I don't know either. To be fair, it wouldn't be the first time Apple held back features on older phones that seemed to have the horsepower to handle it. After this many years, I'm just used to that. I don't see the point in complaining about their business practices if I'm going to continue giving them my business. So I just tune out the parts where they screw me over. I'm far happier that way.
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Camera Comparison: iPhone XS Max vs. iPhone X
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I don't know either. To be fair, it wouldn't be the first time Apple held back features on older phones that seemed to have the horsepower to handle it. After this many years, I'm just used to that. I don't see the point in complaining about their business practices if I'm going to continue giving them my business. So I just tune out the parts where they screw me over. I'm far happier that way.
You can't say that the Pixel 2 has a more complex algorithm than the iPhone XS, we really don't know. With that being said, the Pixel 2 actually included a special ISP specifically for the camera. So whatever speed advantage the A11 has over the Snapdragon 835 doesn't effect the Pixel 2 camera as a result of its ISP.
You're totally right. Thanks for setting me straight. In the spirit of "passing it on", I think I'll visit local elementary schools tomorrow and tell the music students they all suck and will never be Mozart.
i guess i'm not convinced that the ML hardware is involved in HDR processing. i can see it being involved in face detection as part of portrait mode, and of course in face ID.
anyway to me, it just strains credibility a little that apple would have juiced the ISP pipeline so much such that it's "impossible" to implement these features on last year's hardware. harder to implement, yes. a little slower, yes. but not impossible.
if my friends in the silicon group at apple could tell me without killing me, i guess i'd know for sure
It's possible that the iPhone X camera could perform similarly to the iPhone XS, but like you said, it'll probably be slower. And if we know anything about Apple, its that even if the hardware can do it, if it isn't "perfect" they're just not going to do it.
With that being said, image signal processing is very computationally different than your average process. As such, I imagine that the neural engine of the A12 - which is significantly more powerful than in the A11 - is doing most of the heavy lifting for the camera, including smart HDR.
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Because the XS has a better camera? Just because you may not notice without a direct comparison doesn't negate the fact that it's better. I guess I'm just not sure what the point of your post is.
I'm glad they're posting photos where the differences are pronounced. And I don't think it's unconscious. It would be extremely boring looking at shots that might have been taken on the X. I'm interested in the differences, not the similarities. That's how I can determine if I want to upgrade or not.
As for the X not being a bad camera, I've not noticed anyone claiming it is. People seem to grasp that the improvements aren't always huge. It's not the subjects of the photo that tend to benefit, but the "background" parts of the photos. Some people don't care. Some do. Some don't think an improvement x% of the time is worth it and some do. People use their cameras (or not) in a variety of ways and not all users will see the same level of benefits. I tend to think it's a huge improvement because it corrects things in photos that have plagued me. Others don't think it's a big deal. We're both right because we have different desires / needs.
Nobody is making you spend $1149 on a new phone. If you're happy with the X that's great. But to say that whatever Apple did in the XS they could do in the X is simply wrong.
Yes, the A12 CPU is only marginally faster than the A11 CPU, but the CPU is only one part of the larger SOC. Two of the other aspects, the GPU and the neural engine have seen pretty significant speed gains, especially the neural engine. And the neural engine is arguably more important at this point than anything else in the SOC as it drives most of the machine learning algorithms (including with the camera).
Also, I'm not sure where you seeing people acting like the X is trash now. Nobody has been saying that. If anything, a lot of us have been saying if you were happy with the X when you first purchased it, you should still be happy with it. The XS IS a better phone, but the X is still a great phone.
iPhoneXS/XS Max looks better. (2nd compare)
The X looks pale in comparison. (unless the kid looked sick)
In the 6th compare shots, the guy on X looked better, so i guess it depends what your shooting. In some cases looks like the XS/XS Max wins over the X, and other times the X wins
The X looks pale in comparison. (unless the kid looked sick)
In the 6th compare shots, the guy on X looked better, so i guess it depends what your shooting. In some cases looks like the XS/XS Max wins over the X, and other times the X wins
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I made some video recordings with the iPhone XS right outside the Apple Store downtown Vienna (you can see the store at the beginning). It was a windy day on Friday so you'll hear some wind and bicycle noises (it seems that the device did a good job filtering it away).
But it's stereo! Listen to horses (hooves rattling) and church bells. We are in the Kärntner Straße, Stephansplatz (huge church), Herrengasse, Freyung and Hoher Markt.
The original Apple leather case doesn't affect the recorded sound quality although the genius in the store couldn't tell me where exactly the (four?) microphones are located (so they don't get covered with fingers or cases ). The fcp stereo indicator shows well balanced (l/r) sound anyway.
Shot and uploaded in a hurry:
Use good headphones or a PA equipment for being able to judge the stereo sound.
The next day I made another little stereo sound check with the iPhone XS. A street musician playing a piano accordion. Some rhythmic Balkan dance with a happy mood.
This time we are in a not so famous area of Vienna. A subway, streetcar and bus station at Hietzing, Kennedybrücke (Kennedy bridge), near Schönbrunn. There is a lot of traffic going on in the background but you can clearly listen to the instrument.
But it's stereo! Listen to horses (hooves rattling) and church bells. We are in the Kärntner Straße, Stephansplatz (huge church), Herrengasse, Freyung and Hoher Markt.
The original Apple leather case doesn't affect the recorded sound quality although the genius in the store couldn't tell me where exactly the (four?) microphones are located (so they don't get covered with fingers or cases ). The fcp stereo indicator shows well balanced (l/r) sound anyway.
Shot and uploaded in a hurry:
Use good headphones or a PA equipment for being able to judge the stereo sound.
The next day I made another little stereo sound check with the iPhone XS. A street musician playing a piano accordion. Some rhythmic Balkan dance with a happy mood.
This time we are in a not so famous area of Vienna. A subway, streetcar and bus station at Hietzing, Kennedybrücke (Kennedy bridge), near Schönbrunn. There is a lot of traffic going on in the background but you can clearly listen to the instrument.
I shoot RAW..well .dng to be more correct on the iPhone, so I'm still able to do plenty with the sensor in the X. Yes, could probably maybe a bit more dynamic range out of the Xs, but I've made beautiful 11x14 prints out of the iPhone X, and if I need to go bigger I've got actual cameras (yes those things) that serve a better purpose.
That said the images on the Xs look nice, and hope everyone who gets one enjoys it. Moving from the 7 to the X felt like the first major phone upgrade since i first purchased the iPhone 3G...so i'm still enjoying it and don't see a big enough leap in the camera abilities to make the switch.
That said the images on the Xs look nice, and hope everyone who gets one enjoys it. Moving from the 7 to the X felt like the first major phone upgrade since i first purchased the iPhone 3G...so i'm still enjoying it and don't see a big enough leap in the camera abilities to make the switch.
It’s always an incremental change. Rarely will there be the “revolutionary” upgrade; many would say the X isn’t revolutionary.
But take the X, add a dozen or more upgrades, and you’ve got an XS. Take the XS and add another dozen incremental upgrades and you’ll have the iPhone 11. Pile on a bunch of upgraded features and you’ll have the 11s in 2020.
the story author and others are saying that the HDR photo modes in the Xs are only possible in the Xs because of some kind of new hardware capability in the Xs. i'm saying that it's extremely unlikely that there is some revolutionary new hardware that makes these HDR images possible on the Xs but not on the X. it's more likely just a marketing decision that apple made... i mean, really think about it, what else is going to drive sales? they have to make claims that new (software) features are impossible on the latest hardware, or some number of people would not upgrade.
As a travel blogger, i use an iphone as my main travel camera. Although an “s” year update, the improvements with the smart HDR, the DOF control, and bigger pixels on the sensor all add up to a worthy upgrade. But i am still gonna hold off until next year.
I’d love to see a true depth sensor added to the back cameras for even better DOF control.
I’d love to see a true depth sensor added to the back cameras for even better DOF control.
I'd like to see a blind test of this next to a DSLR for blur just to make sure I am not letting personal bias through. The background in this pic is just flat and distracting and weird for me.
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Hope they update the “soft” look on the skin, zoomed lens on the low light photos. It seems to really be blurry and too soft compared to last year. My iPad Pro produces sharper low light front facing photos. Only complaint about the camera. Otherwise - outside photography, depth, Portrait Lighting; all pretty fantastic improvements.
You’re eye does not see bokeh like that. It doesn’t even see it like that I’d shot on a high end dslr with red rings. It’s an artifact of the plane the camera focuses on combined with the circle of confusion IIRC.
It must be because I have my glasses off at the moment (or at least that is my excuse and I am sticking to it
) but yes you are correct about the eye not seeing the bokeh like that. It was a weird thing to write, but stand by the other comments.
Apple uses the 8 AI chips to do this, watch the keynote. The A11 has 2, previous have none.
That's a fair point. I buy into the Apple ecosystem because I know I'll be taken care of (through software updates including basic new features) for many years to come.
It’s for the first time in my life I read lenses had pixels... I always thought pixels were a feature of the sensor.
It should be back ported, like the depth-of-field on the XR single camera. But anyway, I find the XS photos on the web hugely ugly, and having HDR dialed to 11 just for marketing.