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Other For those that have upgraded from the XS to the 11, 12, or 13...

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BigBlur

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 9, 2021
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If you have upgraded from the XS to the regular 11, 12, or 13...do you miss your 2x zoom in? Are you happy with your phone, or do you wish you would have gone with the Pro for the extra optical zoom capabilities?

I'm considering upgrading my XS to the 13, but I feel like the lack of 2x optical zoom in is a step backwards. (The 11, 12, and 13 all have 2x zoom out.) It seems like I was using the 2x zoom in often when taking pictures on vacation, but can't remember for sure...or if I would have been fine with using 1x. I can't decide if it's worth spending an extra $200-$300 for the Pro's camera. I'm not really a fan of the extra weight and huge camera module. The Pro's promotion and extra battery life are not something I really need either, so they would just be an added bonus rather than an important factor in upgrading.
 
BigBlur said:
Yes, but that is digital zoom using the wide lens. With the XS, it will use the telephoto or 2x lens if the lighting conditions are right.
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Makes sense. I have never really used digital zoom as it is almost always rubbish on any phone camera I have used. Even on p&s it is suspect at best. I have the 13pm but don't go above 3x personally. If you are asking if telephoto is worth it well I dont think so honestly but the macro mode is nice.
 
BigBlur said:
Yes, but that is digital zoom using the wide lens. With the XS, it will use the telephoto or 2x lens if the lighting conditions are right.
Click to expand...
With how much better the sensor is on the 13 family, a 2x digital zoom is realistically going to look better than the 2x physical zoom of the XS’s telephoto sensor.

I don’t know if this would apply to an 11 or 12, but with the 13 the digital zoom is more than enough (which is why we got a 3x zoom on the Pros instead).
 
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I would just go for the 13 pro you won't notice the weight and how often do you stare at the back of your phone to notice the camera bump
 
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I briefly considered going from 11pm to 13, but for this same reason, along with the long wait times, held me back. Waiting for 14pm now.
 
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As someone who went from the 8+ to the 12, yes, not having the telephoto is my biggest issue. I take maybe 15% of the pictures I used to.

The excess weight of the Pros is what drove me to move to the standard 12, however.
 
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BigBlur said:
If you have upgraded from the XS to the regular 11, 12, or 13...do you miss your 2x zoom in? Are you happy with your phone, or do you wish you would have gone with the Pro for the extra optical zoom capabilities?

I'm considering upgrading my XS to the 13, but I feel like the lack of 2x optical zoom in is a step backwards. (The 11, 12, and 13 all have 2x zoom out.) It seems like I was using the 2x zoom in often when taking pictures on vacation, but can't remember for sure...or if I would have been fine with using 1x. I can't decide if it's worth spending an extra $200-$300 for the Pro's camera. I'm not really a fan of the extra weight and huge camera module. The Pro's promotion and extra battery life are not something I really need either, so they would just be an added bonus rather than an important factor in upgrading.
Click to expand...
I´ve had the 12 PM and now the 13 PM, it´s been a while since I don´t use the zoom (because the covid and no events last year). But in concerts was a function I used a lot, even far to the stage, the pictures & videos were really good.

The only con that I see on the 13 Pro Max, is heavy like a huge battery brick.

Go for a regular iPhone 13, the other functions probably you won´t use/no need it.
 
macOS Lynx said:
With how much better the sensor is on the 13 family, a 2x digital zoom is realistically going to look better than the 2x physical zoom of the XS’s telephoto sensor.

I don’t know if this would apply to an 11 or 12, but with the 13 the digital zoom is more than enough (which is why we got a 3x zoom on the Pros instead).
Click to expand...
That’s only the case for high dynamic range and night shots, during daylight the optical zoom is better on the xs
 
After a week with the 13 Pro I decided to keep it and just sent in my 12 mini for trade in. When I was handling the 12 mini to get it ready to ship to Apple I had all kinds of regrets and almost decided to keep it. I hate the weight of the 13 Pro, but I have enjoyed the cameras and the larger screen real estate (typing was torturous on the mini). I wish there were something in the middle!
 
maerz001 said:
That’s only the case for high dynamic range and night shots, during daylight the optical zoom is better on the xs
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I disagree.

While the 13 family will occasionally make crops look like oil paintings with the Smart HDR implementation, overall the cropped 2x shots are much more in line in with my personal Canon, particularly on color accuracy and highlights/shadows.
 
iPhone XS uses digital zoom in many cases, even with 2X selected.

The telephoto lens has poor light performance and unless you are taking photos outdoors in a well lit area, the camera prefers to digitally zoom and crop the image from the main sensor.

With the ultrawide lens, you're able to take photos that were impossible before. Overall, most people find it better to have UW rather than telephoto.
 
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