Other 15 Pro / Pro Max camera hardware changes are really disappointing

[Olivia23]

Yep. Very disappointing update. That's two years in a row Apple have dropped the ball.

Seems like innovation is exclusively for their competitors these days.

And let's not get started on how poor iOS is these days with a very slow drip-feed of mediocre improvements when it really needs a very major overhaul. Everyone knows it apart from Apple.

It is a disappointing update. I upgrade almost every year because I get so excited with the new releases. This year no excitement whatever. They need to make all their people come back to work instead of working from home 😂.

 

[nyermen]

When are the reviews normally out? I guess the camera proof will come out with those with early release phones.

Ironically, I probably will upgrade, but I originally planned to only if the cameras were worthwhile, but will do so now because the USB-C has the high speed (I switch around a lot of films on my device to watch while travelling) and the confirmed video out (meaning one simple usb-c to hdmi cable).

 

[oRBIT2002]

So it looks like the only camera-upgrades (from iPhone14Pro -> 15pro), is some 24-megapixel mode and some modifications to the lens to prevent lens-flares?

 

[KPOM]

So it looks like the only camera-upgrades (from iPhone14Pro -> 15pro), is some 24-megapixel mode and some modifications to the lens to prevent lens-flares?

Plus software optimizations made possible by the A17 neural engine.

 

[Torty]

So it looks like the only camera-upgrades (from iPhone14Pro -> 15pro), is some 24-megapixel mode and some modifications to the lens to prevent lens-flares?

24MP is SW only. „prevent lens flares”: maybe simply another supplier for coating. Apple is the master of marketing.

 

[prospervic]

Really? Would you care to share with us the "disappointing" photos you've already taken with the iPhone 15 Pro camera?

 

[o__0]

Yes, I'm totally going to hate being able to take 48 MP HEIF photos with the main camera. And that 5X optical zoom sure is gonna tick me off.

Seriously. Just don't buy it. I'm excited.

 

[unobtainium]

THIS PHONE IS NOT MADE FOR YOU.

The camera's are fantastic even for me (coming from an iPhone 13).

Be smarter with your expectations & money, ignore this release & let those who it's aimed for appreciate the tech advances it brings compared to our more dated devices.

So you have one year of camera hardware improvements (13 —> 14) instead of two (13 —> 15), according to OP. You’re upgrading to last year’s camera, which may be fine for you, but OP is arguing that Apple hasn’t done much at all to improve their camera hardware in an entire year, and they’re not wrong.

 

[froglego]

Here are the hard facts after doing some research:

• The main 1x camera on both new Pro models is exactly the same as on the 14 Pro / Pro Max. No new sensor, no new glass.
• The ultra wide 0,5x camera on both new Pro models is also exactly the same as on the 14 Pro / Pro Max. No new sensor, no new glass.
• The 3x tele camera on the 15 Pro is exactly the same as on the 14 Pro / Pro Max, which was already exactly the same as on the 13 Pro / Pro Max. Again, no new sensor, no new glass.
• The 5x tele camera on the 15 Pro Max is indeed brand new. Sadly, it replaces the 3x camera instead of being added. So on the Pro Max, you now have native optical focal lengths of 13 mm, 24 mm and 120 mm. For my personal use cases, this is actually worse than the native optical focal lengths trio of the regular Pro at 13 mm, 24 mm and 77 mm. The gap between 24 and 120 is huge and for me 77 is a more frequently usable focal length than 120.

All other photography-related improvements mentioned in the keynote are indeed software based. Will they come to the 14 Pro models as well? Probably not.

Long story short, from a hardware camera / photography point of view, the only real reason to get a 15 model is if you know you‘ll use the 120 mm tele lens from the Pro Max a lot.

Edit: If you want to call this a „hardware improvement“, there is apparently a new nanoscale coating on the wide-angle lens to reduce lens flare. Better than nothing, I guess.

I changed my preorder from the Pro Max to the Pro based on this post. I have a photography background and only use 120mm for headshots. The 77mm is my most used focal length on iPhone and I wasn’t aware it wasn’t available on the Pro Max. Thanks.

 

[Dulcimer]

They got fooled by the presentation. The speaker said „a bigger sensor … than iPhone 15“. Which means that though the non-pro models now have a 48MP sensor as well, it‘s smaller than the one in the Pro 14/15.

You are correct. I was initially excited about this yesterday and jumped right back into camera part of the presentation when the stream was available. Only to be disappointed by the fact apple presented sensor specs in a very misleading way.

Most likely for purpose as they could not present any improvements to any of the cameras.

Wow if true then this is so misleading.

I watched two YouTubers who mentioned the new bigger sensors including MKBHD. Here’s the direct quote from him:

There’s a new larger 48MP main sensor for the Pros, an improved ultra wide…

And before you suggest he’s really just talking about the Pro Max’s 5x feature, the very next sentence he says:

…then the Pro Max—just the Pro Max—gets a new intricate, folding 5x telephoto camera.

(See this video at 10:06.)

So did everyone, including tech bloggers, get duped here? If so WTF Apple. Shameless in their trickery to obscure lack of updates.

 

[Reeneman]

Yep. Very disappointing update. That's two years in a row Apple have dropped the ball.

Seems like innovation is exclusively for their competitors these days.

And let's not get started on how poor iOS is these days with a very slow drip-feed of mediocre improvements when it really needs a very major overhaul. Everyone knows it apart from Apple.

Absolutely agree but I hope you agree as well that these yearly or even bi-yearly upgrades are mostly status related and an absolute waste of money.
There aren’t these substantial upgrades anymore, not on Apple device and neither on Android phones.
There is a lot or marketing buzz around it and some software related exclusives features… that’s all.

 

[Torty]

Yes, I'm totally going to hate being able to take 48 MP HEIF photos with the main camera. And that 5X optical zoom sure is gonna tick me off.

Seriously. Just don't buy it. I'm excited.

The point is that you get 5x but lose the 3X zoom.

 

[Torty]

Absolutely agree but I hope you agree as well that these yearly or even bi-yearly upgrades are mostly status related and an absolute waste of money.
There aren’t these substantial upgrades anymore, not on Apple device and neither on Android phones.
There is a lot or marketing buzz around it and some software related exclusives features… that’s all.

Iphone became a mature device. But it’s still the cash cow for apple. They don’t have a successor till today. Now they try it with the Vision pro. I am not optimistic here but we will see.

 

[TH3D4RKKN1GH7]

The defensiveness of some posters here is bizarre, lol. A reminder for why I don’t post here often.

 

[Spock]

Whose USB-C cables are you going to use for charging?

Probably one by Apple

 

[trims]

Whose USB-C cables are you going to use for charging?

Virtually any cable will do for charging. More important is selecting a cable that utilises USB3 data transfer speeds.

 

[left shark fan]

I saw this on the Apple website and it states the same optical zoom lens as the iPhone 14 Pro, both listed as 0.5x, 1x, 2x and 3x. Is the 5x options perhaps some some software added option? I think they mentioned something about the light bouncing around in the lens. So that might mean that it is the same 3x optical zoom lens with 5x being added to that? As some where saying here that that the 3x got removed in favor of the 5x. Maybe somebody can clarify 😊

Also, as for the ultra wide and zoom lenses, these are 12MP like last year. Would those have benefitted from being upgraded to 48MP as well? Or will the 12MP quality be sufficient? Maybe this will happen next year 😄

 

[tzm41]

I saw this on the Apple website and it states the same optical zoom lens as the iPhone 14 Pro, both listed as 0.5x, 1x, 2x and 3x. Is the 5x options perhaps some some software added option? I think they mentioned something about the light bouncing around in the lens. So that might mean that it is the same 3x optical zoom lens with 5x being added to that? As some where saying here that that the 3x got removed in favor of the 5x. Maybe somebody can clarify 😊

Also, as for the ultra wide and zoom lenses, these are 12MP like last year. Would those have benefitted from being upgraded to 48MP as well? Or will the 12MP quality be sufficient? Maybe this will happen next year 😄


View attachment 2261931

The 5x optical zoom is exclusive to the Pro Max model.

 

[Torty]

I saw this on the Apple website and it states the same optical zoom lens as the iPhone 14 Pro, both listed as 0.5x, 1x, 2x and 3x. Is the 5x options perhaps some some software added option? I think they mentioned something about the light bouncing around in the lens. So that might mean that it is the same 3x optical zoom lens with 5x being added to that? As some where saying here that that the 3x got removed in favor of the 5x. Maybe somebody can clarify 😊

Also, as for the ultra wide and zoom lenses, these are 12MP like last year. Would those have benefitted from being upgraded to 48MP as well? Or will the 12MP quality be sufficient? Maybe this will happen next year 😄


View attachment 2261931

It’s the pro max only which gets the 5x but loses the 3x lens.

 

[left shark fan]

@Torty @tzm41 Thank you so much for clarifying! So based on what I read here it might be better to still have the 3x around? Curious to see if the cameras will be better than the 14 pro. Hope the PWM won't bother me as the XS was really bad for me and I can keep the phone 🤞

For the zoom ranges above 3x on the regular pro, will it then just digital zoom to enlarge the picture further?

 

[nfl46]

Seems like innovation is exclusively for their competitors these days.

Lol.

 

[dampfnudel]

The rumors are pointing to big camera upgrades next year with the 16 Pro/Pro Max. Looks like any camera “improvements” with the 15 Pro will be mainly software related. I guess we’ll have to wait for the reviews, especially those that focus primarily on the camera, before we can verify that the 15 Pro camera hardware is basically the same from the 14 Pro.

 

[dampfnudel]

You are correct. I was initially excited about this yesterday and jumped right back into camera part of the presentation when the stream was available. Only to be disappointed by the fact apple presented sensor specs in a very misleading way.

Most likely for purpose as they could not present any improvements to any of the cameras.

It would be great to have slightly larger sensors for better image quality. 48 megapixel pro raw is quite good but would benefit from larger sensor and lower noise reduction.

Most likely these much needed updates to sensors will come next year and if you currently have 13 or 14 pro it might be a good idea to wait.

Yeah, if you have a 13 or 14 Pro, it looks like you shouldn’t expect much of an improvement with the camera if you decide to upgrade to the 15 Pro. The 16 Pro might be worth the wait based on the rumors. We’ll know for sure when the reviews come out and people start to get them into their hands.

 

[ibookemo]

This is a super interesting topic. I’m betting that the actual main camera hardware is very similar to last year but the images will be a little better due mainly to other factors.

To be quite honest, to this very day I don’t see much improvement in the pics from the 14 Pro over the 13 Pro. I actually compared today and they still are mostly indistinguishable at 12 megapixels.

What might make me upgrade is the ability to shoot Live images (3 second videos) in Portrait Mode. I shoot mainly portrait and, with 2 young kids, would love to have all those little snippets with sound to keep as memories as the boys grow up.

Live Photos are kind of a sprinkling of magic ✨ Portrait versions of those is a real meaningful update - nobody’s mentioned this yet I think. Likely made possible by the new chipset and better software.

Compressing high res Heifs whilst shooting on the 14 Pro has also be vastly improved under iOS 17. Apple have improved the software massively. 48 megapixel Heifs are produced fast and seem to be approx 9 or so megabytes - not bad really.

For my 2 cents also, I think the actual image quality produced under iOS 17 is way better. Less sharpened with a more natural appearance.

I think the user is in for some good upgrades just by updating to iOS 17 next week.

It’s funny how camera quality improvements these days seem to rely to a large extent on factors outside of the actual camera hardware. The proof of the pudding will come when real people start to report back in about a week’s time.

Exciting stuff 📸

 

[Menneisyys2]

Yes, I'm totally going to hate being able to take 48 MP HEIF photos with the main camera.

Most probably, the 48 Mpixel HEIFs will be as oversharpened a mess as with 12 Mpixel images now. That is, you'll still want to shoot ProRaws and convert them to something else on the desktop.