Just curious on people’s thoughts on this. Have read on some forums that the Apple marketing speak is overstating the improvements here, and that both cameras should give relatively similar results. Also read that the decrease in f speed on the main lens of 12 Pro Max will offset some benefits its camera system has.
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iPhone 12 Pro How much better is iPhone 12 Pro Max camera than Pro 12? Digital Photog opinions please!
- Thread starter motomotomoto
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It will be substantially better in low light situations, but less normal lighting situations.
If you take images late in the evening or at night then the pro Max will do alot better than the regular pro.
How much better we will see in the coming days, but the sensor stabilization with a larger sensor will have a huge impact.
But to buy such a big phone for such a special purpose alone is not understandable for me as the benefits outweighs the positives.
If you prefer Big! phones though, good for you, as you also get a better low light camera in that package.
*only the wide aka normal lens get stabilization+ bigger sensor, AFAIK.
If you take images late in the evening or at night then the pro Max will do alot better than the regular pro.
How much better we will see in the coming days, but the sensor stabilization with a larger sensor will have a huge impact.
But to buy such a big phone for such a special purpose alone is not understandable for me as the benefits outweighs the positives.
If you prefer Big! phones though, good for you, as you also get a better low light camera in that package.
*only the wide aka normal lens get stabilization+ bigger sensor, AFAIK.
Agree with above but I think the separation from the background will improve as well. Bokeh in the background “blurry background” should be improved as well.
Do you mean it will be less improved in normal lighting? Yes, my desired size would be the 12 pro but camera performance is probably my most desired feature. If the MAX truly has superior performance that is noticeable in day to day use, I would happily compromise on the size.
Apple really failed in its presentation. So many people have misinformation about the cameras. The wide (main) lens has a faster f stop than the previous iPhones. The telephoto (2x) lens has a slower f stop on the Max than the 6.1” 12 pro, due to its longer focal length (65mm).
Yes, I believe that the improvements will be slim to none lighting situations with adequate light yes. Scenes that are well lit and where there is so much light that you have to filter away excess light that you are not using.
In low light however, the difference will be noticable by alot.
These are my opinions and speculations as a long time photographer for over 20 years. Perhaps we will already tomorrow see reviews.
At this point I feel it is anyone’s guess as to what the 47% larger sensor and larger pixels on the PM will mean in real world situations. Same with the sensor shift stabilization and increase from 2x to 2.5x optical zoom (not range). All we can do is speculate until reviews are published.
If you are correct, I'll feel good about picking up the MAX. I find myself wanting to take photos indoors and in low lighting situations quite frequently and better performance would be a big plus. I do have a X100F, but it's rarely with me unless I have planned to bring it out, and it doesn't handle video all that well either. This can fill in the gaps when I need it.
The Max will not be available for reviews until much closer to its launch date, presumably.
It's the wide camera only that's "better" right? I think everyone thinks it's the main or all cameras that are better. For 99.99% of the population it will be no big deal or go unnoticed.
The wide camera is the main camera.
You are talking about the ultra wide.
You are talking about the ultra wide.
The wide is the 'main' camera. There is also Ultra-Wide (zoomed out) and Telephoto (zoomed in).
pretty sure there is some confirmed rumor that next year all the cameras will be like the Pro Max
I have ordered the Pro (arrives NOV 10th) because I think the camera features would not be that different and I think is much better to have a smaller phone (the Pro is enough big). However if in the reviews I can see a lot of differences in the pictures then I can think to move to the Max.
I don’t think that could be done without adding more weight and decreasing battery.
Yes, but the Pro Max zooms further, which is the main point of a telephoto lens.
With the larger main sensor with better stabilization I think it's going to be a pretty nice improvement for photographers and will be one of the main reasons I consider upgrading as the camera is my main use. However when users see these large percentages they think it should be night and day, but photography performance metrics don't translate like that and most will be disappointed if they expect a massive upgrade. But for those who want the best IQ from an iPhone it should be a fantastic option, especially with the other updates to the post processing pipeline.
Most people consider the wide camera to be the main camera. That’s why Apple has put so much effort into it. 90% of my photos are taken with the longer lens, but I am the exception.
The (misnamed) telephoto lens has also been improved with a longer focal length. And there are hints that there may have been some minor tweaks to the ultrawide lens as well.
There were also four words from introduction, which few people seem to have noticed: “our custom Apple sensor”. If Apple is now designing its own sensors rather than relying on Sony, that’s bound to have some implications, although I can’t speculate on what those might be.
I think the spec-sheet advantages of the Pro Max will not be visible that much in real life.
First of all - the software (image processor) will even out the physical IQ-difference.
We all know what the dark mode has done in the iPhone 11 compared to the Xs.
The difference was huge, even if the sensors didn't change that much.
With the 12pro they also improved the OIS. It's 5 times faster than in the 11pro.
So we don't know if there is a big difference between the knew lens OIS and the sensor shift OIS.
Maybe Apple just had to implement sensor shift, because the lens OIS would have been too big with the bigger sensor!?
Lens OIS on interchangable lens cameras is pretty good, and the difference to sensor-shift OIS is not that much. I would say that it's equal to 2-axis sensor stabilisation. And since the 12Pro max uses a 2-axis stabilisation, I wouldn't bet that it's so much better than the new lens OIS in the 12Pro.
First of all - the software (image processor) will even out the physical IQ-difference.
We all know what the dark mode has done in the iPhone 11 compared to the Xs.
The difference was huge, even if the sensors didn't change that much.
With the 12pro they also improved the OIS. It's 5 times faster than in the 11pro.
So we don't know if there is a big difference between the knew lens OIS and the sensor shift OIS.
Maybe Apple just had to implement sensor shift, because the lens OIS would have been too big with the bigger sensor!?
Lens OIS on interchangable lens cameras is pretty good, and the difference to sensor-shift OIS is not that much. I would say that it's equal to 2-axis sensor stabilisation. And since the 12Pro max uses a 2-axis stabilisation, I wouldn't bet that it's so much better than the new lens OIS in the 12Pro.
Agree it's fake, but Lidar will help improve how the bokeh is implemented. I wouldn't expect much (if any) difference between the 12Pro and Pro Max though.
Regarding the OP's original question...how much you notice the difference depends on shooting conditions and what you're trying to do. The improved image stabilisation is useful, but if you are in a brightly lit relatively stable position (family picnic on a summers day) then you won't tell much of a difference. Use it in darker situations and the Max will cope better and the quality differences will become more apparent.
If it was me, then having the extra weight / size of the Max every day is more of a burden than the occasional camera advantage. If you went max for the bigger battery, screen estate AND camera, well that starts to make more sense. I had a Max before and I know you do get used to the size, so it's personal choice.
After 25 years of photography, I sold all my camera gear when the 11Pro came out. I accepted the downgrade in overall quality for the ease of use and realisation that my big DSLR stayed at home far too much. Either way, the 12Pro or Max will easily be good enough for most day to day situations.
Yes, but the 12Pro (non max) has LiDAR too, so they have the same depth information to render the fake bokeh.
That's the same for me. I had a 8plus before my current Xs, and the Xs is so much better to use IMHO. Especially one handed. So I take the compromise and ordered the 12pro, even if the Pro Max has a better sensor.
I'm not there yet. But I reduced my gear a LOT. Coming from a mirrorless ICL System, I sold everything and just use a fixed lens APS-C Fuji x100V now. But I also recognise, that I use the iPhone more and more. And I bet it's evene more used when the 12Pro arrives.