Changed my mind on buying the pro max 16 - have now ordered the Sony A7R 5 with a GM lens - Very confident the images will be better than the new iphone
@@hudsoncaceres6820and 3 time the longevity for the body, 4 time for the lens, 3 time resell value. Oh and true memories with charm and style that can be print on the wall of your home.
I'm not so interested in comparing last year's model to this year's. A year over year upgrade is pretty excessive, and expensive. I'm more interested in the comparison to the 14, 13, or even 12. Those are the devices getting close to upgrade time.
People like me who have neither the 15 Pro or the 16 Pro and want to decide whether it's worth it getting the newer model find this comparison very useful.
I've seen a comparison between 15, 12 Pro and 6 year old XS, except in video stabilization, extreme low light and a very few shorts, the XS and 15 produced similar results. Without comparing with the 15 and 12 Pro, most XS photos can be mistaken as captured by a new iPhone. And the 12 Pro and 15 captured almost same to same results. This video is available on youtube. If little has improved in 5 years and very little has improved in 3 years, I don't think there is a reason to upgrade, especially when considering most people who are going to buy the 16 series are current 13 series users.
@Tony, I wonder if you used the camera "control" button at 6:18 to take your wide angle image at low light? MaxTech noted worse images when photos are taken using "camera control" due to the vibration from the button push introducing motion blur. While the iPhone's computational photography collects many images, it might explain why your image is worse at low light and isn't impacted in the light of day.
@@neiltsakatsa Kinda. The implementation does not seem to be very good. Apple should've made it completely a solid state button, with adjustable pressure sensitivity. That way, you could take pictures with just a very light press, and not introduce shaking. But at least, as of now, it's a decent shortcut button to the camera. So the action button can be used for something else.
Dude, your mind is gonna be blown. You are going from one 12MP in the back to two 48MP in the back and one 12MP. You are going from a 7MP FaceTime to a 12MP FaceTime camera. From Touch ID to Face ID. 625 nit 1400:1 contrast ratio LCD to a 2800 nit 2 million:1 contrast ratio OLED. From an aluminum chassis to titanium. Lightning to USB C. Better speakers, better water resistance. An A10 with a single core of 770 and a multi-core of 3300 to an A17 Pro Chip with a single-core of 3000 and a multi-core of 7800. 60hz to 120hz. It's like going from a 2002 Camaro SS to a 2024 Corvette Z06.
i personally wanted a dedicated camera button on iPhones. But with that camera control, 4k 120, and ai being the only upgrades, I’ma just stick to 13 for a while. The cameras being 48mp are going to need a biggger sensor and wider aperture i think, since everyone has been saying the ultra wide is even worse in lower light now. I’ve had the 5s, 7 plus, and 13 pro max. I feel like the 5s and 13 have been their best releases with actual upgrades. Otherwise, I really wish all companies stopped producing yearly e waste with incremental ‘upgrades’
I dont understand why Apple wont allow us to disable the sharpening on iPhones? it ruins the camera and even in ProRAW, the sharpening is enabled by default. You have to go into EDIT and wiggle the sharpening slider just to be able to manually set it to zero. By default it is set to a value, but the edit window wont show you the accurate values. You must wiggle all the sliders to manually set everything to zero even though everything appears to be at zero already. It's the stupidest thing ive ever seen in a smartphone camera.
@@TonyAndChelseaTony, I wonder if you used the camera "control" button at 6m18s to take your wide angle image at low light? Max Tech noted worse images when photos are taken using "camera control" due to the vibration from the button push introducing motion blur. While the iPhone's computational photography collects many images, it might explain why your image is worse at low light and isn't impacted in the light of day.
In order to make up for limited hardware like small image sensor, they apply a lot of processing on the photos which supposedly makes the image look better on a small screen (until you zoom in) and looks overprocessed when viewed on a larger screen.
@@BryanzHAn03 It definitely looks over processed on an iPhone display. And again, it should not be applying sharpening when shooting in ProRAW. That part is completely unnecessary
As someone using a Sony A7c I can relate on this one. It just hits different, the vibe, the charm everything is so much better on the Sony. I’m planning on investing 900€ into a nice sigma lens before upgrading my phone. A lens this good today will last 10 to 20 years and my Sony won’t age either. But people only see the price and forget the idea
I've seen comparison between XS and 15. Other than slightly brighter low light performance and slightly better video stabilization, both captures identical photos and videos. Now a days, upgrading after 5 years gives little improvements.
@@r0main.895 For the exact same reason, I went from a Samsung to a Sony and now I'm considering to get a Sharp phone. The sensor size is 1", not as large as the mirrorless cameras, but still significantly larger than all other smartphones and the photos captured by it looks natural without any over processing.
@@arjunkrishna1 it still is a phone so there is much more than the photo video part. Updates, ram, fluidity, speed, cellular performance, battery life, heat management. All of this is extremely important and got way better since the xs.
@@r0main.895 Most iPhone users I know only use Instagram and Snapchat anyway, I don't think the extra RAM and other things makes much difference to them.
Seem to be saying more positive things overall. Hopefully the worst issue (ultra wide) at low light can be fixed in software. I have no issues with the camera button, though do feel the acceleration curve (like you can do with a mouse in Windows) should be changed, or user-configurable. I like the less processing overall, and better overall detail. Been shooting with both phones since the 16 pro launch. Having done a couple iPhone interviews, I appreciate the mic upgrades greatly too!
Still can’t believe they gave us 4k 120 and raw max photos and they DIDN’T give us more memory. I don’t like the cloud. I use 300gb in a single video shoot with the iPhone as a C cam.pretty lame. I’ll be waiting on a memory upgrade. My 13pro is still doing fine and I use my R5 for real photography anyways.
@@Kjillustrated I just want what I have now but with more space. It’s been 3 years since they released an iPhone with 1tb. They’ve triple processing speeds and made many big improvements but the issue is that every year I accumulate more data that I want to keep on my device but the maximum memory does not increase and like I said I am not a fan of the cloud.
@@fred6464 I’ve tried that workflow but with storage over lightning connection. It’s just too cumbersome for me. Granted a USB-C connection would provide faster throughput. It just seems like a moneygrubbing way of forcing people to pay for more cloud storage rather than giving people who buy pro devices what they want, which is local storage for their “pro” devices.
Camera Control button is an unnecessary gimmick that takes up hardware space and adds nothing at this point … in fact, pressing on the button moves and shakes the phone and the slide / zoom range is less than me using the screen.
Pressing the volume button to take photos creates the same shake potential, so it is a problem that existed before. When filming, using the slide control is far better than pinch if you are attempting to take a handheld dolly zoom, or make minor adjustments on zoom without touching the screen / potentially introducing even more vibrations.
As someone who has used many phones over the last 20 years with a dedicated camera button - a 2-stage shutter can be enormously useful to lock focus/exposure and recompose. It seems like they just bungled the implementation here.
I find having the camera control set to choosing the prime lenses better than the zoom. Then you just switch between the lens without worrying about the compromised cropping. This allows you to have each lens in its best quality mode.
I appreciate you being the only channel on all of UA-cam willing to call out the horrible trend of iPhone just throwing in more buzzwords to sell people the same camera. I’ve always hated their fake zoom processing but nobody seems to care. Shooting with the portrait lens at low light means Apple actually uses the wide angle lens and crops 2x instead of using the optical zoom lens you paid for and advertised about.
Thanks for the review and your ideas. But i think 48 mp in ultra wide are helpful in the portrait and cinematic mode. The create very precise 3d mapping especially on the 2x portrait and cinematic modes. Even on 2x portrait mode the second camera (wide ) use only 4 mp of 48 mp for the depth mapping (In 15 pro - only 0.8 megapixels)
Technology has plateaued and so are incremental updates. Reviewers fear they will be redundant so I see them resort to sensationalism like this to attract interest
How come no one is talking about: when you cover the 13mm and 24mm lenses… in photo mode and video mode the x5 doesn’t use the 120mm lens… it’s only in slowmo and pano… the x5 actually crops the 24mm…. This has been the case from 2023 15promax
There might be an app to download which would give you direct control over camera selection. There's something like that for Android. On Android, simply go into camera settings and, under *_Camera Assistant,_* deselect *_Auto lens switching._*
Apple need to resolve this… not give third party developers sdk to put a patch. that’s ridiculous to have a phone with three cameras and have to rely on another company to basically resolve and underlying inherent problem with this device which, if it was a car would have been recalled…. My shock is that no one has called them out…. Same issue on 16 as well…
The problem with the wide angle camera is that the sensor is way too small to take 48 million pixels, something like 1/2.5 inch. The main camera sensor apparently is 1/1.4 inch, which is twice the area, so it can take 48 mpix, and collect information reliably. But the smaller one cant, so it's just mush in low light.
Could be they rushed to market and the problems in the 16 are the result of unpolished software. In which a software upgrade in six months might change things. Or not. Keep pixel peeping, Tony. It is good to see someone digging up facts.
The camera button on the iPhone 16 pros and pro max made me laugh when all I have to do on my 15 pro max is to swipe from the right on the Lock Screen to get to the camera 😂😂 and people fall for this shit 🤦🏾♂️
Minor benefit is when you’re in an app and want the camera; it’s a bit quicker then… But yeah. I agree…and I have a 16 Pro (upgraded from a 13 Pro and it was worth it, but not for the camera button 😂)
I’m desperate for them to allow us to control the sharpness that they force apply on our videos. I HATE apples baked in sharpness. It’s too much. Their last natural looking video quality was with the iPhone X back in 2017. I prefer natural looking quality.
It's an upgrade for those that never felt the 3x was far enough (like myself). Though agree with some that said, "why not add 5x" and have 4 lenses. I mean Samsung has 5 (granted one is depth).
In my experience, there is too much emphasis put on sensor megapixels and hence detail, unless of course you are in the business of severely cropping your images. If you sit at your computer every day and pixel peep e.g. in Lightroom its easy to compare images captured at say 6mp, 12mp, 24mp or 48mp and conclude that one has more detail than the other, has less noise, is sharper, RAW is better than jpeg etc etc. The real comparisons should take place when the files are printed out and viewed. What the human eye is capable of resolving, in terms of lines per inch, together with viewing distance will be a far more significant factor than file size or megapixels, when comparing similar photographs, captured by different sized sensors. When one looks at a painting or photo in a gallery, one generally stands at a comfortable distance from the artwork in order to do so. The print has a fixed size and one tends to view it from a naturally comfortable distance, often dependant on the subject matter. I would argue that none of us, routinely stand just a few inches away from a large oil painting to view it, as all we are likely to see are thick blobs of colour, often with no discernible or meaningful detail at all. In order to see it properly, we stand back until our gaze brings the blobs and brush strokes into a resolvable and understandable whole, which is what the artist or photographer wanted you to see in the first place. It really is no different with digital images or photographs. I've worked with film and digital cameras. From the great Ilford HP5 film on 35mm, through medium format, now DSLR, APS-C, M43 and now the Iphone 15 Pro. You know what, I've taken great photos on all of them, many rubbish too. I'll say this, this old adage holds true "The best camera is the one you have with you." I bought the Iphone 15 Pro about 10 days ago, it is a very capable camera. For photographers, the out of camera jpegs are very very good, providing you stick to the Normal wide lens at 24mm, 28mm (1.2x) and 35mm (1.5x) settings. The 48mm (2x) setting produces substandard images with clearly visible digital artifacts and I will not use this setting. The stand-out for me is the 77mm (3x), which produces excellent images, perfect for general, street photography and portraits. It is also possible to import Apple PRORAW files into Lightroom for greater final image control. So whether the 16 Pro is better or worse that the 15 Pro is a moot point, they are both capable cameras, capable of producing very good out of camera jpegs. I personally prefer the 77mm (3x) telephoto on the 15 Pro, more than the 120mm(5x) on the 15 Pro Max, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. For those of us brought up on manual focus film cameras, with 24 or 36 images on a roll, manual metering, developing/printing costs, thank your lucky stars if you own either of these Iphones, or for that matter any other digital camera. You have never had it so good.
Folks balk at the comparison of an iPhone to a real camera. Ok how about comparing the iPhone to a Canon t7 rebel with a kit lens, which can be bought for less than half the price of the iPhone 16 max? ❤ do it, do it, do it.
For twice the cost of a Canon t7, the 16 pro can make phone calls, text, use gps mapping, run great games, etc. It can run almost 5 million different apps and you can slip the thing in your pocket. I agree a good dedicated camera should be able to take better pictures but you might not be lugging it around when you get the perfect shot opportunity. The iPhone would always be available for the shot. I think they would both be good tools for a photographer. ✌
I have that 16 Pro, and the ultra wide in low light is seriously so bad! I have shots where I have black smudges that have NO info in them, it's just black and stays black (after updates). It's unacceptable for a phone to be that bad for that price.
Using the camera control button can introduce shakiness to the image, as the physical button is not as comfortable to use compared to the on-screen shutter button
Went into local store to upgrade from my 13 pro max. Really liked the camera button and can see myself using it. However, I was so eager to see the camera upgrades I performed an impromptu side by side test of what I could photograph in the Apple Store. I was shocked that the UWA images were, as you have noted, visibly worse than the 3 year old model. I shot raw on both. I left and tried a second (subjective) test a few days later in case I made a mistake and I could not get the 16 to look as good as an UWA photo from the 13. The main camera was similar and the 5x zoom too tight for my use case. As a result, won’t be swapping out my 13 for sure. If anything it just shows how good their phones have been for the last few years. My battery lasts all day, all apps work like new and I personally have no issues with the phone. Thanks for the honest comparison Tony!
I upgraded from an 8Plus to the Iphone 16Pro. I still havent switched my sim over. I was not excited about it. But an upgrade was long overdue. Now I feel I should have perhaps bought a slightly cheaper 15pro.. or kept using the 8Plus for another year
That camera control feels like a downgrade. It would make sense if older iPhones had that button and then decided to remove it and add fingerprint sensor under the screen or sleep/wake button.
As a veteran fan of Apple for 45-years, I’m proud to declare that the iPhone 16/16Pro are the first iPhones that I’d skipped buying, and I have no intention of purchasing. Apple today seems to be eager to reenter that phase in its history spanning from the mid-1980s to late 1990s when they got into the habit of hiring more lawyers than engineers.
The 16 series brought better thermals though, less throttling and better performance that shows in real world use. That isn't something a lot realize yet.
I have an iPhone 13 Pro Max. I just bought a DJI Pocket 3 to play with while I wait for Apple to do something more exciting. It is, after all, a telephone. If I want to take photos I have several M43 cameras that are small and do a much better job than my telephone. Just my 2 cents and YMMV, of course
I think it would have been really helpful to have a Sony A7III image to compare what a base high quality camera can do in comparison. I appreciate the effort - I predict if you did have a base digital camera, it would have been a shocking comparison.
Could it be the iPhone you are using is not good? If it is all iPhone 16 pros, can a firmware update fix it? I'm still using the 12 pro max and happy with it, but figured it was time for a new one. I'll wait a while before I buy the 16 pro.
2 things. 1. I missed the part about proving the 16 pro to be worse then 15 pro camera. Simply not being a massive upgrade does not make it a downgrade. Also this may be a non point but software might fix some processing in time fixing some of the errors especially with the new sensor and features. A bug today, might get fixed. 2. When people say not to upgrade, they forget that a lot of people are coming from older iPhones. Take myself for example, I am currently using iPhone 12. That is literally the only reason I am looking into this, because i need a new phone anyway. As a professional video editor I am also looking for a phone with a good camera (for video) and considering the price difference the 16 pro looks more worth it to me then a resell 15 pro. However, if I already had the 15 pro then no I would not upgrade. Important clarification.
The biggest benefit of the new phone is the slider that brings shadows in and out. It’s actually a huge advantage and works great. You can brings shadows back and make photos look way better
I have a 4yrs old Note20ultra, but I don't use cellphone to shoot an important moment or special events. I use it to shoot documents or just daily use at work. For family and vacation, I bought a Sony A74 full frame with 35GM lens to take family pictures on Christmas, Birthday party or even portrait studio.... Every picture output results is a "piece of art" compare to cellphone camera.
Thankyou for actually comparing the cameras like this! Pixel peeping. The main camera on my iPhone 13pro has a 1.5fstop and is still better in low light than the larger sensors in 14pro-16pro.
Thank you, Tony for this vid! Just compared my iPhone 15 (non-Pro) with iPhone 16 Pro that I gifted to my wife after seeing this and can verify - ultrawide low-light shots look better even on the regular iPhone 15. The main camera seems about equal on both - some images in decent light look slightly less noisy on 16 Pro, some pictures in low light seem slightly more detailed on regular iPhone 15. So, the ideal "kit" for the whole family is to have one iPhone 15/15Pro and one iPhone 16 Pro, that way you're covered with best options from ultrawide to 5x tele. :D
That camera button is gonna go down as one of the worst failures Apple did. The worst part is that we’ll see lots of android manufacturers introducing that same nonsense gimmick.
I was blown away when comparing photos I took of the magnificent Canterbury Cathedral interiors with my Pixel 9 pro vs Nikon Z8. Having switched from Samsung to Pixel I am now happy to just have my phone camera on me. That is from someone that owns a Z8, OM-1 and a Ricoh GR3x. I view my photos on a Ben Q 32", 4k photo monitor. Of course if you Pixel peep or want to edit the Z8 will come into its own but the files out of the Pixel are very natural looking and impressive.
I’m getting my wife a 16 Pro to replace a 14 regular. Reason is I’m normally busy with my Nikon Mirrorless and she doesn’t like taking photos on my 14 Pro Max. I’m hoping: 1) its a big enough jump from the regular 14 2) most of what you experienced is down to software and that issues will be addressed 3) they find a way of using those extra MP for mere mortals (self included) who will never in a million years hit that RAW button on a phone
It’s frustrating that so many reviewers always talk about upgrade as it is always from the latest 15, most people would upgrade from something else and then it will be a big difference
Most people don't upgrade their phone every year, not even every 2 years anymore. It's more like every 3-4 years these days. And if you consider an iPhone 13 vs. the 16, the upgrades are pretty consistent. I'm still rocking a Xs (on its original battery) and I'm not even upgrading now, since it gets iOS 18; I'll probably get the 17 next year. I used my 2012 Macbook (my one and only PC) until 2021 when M1 Pro came out. I am upgrading my Apple Watch series 4 this year, though. People keep saying Apple is expensive, but the vast majority of other manufacturers' products aren't usable nowhere near as long, so long term Apple ends up being cheaper, if you're not the kind of person who needs to get the shiny new thing every year.
I upgraded from 12 pm to 15 pro max last year and was happy for general all round performance, but this year looking at a full frame camera possibly R5 as it’s 4 yr old camera but still would thrash the iPhone. The iPhone and other brands are super convenient to grab and take photo in auto raw and get reasonable results if the lighting is good, I will not be upgrading to 16 and spend my pennys on better investment. I have been watching your content for years and appreciate your honesty and really enjoying the two of you, Uk 🇬🇧 viewer 🥳🥳🥳
These are truly the best and most comprehensive videos on the subject. Is it worth upgrading from 13 Pro to 15 or 16 Pro? I need to take the best close-ups.👍
Tony, I wonder if you used the camera "control" button at 6m18s to take your wide angle image at low light? Max Tech noted worse images when photos are taken using "camera control" due to the vibration from the button push introducing motion blur. While the iPhone's computational photography collects many images, it might explain why your image is worse at low light and isn't impacted in the light of day.
I like the camera control button. With practice the various swipe functions work really well. It’s not immediately intuitive, but once you develop some muscle memory it’s far better than pinching and swiping on the screen.
I’ve been waiting for someone to make a video like this. F-Stoppers said the same thing and MKBHD showed that in Low light the ultra has a huge vignette too. WOW. I’m definitely returning my 16 pro and getting the 15 pro max or pro cause this sucks.
I have a 12 Pro Max and I refuse to let go. This is because the 2.5x f2.2 telephoto lens is just better than the 3x or 5x f2.8 from the 13 to 16 Pro. Each year I go into the Apple Store after dark and take a photo of my black shoe under the table to simulate low light. The 12 Pro Max 2.5x telephoto has not been beaten yet and I know I would be kicking myself if I trade it in for a newer iPhone that performs worse.
Clarification. Are you comparing the optical zoom to optical zoom? Or are you comparing the 2.5x optical zoom against the 2.5x digital zoom? Just checking because I have seen people compare apples to oranges like that and state that the older optical zoom is better then the new optical zoom, without comparing the optical zoom to the optical zoom. This might be unintentional or it might be for clickbate reasons.
@@TacoBel I’m comparing the prime telephoto cameras. But out of curiosity I did also compare the 12mp 2x crop sensor photo from the main camera of the 16 Pro which would in theory have a faster aperture but the resolution still looks like it go shot by a potato.
I upgraded from the 13 Pro to the 16 Pro in part because I viewed a number of very positive longterm reviews of the 15 Pro and Pro Max cameras and assumed the 16 Pro's cameras would be as good or better than the 15 Pro's. Also, I upgraded because of all the other non-camera improvements as well and future-proofing for the coming AI software.
Why is no one talking about the new JPG XL format here? Seems like way better than the over sharpened HEIF files, with a much smaller package than raw, seems like win for photographers who like to do their own editing.
The main camera on the 16 Pro Max uses the Sony Exmor IMX 803, I think. It’s the same as in the 15 Pro Max - and the 14 Pro Max. Apple simply added a new coating on the plastic lens, and renamed it «FUSION» camera 😂
@@bruceinmyheart But think about it, it has to be using it. You can’t do 4K 120 FPS or zero-lag lossless capture with the IMX 803. The 16 Pro Max can do both of these so it must be a new sensor.
It’s good for this to be out in the open, thanks for making the video. We can’t have it all, and iPhone needs to continue to sell, 5x optical is more than 3x and Apple must know that most buyers, this year, will want a bigger zoom despite the worse quality in the prime focal range. Alas.
Just tried the 2x zoom on the iPhone 16 pro in the shop and showed one of the Apple staff who admitted side by side the iPhone 12 Pro shot looked way better as it has a dedicated camera vs digital crop. 😂
Thank you Tony for your review/evaluation. You just saved me a considerable amount of money and aggravation. Expecting Apple resolves this with proper inception of new and true value hardware that will support the high cost of their iPhone, hopefully by the 17 iteration. Cheers,
A notable bonus with the 16Pro is the improved mics and audio processing! This could potentially be a real boon for pod-casters and run and gun video production. This year is truly an "S" model year.
It doesn't matter much now with the spread of wireless systems, now any blogger has a DJI Mic, Rode Wireless GO or its cheap alternative for voice recording
I”ve heard that the biggest benefit would be in burst raw situations. Not an issue for burst heif. Also, any benefit to jpeg xl with Raw file sizes? I think the lossy compression would put them close to on par with regular heif…
I wanted the iPhone 16 Pro Max, currently have a 15 Pro came from a 13 Pro Max. As much as I want a big phone your videos has helped me to hold off the couple of months. I find myself wanting this phone because it’s so new and fresh but I keep telling myself wait until the hype dies down. I used to wait like every other cycle until recently.
I wonder if it's the default camera app fault rather than the phone itself. For example, from a different photography state, if I use a 3rd party camera app to take a 30-sec night mode image of astrophotography, I don't get blue dots that I do see with the default camera app
Changed my mind on buying the pro max 16 - have now ordered the Sony A7R 5 with a GM lens - Very confident the images will be better than the new iphone
at 6 times the cost
@@hudsoncaceres6820you could get a $200 5dmkII and the images will be better than any phone ever
@@hudsoncaceres6820and 3 time the longevity for the body, 4 time for the lens, 3 time resell value. Oh and true memories with charm and style that can be print on the wall of your home.
😂 you really comparing the new iPhone with a full frame
Apple is!
Breaking news - Tim Apple has removed Tony from his Christmas card list
😂
I'm not so interested in comparing last year's model to this year's. A year over year upgrade is pretty excessive, and expensive. I'm more interested in the comparison to the 14, 13, or even 12. Those are the devices getting close to upgrade time.
People like me who have neither the 15 Pro or the 16 Pro and want to decide whether it's worth it getting the newer model find this comparison very useful.
There’s almost no value in upgrading from a 14P. I’m keeping mine and waiting another year.
I've seen a comparison between 15, 12 Pro and 6 year old XS, except in video stabilization, extreme low light and a very few shorts, the XS and 15 produced similar results. Without comparing with the 15 and 12 Pro, most XS photos can be mistaken as captured by a new iPhone. And the 12 Pro and 15 captured almost same to same results. This video is available on youtube. If little has improved in 5 years and very little has improved in 3 years, I don't think there is a reason to upgrade, especially when considering most people who are going to buy the 16 series are current 13 series users.
Yep. Huge upgrade over my 11. And I like the tone control to help tame the over-processing.
I still have the 11 pro max. My biggest complaint is for portraits in the 2x to 4.9x zoom range. The 16 camera will heavily crop the 1X sensor.
@Tony, I wonder if you used the camera "control" button at 6:18 to take your wide angle image at low light? MaxTech noted worse images when photos are taken using "camera control" due to the vibration from the button push introducing motion blur. While the iPhone's computational photography collects many images, it might explain why your image is worse at low light and isn't impacted in the light of day.
Good point. It would be great to get clarity from Tony if he was using the camera control button when taking the low light photos.
In other words, the button is useless. SMH 🤦♂️
@@neiltsakatsaexactly.
@@neiltsakatsa Kinda.
The implementation does not seem to be very good. Apple should've made it completely a solid state button, with adjustable pressure sensitivity. That way, you could take pictures with just a very light press, and not introduce shaking.
But at least, as of now, it's a decent shortcut button to the camera. So the action button can be used for something else.
Lmao 🤣🤣🤣
im going from the iphone 7, so i think its better than that at least, right?
🤣 Pray
No joke, I'm upgrading from a 7 too.
Dude, your mind is gonna be blown. You are going from one 12MP in the back to two 48MP in the back and one 12MP. You are going from a 7MP FaceTime to a 12MP FaceTime camera. From Touch ID to Face ID. 625 nit 1400:1 contrast ratio LCD to a 2800 nit 2 million:1 contrast ratio OLED. From an aluminum chassis to titanium. Lightning to USB C. Better speakers, better water resistance. An A10 with a single core of 770 and a multi-core of 3300 to an A17 Pro Chip with a single-core of 3000 and a multi-core of 7800. 60hz to 120hz. It's like going from a 2002 Camaro SS to a 2024 Corvette Z06.
nah, the iphone 7 is still better. keep listening to these dissident youtubers
You should wait 1 more year or if it's urgent, just pick iphone 15 if you want better camera quality
i personally wanted a dedicated camera button on iPhones. But with that camera control, 4k 120, and ai being the only upgrades, I’ma just stick to 13 for a while. The cameras being 48mp are going to need a biggger sensor and wider aperture i think, since everyone has been saying the ultra wide is even worse in lower light now.
I’ve had the 5s, 7 plus, and 13 pro max. I feel like the 5s and 13 have been their best releases with actual upgrades. Otherwise, I really wish all companies stopped producing yearly e waste with incremental ‘upgrades’
I dont understand why Apple wont allow us to disable the sharpening on iPhones? it ruins the camera and even in ProRAW, the sharpening is enabled by default. You have to go into EDIT and wiggle the sharpening slider just to be able to manually set it to zero. By default it is set to a value, but the edit window wont show you the accurate values. You must wiggle all the sliders to manually set everything to zero even though everything appears to be at zero already. It's the stupidest thing ive ever seen in a smartphone camera.
Yeah my biggest gripe! Just back off the processing!!
@@TonyAndChelseaTony, I wonder if you used the camera "control" button at 6m18s to take your wide angle image at low light? Max Tech noted worse images when photos are taken using "camera control" due to the vibration from the button push introducing motion blur. While the iPhone's computational photography collects many images, it might explain why your image is worse at low light and isn't impacted in the light of day.
In order to make up for limited hardware like small image sensor, they apply a lot of processing on the photos which supposedly makes the image look better on a small screen (until you zoom in) and looks overprocessed when viewed on a larger screen.
@@BryanzHAn03 It definitely looks over processed on an iPhone display. And again, it should not be applying sharpening when shooting in ProRAW. That part is completely unnecessary
people shouldn't be 'upgrading' yearly. only those on iphone 13 and below. get a real camera that would be equal to iphone 30.
As someone using a Sony A7c I can relate on this one. It just hits different, the vibe, the charm everything is so much better on the Sony. I’m planning on investing 900€ into a nice sigma lens before upgrading my phone. A lens this good today will last 10 to 20 years and my Sony won’t age either. But people only see the price and forget the idea
I've seen comparison between XS and 15. Other than slightly brighter low light performance and slightly better video stabilization, both captures identical photos and videos. Now a days, upgrading after 5 years gives little improvements.
@@r0main.895 For the exact same reason, I went from a Samsung to a Sony and now I'm considering to get a Sharp phone. The sensor size is 1", not as large as the mirrorless cameras, but still significantly larger than all other smartphones and the photos captured by it looks natural without any over processing.
@@arjunkrishna1 it still is a phone so there is much more than the photo video part. Updates, ram, fluidity, speed, cellular performance, battery life, heat management. All of this is extremely important and got way better since the xs.
@@r0main.895 Most iPhone users I know only use Instagram and Snapchat anyway, I don't think the extra RAM and other things makes much difference to them.
Seem to be saying more positive things overall. Hopefully the worst issue (ultra wide) at low light can be fixed in software. I have no issues with the camera button, though do feel the acceleration curve (like you can do with a mouse in Windows) should be changed, or user-configurable. I like the less processing overall, and better overall detail. Been shooting with both phones since the 16 pro launch. Having done a couple iPhone interviews, I appreciate the mic upgrades greatly too!
Same thing happened from 12 pro to 13. The 13 today on reddit people are still complaining about blurry pictures
Still can’t believe they gave us 4k 120 and raw max photos and they DIDN’T give us more memory. I don’t like the cloud. I use 300gb in a single video shoot with the iPhone as a C cam.pretty lame. I’ll be waiting on a memory upgrade.
My 13pro is still doing fine and I use my R5 for real photography anyways.
Add 1TB NVMe Magsafe storage on the back of your iphone for around $130
Everyone wants everything 😢
@@Kjillustrated I just want what I have now but with more space. It’s been 3 years since they released an iPhone with 1tb. They’ve triple processing speeds and made many big improvements but the issue is that every year I accumulate more data that I want to keep on my device but the maximum memory does not increase and like I said I am not a fan of the cloud.
@@fred6464 I’ve tried that workflow but with storage over lightning connection. It’s just too cumbersome for me. Granted a USB-C connection would provide faster throughput. It just seems like a moneygrubbing way of forcing people to pay for more cloud storage rather than giving people who buy pro devices what they want, which is local storage for their “pro” devices.
How much space would you want?@@jacy123
Camera Control button is an unnecessary gimmick that takes up hardware space and adds nothing at this point … in fact, pressing on the button moves and shakes the phone and the slide / zoom range is less than me using the screen.
Pressing the volume button to take photos creates the same shake potential, so it is a problem that existed before. When filming, using the slide control is far better than pinch if you are attempting to take a handheld dolly zoom, or make minor adjustments on zoom without touching the screen / potentially introducing even more vibrations.
As someone who has used many phones over the last 20 years with a dedicated camera button - a 2-stage shutter can be enormously useful to lock focus/exposure and recompose. It seems like they just bungled the implementation here.
Do you have something like this comparing the Pixel 8 to the Pixel 9? Love the video!
I find having the camera control set to choosing the prime lenses better than the zoom. Then you just switch between the lens without worrying about the compromised cropping. This allows you to have each lens in its best quality mode.
I appreciate you being the only channel on all of UA-cam willing to call out the horrible trend of iPhone just throwing in more buzzwords to sell people the same camera. I’ve always hated their fake zoom processing but nobody seems to care. Shooting with the portrait lens at low light means Apple actually uses the wide angle lens and crops 2x instead of using the optical zoom lens you paid for and advertised about.
Radishes, not beets
Haha, looking for this comment :)
You also have to remember that they’ve added new tone mapping features that is more controllable, so if you set it right it may look less digital.
Thanks for the review and your ideas.
But i think 48 mp in ultra wide are helpful in the portrait and cinematic mode. The create very precise 3d mapping especially on the 2x portrait and cinematic modes.
Even on 2x portrait mode the second camera (wide ) use only 4 mp of 48 mp for the depth mapping
(In 15 pro - only 0.8 megapixels)
Technology has plateaued and so are incremental updates. Reviewers fear they will be redundant so I see them resort to sensationalism like this to attract interest
Smartphones have plateaued, other technologies are just getting started
Yup. Totally agree!!!!
My Iphone 7 still takes great pictures, filmes in 4k and the apps operate buttery smooth.
How come no one is talking about: when you cover the 13mm and 24mm lenses… in photo mode and video mode the x5 doesn’t use the 120mm lens… it’s only in slowmo and pano… the x5 actually crops the 24mm…. This has been the case from 2023 15promax
Is anyone else noticing the same?
There might be an app to download which would give you direct control over camera selection. There's something like that for Android.
On Android, simply go into camera settings and, under *_Camera Assistant,_* deselect *_Auto lens switching._*
Apple need to resolve this… not give third party developers sdk to put a patch. that’s ridiculous to have a phone with three cameras and have to rely on another company to basically resolve and underlying inherent problem with this device which, if it was a car would have been recalled…. My shock is that no one has called them out…. Same issue on 16 as well…
The problem with the wide angle camera is that the sensor is way too small to take 48 million pixels, something like 1/2.5 inch. The main camera sensor apparently is 1/1.4 inch, which is twice the area, so it can take 48 mpix, and collect information reliably. But the smaller one cant, so it's just mush in low light.
Could be they rushed to market and the problems in the 16 are the result of unpolished software. In which a software upgrade in six months might change things. Or not.
Keep pixel peeping, Tony. It is good to see someone digging up facts.
Apple is only interested in spying on everything you do now.....
The camera button on the iPhone 16 pros and pro max made me laugh when all I have to do on my 15 pro max is to swipe from the right on the Lock Screen to get to the camera 😂😂 and people fall for this shit 🤦🏾♂️
Minor benefit is when you’re in an app and want the camera; it’s a bit quicker then…
But yeah. I agree…and I have a 16 Pro (upgraded from a 13 Pro and it was worth it, but not for the camera button 😂)
Swipe? I use the action button! It's really fast.
I've been using my 16 Pro Max for a week now. It blows away my 13 Pro in usability and speed. Add all the new camera settings, I love it.
I just remapped the action button to open the camera and even that I’ve used like 5x tops during the year
A button press is great for being discreet or quick. Also, it being another button is convenient.
5:00 in Poland we call them radishes (rzodkiewki), not beets (buraki) 😂
I have a 12 pro Max so I think the upgrade is worthwhile ?
I’m desperate for them to allow us to control the sharpness that they force apply on our videos. I HATE apples baked in sharpness. It’s too much. Their last natural looking video quality was with the iPhone X back in 2017. I prefer natural looking quality.
Amen brother... And on their heic files.
It‘s a downgrade. I mostly use the 3x camera - that‘s gone
For the Pro models, you'll be missing out on the x3 camera! He didn't even mention it, but that's absolutely an issue as well.
Agree, also using 3x the most, 5x is more difficult to use, especially in interiors...
It's an upgrade for those that never felt the 3x was far enough (like myself). Though agree with some that said, "why not add 5x" and have 4 lenses. I mean Samsung has 5 (granted one is depth).
@@Neuwerks Well, I liked that the pro had the 3x and the max had the 5x, so we had the option to pick
@@Neuwerks Same here. I prefer the 5X on my 16 Pro Max vs the 3X on my 13 Pro. Overall the new phone is so much better.
In my experience, there is too much emphasis put on sensor megapixels and hence detail, unless of course you are in the business of severely cropping your images. If you sit at your computer every day and pixel peep e.g. in Lightroom its easy to compare images captured at say 6mp, 12mp, 24mp or 48mp and conclude that one has more detail than the other, has less noise, is sharper, RAW is better than jpeg etc etc. The real comparisons should take place when the files are printed out and viewed. What the human eye is capable of resolving, in terms of lines per inch, together with viewing distance will be a far more significant factor than file size or megapixels, when comparing similar photographs, captured by different sized sensors. When one looks at a painting or photo in a gallery, one generally stands at a comfortable distance from the artwork in order to do so. The print has a fixed size and one tends to view it from a naturally comfortable distance, often dependant on the subject matter. I would argue that none of us, routinely stand just a few inches away from a large oil painting to view it, as all we are likely to see are thick blobs of colour, often with no discernible or meaningful detail at all. In order to see it properly, we stand back until our gaze brings the blobs and brush strokes into a resolvable and understandable whole, which is what the artist or photographer wanted you to see in the first place. It really is no different with digital images or photographs.
I've worked with film and digital cameras. From the great Ilford HP5 film on 35mm, through medium format, now DSLR, APS-C, M43 and now the Iphone 15 Pro. You know what, I've taken great photos on all of them, many rubbish too. I'll say this, this old adage holds true "The best camera is the one you have with you." I bought the Iphone 15 Pro about 10 days ago, it is a very capable camera. For photographers, the out of camera jpegs are very very good, providing you stick to the Normal wide lens at 24mm, 28mm (1.2x) and 35mm (1.5x) settings. The 48mm (2x) setting produces substandard images with clearly visible digital artifacts and I will not use this setting. The stand-out for me is the 77mm (3x), which produces excellent images, perfect for general, street photography and portraits. It is also possible to import Apple PRORAW files into Lightroom for greater final image control.
So whether the 16 Pro is better or worse that the 15 Pro is a moot point, they are both capable cameras, capable of producing very good out of camera jpegs. I personally prefer the 77mm (3x) telephoto on the 15 Pro, more than the 120mm(5x) on the 15 Pro Max, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. For those of us brought up on manual focus film cameras, with 24 or 36 images on a roll, manual metering, developing/printing costs, thank your lucky stars if you own either of these Iphones, or for that matter any other digital camera. You have never had it so good.
Folks balk at the comparison of an iPhone to a real camera. Ok how about comparing the iPhone to a Canon t7 rebel with a kit lens, which can be bought for less than half the price of the iPhone 16 max? ❤ do it, do it, do it.
For twice the cost of a Canon t7, the 16 pro can make phone calls, text, use gps mapping, run great games, etc. It can run almost 5 million different apps and you can slip the thing in your pocket. I agree a good dedicated camera should be able to take better pictures but you might not be lugging it around when you get the perfect shot opportunity. The iPhone would always be available for the shot. I think they would both be good tools for a photographer. ✌
Thank you for the review. I won't be buying the 16 pro anytime soon. No real added value at all compared to even the 14 pro.
I have that 16 Pro, and the ultra wide in low light is seriously so bad! I have shots where I have black smudges that have NO info in them, it's just black and stays black (after updates). It's unacceptable for a phone to be that bad for that price.
I love this guy. We need more UA-camrs who do detective work like this.
Using the camera control button can introduce shakiness to the image, as the physical button is not as comfortable to use compared to the on-screen shutter button
Went into local store to upgrade from my 13 pro max. Really liked the camera button and can see myself using it. However, I was so eager to see the camera upgrades I performed an impromptu side by side test of what I could photograph in the Apple Store. I was shocked that the UWA images were, as you have noted, visibly worse than the 3 year old model. I shot raw on both. I left and tried a second (subjective) test a few days later in case I made a mistake and I could not get the 16 to look as good as an UWA photo from the 13. The main camera was similar and the 5x zoom too tight for my use case. As a result, won’t be swapping out my 13 for sure. If anything it just shows how good their phones have been for the last few years. My battery lasts all day, all apps work like new and I personally have no issues with the phone. Thanks for the honest comparison Tony!
I upgraded from an 8Plus to the Iphone 16Pro. I still havent switched my sim over. I was not excited about it. But an upgrade was long overdue. Now I feel I should have perhaps bought a slightly cheaper 15pro.. or kept using the 8Plus for another year
That camera control feels like a downgrade. It would make sense if older iPhones had that button and then decided to remove it and add fingerprint sensor under the screen or sleep/wake button.
As a veteran fan of Apple for 45-years, I’m proud to declare that the iPhone 16/16Pro are the first iPhones that I’d skipped buying, and I have no intention of purchasing. Apple today seems to be eager to reenter that phase in its history spanning from the mid-1980s to late 1990s when they got into the habit of hiring more lawyers than engineers.
LOL. I just bought the 16 Pro, upgrading from the regular 13.
Thank you, your stupidity in buying an iPhone every year really helps product development for incremental updates.
The 16 series brought better thermals though, less throttling and better performance that shows in real world use. That isn't something a lot realize yet.
You buy a new phone every year? Why?
@@sinetwoyou take a shower everyday? Why?
I have an iPhone 13 Pro Max. I just bought a DJI Pocket 3 to play with while I wait for Apple to do something more exciting. It is, after all, a telephone. If I want to take photos I have several M43 cameras that are small and do a much better job than my telephone. Just my 2 cents and YMMV, of course
Tony, what about coming from the 13 Pro Max to the 16 Pro Max would you make the upgrade?
Yes. Or get a 15 pro max and you’ll be just fine but having the 16 would be nice because you’d get USB-C!
I think it would have been really helpful to have a Sony A7III image to compare what a base high quality camera can do in comparison. I appreciate the effort - I predict if you did have a base digital camera, it would have been a shocking comparison.
Could it be the iPhone you are using is not good? If it is all iPhone 16 pros, can a firmware update fix it? I'm still using the 12 pro max and happy with it, but figured it was time for a new one. I'll wait a while before I buy the 16 pro.
There is a software bug in the pixel processing pipeline, this will be fixed in one of the next updates.
Let's hope!
I came here to say the same, looks more like a software issue than a hardware issue.
There's absolutely No Reason to upgrade 😮.
2 things.
1. I missed the part about proving the 16 pro to be worse then 15 pro camera. Simply not being a massive upgrade does not make it a downgrade.
Also this may be a non point but software might fix some processing in time fixing some of the errors especially with the new sensor and features. A bug today, might get fixed.
2. When people say not to upgrade, they forget that a lot of people are coming from older iPhones. Take myself for example, I am currently using iPhone 12. That is literally the only reason I am looking into this, because i need a new phone anyway. As a professional video editor I am also looking for a phone with a good camera (for video) and considering the price difference the 16 pro looks more worth it to me then a resell 15 pro.
However, if I already had the 15 pro then no I would not upgrade. Important clarification.
It's worse as it make same quality images for more storage requirements and higher pricew
@@o.maryn.o You shouldn't even comment if you haven't watched the video. Ultra wide has much worse quality in low light.
Good job, Tim Cook would be proud of you reading your comment. Defending the undefendable, a true Cult member
@@o.maryn.o Not if your using the new JPG XL. Looks very promising. only on 16 Pro.
Main sensor in low light maybe a lot better
The biggest benefit of the new phone is the slider that brings shadows in and out. It’s actually a huge advantage and works great. You can brings shadows back and make photos look way better
So, upgrading from a 12, do I go for a 15 pro or 16/16 pro? 🤔
The 15 pro had the 3x zoom which is much more frequently used than the 5x in the 15 pro max and 16 pros.
When Tony takes the glasses off to start the video gets me every time 😂
I have a 4yrs old Note20ultra, but I don't use cellphone to shoot an important moment or special events. I use it to shoot documents or just daily use at work.
For family and vacation, I bought a Sony A74 full frame with 35GM lens to take family pictures on Christmas, Birthday party or even portrait studio.... Every picture output results is a "piece of art" compare to cellphone camera.
Thankyou for actually comparing the cameras like this! Pixel peeping. The main camera on my iPhone 13pro has a 1.5fstop and is still better in low light than the larger sensors in 14pro-16pro.
thats funny low light wide angle was number 1 on my wishlist for future improvements
Glad to see you finally confirm that the 48mpx quad can be sharper.
Thank you, Tony for this vid!
Just compared my iPhone 15 (non-Pro) with iPhone 16 Pro that I gifted to my wife after seeing this and can verify - ultrawide low-light shots look better even on the regular iPhone 15. The main camera seems about equal on both - some images in decent light look slightly less noisy on 16 Pro, some pictures in low light seem slightly more detailed on regular iPhone 15. So, the ideal "kit" for the whole family is to have one iPhone 15/15Pro and one iPhone 16 Pro, that way you're covered with best options from ultrawide to 5x tele. :D
That camera button is gonna go down as one of the worst failures Apple did. The worst part is that we’ll see lots of android manufacturers introducing that same nonsense gimmick.
Not all are against it. Austin Mann who has been doing an iPhone photography site for years found it to be his preferred method.
I personally love it. Zooming in is so nice. I also love having USB-C.
I chance they can fix that with an update
I was blown away when comparing photos I took of the magnificent Canterbury Cathedral interiors with my Pixel 9 pro vs Nikon Z8. Having switched from Samsung to Pixel I am now happy to just have my phone camera on me. That is from someone that owns a Z8, OM-1 and a Ricoh GR3x.
I view my photos on a Ben Q 32", 4k photo monitor. Of course if you Pixel peep or want to edit the Z8 will come into its own but the files out of the Pixel are very natural looking and impressive.
Video quality looks great. Can U share infor device used ?
I love these videos!
Without a doubt. You analyse the details more thoroughly than anybody else does. It's very interesting. Good job!
Thank you for this honest helpful information. I will wait for the next version and see if these problems have been resolved.
I’m going to return my 14Pm and have a burner if needed, but what do dou say, does it worth to buy a 16P, or should I get instantly a 15P/PM?
Would LOVE to see the return of the physical front home button. I miss it so much, I would give up coffee to see it come back, and I love coffee.
I just think most of these top tier phones are too expensive now. You could buy a whole desktop PC system for the price.
It makes no sense to compare a PC to a phone. A phone you use literally all day every day for a billion different things.
Try putting it in your pocket! Duh!
I’m getting my wife a 16 Pro to replace a 14 regular. Reason is I’m normally busy with my Nikon Mirrorless and she doesn’t like taking photos on my 14 Pro Max. I’m hoping:
1) its a big enough jump from the regular 14
2) most of what you experienced is down to software and that issues will be addressed
3) they find a way of using those extra MP for mere mortals (self included) who will never in a million years hit that RAW button on a phone
Tony is entering the Jor-El phase.
You do such a great shop in reviewing the phone cameras, keep up the good work. I wish you would review the Pixel
I deeply respect the independence and integrity you display by telling it like it is.
Great catch Tony!
Are the camera issues that can be fixed with a software update?
It’s frustrating that so many reviewers always talk about upgrade as it is always from the latest 15, most people would upgrade from something else and then it will be a big difference
...great review and detail regarding the sensor.
What is the iPhone case that you show?
It is an ESR case. I have one. smooth version which is a bit slippery. Consider the same make but non smooth versions if you like more grip.
Most people don't upgrade their phone every year, not even every 2 years anymore. It's more like every 3-4 years these days. And if you consider an iPhone 13 vs. the 16, the upgrades are pretty consistent.
I'm still rocking a Xs (on its original battery) and I'm not even upgrading now, since it gets iOS 18; I'll probably get the 17 next year. I used my 2012 Macbook (my one and only PC) until 2021 when M1 Pro came out. I am upgrading my Apple Watch series 4 this year, though.
People keep saying Apple is expensive, but the vast majority of other manufacturers' products aren't usable nowhere near as long, so long term Apple ends up being cheaper, if you're not the kind of person who needs to get the shiny new thing every year.
I upgraded from 12 pm to 15 pro max last year and was happy for general all round performance, but this year looking at a full frame camera possibly R5 as it’s 4 yr old camera but still would thrash the iPhone. The iPhone and other brands are super convenient to grab and take photo in auto raw and get reasonable results if the lighting is good, I will not be upgrading to 16 and spend my pennys on better investment. I have been watching your content for years and appreciate your honesty and really enjoying the two of you, Uk 🇬🇧 viewer 🥳🥳🥳
From what I understand the half press to focus hasn’t been implemented just yet so I’m interested to see how it works.
These are truly the best and most comprehensive videos on the subject. Is it worth upgrading from 13 Pro to 15 or 16 Pro? I need to take the best close-ups.👍
Tony, I wonder if you used the camera "control" button at 6m18s to take your wide angle image at low light? Max Tech noted worse images when photos are taken using "camera control" due to the vibration from the button push introducing motion blur. While the iPhone's computational photography collects many images, it might explain why your image is worse at low light and isn't impacted in the light of day.
Can you still use the volume button to trip the shutter, or is that now deprecated on the iPhone 16?
I like the camera control button. With practice the various swipe functions work really well. It’s not immediately intuitive, but once you develop some muscle memory it’s far better than pinching and swiping on the screen.
Interesting review and results... I was just hoping for better low light ultra wide angle for the 16 pro. And we got the opposite...!
I’ve been waiting for someone to make a video like this. F-Stoppers said the same thing and MKBHD showed that in Low light the ultra has a huge vignette too. WOW. I’m definitely returning my 16 pro and getting the 15 pro max or pro cause this sucks.
You're returning it because of the reviews? Have you tried it out for yourself yet?
Appreciate Tony's honest reviews. Hopefully, the flaws in these cameras will get more mainstream attention so that the manufacturers will fix them.
Did you test 12MP RAW from the 13mm lens in Lowlight as well?! Would be interesting, if that brings back the quality on the 15 model level!
I have a 12 Pro Max and I refuse to let go. This is because the 2.5x f2.2 telephoto lens is just better than the 3x or 5x f2.8 from the 13 to 16 Pro. Each year I go into the Apple Store after dark and take a photo of my black shoe under the table to simulate low light. The 12 Pro Max 2.5x telephoto has not been beaten yet and I know I would be kicking myself if I trade it in for a newer iPhone that performs worse.
Yeah agreed... Apple started chasing big zoom numbers rather than good results.
Clarification. Are you comparing the optical zoom to optical zoom? Or are you comparing the 2.5x optical zoom against the 2.5x digital zoom? Just checking because I have seen people compare apples to oranges like that and state that the older optical zoom is better then the new optical zoom, without comparing the optical zoom to the optical zoom. This might be unintentional or it might be for clickbate reasons.
@@TacoBel I’m comparing the prime telephoto cameras. But out of curiosity I did also compare the 12mp 2x crop sensor photo from the main camera of the 16 Pro which would in theory have a faster aperture but the resolution still looks like it go shot by a potato.
I upgraded from the 13 Pro to the 16 Pro in part because I viewed a number of very positive longterm reviews of the 15 Pro and Pro Max cameras and assumed the 16 Pro's cameras would be as good or better than the 15 Pro's. Also, I upgraded because of all the other non-camera improvements as well and future-proofing for the coming AI software.
Why is no one talking about the new JPG XL format here? Seems like way better than the over sharpened HEIF files, with a much smaller package than raw, seems like win for photographers who like to do their own editing.
The main camera on the 16 Pro Max uses the Sony Exmor IMX 803, I think. It’s the same as in the 15 Pro Max - and the 14 Pro Max. Apple simply added a new coating on the plastic lens, and renamed it «FUSION» camera 😂
Nope it uses the IMX 903, an upgrade from the 803 used in the 14 and 15 Pros. This faster sensor is what enables the 4K 120 FPS video
@@Epicgamer_Mac That was a rumour from January. It was never realized.
new image pipeline?
@@bruceinmyheart But think about it, it has to be using it. You can’t do 4K 120 FPS or zero-lag lossless capture with the IMX 803. The 16 Pro Max can do both of these so it must be a new sensor.
Great review. 👍 Did you have any thoughts on the Audio Mix feature. You didn't mention it so I assume you weren't impressed with it.
It’s good for this to be out in the open, thanks for making the video. We can’t have it all, and iPhone needs to continue to sell, 5x optical is more than 3x and Apple must know that most buyers, this year, will want a bigger zoom despite the worse quality in the prime focal range. Alas.
The new button for photography is weird. it is too sensitive and can't change and what you want to do, not easily be done.
Great work man, this is the kind of technical comparison i look for.
Just tried the 2x zoom on the iPhone 16 pro in the shop and showed one of the Apple staff who admitted side by side the iPhone 12 Pro shot looked way better as it has a dedicated camera vs digital crop. 😂
Thank you Tony for your review/evaluation. You just saved me a considerable amount of money and aggravation.
Expecting Apple resolves this with proper inception of new and true value hardware that will support the high cost of their iPhone, hopefully by the 17 iteration.
Cheers,
So now what do I upgrade from my iPhone SE 2020 😮 15 pro or 16 pro
A notable bonus with the 16Pro is the improved mics and audio processing! This could potentially be a real boon for pod-casters and run and gun video production.
This year is truly an "S" model year.
It doesn't matter much now with the spread of wireless systems, now any blogger has a DJI Mic, Rode Wireless GO or its cheap alternative for voice recording
What about the shooting speed? My understanding is that the main improvement for the 24mm is the readout speed, which is what enables the 4K 120...
I didn't find any benefit but I suppose rolling shutter would be better. I don't really worry about that on an iphone.
I”ve heard that the biggest benefit would be in burst raw situations. Not an issue for burst heif. Also, any benefit to jpeg xl with Raw file sizes? I think the lossy compression would put them close to on par with regular heif…
What software do you use to process iPhone 16 Pro raw images? DxO won’t do it.
I wanted the iPhone 16 Pro Max, currently have a 15 Pro came from a 13 Pro Max. As much as I want a big phone your videos has helped me to hold off the couple of months. I find myself wanting this phone because it’s so new and fresh but I keep telling myself wait until the hype dies down. I used to wait like every other cycle until recently.
I disabled my camera button because I hold my phone in clamped tripods and its TOTALLY in the way.
I wonder if it's the default camera app fault rather than the phone itself. For example, from a different photography state, if I use a 3rd party camera app to take a 30-sec night mode image of astrophotography, I don't get blue dots that I do see with the default camera app