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iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 15 pro max photos are not great
- Thread starter dylanlewis2000
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and me! Just playing around with a friend's Ip14PM and the images look better. I have asked her to update it to 17.2 as she is currently running 16. something, therefore I am going to test out a bit more tomorrow.
I took comparison 1x photo in 48 MP ProRaw mode to check hardware (lens and sensor) and it produce sharp image in the middle. Even corners are fairly sharp. But there are large areas on the right 1/3 where image gets blurry but that probably is normal variation for cheap large aperture optics with large sensor. It was kinda similar on our other identical 15 PM, it just vary what part in blurry. Also I'm not sure how much that I took photos from pretty close distance (maybe 3 feet or so I guess). Picture is converted to jpg and heavily compressed so that I could post it here due to size restrictions. (nevermind, it was not possible to post here even after quality reduced to 1%).
Question for others in this thread. How does that type of test look like using your 15 PM's 1x camera in 48 MP mode?
Anyway, my point with this test photo is that obviously hardware is able to produce sharp image in the middle, so blurry cat faces might be down to processing or some other issue causing difficulty to focus correctly.
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I agree with this. There's too much HDR crap on photos with the 13 mini, especially on faces; it's worse than it was on the 12, which is worse than it was on the XR. It is OK for shadows to be dark and highlights to be light!
And, "spend thousands more to go back to how things were 6 years ago" is an idiotic solution. My favorite iPhones to take pictures with were the iPhone 7/8, because I knew what I was going to get. I can't get as much detail or sharpness out of RAW photos on the 13 either.
And, "spend thousands more to go back to how things were 6 years ago" is an idiotic solution. My favorite iPhones to take pictures with were the iPhone 7/8, because I knew what I was going to get. I can't get as much detail or sharpness out of RAW photos on the 13 either.
Funnily enough I had an email last week about feedback re: iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Did fill it out & say about the over-processing of images with the cameras... I'm sure the majority of us don't expect DSLR quality pictures from a phone sensor but if you're like me and it's the only camera you own (for whatever reason) then it'd nice if we didn't have to edit them or turn features off to try and improve it to get something we're happy with (just my personal opinions).
Did fill it out & say about the over-processing of images with the cameras... I'm sure the majority of us don't expect DSLR quality pictures from a phone sensor but if you're like me and it's the only camera you own (for whatever reason) then it'd nice if we didn't have to edit them or turn features off to try and improve it to get something we're happy with (just my personal opinions).
Yeah, if people want over-processed images, fine, I'll let them be, but for God's sake we need to be able to toggle that off. It really is unfathomable that I can buy a $1500 iPhone with "Pro" camera features that Apple talks about for an hour at their keynote, yet I am literally completely unable to tone down the sharpening in the processing pipeline. Literally a $10 disposable camera can take softer photos than an iPhone because of this.
I've actually thought about this for a long time.
I've always bought a "Pro" phone because of the camera, but I'm in the group of people that find the over-processing makes photos that look worse. In fact I prefer the pictures that my wife's 13 mini takes to my 14 pro.
Philosophical question: Is it even worth it to get the "Pro" model phone anymore? The only use case that it makes sense anymore is for people using their phones to film a lot of video (the, ahem, "content creators" and such).
I've always bought a "Pro" phone because of the camera, but I'm in the group of people that find the over-processing makes photos that look worse. In fact I prefer the pictures that my wife's 13 mini takes to my 14 pro.
Philosophical question: Is it even worth it to get the "Pro" model phone anymore? The only use case that it makes sense anymore is for people using their phones to film a lot of video (the, ahem, "content creators" and such).
This comment seems reasonable and as a fellow photographer (semi - professional) would agree with all the points made. My issue with the 15 PM was not the final image quality (which is typical for the sensor and pixel size) but the difficulty it had focusing which produced more out of focus pictures than I normally get from these smart phone cameras. Motion blur etc and grainy images is to be expected in low light and is a consequence of the low light gathering capabilities of these tiny sensors. My specific issue is that the camera(s) seem to have more difficulty getting focus than in the 14 PM which seemed to be almost fool proof, thus resulting is more poor images than I am used to getting out of a smart phone camera.
Here is test image I was trying to post earlier. See above for details.
However this is photoshopped down to 12 MP and compressed JPG from ProRaw 48 MP because otherwise file was too big to post here.
Anyway it shows that sensor is able to get fairly sharp focus image in the centre, blurry parts mostly at right 1/3 especially from the middle to right, but corners are fairly sharp. Probably not the best optics here but with my luck I guess normal, and not sure others have much better? Maybe not the best possible test image I used but at least some kind of pattern across the screen to help compare.
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I had iPhone 7 back in the day and I remember it had natural and sharp pictures, it took even very nice photos indoors with not so good light. I'm not so sure it is such a good idea to put very high MP sensors that are still rather small diameter combined with small optics in newer models but big numbers sell and some androids have even over 100 MP sensors these days. Anyway, with previous 12 Pro which had "only" 12 MP sensor image was sharp even focus across the screen (surely it had this HDR effect).
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I find it’s slow to process when I’m taking a lot of photos. It’s actually slower than the 14 Pro Max which felt like a more bug-free phone.
I’m hoping things improve as further iOS updates arrive. All in all it’s not the smoothest year with regards to taking photos.
Without uploading actual pictures this discussion is pretty pointless. My 15PM is taking very sharp pictures, not a blurry pixel in sight. Why not upload an example photo that others can replicate and compare? For example a dollar/euro/whatever bill up close and on table from about a meter? Fixed lens, no digizoom etc. And one of a cat obviously😉
/edit. I stand corrected. I did some detailed pixel peeping and experimenting, and INDEED, the edges are softer than the center. It’s subtle and doesn’t bother me personally, but I saw it. 🤓. Best grab my Fujifilm X-H2S for my dollar bill pictures 😅
/edit. I stand corrected. I did some detailed pixel peeping and experimenting, and INDEED, the edges are softer than the center. It’s subtle and doesn’t bother me personally, but I saw it. 🤓. Best grab my Fujifilm X-H2S for my dollar bill pictures 😅
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Well taking photo of a dollar bill or similar ONE meter away will produce tiny image in the middle if you like to show complete lens focus so that you can determine if there is simple hardware fault which was point of picture I posted. You cannot take photo close up of a dollar bill because 1x camera cannot focus so close it force you to use 0.5x lens. I never post any photos of me or other people to internet, and my cats are alike so I must respect that.
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Did some more testing and I think I found something. I pretty much only take photos of my cats (and people) using 2x "lens" which in 15 PM essentially is just cropping, so that practically 1/4 of the pixels are in use, so essentially it should be 12 MP camera just like 2x lens was in my previous 12 Pro, right? - NO, maybe it isn't equivalent.
This is actually what I remember reading before that 48 MP sensor in these phones is so called quad bayer pattern, meaning in does something like that each color filter extends over 4 photodiodes. Kinda like each pixel in 12 MP sensor is divided in 4 pixels but each of these 4 cannot see individual colors they are under the same color filter if I understood correctly. More details about this can be found in sites like DP Review, there is nice details about quad bayer and iPhone.
Then I did more tests using just 1x and took photos of my cats close enough so that face filled large area in the picture and there was better detail now, definitely more hard detail. Then the same test using 2x and from further away to have subject filling the same area of the photo. Now hair detail is more like cotton ball when zooming the image, it looks about fine with just quick glance without touching the zoom.
Hmm, this is why I already was unsure when I was planning which Pro I choose between 6.1" and 6,7". I already then thought to myself smaller would have better suited camera since it has real 3x lens with real 12 MP sensor, so it would be somewhat similar to my previous 6.1" 12 Pro which had nice 2 x camera. But in the end I wanted larger screen that I already regretted soon after I got my 12 Pro. In my case 5x zoom in 15 PM is pretty much unusable indoors, since it needs so long distance. But I decided to take my chances and get PM and did not really worry too much about thing with the sensor after seeing all this hype how good camera was supposed to be.
Anyway, long story short, I suspect my way of using 2x lens most of the time likely results just more like closer to real 3 MP sensor photos interpolated to 12 MP rather than real 12 MP I was used to see before. Fine detail looks more like closer to how photos with old Nokia phone a long time ago before smartphone era did look like. Obviously to go around this would be using just 1x but that is not IMHO good for taking photos of faces since it makes all look weird, like huge nose effect that come from wide lenses. Obviously to go around this would be taking photo further away and crop it manually, but then it is the same as 2x crop. Could it be this? At least DP Review explanation of quad bayer says not to expect "12 MP" crop in this type of sensor to equal to 48 MP conventional bayer sensor crops.
This is actually what I remember reading before that 48 MP sensor in these phones is so called quad bayer pattern, meaning in does something like that each color filter extends over 4 photodiodes. Kinda like each pixel in 12 MP sensor is divided in 4 pixels but each of these 4 cannot see individual colors they are under the same color filter if I understood correctly. More details about this can be found in sites like DP Review, there is nice details about quad bayer and iPhone.
Then I did more tests using just 1x and took photos of my cats close enough so that face filled large area in the picture and there was better detail now, definitely more hard detail. Then the same test using 2x and from further away to have subject filling the same area of the photo. Now hair detail is more like cotton ball when zooming the image, it looks about fine with just quick glance without touching the zoom.
Hmm, this is why I already was unsure when I was planning which Pro I choose between 6.1" and 6,7". I already then thought to myself smaller would have better suited camera since it has real 3x lens with real 12 MP sensor, so it would be somewhat similar to my previous 6.1" 12 Pro which had nice 2 x camera. But in the end I wanted larger screen that I already regretted soon after I got my 12 Pro. In my case 5x zoom in 15 PM is pretty much unusable indoors, since it needs so long distance. But I decided to take my chances and get PM and did not really worry too much about thing with the sensor after seeing all this hype how good camera was supposed to be.
Anyway, long story short, I suspect my way of using 2x lens most of the time likely results just more like closer to real 3 MP sensor photos interpolated to 12 MP rather than real 12 MP I was used to see before. Fine detail looks more like closer to how photos with old Nokia phone a long time ago before smartphone era did look like. Obviously to go around this would be using just 1x but that is not IMHO good for taking photos of faces since it makes all look weird, like huge nose effect that come from wide lenses. Obviously to go around this would be taking photo further away and crop it manually, but then it is the same as 2x crop. Could it be this? At least DP Review explanation of quad bayer says not to expect "12 MP" crop in this type of sensor to equal to 48 MP conventional bayer sensor crops.
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I guess I don’t understand. You cannot get a photo with 1x because it doesn’t focus? I have no such problem with 1x and 20cm distance. And the point of 1 meter is precisely to have a small bill on a table… you can pixelpeep and spot the digital sharpening and interpretations. PS Indeed never post anything remotely traceable, that is simply good practice👍🏼Well taking photo of a dollar bill or similar ONE meter away will produce tiny image in the middle if you like to show complete lens focus so that you can determine if there is simple hardware fault which was point of picture I posted. You cannot take photo close up of a dollar bill because 1x camera cannot focus so close it force you to use 0.5x lens. I never post any photos of me or other people to internet, and my cats are alike so I must respect that.
I guess I should have said more precisely, things like dollar/euro bill from 20cm using actual 1x (not using "flower" icon for macro mode that is not using 1x I think) fills only maybe 1/3 of the picture. But yeah, test like that produce sharp details for me, also worked for cat photos see my long post above (point is that 1x lens in not good for this purpose as it makes faces look weird).
Correct.
Yeah, I was never into this where many people pretty much post all about their lives and photos of themselves to internet.
This is one example that I have found with my new iphone 15 pro.
This photo was taken earlier this evening of my daughter, just a quick snap
LINK to photo - 48 mega pixel
What is quite odd is that around her face, it is not that sharp and looks a little blurry. She wasn't moving quickly at all, and the preview whilst taking the photo looked very sharp, however, it takes a second or so to process, and after it looks blury.
However, when looking at another part of the image it looks sharper:
This is the same image, but slightly lower. The focus area was not on the food, rather on her face. Overall the photo was taken at 1/33 which some could argue is a little slow. This is one example where you would have thought the computational side of the iPhone would detect a toddler (like other cameras do) and raise the shutter speed. However, as mentioned, she wasn't really moving and was just eating. This is one of many examples where the iPhone processes soft faces, however it is able to enure other items (typically straight lines) are sharp.
Not sure if I have a dud or if this is something that is normal.
This photo was taken earlier this evening of my daughter, just a quick snap
LINK to photo - 48 mega pixel
What is quite odd is that around her face, it is not that sharp and looks a little blurry. She wasn't moving quickly at all, and the preview whilst taking the photo looked very sharp, however, it takes a second or so to process, and after it looks blury.
However, when looking at another part of the image it looks sharper:
This is the same image, but slightly lower. The focus area was not on the food, rather on her face. Overall the photo was taken at 1/33 which some could argue is a little slow. This is one example where you would have thought the computational side of the iPhone would detect a toddler (like other cameras do) and raise the shutter speed. However, as mentioned, she wasn't really moving and was just eating. This is one of many examples where the iPhone processes soft faces, however it is able to enure other items (typically straight lines) are sharp.
Not sure if I have a dud or if this is something that is normal.
@Wizec I have also disabled portraits in photo mode. It's one of the things that was annoying me with this new iPhone. If I want it, i'll opt to use that mode.
I'll take a few more photos now and try to illustrate what i mean. It almost that it likes taking a soft photo. There is a significant lag on the 48mp photos, almost like it can't process the information and save it quick enough.
I'll take a few more photos now and try to illustrate what i mean. It almost that it likes taking a soft photo. There is a significant lag on the 48mp photos, almost like it can't process the information and save it quick enough.
It is pretty similar what my 15 PM does for cat faces. Have you tried close up that faces almost fills the whole screen? Then mine shows almost good hair detail of my cats.
I don't have a cat to test - however, my theory is that it will artificially sharpen straight lines. I have done another test just to prove a point, and my XS max and Google Pixel 5 just take a better photo.This is a quick snap today in my lounge. All taken with the phones on the ground, so no camera shake, lighting is not the best, however it's an equal fair test between all three devices.
IPM15
Link to all images - CLICK HERE
iPhone XS Max
Google Pixel 5
I have included the links to the files if anyone would like to look at them. I have repeated this test three times, and the same happens. I'm not sure what the Pro max is doing, but in comparison to the other phones where they are under the same conditions, the new iPhone is producing a much larger image, however it's not great.
IPM15
Link to all images - CLICK HERE
iPhone XS Max
Google Pixel 5
I have included the links to the files if anyone would like to look at them. I have repeated this test three times, and the same happens. I'm not sure what the Pro max is doing, but in comparison to the other phones where they are under the same conditions, the new iPhone is producing a much larger image, however it's not great.
So you liked the ultra wide? It’s a fun thing for pictures taken for the memory, but only when detail isn’t at all a important.
Otherwise I’d like to agree but with time even with the main camera zooming in I can basically play super mario on the pixels. With recent updates since iOS 16 it over sharpens very much and the HDR creates unnecessary artifacts.
Have some pictures you’d be willing to share for comparison?
May I suggest something?
For document scanning, but both phones side be side on the edge of a table, having the cameras point to the ground and the backs flat on the table. Put a piece of (recycled) paper with something printed on it or maybe a newspaper below and take a couple pictures with whatever settings you feel like (12MP, 48, 2x, 5x, whatever) and send you the ones from their phone via airdrop.
For different shots, find something else you can put them up against vertically and do the same. Feel free to include your XS ifsou have that much free time