iPhone 15 Pro Max The 5x zoom pictures are disappointing

[Nordman 52]

Unpopular opinion: The 5x zoom on the iPhone Pro Max is only beneficial in ideal lighting conditions and isn't a compelling reason to upgrade from a previous iPhone as the quality is just meh (if not in great light condition).

I sold my 14 PM, and now I regret it. This generation is disappointingly underwhelming. Resale values might take a hit next year since many will opt for used 14 Pros or skip this generation and go straight for the 16 Series.

 

[doboy]

Unpopular opinion: The 5x zoom on the iPhone Pro Max is only beneficial in ideal lighting conditions and isn't a compelling reason to upgrade from a previous iPhone as the quality is just meh (if not in great light condition).

I sold my 14 PM, and now I regret it. This generation is disappointingly underwhelming. Resale values might take a hit next year since many will opt for used 14 Pros or skip this generation and go straight for the 16 Series.

Can't beat physics.

 

[Shirasaki]

Don’t expect anything truly decent out of those tiny lenses that cannot really move like a real DSLR can. Smartphone camera nowadays is 30% camera hardware and 70% software, or 70% AI should I say.

Looking for iPhone 16 pro max camera? Those folks will be disappointed again, no doubt.

 

[redbeard331]

You’ll never get close to the quality of a camera with a large sensor and big glass, the lack of detail and depth of field will be hard to overcome until they find a way to defeat physics.

You can get a cheap used telephoto lens on a ten year old DSLR of any make and get incredibly better results. I’ve actually contemplated buying an old Canon camera body on eBay and putting a cheap used telephoto lens on it just for the times I need the reach.

 

[hr10]

If you are buying the 15promax because of the 5x zoom, you fall into the marketing trap from Apple
I would value the lighter in weight, smaller overall dimension and USB C over the 5x lens

 

[Supermallet]

The 3x had the same issues, but to me was even less useful because it was usually too close for faraway subjects and too far for close subjects. Now at least I can capture some of those shots with subjects further away.

 

[hieubui]

Unpopular opinion: The 5x zoom on the iPhone Pro Max is only beneficial in ideal lighting conditions and isn't a compelling reason to upgrade from a previous iPhone as the quality is just meh (if not in great light condition).

I sold my 14 PM, and now I regret it. This generation is disappointingly underwhelming. Resale values might take a hit next year since many will opt for used 14 Pros or skip this generation and go straight for the 16 Series.

You don't buy a phone solely because of the camera. And yes, I also agree not worth upgrading if you have the 14.

As for lighting condition, ANY camera won't give good result in less than ideal situations. Less noise and more dynamic range on bigger sensor? Yes! But you have to ask yourself how many photos do you want to keep when shooting directly against the sun, in pitch black situations or simply having your subject in the shadow. Those are just bad and fundamental wrong with any camera. Learn to take photos correctly so you can produce good result with what you have.

 

[redbeard331]

If you are buying the 15promax because of the 5x zoom, you fall into the marketing trap from Apple
I would value the lighter in weight, smaller overall dimension and USB C over the 5x lens

There’s nothing “marketing trap” about a 120mm lens. That’s like saying anyone who buys a 600mm lens for a SLR/DSLR is doing it because they were fooled by “marketing”.

 

[SteveWex]

There’s nothing “marketing trap” about a 120mm lens. That’s like saying anyone who buys a 600mm lens for a SLR/DSLR is doing it because they were fooled by “marketing”.

Well done for joining the "completely missed the point" club!

 

[Jamie0003]

These topics are getting so boring. You’re underwhelmed because your previous phone is only a year old. Try waiting 2-3, maybe 4-5 years if you want a big jump. Technology can only move so fast and we are hugely spoiled in that regard…

Also if you truly want an amazing experience taking photos get yourself a mirrorless camera. iPhones can’t beat physics

 

[mushy peas]

As for lighting condition, ANY camera won't give good result in less than ideal situations. Less noise and more dynamic range on bigger sensor? Yes! But you have to ask yourself how many photos do you want to keep when shooting directly against the sun, in pitch black situations or simply having your subject in the shadow. Those are just bad and fundamental wrong with any camera.

Maybe it's just because most of my paid stuff was event photography, but I come at it from the opposite angle.

Any camera can give you great photos in controlled or otherwise good light. Apple's marketing photos show that clearly.

Where a camera truly shines is what it can do in adverse situations, like when your child is blowing out the candles on a birthday cake in a darkened room, in a dimly lit theatre at a recital, at an evening celebration, such as a wedding or anniversary or birthday. In those situations you need every f stop and every point of usable ISO to make a photo that you (or your client) will love.

That's where I think Apple has gone wrong by focusing on zoom, which is basically just a feature spec point, and ignoring the slow aperture and high noise of the telephoto sensor.

But it does seem like zoom is the new megapixels and will be the focus for a while yet.

Man I would love a larger sensor in an iPhone, even if it came at the expense of zoom.

 

[Unami]

Can't beat physics.

Portrait mode is a glimpse into that "beating physics" thing. It's far from there, but I'm sure there'll come a time when it catches every hair and you'll be able to chose between different bokeh styles/lens characteristics. Same for every other aspect of photography like dynamic range, light sensitivity or focal lengthe. I'm confident that combined multiple sensors and AI will someday beat a "plain" big lens and big sensor. It's like in astronomy - multiple small telescopes at a distance to each other are able to create a "virtual" telescope that's better than one big one.

In photography that will still need at least another 7-10 years, though.

 

[redbeard331]

Well done for joining the "completely missed the point" club!

What “point” was that?

 

[MathersMahmood]

Buy a Samsung. Their zooms are far superior. I also noticed a quality drop from the 5x when compared to my Samsung.

One thing i really like is the multiple mini zooms in the 1x. Thats my fave feature.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Unpopular opinion: The 5x zoom on the iPhone Pro Max is only beneficial in ideal lighting conditions and isn't a compelling reason to upgrade from a previous iPhone as the quality is just meh (if not in great light condition).

I sold my 14 PM, and now I regret it. This generation is disappointingly underwhelming. Resale values might take a hit next year since many will opt for used 14 Pros or skip this generation and go straight for the 16 Series.

I strongly disagree with your post. After a week with the 15 Pro Max there is no way I would go back to the 14 Pro.

Like I said about the 15 Pro Max versus 14 Pro in another thread:
1) Mostly the 15 PM feels smoother operationally. Real world the 15 PM feels faster, but I have not tested whether or not it is objectively faster.
2) I went from 14P to 15 PM and again, the 15 PM feels good in hand. It does not feel bigger/clunkier even though it provides hella more display real estate.
3) Sound is clearly superior.
4) The action button is a huge improvement in UI for me. I have it set for the camera, and it rocks.
5) Photo capture is quicker and easier. I do not know how much of this is the larger display coming from a 14 or how much is due to iOS 17, but the 15 PM presents clear improvement to me. I constantly capture images for work purposes and for personal so any improvement is a big deal.
6) The display seems improved. That might just be because of my perception coming from the 14P to the larger display of the 15 PM, but I don't think it is.
7) The image captures from the 15 PM are real-world better in addition to being easier to capture.
8) Battery life of the 15 PM is clearly superior to that of the 14 P in my daily workflow. However battery of the 14 P was fine so the 15 PM is simply more fine.
9) The 15 PM presents as less hot than the 14 P does in my daily workflow. This was a surprise because I expected the 15 to behave similarly to the 14.
10) I like the look and feel of the Natural Titanium alloy exoskeleton and expect it to perform well over time like the Apple Watch Ultra Ti alloy has.
11) Facial ID seems faster and more consistent by a small bit.

There are no doubt other improvements that I simply have not noticed yet. The only negative that I have found is that the synch between the AW Ultra and the 15 PM is misbehaving a bit. Sometimes the AWU does not present an alarm going off that was set on the phone. This never happened on the 14 P, and may be an iOS 17 artifact (the 14 P never had iOS 17 installed).

 

[Pro_the_legend]

If it's lowlight, the iPhone absolutely never uses the telephoto. You can put a tape on it to experiment, but apple knows their telephoto lenses are trash, so in low light they just crop into the main sensor (IF it detects a low light scenario), hence the garbage quality of a digital zoom. This has always been the case ever since the telephoto camera was introduced in the iPhone 7+.

 

[Jackbequickly]

I find the 5X lens OK and is surely better than a zoomed/crop. Any additional magnification demands more light so you have shorter shutter speeds.

 

[Tinkerbellaa22]

These topics are getting so boring. You’re underwhelmed because your previous phone is only a year old. Try waiting 2-3, maybe 4-5 years if you want a big jump. Technology can only move so fast and we are hugely spoiled in that regard…

Also if you truly want an amazing experience taking photos get yourself a mirrorless camera. iPhones can’t beat physics

Couldn't have said it better myself!

I had the 12 Pro Max before upgrading to the 15 Pro this year and it's an wonderful change for me and I'm happy with the camera (the 12PM was rubbish).

 

[EmanuelF]

The f size aperture shows you how much light you sensor can capture. The lower, the better.
Higher pixels (12 to 48) or increasing of zoom affects the f size because of physics.

That's why I'll keep my iPhone 13 Pro until there will be some technical advances in the lenses area, because it has better f than 14 and 15 series and:
- I don't care of number of megapixels (if the f is affected)
- 3x zoom is more useful to me (for people portraits, street photography) while 5x seems more niched (great for wildlife photography etc)

 

[Nekomichi]

Portrait mode is a glimpse into that "beating physics" thing. It's far from there, but I'm sure there'll come a time when it catches every hair and you'll be able to chose between different bokeh styles/lens characteristics. Same for every other aspect of photography like dynamic range, light sensitivity or focal lengthe. I'm confident that combined multiple sensors and AI will someday beat a "plain" big lens and big sensor. It's like in astronomy - multiple small telescopes at a distance to each other are able to create a "virtual" telescope that's better than one big one.

In photography that will still need at least another 7-10 years, though.

Portrait mode isn't so much "beating physics" when it's an artificial effect. It's not quite the same as having an actual wide aperture with natural shallow depth of field.

It would be like saying cropping an image instead of using a telephoto zoom is "beating physics". (which Apple is kinda guilty of this year with their "it's like having 7 pro lenses in 3" claim)

 

[The Game 161]

It's one of the best 5x in low light

Most smartphones 5x struggle in low light. S23 ultra 10x is poor in rough lighting conditions

Only Chinese phones with super telephoto does well in this area

 

[matrix07]

Needs a pic to see what aspect you’re disappointed with it.
Its 5X telephoto on a thin phone at f2.8 with virtually no bulge on the lens at all. Personally I think it’s kind of a miracle.
But f2.8 is also telling you that you need to use it in good light. If you don’t know that, to be quite frank, I don’t think it’s Apple’s fault.

 

[matrix07]

Most smartphones 5x struggle in low light. S23 ultra 10x is poor in rough lighting conditions

S23 10X is like 4 times worse.

 

[jclardy]

The 3x had the same issues, but to me was even less useful because it was usually too close for faraway subjects and too far for close subjects. Now at least I can capture some of those shots with subjects further away.

This right here - for me the 5x has been way more useful so far in the past week than the 77mm was for the past year. In most cases I was better off taking a 1x shot and digitally zooming because a 3x crop isn't that terrible on the main sensor. 5x is a different story, the images are actually materially better.

Yes, it needs a steady hand, especially if you try to use it in low light. But I hate to break it to you - every camera does. My 70-200mm f4 canon lens on a full frame sensor would take blurry photos indoors if you don't have a steady hand.

 

[maerz001]

Can someone please post a 5x of sunset