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More megapixels would make it worse. It needs a larger, more sensitive sensor and less aggressive sharpening.
You do need more megapixels to go larger though, at some point. On an 82 inch TV, I think it’d help. I’m sure the sensor would help also, but Megapixels are data.
 
Is it weird that I had both an 11 Pro and a 12 Pro, use the wide angle lens regularly, and had absolutely no idea they were fixed-focus until just now? I had assumed that the occasionally soft photos I was getting when using the wide-angle indoors was due to bad low-light performance, when it turns out it was just out of focus.

I guess it wasn't really bothering me, although given how useful wide-angle lenses are for photos in tight spaces, I guess this is going to significantly improve picture quality when using it for that.

Thats why I went from upgrading every year under Jobs when Apple was Apple to upgrading once every 4 years, if that.
Not to be too sarcastic here, but: Oh, no! Apple has a mature product that doesn't have revolutionary technology changes year-to-year! Apple never had ANY mature products under Steve Jobs! The 2011 MacBook Pro and iMac were completely revolutionary computers relative to the 2007 MacBook Pro and iMac!

(In case you were not using Macs at the time or have forgotten, no, they weren't. They were nice but incremental improvements, and far less dramatic than the change between an iPhone 12 Pro and an iPhone 7. In those 4 years the MBP got a much faster CPU, a similar but nicer body design, improved magnetic latch, better ports, more storage, and an improved camera. The iPhone got a bigger and hugely better screen, much faster CPU, vastly revamped and improved camera system, face scanner, LIDAR scanner, more storage, and a similar but nicer body design.)

New technologies mature. Dramatic year-over-year improvements become more incremental. It's the nature of the beast, and has little to do with who the CEO is.
 
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I recently received a couple photo taken by someone else with iPhone 12 Pro Max, moderately low light condition and regular distance between camera lenses and object. And the photo looks terrible as soon as I zoom in. Little to no detail, texts on the object is just not too blurry to distinguish each letter. I think I could’ve taken roughly the same photo with my iPhone XS Max.

More reviewers should test out low light conditions more and Apple definitely should ramp up their R&D on that one. A camera with poor low light condition is terrible nowadays imo, within premium phone category.
I upgraded from X to 12 Pro and also have a mirrorless camera. Larger cameras were always the big winner in low light. The 12 Pro does wonders in low light scenarios but it resorts to long exposure, something you want to avoid in general if you dont have a tripod as it reduces sharpness. Also the image quality is great for small screens. Watching it on a larger screen obviously reveals its limits. That said, the 12 Pro seems to have some pretty good post processing so even the long exposure shots look surprisingly good. More low light capability would need a larger sensor. Lets see how Apple does this in the tiny iPhone form factor.
 
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You do need more megapixels to go larger though, at some point. On an 82 inch TV, I think it’d help. I’m sure the sensor would help also, but Megapixels are data.
12MP are more than any size TV can display. 4K is only 8.3MP.
 
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Personal usage per lens:
Ultra Wide 5%
Wide 55%
Telephoto 40%
Don’t know why they didn’t put telephoto on regular phones. Do others actually use ultra wide lens a lot?
I think they should put another zoom lens say 120mm equivalent. It will make the phone a lot more useful. The Ultra-Wide is really for "artistic" or "dramatic" look, it's not very practical IMO.

I've been upgrading the Max phones every year, until the iPhone SE2 came around, the camera upgrades were not appealing enough. It's really mediocre compared to any 1" sensor cameras, not to mention larger sensors. I do appreciate their camera software though, which makes taking "nice" photos so easy.
 
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Personal usage per lens:
Ultra Wide 5%
Wide 55%
Telephoto 40%
Don’t know why they didn’t put telephoto on regular phones. Do others actually use ultra wide lens a lot?
At least me. For long-time (multiple-hour) nature shooting (see for example the "entire-Finnish-night" videos at
) when you want to capture as much as possible (no need to rotate the camera during shooting to be able to cover both the sunset and sunrise), it's essential.

BTW, it's not the lack of autofocus that's the worst with this camera, but the

1, relative softness around the edges. It's only capable of high resolution in the center of the image. This is also visible in the linked video above - particularly on the left.
2, the relatively bad dynamic range compared to the much bigger wide angle sensor in these phones
 
I'm a bit sick of these tiny mini upgrades.

So what? iPhone 14 will get a tiny better autofocus one?

iPhone 15 then a bit higher sensor main camera.

iPhone 16 then the same but for ultra wide.

iPhone 17 same but for zoom...
 
I'm a bit sick of these tiny mini upgrades.

So what? iPhone 14 will get a tiny better autofocus one?

iPhone 15 then a bit higher sensor main camera.

iPhone 16 then the same but for ultra wide.

iPhone 17 same but for zoom...
This is why I only upgrade my iPhone every 3 years.
 
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BTW. Ultra wide lenses dont need autofocus as the depth of field is so big already when using the right aperture. So everything on the picture is in focus.
This is multiplied by the fact, that phone sensors are small…
 
The cameras need improvement in general. I have a 12 Pro Max. We need more megapixels or something. The pictures look great on the phone, but on a larger display, there are a lot of issues.
If you want larger photos, get a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
 
It became a norm for people to pay 1000$+ year on year for what in reality is a very minor upgrade that uas no real impact on anything, except for making people feel better that they have the latest and greatest
It really isn't, the large large majority of people having an iPhone uses theirs for more than 2 years and the avg upgrade cycle is 4 years.

People who change their iPhone every year are an enigma. This forum isn't representative for that (just like it wasn't for iPhone mini interest)
 
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It became a norm for people to pay 1000$+ year on year for what in reality is a very minor upgrade that uas no real impact on anything, except for making people feel better that they have the latest and greatest
Not crazy about the number 13 but my iPhone X is due a refresh. From my own point of view I doubt what you are stating is true for the majority.
 
I know right. I’m just glad I bought apple stock on the low. Keep buying em yall!!!
The smugness from an ‘investor’ who clearly didn’t understand the investment.

The stock’s valuation has more to do with apple relying less on the phone than it was with phone sales.

stick to index funds.
 
BTW. Ultra wide lenses dont need autofocus as the depth of field is so big already when using the right aperture. So everything on the picture is in focus.
This is multiplied by the fact, that phone sensors are small…
Exactly. It's not the lack of AF with the UW optics that's currently the biggest issue.
 


The high-end models of the upcoming iPhone 13 lineup, such as the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, will feature an upgraded ultra-wide camera with autofocus, compared to the current fixed focal ultra-wide camera on iPhone 12 models, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in an investors note obtained by MacRumors.

iphone12protriplelenscamera.jpg

Compared to the current fixed-focus lens on the ultra-wide camera on the iPhone 12 lineup, autofocus on the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max will help deliver crisper and sharper images, regardless of the distance a specific subject is from the lens. Kuo has previously stated that the iPhone 13 will feature several other camera improvements, including improved low-light performance.

Looking more long-term, Kuo today shared additional information on the iPhone 14, destined for 2022. According to Kuo, while autofocus on the iPhone 13 ultra-wide camera will be limited to the high-end Pro models only, Apple plans to expand autofocus for the ultra-wide camera to all four models of the iPhone 14 lineup.

Article Link: Kuo: iPhone 13 Pro Models to Feature Improved Ultra Wide Camera With Autofocus, Compared to Current Fixed-Focus Lens
Yawn. Wake me up when iPhone 25 is ready.
 
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Thats why I went from upgrading every year under Jobs when Apple was Apple to upgrading once every 4 years, if that.

exactly the same as you. Used to upgrade yearly, makes no sense these days! Or maybe I’ve just become more sensible with my money.
 
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It became a norm for people to pay 1000$+ year on year for what in reality is a very minor upgrade that uas no real impact on anything, except for making people feel better that they have the latest and greatest
Exactly. And I think in some ways COVID made many people realize this… Who needs minor camera improvements when you can’t travel for months on end? After a certain point, a better quality lens or better low light performance doesn’t really matter when you’re taking photos of your dog.

That said, I think this year will be an explosion of people updating their gear as they are finally able get around relatively easily.
 
Is it weird that I had both an 11 Pro and a 12 Pro, use the wide angle lens regularly, and had absolutely no idea they were fixed-focus until just now? I had assumed that the occasionally soft photos I was getting when using the wide-angle indoors was due to bad low-light performance, when it turns out it was just out of focus.

It's probably not "out of focus." The wide angle lens does not require a focusing mechanism.

The pictures are comparatively soft because the the overall hardware package is not great, and possibly you have environmental hazing or other transitory affect.

Physically/mathematically speaking, for a sensor size that small, and a lens focal length that short, Apple can fix the focus depth, and virtually everything from just in front of the camera to infinite distance can be 'in focus'. In focus is defined by the Circle of Confusion - a criteria defined more or less wat here a human can perceive something as sharp.

To make iPhone wide angle pictures better, it's less about adding a focus mechanism, but using larger sensors and better lenses.
 
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