iPhone XS Max Replacing 6s Plus

[cuwickliffe]

Some background ... I shoot a lot of photos, but most of the ones that count fall into two categories:

• Photos of our son (who turned 9 months today!)
• Photos of church events

Many of the church events are in darker places (think sanctuary) and often include the church's children--usually running fast. Photos of our son are everywhere and since he's now scooting everywhere, it's even more movement.

I currently use an old Nikon D40 with a pretty fast 35mm lens for most shots I really care about and the iPhone for the remainder. I'm considering that the quality of the newest phones probably outshine even my DSLR for most situations.

Apple's offering $250 for the 6s Plus and checking eBay and elsewhere I'd not get much more for it selling it on my own.

So my ask here is do you think it's a good choice to trade in the 6s Plus and switch to the XS Max (or XS) for most all everyday photography tasks?

 

[pika2000]

Low light AND moving objects are the hardest things to capture even with a DSLR.
The newer iPhones will definitely take better low light pictures, but moving objects will probably tend to blur due to the slower shutter speed being used (for better low light capture). If you have a fast lens on your DSLR, no phones can compete with that as yet.

For kids, I would try live photos instead of single shot photos. Live photos will take a small snippet of movement before and after you press the shutter button. Instead of a single potentially blurry image, you get a more lively photo with your son on the move. Give it a shot with your 6S Plus first as it supports it.

As for upgrading, it's never a bad time to upgrade as by September, the value of your 6S Plus will be even less. For photography, all the new iPhones are great thanks to the smart HDR by the A12 chip. The only thing you need to decide is if you need the telephoto lens. If not, the XR is a great phone.

 

[cuwickliffe]

@pika2000, thanks. We currently do use live photos and it's great. I guess I've seen some really fantastic image quality from samples online, especially those who have done a true comparison between a 6s and XS.

 

[pika2000]

@pika2000, thanks. We currently do use live photos and it's great. I guess I've seen some really fantastic image quality from samples online, especially those who have done a true comparison between a 6s and XS.

Yes, the A12 is definitely a huge jump over the A9 on the 6S Plus. The smart HDR feature is simply astonishing. However, I still won't rely on a phone for low light AND moving objects. iPhone photography has improved a lot, but still cannot replace a nice fast lens on a DSLR just yet.