iPhone 16 Pro Max Issues with ProRAW 48 and stock camera app

[jajo.j]

When I got the 15 Pro Max last year I posted a thread about the inferior quality of ProRAW 48 using the stock app comparing to 14 Pro Max from 2022. At that time I was convinced that it was a bug that Apple would solve quickly. They didn't.

I was hoping for 16 Pro Max to perform better in this area but it is just the same overprocessed and denoised mess that we saw on 15 Pro Max.

Luckily, there are other apps that can take higher quality 48MP shots on the iPhone. Halide, Firstlight and ProCamera are some examples.

Just check these 100% crops between Halide (to the left) and Stock (to the right)







If you want to shoot high res on the iPhones, test some third party apps!

Now I only wish that they would allow third party apps to shoot regular raw (without remosaicking) in 48MP.

 

[nunolikeapple]

Finally , somoene who finds the exact same problem that i find on my 16PM.

It occours only with native camera. Third party apps, shows normal results.

 

[jajo.j]

Finally , somoene who finds the exact same problem that i find on my 16PM.

It occours only with native camera. Third party apps, shows normal results.

Unfortunately I don't think Apple will solve this. Shooting in 48 seems to be a niche feature, otherwise we would have read more about this. It is a significant drop in quality between 14 Pro Max and 15/16 Pro Max. Impossible to miss for anyone interested in photography.

The highest possible quality from the iPhone cameras can actually be achieved in 12MP using a third party app that can do regular RAW (non-ProRAW) and then processing the images manually in Lightroom or similar software.

I use the stock app mainly for video and sometimes for quick snaps where quality is not that important. For everything else I shoot regular raw on ProCamera. I hope that this app will soon be updated to support 16 Pro Max.

 

[jajo.j]

This is the shocking difference in detail on ProRAW 48 on stock cameras with 16 Pro Max vs 14 Pro Max from 2022...



Obviously not shot on the same day but pretty much the same scene.

 

[nunolikeapple]

Unacceptable!

 

[jajo.j]

I have sent an official bug report to Apple using their Feedback Assistant and provided DNG-files from both 14 Pro Max and 16 Pro Max. Hopefully this will lead to something...

 

[nunolikeapple]

I did the same yesterday, for this situation, and for the defective night mode ! (white/dark square not loading night mode photos).

 

[SumYoungGai]

There is currently a bug for 48 MP ProRAW in iOS 18 on 15 Pro Max - it seems like the device isn’t capturing data correctly in this mode because zooming in all the way reveals pixelated photos, whereas before it was grainy/slightly blurry at the highest zoom but not pixelated. This is reproducible every time and goes away if the mode is switched to HEIF Max. Viewing old 48 MP photos before this bug was introduced look fine so I suspect it’s an issue at the level of the camera app. Feedback already submitted. Do photos look pixelated when you zoom in all the way on 16 PM?

 

[nunolikeapple]

Yes, super pixelated! With strange and abnormal artifacts.

 

[jajo.j]

There is currently a bug for 48 MP ProRAW in iOS 18 on 15 Pro Max - it seems like the device isn’t capturing data correctly in this mode because zooming in all the way reveals pixelated photos, whereas before it was grainy/slightly blurry at the highest zoom but not pixelated. This is reproducible every time and goes away if the mode is switched to HEIF Max. Viewing old 48 MP photos before this bug was introduced look fine so I suspect it’s an issue at the level of the camera app. Feedback already submitted. Do photos look pixelated when you zoom in all the way on 16 PM?

For me, 48 ProRAW has been broken from the day I got my 15 Pro Max (on release day). I have never been able to take detailed photos in 48MP on 15 Pro Max except when using a third party software like Halide, ProCamera or Firstlight. So I have not noticed that it was good and then suddenly turned bad - it has been like this from start.

Comparing with my old 14 Pro Max 48 ProRAW shots is truly a shock. They are all super detailed, even in very low light conditions like this one:


Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (ProRAW, Stock camera, 1x, 24mm, 0.02s, f/1.66, ISO 64, 48.77MP)

The downgrade they made on 48MP is night and day.

 

[winxmac]

Makes me re-think about letting go of my iPhone 14 Pro Max in exchange of getting iPhone 13 Pro...

48MP RAW is not really ideal in low light and motion capture but is it better shooting 12MP using 48MP sensor [iPhone 14 Pro Max] vs shooting 12MP using 12MP sensor [iPhone 13 Pro] ?

In the end, I thought about losing 2x optical quality and 48MP RAW [iPhone 14 Pro Max] compared to 12MP all sensors [iPhone 13 Pro] and a wider aperture [f/1.78 vs f/1.5] although I miss the 48MP RAW at times...

 

[shadowboi]

It is sad that the most touted feature of default camera app doesn’t work. Good that you managed to find workaround for some time. I wish they gave full control over those ProRAW shots so one could change the denoising level or style (including color noise, chroma noise) and maybe HDR styling too.

What you provided looks like a bug where they squeezed 12mp shot into 48mp container.

Tbh I can only criticize your decision on making such frequent upgrades (14 to 15 to 16). Sure if you like then do, but newer doesn’t always equal better, especially when it comes to iPhones where newer generations can be worse than older ones

 

[iPhone2019]

No point in getting a Pro model then…

 

[djinn]

This is very interesting information, didn't know. Of these three apps, which one deserves the kudos? Halide, Firstlight and ProCamera

 

[jajo.j]

This is very interesting information, didn't know. Of these three apps, which one deserves the kudos? Halide, Firstlight and ProCamera

ProCamera is best but it is not updated for 16 Pro Max yet. Very buggy. Of the updated apps I have best results with Halide.

 

[macman4789]

Has anyone noticed any difference when shooting JPEG XL since its inclusion in the format options?

 

[Cirillo Gherardo]

Considering just about everyone shooting Pro RAW is using a third party app already for a multitude of reasons, Apple probably doesn't consider this a priority to fix, which is why it has been a bug for 2 years.

 

[djinn]

ProCamera is best but it is not updated for 16 Pro Max yet. Very buggy. Of the updated apps I have best results with Halide.

Thank you for the feedback. I'll take a look at the apps. Any idea when ProCamera will be updated to support 16P/PM?

 

[jajo.j]

Thank you for the feedback. I'll take a look at the apps. Any idea when ProCamera will be updated to support 16P/PM?

No one knows. Their social media channels are pretty much dead but they still update the app so hope lives.

 

[Pandyone]

I would recommend Moment Pro Camera.

They updated their app today to be able to set manual camera settings with the camera control.

 

[Viridian5]

Thank you for the feedback. I'll take a look at the apps. Any idea when ProCamera will be updated to support 16P/PM?

They’re actively working on implementation. Yesterday an update refined use of the capture button, for example, and it’s the second or third update I’ve seen since the 16 series was announced.

 

[CPmav]

I’m just curious, does this only affect ProRaw or does it also affect HEIF Max? (If anyone has tested it)

 

[F23]

but it says jpg shouldn't it be a dng file if you truly want to compare?

 

[jajo.j]

but it says jpg shouldn't it be a dng file if you truly want to compare?

It is dng converted to jpg in lightroom with the same settings.

 

[zachchen1996]

ProCamera is best but it is not updated for 16 Pro Max yet. Very buggy. Of the updated apps I have best results with Halide.

Just curious, why do you feel ProCamera is better than halide?