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NotApplicable

macrumors 6502a
Sep 18, 2019
844
1,606
I don't care. At all.

Can I click a button and the picture zooms in and is still clear and not all fuzzy? Yes?

Then it's a good zoom for me and however they do it is is completely, utterly, irrelevant.
I’ve actually heard that even though Apple calls it a camera, it’s not actually a camera.

Sure, it captures what you can see just like a camera, but it’s a scam. It’s not a camera.

It’s an eye.
 

Bananasaurus

Suspended
Aug 16, 2023
753
2,631
Anyone who really cares about their photography shouldn't be using a point n shoot iPhone anyway. iPhone camera has historically been pretty lame compared to a 'real' camera
This is literally not true at all. I'm obviously never going to shoot an event with my iPhone, but there are times when the iPhone is the only thing around, and it does a very good job for what it is. No phone is going to compare to a camera whose lens is bigger than the entire iPhone, among a million other things that make professional cameras superior.
 

bigjnyc

macrumors 604
Apr 10, 2008
7,869
6,802
I don’t have the photography expertise, but I’ve long suspected this was the case. Doesn’t really bother me because I don’t really upgrade for all the camera gimmicks tbh. I usually doze off when they’re going on and on with the fancy lens talk, most of which I don’t understand.
 
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FranApple

macrumors regular
Nov 6, 2020
211
296
I don’t have the photography expertise, but I’ve long suspected this was the case. Doesn’t really bother me because I don’t really upgrade for all the camera gimmicks tbh. I usually doze off when they’re going on and on with the fancy lens talk, most of which I don’t understand.
It's because at this point there's so little to talk about. Imagine if they didn't have the periscope lens to talk about this year. What would they have highlighted instead? 15 more minutes on the Action button?
 

sunny5

macrumors 68000
Jun 11, 2021
1,713
1,577
Who is being fooled? Do you honestly think there is anyone out there that was shopping for a dedicated camera, and bought a *phone* instead?

The best camera for most people is the one they have on them.
You totally missed the point.

Scamming people that smartphone has OPTICAL zoom is NOT right. Do you get it? Clearly, you don't know what you are talking about. If it's a digital zoom, then they should not advertise it as optical zoom.

It doesn't matter whether smartphones are good or not. Advertising cropping or digital zoom as optical zoom is wrong.
 

loybond

macrumors 6502a
Aug 1, 2010
853
616
The True North, Strong and Free
Literally, there are NO smartphones with a true optical zoom lens. Whenever they say it's optical zoom, it's just a digital zoom or cropping. That's all. That's the truth. Even Samsung Galaxy Ultra series with 10x optical zoom lens is actually a prime lens. At least they crop from 100 or 200mp sensor. A periscope lens? It only allows them to make a telephoto lens on a smartphone due to the focal length and it never meant for zoom lenses.

As a photographer, I know how zoom lenses work and whenever anyone including Apple and Samsung advertised about optical zoom lenses, I feel disgusted as they lied and fooled people who know nothing about cameras and photography.

Also, advertising for having multiple lenses is also false as iPhone has only 2~3 lenses while other focal lengths are just cropped from the main lens.

Fooling customers with misinformation about optical and digital zoom lens shouldn't even allowed. I'm surprised that people aren't really sue Apple or Samsung for misleading information and advertisement.

Enough is enough. They really need to stop using false information to fool customers.
This is incorrect. Sony has models with actual optical zoom.


In 2006 I had a smartphone with optical zoom, the Nokia N93.

That said, I get your point, but why does this matter? What matters to me is having 120 mm (equivalent) available as a lens choice.
 

Fat_Guy

macrumors 65816
Feb 10, 2021
1,012
1,078
It looks like Samsung's periscope zoom is protected by some form of patents. Apple would therefore have to pay a license fee and I guess that isn’t in the cards. I don’t know about Sony.


Having said that I see no reason to upgrade to the iPhone 15 because of the cameras.
 

sunny5

macrumors 68000
Jun 11, 2021
1,713
1,577
This is incorrect. Sony has models with actual optical zoom.


In 2006 I had a smartphone with optical zoom, the Nokia N93.

That said, I get your point, but why does this matter? What matters to me is having 120 mm (equivalent) available as a lens choice.
It matters because Apple and Samsung are lying about the optical zoom. If it's a digital zoom or cropping, why lie to us as optical zoom?
 

dukebound85

macrumors Core
Jul 17, 2005
19,131
4,110
5045 feet above sea level
Don't really care. I do not know photography and couldn't tell you what aperture or focal length or whatever is without googling it nor what the impact is.

All I care is can I take good photos and the iPhone can. It has evolved amazingly over the years and that is evidence enough that the camera is adequate from my layman perspective who only cares about capturing moments as needed
 
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loybond

macrumors 6502a
Aug 1, 2010
853
616
The True North, Strong and Free
It matters because Apple and Samsung are lying about the optical zoom. If it's a digital zoom or cropping, why lie to us as optical zoom?
I get it, camera guys like us care, but normal people don't know or care, and this info would just confuse them lol.

My dad thinks that when camcorders used to say 1200x zoom (back in the day), that it meant 1200x otherwise "they wouldn't be allowed to say that.". I tried explaining cropping to him, but he thinks he knows better haha.
 

sunny5

macrumors 68000
Jun 11, 2021
1,713
1,577
I get it, camera guys like us care, but normal people don't know or care, and this info would just confuse them lol.

My dad thinks that when camcorders used to say 1200x zoom (back in the day), that it meant 1200x otherwise "they wouldn't be allowed to say that.". I tried explaining cropping to him, but he thinks he knows better haha.
Don't care does not mean they are allowed to use false information. Do you not get it?
 

VisceralRealist

macrumors 6502
Sep 4, 2023
345
1,019
Long Beach, California
Sure, it captures what you can see just like a camera, but it’s a scam.

It's a scamera.

But hey, some smartphones did have actual optical zoom lenses:

kzoomlead2.jpg.cf.jpg
 

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,780
10,844
Literally, there are NO smartphones with a true optical zoom lens. Whenever they say it's optical zoom, it's just a digital zoom or cropping. That's all. That's the truth. Even Samsung Galaxy Ultra series with 10x optical zoom lens is actually a prime lens. At least they crop from 100 or 200mp sensor. A periscope lens? It only allows them to make a telephoto lens on a smartphone due to the focal length and it never meant for zoom lenses.

As a photographer, I know how zoom lenses work and whenever anyone including Apple and Samsung advertised about optical zoom lenses, I feel disgusted as they lied and fooled people who know nothing about cameras and photography.

Also, advertising for having multiple lenses is also false as iPhone has only 2~3 lenses while other focal lengths are just cropped from the main lens.

Fooling customers with misinformation about optical and digital zoom lens shouldn't even allowed. I'm surprised that people aren't really sue Apple or Samsung for misleading information and advertisement.

Enough is enough. They really need to stop using false information to fool customers.

Would "optical quality" zoom suffice?

Cause Samsung's S23 Ultra photos looks crystal clear up to 10x. And even at 30x it still has excellent detail.

So I don't think anyone using the iPhone 15 Pro Max is going to care about proper wording, when the results are pretty much the same.
 
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sunny5

macrumors 68000
Jun 11, 2021
1,713
1,577
Would "optical quality" zoom suffice?

Cause Samsung's S23 Ultra photos looks crystal clear up to 10x. And even at 30x it still has excellent detail.

So I don't think anyone using the iPhone 15 Pro Max is going to care about proper wording, when the results are pretty much the same.
That's because Samsung Galaxy Ultra has 100 or 200mp main sensor while iPhone has 48mp with smaller sensor. A huge difference.
 

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,780
10,844
That's because Samsung Galaxy Ultra has 100 or 200mp main sensor while iPhone has 48mp with smaller sensor. A huge difference.

But I'm sure photos will be crystal clear for the iP15 PM at 5x, and still have excellent detail at 10x.

It doesn't matter if it's cropped, or enhanced from cropped main sensor and matched with periscope results. It's still technically optical before post processing. I'm sure you can still shoot RAW with 5x zoom because of that.
 

TonyC28

macrumors 68030
Aug 15, 2009
2,758
6,938
USA
Hang on. If I’m shooting a subject ten feet away with a 35mm lens, then switch to a 70mm lens to “zoom”, did I not just change the optics to make the subject bigger? It’s not cropping or zooming in digitally, it’s an optical change to obtain a closer view.

I would agree that anything between 1x and 3x is not optical, but they aren’t claiming it is. The 3x “zoom” is optical because it’s a change in the lens, not a digital change after processing.
 

canadianpj

macrumors 6502
Jun 27, 2008
496
406
Does this really matter? Aside from the insignificant amount of people who read Apple "news" sites who else cares about this? The 99.999% of other people just want a nice looking picture, which it does.
 
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LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,780
10,844
Hang on. If I’m shooting a subject ten feet away with a 35mm lens, then switch to a 70mm lens to “zoom”, did I not just change the optics to make the subject bigger? It’s not cropping or zooming in digitally, it’s an optical change to obtain a closer view.

I'm just guessing here, but I think it still uses the main 48 camera when using the 5x telephoto camera, for best post processing.

I'm not sure how it takes RAW photos, maybe it'll just depend on one lens only.
 

gadgetfreaky

macrumors 65816
Oct 28, 2007
1,373
507
Literally, there are NO smartphones with a true optical zoom lens. Whenever they say it's optical zoom, it's just a digital zoom or cropping. That's all. That's the truth. Even Samsung Galaxy Ultra series with 10x optical zoom lens is actually a prime lens. At least they crop from 100 or 200mp sensor. A periscope lens? It only allows them to make a telephoto lens on a smartphone due to the focal length and it never meant for zoom lenses.

As a photographer, I know how zoom lenses work and whenever anyone including Apple and Samsung advertised about optical zoom lenses, I feel disgusted as they lied and fooled people who know nothing about cameras and photography.

Also, advertising for having multiple lenses is also false as iPhone has only 2~3 lenses while other focal lengths are just cropped from the main lens.

Fooling customers with misinformation about optical and digital zoom lens shouldn't even allowed. I'm surprised that people aren't really sue Apple or Samsung for misleading information and advertisement.

Enough is enough. They really need to stop using false information to fool customers.
So are you saying it's not possible to recreate the exact impact of a physical lens through other means?
 

okkibs

macrumors 6502a
Sep 17, 2022
904
863
Hang on. If I’m shooting a subject ten feet away with a 35mm lens, then switch to a 70mm lens to “zoom”, did I not just change the optics to make the subject bigger?
There is no 70mm lens, it's 48mm and 77mm on the Pro and 48mm and 120mm on the Pro Max. But yes, if you switch to 77mm/120mm it uses an entirely different lens, it's the one on the middle right when looking at the back.

Since this seems to be about semantics technically you didn't zoom at all, you actually switched out the entire camera. Both different sensor and different lens. So if this is about Apple calling it optical zoom and whether it is that, Apple uses the term because that's how it effectively works for the user, no matter how it's achieved from a technical point of view. Optical zoom is what we understand to be the counterpart to digital zoom.

It’s not cropping or zooming in digitally, it’s an optical change to obtain a closer view.
When going from 24mm to 48mm it uses cropping but the resolution remains at 12MP. There can be a small reduction in quality since only the main 48MP sensor and only at 24mm can make use of the entire sensor area. By default these still come out as 12MP, but the quality should theoretically be better since it was able to use the full 48MP sensor for the 12MP shot. That goes out the window once cropping is used. Though the 14 Pro also used the same method and AFAIK there was barely any difference noticed if any.

I would agree that anything between 1x and 3x is not optical, but they aren’t claiming it is. The 3x “zoom” is optical because it’s a change in the lens, not a digital change after processing.
Apple does claim the entire range is optical zoom if you look at the specs and they aren't wrong. None of these are digitally interpolated (digital zoom) but not all change through which lens the photo is shot. Since the resolution always remains at 12MP and no digital interpolation is required they can call it optical zoom and that's how it behaves. If Apple said in the ads that it isn't digital zoom but not optical zoom either, they'd get a lot of confused customers.

I'm just guessing here, but I think it still uses the main 48 camera when using the 5x telephoto camera, for best post processing.
The 5x 120mm on the Pro Max and the 70mm on the Pro use a separate lens with a separate sensor, it's the lens on the middle right if you look at the back of the phone. The main 48MP sensor is used for 24mm, 48mm, and the steps in between.

If it's a digital zoom, then they should not advertise it as optical zoom.
It's not a digital zoom. Shooting at 24mm results in a 12MP photo by default and shooting at 48mm results in a 12MP photo as well. There is no interpolation going on, no digital zoom was applied. And if you claim crop is equal to digital zoom then by that logic all DSLR cameras that don't use a full frame sensor use digital zoom for every photo. That is obviously not the case, the sensor area is just smaller, hence the crop.

For all intents and purposes it is optical zoom since all photos always come out at 12MP, whether at 24mm, 48mm or 120mm on the Pro Max.
 
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