I prefer less enhancement by the camera. That kind of thing can always be done afterward.
EDIT: should have cited an example so people know what I'm talking about. The photo of the kid in the skeleton shirt smiling. Compare the white shelf in the background to the same on the iPhone photo. There's a slight orangey/pinkish cast there. I'm betting the Android software is picking up that it's a person photo and adds the color cast to warm it up but it muddies things to my eye. I prefer less enhancement by the camera. That kind of thing can always be done afterward.
The review should have used some Nikon DSLR camera as a reference and then the two smartphone photo comparison would have been easier to judge how far we have improved.
The OnePlus 11 5G runs android of course but thats a given because Apple doesn't provide iOS to anyone else.
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That last bit about point and shoot is exactly what I mean.
Say I want to take a picture of a cute cat, it's probably better to whip out the phone and use that. If I get my DSLR ready for it, I might have to take a test shot to see what settings I need etc, and by the time I'm ready the cat has run out of patience - or decided it needs to inspect the camera and walk over to me 🙄😅
I don't agree, for a couple of reasons.
First, the differences in phones aren't limited to the camera system. There are other reasons why iPhone buyers might want to choose iPhone over something else, and those differences may be worth the money to some.
Second, referring to photography specifically, once a camera is fairly advanced, you start to see diminishing returns after that. While it's common to see very large differences between mid-market cameras, a high-end camera might cost significantly more because even small differences are worth the cost to some. Here, the iPhone camera is better overall (IMO, at least), and that's worth a premium. Of course, if you disagree and are not in need of other iPhone-specific attributes, then choose the cheaper one.
We see the same thing in many other markets, for example loudspeakers. These days, you can get competent audio playback for under $300. If you want the best sound available, you're looking at $10,000+. The diminishing returns happen at the middle: Spend, say, $3000 and you're closer to the $10,000 sound than you are to the $300 sound. Above that point, the differences diminish.