Photographer Austin Mann Tests the iPhone 12 Pro's Camera

[nwcs]

Your point seemed to be that smartphones aren’t the same quality as pro cameras. But I don’t think the article has anything to do with pro equipment.

My points:

1. Users will appreciate the automated goodies that make it easier for them to get pictures
2. There are inherent quality issues with the images captured on such devices
3. Sensor size is a very important determinant of quality and will always be
4. Smartphone marketing keeps trying to tie the quality of smartphone cameras to dedicated large sensor cameras but they aren’t the same

Your next complaint will be relevance to this article, right? It’s pretty clear. This person was showing the limitations and abilities of this camera. I’m adding color to further add clarity to the boundaries of reasonable expectations. If this isn’t satisfactory to you, then oh well...

 

[matrix07]

Because even a bona fide photographer doesn't walk around 24/7 with a tripod in hand. Why are you being so rude to people?

Jeez.. there are so many things you can use to stabilize the phone while taking a photo. Just be creative. 🙄

All of this would be so easily solved with a simple disclaimer underneath the photo itself. It doesn't remove from the value of the photo or the photographer. It simply sets expectations straight.

He stated very clearly which ones he used a tripod. Better yet, if you have some experiences in photography you’ll know which one did.
Rude? Aren’t you the one who said about Austin Mann emailed me directly?
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Again, assumptions and snark.

Assumption of what?

 

[wingnut8]

Nice photos for sure, but they were taken by a professional photographer... and anybody who thinks they can get shots close to this without thousands of dollars of additional equipment and software (as this professional photographer has used) is going to be seriously disappointed.

An Adobe subscription is $10 a month. I don’t think he used too much additional equipment outside of a tripod. Don’t blame your inability to take a decent photo on equipment and software.

 

[mollyc]

Because even a bona fide photographer doesn't walk around 24/7 with a tripod in hand. Why are you being so rude to people?

All of this would be so easily solved with a simple disclaimer underneath the photo itself. It doesn't remove from the value of the photo or the photographer. It simply sets expectations straight.

No, not every bona fide photographer walks around with a tripod 24/7, but you can bet that if one was hired for marketing materials, they'd take one. Or even, one might take a tripod with them on a vacation if they planned to shoot at sunrise/sunset. Being prepared doesn't make it less valid.

Anyway, are these at the quality of a dSLR/mirrorless setup? Nope. Are they better than previous generations of phone cameras? They do seem to be (certainly better than my 8+ camera setup).

 

[citysnaps]

Not just about gear, but in my last years' experience, I agree. It's all about capturing the moment with good accuracy, not getting the perfect bokeh at a wedding photoshoot.

It can be even more than that. It's about communication. For me it's about making images that have the potential of stirring a viewer's imagination and hopefully conjuring a narrative. Doesn't have to be the "correct" narrative, or what I was thinking about. Any will do.

 

[hagjohn]

Frankly, if you want to show off iPhone 12 (whatever) photos, I want to see unedited photos and were you holding it or was it on a tripod. Then, if you want to post edited photos, then that is fine but unedited photos is what most of us want to see.

 

[darngooddesign]

To be clear, a camera with a larger sensor will always deliver better results than the iPhone under the same shooting conditions. You can beat NightMode by doing the same thing and stacking multiple exposures; it is inaccurate to compare a single night photo from a camera with a phone that is exposure stacking multiple shots because the single photo will obviously be noisier than a stack with heavy noise reduction applied. Many large-sensor cameras now even do in-camera HDR stacking with artifact removal.

Phones just handle the entire process for you and present you with a single final shot when you take the photo. They sacrifice IQ for convenience.

<Seinfeld>Not that there's anything wrong with that.</Seinfeld>

 

[mollyc]

Frankly, if you want to show off iPhone 12 (whatever) photos, I want to see unedited photos and were you holding it or was it on a tripod. Then, if you want to post edited photos, then that is fine but unedited photos is what most of us want to see.

Do you think that Nikon or Canon or Sony posts unedited photos when they release a new camera? Sure, they often provide raw files for downloading, but that's not what's plastered in their press releases. There are plenty of low cost editing apps that are accessible to anyone who has an iPhone.

 

[polyphenol]

I'm also not happy that they reserved the best camera for the Pro Max (again).

Would you be happier if the Pro Max had the same camera as the Pro?

As someone with a Pro on order, my decision on which to buy has been made. But I don't feel that Apple's deciding to fit a better camera to the Pro Max is wrong. It would only even be arguably wrong if it were technically possible to have fitted the better camera to the Pro as well.

 

[otternonsense]

Jeez.. there are so many things you can use to stabilize the phone while taking a photo. Just be creative. 🙄


He stated very clearly which ones he used a tripod. Better yet, if you have some experiences in photography you’ll know which one did.
Rude? Aren’t you the one who said about Austin Mann emailed me directly?
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Assumption of what?

Assumption of the manner I'm taking photos or improvise on the spot, whether it's the personal "you" or royal "you". I do pretty well, mind you, but I don't need to convince anyone of anything.

Sometimes you might use something around you to help you out, sure. More times there's nothing at all, or you have a few second window to capture a well timed moment without fussing about stabilising the phone. Think more street photography than landscape.

That email thing was irony because in a previous comment you wrote "I guess". Anyway, not relevant.
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Would you be happier if the Pro Max had the same camera as the Pro?

As someone with a Pro on order, my decision on which to buy has been made. But I don't feel that Apple's deciding to fit a better camera to the Pro Max is wrong. It would only even be arguably wrong if it were technically possible to have fitted the better camera to the Pro as well.

I'd be happier because I don't want to carry such a jumbo phone around.

 

[xbjllb]

Totally but the night shot doesn't look like night anymore

So... you darken it in post until it looks like night to you? As opposed to trying to lighten an underlit shot with no detail?

The photos look nice when displayed on a small screen but they are still quite grainy and show the effects of compression and software alteration. In other words, it’s still a small sensor and a lot of tricks to make it work better. Doesn’t matter if it’s Apple, Google, or any other phone device. When it comes to image quality the size of the sensor makes the biggest difference. A larger surface area capturing photons will deliver a better image every time.

Great pics for casual users, which is most everyone these days. And it gives casual users more automated success than they previously had. But it’s still a great deal of hyperbole to compare with a larger sensor dedicated camera that uses much higher quality (and corrected) lenses.

Which cost 10x's+ as much and won't make phone calls or anything else.

Good God, I can't believe I'm defending an iPhone after 8+ years of hating them.

 

[citysnaps]

To be clear, a camera with a larger sensor will always deliver better results than the iPhone under the same shooting conditions. You can beat NightMode by shooting multiple exposures and stacking them; it is inaccurate to compare a single night photo from a camera with a phone that is exposure stacking multiple shots because the single photo will obviously be noisier than a stack with heavy noise reduction applied. Many large-sensor cameras now even do in-camera HDR stacking with artifact removal.

Phones just handle the entire process for you and present you with a single final shot when you take the photo. They sacrifice IQ for convenience.

<Seinfeld>Not that there's anything wrong with that.</Seinfeld>

And many times IQ isn't the end-all be-all in making a photograph. A thoughtful photograph communicates something to the viewer.

 

[B.A.T]

It seems like these reviews always compare this year's camera to last years camera. I'd love to see a comparison to the 8+ or XS. That's where we're likely to see the biggest differences and a lot of people don't upgrade every year.

 

[otternonsense]

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[matrix07]

More times there's nothing at all, or you have a few second window to capture a well timed moment without fussing about stabilising the phone. Think more street photography than landscape.

This OIS in iPhone can handle 3 seconds shot spectacularly. 3 full “SECONDS”. I don’t think you will have any problems with “street“ photography. 🙄

I‘m talking about long exposure. The one that is the hardest. If you just want street photography what are you worrying about? Isn‘t the photo I posted for you as clear as day that there won’t be any problem?

 

[darngooddesign]

And many times IQ isn't the end-all be-all in making a photograph. A thoughtful photograph communicates something to the viewer.

View attachment 970397

I wasn't talking about the subjective emotion of a photo, just addressing the "a night mode exposure stack is as good or better than a single low light photo from a camera with a large sensor" argument I see people make when discussing computational photography. And to be frank, every single person would prefer their meaningful photos be taken with a large-sensor camera they could have with them most times but are too lazy to do so. I know there are some from my older iPhones that no amount of emotion will get rid of small sensor dynamic range and artifacts. That's why I almost always have a compact APS-C DSLM (mirrorless camera) with me.

 

[Centient]

Nice photos for sure, but they were taken by a professional photographer... and anybody who thinks they can get shots close to this without thousands of dollars of additional equipment and software (as this professional photographer has used) is going to be seriously disappointed.

I think what stands out here is that the guy has an eye for composition and experience. It’s why people like him are paid for what they do.

Nothing about the photos in this article suggests thousands of dollars in equipment. Unless you’re including the phone in that cost estimate. A flashlight and some processing software. Tens of dollars maybe.

 

[Megakazbek]

I really don’t like when night mode photos look like they’re taken in daylight. I’d prefer if the night mode data were used to bring up more detail and reduce noise but still kept the night lighting and colours.

 

[Joshel]

I feel like the 3rd image was made on purpose in order to destroy the iPhone 11😄

 

[BWhaler]

Beautiful pictures. Very talented photographer.

 

[darngooddesign]

I feel like the 3rd image was made on purpose in order to destroy the iPhone 11😄

Yeah, an iPhone 12 Pro without night mode would be equally dark.

 

[citysnaps]

I wasn't talking about the subjective emotion of a photo, just addressing the "a night mode exposure stack is as good or better than a single low light photo from a camera with a large sensor" argument I see people make when discussing computational photography. And to be frank, every single person would prefer their meaningful photos be taken with a large-sensor camera they could have with them most times but are too lazy to do so. I know there are some from my older iPhones that no amount of emotion will get rid of small sensor dynamic range and artifacts. That's why I almost always have a compact APS-C DSLM (mirrorless camera) with me.

Every single person? Certainly not true for me. I used to believe that though, years ago. I suppose it depends upon what you want photography to be about. For me an iPhone, even an old one, works fine.

 

[44267547]

Stunning photos.

I personally never have visited in Montana, but there’s something about those pictures that encourage me out of the ‘city limits’ and travel to the wilderness.

@citysnaps

Great points in this thread.

 

[DiamondarBoss]

Wow! I’m for sure getting the 12 Pro. Thought I would wait and get the Blue 12 Mini, but looks like I’m getting the Blue Pro.

 

[darngooddesign]

Every single person? Certainly not true for me. I used to believe that though, years ago. I suppose it depends upon what you want photography to be about. For me an iPhone, even an old one, works fine.

View attachment 970403

Ok...'the vast majority' instead of 'every'.

Most people would not choose the smeary photo over the same shot with clearer details due to less aggressive noise reduction. Now if you prefer a phone due to its artistic effect that's a different discussion; some people use Lomo cameras and lenses for the same reason.