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iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. DSLR photos: Real world camera comparison

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Re: iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. DSLR photos: Real world camera comparison

#11

Post by Espressosaurus »

Personally I don't like the color cast of the iphone images, but just as clearly it's good enough for most people. I still don't see phones replacing dedicated cameras for people that are serious, but that's more a matter of optics and form factor. Phones are terrible for shooting a stable image. OM-1 shows where I'd like to see larger sensor cameras go: high resolution image stacking, smart motion correction, etc.

I think iphones and similar phone cameras make sense for video in broad daylight if you're not too serious about it--no need for built-in ND filters, the stabilization is pretty good, especially if you put it on a gimbal, etc.

Once conditions get rougher is where the tiny sensor and plastic optics are going to let you down though.

Re: iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. DSLR photos: Real world camera comparison

#12

Post by Espressosaurus »

shortcake27 wrote: post #9

I ditched all my cameras 5 years ago in favour of convenience. I’m a bit disappointed that the difference is still so large. I was convinced phones were going to approach crop sensor quality but it’s not even close, the 80D completely smoked it. > There is a notable drawback for the iPhone 15 Pro Max in the 3X to 4.9X range (~72mm to 119mm full frame equivalent), as it’s stuck using the main sensor, rather than switc…

There's only so much you can do with a tiny sensor and mass produced plastic optics. The design going into the optics is incredible but big glass is coveted for a reason.

Re: iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. DSLR photos: Real world camera comparison

#13

Post by saiya-jin »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #4

It’s incredible - but still, if I was doing professional photography, I’d have a professional camera if only to avoid the generic “iPhone look” that can’t quite be quantified. Also because, if I showed up to a shoot with an iPhone… my reputation would be suspect.

Mix of their color temperature skewing and various smoothing (skin, moles etc) & surface processing

Re: iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. DSLR photos: Real world camera comparison

#15

Post by throw0101b »

shortcake27 wrote: post #9

I ditched all my cameras 5 years ago in favour of convenience. I’m a bit disappointed that the difference is still so large. I was convinced phones were going to approach crop sensor quality but it’s not even close, the 80D completely smoked it. > There is a notable drawback for the iPhone 15 Pro Max in the 3X to 4.9X range (~72mm to 119mm full frame equivalent), as it’s stuck using the main sensor, rather than switc…

> I was convinced phones were going to approach crop sensor quality but it’s not even close, the 80D completely smoked it.

What is the size of a crop sensor (either APS-C, or even m5/4), and what is the size of the typical phone camera? How functionality do you have with aperture with a camera lens versus that of a phone (which often isn't real/physical, but may be simulated aperture)?

Re: iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. DSLR photos: Real world camera comparison

#16

Post by foldr »

throw0101b wrote: post #10

Tony & Chelsea Northrup just posted a video on a recent trip to Italy where they generally left their photo gear at home (taking only some 'token' equipment), and where generally not happy with the results. "My iPhone Camera FAILED me!": * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ38JusO-JA Partly it's because while the 'computational photography' stuff can give good results, if you disable it, and go with a 'raw' format: *…

The audience of content creators like this is the ever-dwindling number of people buying expensive dedicated photographic gear. The vast majority of photography now is being done by people who aren't photo gear heads, because almost all of the gear is more than good enough.

Re: iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. DSLR photos: Real world camera comparison

#17

Post by phlsa »

In the “just point at something and press the shutter” scenario, phones have been just as good (and in some cases better) than dedicated cameras for a while.

For me, the main reasons for using a dedicated camera are ergonomics and creative control. I rarely hold the device at eye level when taking a photo, since it makes for more interesting compositions. Somehow my fingers are always in the wrong position when I want to press the shutter button. And once you try to adjust some settings manually in a dedicated app like Halide, it gets extra fumbly and (to me) just takes all the fun out of it.

The big benefit of the phone is that it’s always with me of course. I’m contemplating the purchase of a Ricoh GR, which is a great camera that is just as pocketable as a phone but with much better ergonomics.

Re: iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. DSLR photos: Real world camera comparison

#18

Post by kurthr »

nayuki wrote: post #8

It's an interesting topic and I agree with the conclusions. But I really dislike the testing methodology - the comparison photos have clearly different poses and people/animals moving around. I've done my own smartphone vs. DSLR image quality comparisons, and I photographed a static city skyline, and it made comparing and pointing out the differences much easier and more defensible.

It was weird to me that even the static images would be noticeably different scales (The Chocolate Factory and even the cropped BeatBuilder).

Re: iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. DSLR photos: Real world camera comparison

#19

Post by grecy »

Phone cameras have come a long way, and they a so convenient for quick snaps.

But "big" cameras still dominate in tricky situations. With my Sony mirrorless shooting in RAW mode for low light is basically cheating. I can shoot at 10,000 ISO without seeing grain. This is a single exposure, for example - no stacking, no trickery

https://www.instagram.com/p/CersLuLBfCz/

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