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geta

macrumors 65816
May 18, 2010
1,499
1,228
The Moon
I have to upgrade every year to avoid getting bored with the current model. As a photographer (hobby and some business), I want the best camera upgrade. Using the same iPhone for more than one year gets old. I don’t understand how some people keep the same iPhone for 3-5 years… why?? I suppose for most, it’s just a phone and most hardly use it for photos and video.
As a photographer, you should get yourself real camera instead of using iPhone…
 
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ToddH

macrumors 68030
Jul 5, 2010
2,645
5,253
Central Tx
As a photographer, you should get yourself real camera instead of using iPhone…
I have a real camera…

A Sony A7RV (61 megapixels) with the Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM lens, the Sigma 85mm DGDN Art, and the Sigma 105mm f/1.4 Art.
I bet you wish you had this set up!

I don’t carry the Sony with me everywhere, that is why I use the iPhone in ProRAW mode 48mp. Those ProRAW files are awesome!!
I also use the BeastCage with the 1.7x Telephoto lens, anamorphic lens, and filters.

I think the iPhone 14 pro max is more than capable in the hands of a professional photographer to be called a “real camera”.

iPhone photo with 48mp crop. I push the limits with my iPhone camera.

Default 1x camera ProRAW
An 8x10 LED light panel was used for the main light.
Halide camera app, -1.7 ev. Lightroom mobile edit.

IMG_1390.jpeg


IMG_6939.png


iPhone portrait

IMG_9109.jpeg

Heavy crop.

IMG_9111.png
 
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phrehdd

macrumors 601
Oct 25, 2008
4,319
1,313
Samsung makes some great hardware. I wish they would get off their ass and build their own OS. SamsungOS!
I find that I like the Galaxy line up better than the iPhone. Samsung was wise to use the OS it has so that there an instant catalogue of applications readily available. One might however appreciate if they could have their own OS that was further integrated that also allowed for Android designed apps to run. Something akin to Apple MacOS using Rosetta. I like my iPhone choice strictly for the integration.

If Samsung could build a solid performing mail/calendar/messenger etc. App(s) that reside on Macs, they might further their Galaxy sales if it created an good eco system on Macs. Apple of course wont let that happen.
 
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phrehdd

macrumors 601
Oct 25, 2008
4,319
1,313
I have a real camera…

A Sony A7RV (61 megapixels) with the Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM lens, the Sigma 85mm DGDN Art, and the Sigma 105mm f/1.4 Art.
I bet you wish you had this set up!

I don’t carry the Sony with me everywhere, that is why I use the iPhone in ProRAW mode 48mp. Those ProRAW files are awesome!!
I also use the BeastCage with the 1.7x Telephoto lens, anamorphic lens, and filters.

I think the iPhone 14 pro max is more than capable in the hands of a professional photographer to be called a “real camera”.

iPhone photo with 48mp crop. I push the limits with my iPhone camera.

Default 1x camera ProRAW
An 8x10 LED light panel was used for the main light.
Halide camera app, -1.7 ev. Lightroom mobile edit.

View attachment 2215467

View attachment 2215466

iPhone portrait

View attachment 2215471
Heavy crop.

View attachment 2215473
Glad you enjoy your Sony and Art lenses et al. I admit I miss the days of film cameras whether 35mm, roll film or sheet film.
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
16,419
24,185
Wales, United Kingdom
I have to upgrade every year to avoid getting bored with the current model. As a photographer (hobby and some business), I want the best camera upgrade. Using the same iPhone for more than one year gets old. I don’t understand how some people keep the same iPhone for 3-5 years… why?? I suppose for most, it’s just a phone and most hardly use it for photos and video.
People keep their iPhones for 3 to 5 years because these devices are expensive and are plenty good enough for most tasks for longer than just 12 months. When you consider these days most people are taking pictures and either viewing them on their phones or uploading to social media where they are downscaled anyway, a 3 year old iPhone doesn't make a lot of difference to the final result. I would imagine being a photographer, you would use a dedicated camera for professional purposes anyway.

I also think once someone passes the age of 25, there are other distractions in life with work and family, so worrying about getting bored with a phone and needing the latest and greatest model becomes much less of an interest.
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
16,419
24,185
Wales, United Kingdom
I upgrade every 2 years usually. Sometimes I buy the current model, sometimes the previous years depending on whether I think the features are worth having. Currently I have a 13 Pro Max and will likely upgrade in September 2024.
 

ToddH

macrumors 68030
Jul 5, 2010
2,645
5,253
Central Tx
Glad you enjoy your Sony and Art lenses et al. I admit I miss the days of film cameras whether 35mm, roll film or sheet film.
I remember those days. I started with a Nikon FM2 and moved up from there. The worst thing I remember about film was the reciprocity failure. Taking long exposures of the night sky with ASA / ISO 3200 film, the humility and warmth would drop the sensitivity down so much, I could not get great results. Hypered film was the only way. TECH-Pan 2415 B$W was good. Nowadays digital photography has us / Me spoiled. Astrophotography is beautiful now. I don’t have to wait for my roll of film to get developed to see if I succeeded or failed. Spending time in a darkroom printing B&W photos was interesting, but at this point, I would never go back to using film. Thanks for the reply.
 
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ToddH

macrumors 68030
Jul 5, 2010
2,645
5,253
Central Tx
People keep their iPhones for 3 to 5 years because these devices are expensive and are plenty good enough for most tasks for longer than just 12 months. When you consider these days most people are taking pictures and either viewing them on their phones or uploading to social media where they are downscaled anyway, a 3 year old iPhone doesn't make a lot of difference to the final result. I would imagine being a photographer, you would use a dedicated camera for professional purposes anyway.

I also think once someone passes the age of 25, there are other distractions in life with work and family, so worrying about getting bored with a phone and needing the latest and greatest model becomes much less of an interest.
Yeah I can see that. I’m 53 now and I love photography and the iPhone. It’s like a hobby for me. I pay monthly through AT&T and I end up paying the iPhone off to upgrade. My wife will wait to upgrade, she supports my decision to replace my iPhone each year. Photography is my passion. Photography with the iPhone is so much fun. Each year the cameras are better, I like using the iPhone for astrophotography, but my Sony camera is much better (obviously). This is why I prefer to upgrade each year.
 

dumastudetto

macrumors 603
Aug 28, 2013
5,076
7,280
Los Angeles, USA
I always upgrade every year to take full advantage of all the new technology, functionality and improved experiences. The cameras improve radically every generation too and that's vital for preserving memories in the highest possible quality.
 
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The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
16,419
24,185
Wales, United Kingdom
Yeah I can see that. I’m 53 now and I love photography and the iPhone. It’s like a hobby for me. I pay monthly through AT&T and I end up paying the iPhone off to upgrade. My wife will wait to upgrade, she supports my decision to replace my iPhone each year. Photography is my passion. Photography with the iPhone is so much fun. Each year the cameras are better, I like using the iPhone for astrophotography, but my Sony camera is much better (obviously). This is why I prefer to upgrade each year.
Your reasons are very valid to you I would say. I use a 13 Pro Max and the camera on that iPhone is plenty good enough for family photo's and as a general point and shoot while out and about. I don't do anything particularly challenging like astrophotography or taking picture of fast moving racing cars and for my uses it means I can be happy with a device for longer. I think i would be the opposite and upgrading every year would make me get very bored of the iPhone and at least with upgrading every 2 years I find I have a lot more features to enjoy in one hit rather than the incremental updates from upgrading annually. We are all different and spend out money in different ways of course.
 

Surfsalot

macrumors 65816
Mar 18, 2023
1,399
1,463
If your going to upgrade every 2 years here on a contract may as well do it yearly, $2kAUD max will be say $20 a week plus your plan cost, after 1 year sell for $1k easily pay out phone, upgrade and start again.
The real value is keeping it for 3-5 years.
 

chaosbunny

macrumors 68020
About every 6 years. Got an iPhone 4 in 2010, replaced by a used 6s in 2016, replaced by a refurb 12 Pro in 2023. I use my phone for calls, messages, browsing, sometimes streaming so I don't need much. For pictures I mostly use my Sony a7 IV. I enjoy taking pictures with the Sony much more than using my phone and actually take the Sony with me most of the time. While I could afford to upgrade my phone more often, it's just not worth it to me. I also don't really like smartphones. In my opinion, together with social media, they didn't make the world a better place.
 
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The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
16,419
24,185
Wales, United Kingdom
If your going to upgrade every 2 years here on a contract may as well do it yearly, $2kAUD max will be say $20 a week plus your plan cost, after 1 year sell for $1k easily pay out phone, upgrade and start again.
The real value is keeping it for 3-5 years.
I tend to gift mine away so not bothered about cost retention. The phone is paid for and written off once the contract ends.
 

SalisburySam

macrumors 6502a
May 19, 2019
800
676
Salisbury, North Carolina
We get new iPhones every 5 years or so but that may change. We’ve found the iPhone13mini’s, our current models, to be about as large as we ever want to go, and it could just be the last iPhone Apple makes of that or smaller size. Should that prove to be the case, we’ll keep these until they die or go with non-iPhone devices. That would be a first for us since the first iPhone.
 

aneftp

macrumors 601
Jul 28, 2007
4,363
549
I have owned every iPhone since 2007 (except iPhone 7 year). I treat it almost as a lease but I just pay full price yearly. Sometimes I can get a 10% discount from Apple Store (courtesy of military guys I know who order it for me). Some years I just pay the full price. Occasionally get trade in promo (but att stretching it over 3 years makes little sense to me with their monthly credits).

So last year I purchased based 128gb iPhone 14 pro max. $1099. Traded in $720 iPhone 13 Pro Max. The cost of the upgrade was roughly $370. So I treat it like a $30/month rental to get it

But sometimes I also have a business. So I write off the cell phone $1099. Like a $350 tax savings!!

So my cost of ownership of new iPhone is essentially zero.
 

Martyimac

macrumors 68020
Aug 19, 2009
2,445
1,678
S. AZ.
It used to be every year but now I am holding on to my iphones longer. Still on a 13 and don't know when I will do the next upgrade. I doubt the 15 will draw me in.
 

anselpela

Suspended
May 17, 2023
250
333
I used to upgrade every 2nd year but that stopped with the iPhone 12 Pro Max which I will hold onto for yet another year since it is still getting all the iOS 17 features. I am actually impressed Apple no longer limits certain features to the latest device
They have never "limited" features to the latest device. They build new hardware every year which enables new software features. And that happens every year, and should happen every year.
 

SalisburySam

macrumors 6502a
May 19, 2019
800
676
Salisbury, North Carolina
…I can get a 10% discount from Apple Store (courtesy of military guys I know who order it for me).
I suggest not advertising that. It makes a mockery of Apple’s frankly nice policy to help legitimate military active duty and veterans, and certainly does not put you nor your military accomplice in any sort of favorable light. Plus, it could make Apple reconsider its policy and remove the benefit altogether. You wouldn’t care but many who legitimately have earned that discount would.
 

Yorkieray

macrumors regular
Jun 22, 2020
160
112
Leeds UK
I used to upgrade every 2-3 years, but I have now bought every iPhone since the 12 Pro and I am now fully planning to get the 15 Pro in September. I trade in the old iPhone and then fund the new one with interest free credit.
 

anselpela

Suspended
May 17, 2023
250
333
Well, the new Stand-By mode certainly would have been an iPhone 14 Pro+ exclusive feature a few years ago
That's just incorrect. Sorry. And as it stands, the feature works completely differently on the iPhone 14 Pro from every other device.
 

phrehdd

macrumors 601
Oct 25, 2008
4,319
1,313
I remember those days. I started with a Nikon FM2 and moved up from there. The worst thing I remember about film was the reciprocity failure. Taking long exposures of the night sky with ASA / ISO 3200 film, the humility and warmth would drop the sensitivity down so much, I could not get great results. Hypered film was the only way. TECH-Pan 2415 B$W was good. Nowadays digital photography has us / Me spoiled. Astrophotography is beautiful now. I don’t have to wait for my roll of film to get developed to see if I succeeded or failed. Spending time in a darkroom printing B&W photos was interesting, but at this point, I would never go back to using film. Thanks for the reply.
I have to smile as the first camera I purchased in my teens was a Nikon FM when it first came out. I was a huge fan of b/w darkroom work and also Cibachrome for prints from transparencies.
 
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