iPhone 15 Pro Why no love and excitement for 24 and 48 megapixels?

[purdnost]

Apple's iPhone 15 and 15 Pro: Imaging tech examined

This year’s iPhone 15 camera story seems to be about megapixels - 48MP across the board - but it’s also as much about how Apple combines hardware with software to make photos that appeal to photographers and non-photographers alike.

www.dpreview.com

A really good article from DP Review definitely helped clarify things for me.

I’m still confused. 24 MP > 48 MP? For just HEIF or HEIF and RAW? Should I be shooting in 24 MP HEIF for best results as the article suggests? 🫤

 

[ctjack]

I’m still confused. 24 MP > 48 MP? For just HEIF or HEIF and RAW? Should I be shooting in 24 MP HEIF for best results as the article suggests? 🫤

For best results shoot 48MP Raw then edit it to JPG. Second best, 48MP Heif. 3rd best is 24MP Heif.
Caveat: 24MP HEIF has more computational photography going behind(like stacking multiple pics into 1, HDR merge and etc) versus 48MP, so it might end up having better results for any given situation where AI is better than human being.

 

[Rnd-chars]

I’m still confused. 24 MP > 48 MP?

In cases where there is lower light or higher dynamic range, your iPhone may create a higher quality 24MP image than 48MP. However, in well lit scenes or those with less dynamic range, 48MP will have more detail.

 

[fatTribble]

For best results shoot 48MP Raw then edit it to JPG. Second best, 48MP Heif. 3rd best is 24MP Heif.
Caveat: 24MP HEIF has more computational photography going behind(like stacking multiple pics into 1, HDR merge and etc) versus 48MP, so it might end up having better results for any given situation where AI is better than human being.

What you’re saying makes complete sense. It’s rare for me to go for an amazing shot. I love the Live Photos because I’ve caught so many wonderful moments in just those 3 seconds. So when I found out the new default Live Photo is now 24 megapixels I was really excited. I definitely understand Live Photos wouldn’t be a photographer’s choice. I’ll probably use the 48MP HEIF now and then. I’ve never edited raw but I might check it out. I appreciate the info!

 

[ctjack]

What you’re saying makes complete sense. It’s rare for me to go for an amazing shot. I love the Live Photos because I’ve caught so many wonderful moments in just those 3 seconds. So when I found out the new default Live Photo is now 24 megapixels I was really excited. I definitely understand Live Photos wouldn’t be a photographer’s choice. I’ll probably use the 48MP HEIF now and then. I’ve never edited raw but I might check it out. I appreciate the info!

In fact some people say live photos are the best as far as photography goes(to catch emotions of that moment ). If i had 15pm, i would solely run with live 24mp and occasionally raw for static items.
If i were you, i would stick to Live Photos because of those wonderful moments.

 

[zach-coleman]

Live Photos are absolutely the killer. I would take them over extra quality any day. And due to the size of the sensor I’m not sure 48MP would add a meaningful amount of extra clarity over 24MP in most conditions anyways. I’ve taken some 48MP raw images to toy around with in Lightroom and while impressive I don’t find them to be notably clearer than a 24 HEIC.

Excited to have usable Live Photo wallpapers, since the ones taken on a 13P almost never turned out looking high enough quality to be a wallpaper.

 

[AppleHater]

Live photos are one of those that I didn’t expect much when I took the shot, but got me some awesome ones when I saw them later by accident.

 

[drugdoubles]

I agree default 24MP is a big upgrade with heic smaller file size while they use a 48mp shot in the AI calculation too.

The 24MP heic file size should around 3mb which is pretty good.

 

[purdnost]

For best results shoot 48MP Raw then edit it to JPG. Second best, 48MP Heif. 3rd best is 24MP Heif.
Caveat: 24MP HEIF has more computational photography going behind(like stacking multiple pics into 1, HDR merge and etc) versus 48MP, so it might end up having better results for any given situation where AI is better than human being.

Thank you for simplifying that for me. To sum it up, opt for 24MP if you're a casual user, go for 48MP if you plan to print large photos or do extensive cropping, and consider shooting in RAW if you intend to use professional post-processing tools.

 

[purdnost]

Live Photos truly stand out as a game-changer for me. I'd pick them over higher resolution any day. Considering the sensor size, I'm not convinced that going from 24MP to 48MP would significantly improve clarity in most scenarios. I've experimented with 48MP raw images in Lightroom, and while they're impressive, they don't seem notably sharper than a 24MP HEIC.

I'm thrilled about having usable Live Photo wallpapers, especially since the ones I captured on my 13P didn't quite meet the quality threshold for wallpaper use.

I used to have Live Photos disabled for as long as I can recall, thinking it was just a gimmick with no real value. However, today, when I was taking photos of my nephew during his birthday celebration and missed that fleeting moment when he smiled with his teeth, I realized I had been mistaken. It made me reconsider my stance on Live Photos. It's fascinating how the distinction between HEIF and RAW formats continues to blur.

Live Photos are absolutely the killer. I would take them over extra quality any day. And due to the size of the sensor I’m not sure 48MP would add a meaningful amount of extra clarity over 24MP in most conditions anyways. I’ve taken some 48MP raw images to toy around with in Lightroom and while impressive I don’t find them to be notably clearer than a 24 HEIC.

Excited to have usable Live Photo wallpapers, since the ones taken on a 13P almost never turned out looking high enough quality to be a wallpaper.

For best results shoot 48MP Raw then edit it to JPG. Second best, 48MP Heif. 3rd best is 24MP Heif.
Caveat: 24MP HEIF has more computational photography going behind(like stacking multiple pics into 1, HDR merge and etc) versus 48MP, so it might end up having better results for any given situation where AI is better than human being.

I have had Live Photos disabled for as long as I can recall, thinking it was just a gimmick with no real value. However, today, I was taking photos of my nephew during his birthday celebration and missed that fleeting moment when he smiled with his teeth. While reading your post, I realized Live Photos would have saved captured that moment the way I wanted. It’s made me reconsider my stance on Live Photos. There is no degradation in quality? It's fascinating how the distinction between HEIF and RAW formats continues to blur.

 

[jm31828]

Totally agree!! As soon as the embargoes lifted I was searching for camera comparisons/reviews and was left short handed (especially for the regular 15). I love this camera.

Did you get the regular 15, or the Pro?
I've been trying to find good info on how much "worse" the regular 15 camera is compared to the 15 Pro, and haven't been able to find much.

 

[zach-coleman]

I have had Live Photos disabled for as long as I can recall, thinking it was just a gimmick with no real value. However, today, I was taking photos of my nephew during his birthday celebration and missed that fleeting moment when he smiled with his teeth. While reading your post, I realized Live Photos would have saved captured that moment the way I wanted. It’s made me reconsider my stance on Live Photos. There is no degradation in quality? It's fascinating how the distinction between HEIF and RAW formats continues to blur.

Switching the “key photo” incurs a (reversible) degradation of quality, but having the feature on does not. There have been cases where I’ve found the degradation of quality worth it though. I mostly enjoy them as a fleeting animated window into the moment, like when I took a picture of a horse 2 days ago and I can watch it slowly approaching me in the Live Photo.

 

[fatTribble]

I have had Live Photos disabled for as long as I can recall, thinking it was just a gimmick with no real value. However, today, I was taking photos of my nephew during his birthday celebration and missed that fleeting moment when he smiled with his teeth. While reading your post, I realized Live Photos would have saved captured that moment the way I wanted. It’s made me reconsider my stance on Live Photos. There is no degradation in quality? It's fascinating how the distinction between HEIF and RAW formats continues to blur.

I’ve tried to convince a few family members of this who believe Live Photos are a sceme by Apple to use more storage. It’s not just the photograph. They miss out on capturing early words spoken by their babies. They miss the music going on in the room or the sound of laughter from nearby friends.

If you take several Live Photos one after another IOS will let you create a video from them. It’s another really nice feature.

When a group of people pose for their picture, I start taking pictures long before they're ready. You capture all the silliness of them deciding how to line up together. Those are often the best shots.

There is no loss of quality over a non-live photo.
I can’t say enough good things about Live Photos!

 

[fatTribble]

Switching the “key photo” incurs a (reversible) degradation of quality, but having the feature on does not. There have been cases where I’ve found the degradation of quality worth it though. I mostly enjoy them as a fleeting animated window into the moment, like when I took a picture of a horse 2 days ago and I can watch it slowly approaching me in the Live Photo.

Good point. The other frames are not as high quality as the main, but like you said, it’s often worth it. If the person blinks in the main frame you can fix it by selecting another frame.

 

[drugdoubles]

I’ve tried to convince a few family members of this who believe Live Photos are a sceme by Apple to use more storage. It’s not just the photograph. They miss out on capturing early words spoken by their babies. They miss the music going on in the room or the sound of laughter from nearby friends.

If you take several Live Photos one after another IOS will let you create a video from them. It’s another really nice feature.

When a group of people pose for their picture, I start taking pictures long before they're ready. You capture all the silliness of them deciding how to line up together. Those are often the best shots.

There is no loss of quality over a non-live photo.
I can’t say enough good things about Live Photos!

Not just double storage usage, it will also keep recording video while you open the camera app to make the live video, which burns battery for sure, faster battery death means people need to at least exchange battery through Apple Store or buy a new iPhone.

 

[fatTribble]

I have had Live Photos disabled for as long as I can recall, thinking it was just a gimmick with no real value. However, today, I was taking photos of my nephew during his birthday celebration and missed that fleeting moment when he smiled with his teeth. While reading your post, I realized Live Photos would have saved captured that moment the way I wanted. It’s made me reconsider my stance on Live Photos. There is no degradation in quality? It's fascinating how the distinction between HEIF and RAW formats continues to blur.

Just a tip if you try Live Photos:
Remember they record 1.5 seconds on either side of your button press. So hold the camera steady for a moment after you take the picture. It’s easy to think you’re done so you move to put your iPhone away while it‘s still recording.

 

[fatTribble]

Not just double storage usage, it will also keep recording video while you open the camera app to make the live video, which burns battery for sure, faster battery death means people need to at least exchange battery through Apple Store or buy a new iPhone.

That has not been my experience. I shoot only Live Photos and have never experienced a battery issue of any kind. But I do have thousands of Live Photos I’ll enjoy for many years.

 

[zach-coleman]

Not just double storage usage, it will also keep recording video while you open the camera app to make the live video, which burns battery for sure, faster battery death means people need to at least exchange battery through Apple Store or buy a new iPhone.

It’s capturing constantly Live Photo or not because it’s used for the HDR process, which requires multiple frames. You are just choosing if you keep it or not.

Regardless, how often do you have your camera app open? Hours a day?

 

[fatTribble]

It’s capturing constantly Live Photo or not because it’s used for the HDR process, which requires multiple frames. You are just choosing if you keep it or not.

Regardless, how often do you have your camera app open? Hours a day?

Exactly! If battery life is that concerning you’d be better off slightly dimming your screen.
It’s just not an issue.

 

[mjpearce023]

What you’re saying makes complete sense. It’s rare for me to go for an amazing shot. I love the Live Photos because I’ve caught so many wonderful moments in just those 3 seconds. So when I found out the new default Live Photo is now 24 megapixels I was really excited. I definitely understand Live Photos wouldn’t be a photographer’s choice. I’ll probably use the 48MP HEIF now and then. I’ve never edited raw but I might check it out. I appreciate the info!

Yeah I got a Live Photo of my 5 month old in a swing this weekend and was shocked at the clarity of it. He was moving back and forth but it ended up with a completely clear picture. You could even see his 2 little bottom teeth coming in. I then switched it to a portrait and it looked even better. Really happy with these camera upgrades coming from a 13pro.

 

[fatTribble]

Yeah I got a Live Photo of my 5 month old in a swing this weekend and was shocked at the clarity of it. He was moving back and forth but it ended up with a completely clear picture. You could even see his 2 little bottom teeth coming in. I then switched it to a portrait and it looked even better. Really happy with these camera upgrades coming from a 13pro.

Once Live Photos came out I found myself trying new things to photograph.
I no longer viewed motion as the enemy that created blur.
I started to embrace any movement in the image as enriching the Live Photo.

Glad you’re getting great results with the camera upgrades!

 

[primarycolors]

Did you get the regular 15, or the Pro?
I've been trying to find good info on how much "worse" the regular 15 camera is compared to the 15 Pro, and haven't been able to find much.

I'm also curious about that. I "side-graded" from a 14 Pro to a regular 15.

Thus far I am much happier with the photo processing. They remind me a lot of iPhone XS/XR era photos.
It seems they've struck a balance between auto-sharpening and natural noise. The HDR is much more true-to-life and white balance correction is less aggressive.

Something else I haven't heard anyone talk about, is that Portrait mode no longer has a maximum distance. Gone is the "place subject within 8 feet" warning, I can take photos of landscapes or distant objects and it blurs the background just the same.

 

[zach-coleman]

Thus far I am much happier with the photo processing. They remind me a lot of iPhone XS/XR era photos.
It seems they've struck a balance between auto-sharpening and natural noise. The HDR is much more true-to-life and white balance correction is less aggressive.

The only review I saw mentioning that the photo processing on the 15 series was less extreme was a Chinese review. Really makes me wonder about the reviewers in the US.

I am also much happier with it than my 13P. The photos look more true to life, with much more added detail. I know the 14 series is where the processing got really out of control and the 13 was still relatively in line, though.

 

[jm31828]

I'm also curious about that. I "side-graded" from a 14 Pro to a regular 15.

Thus far I am much happier with the photo processing. They remind me a lot of iPhone XS/XR era photos.
It seems they've struck a balance between auto-sharpening and natural noise. The HDR is much more true-to-life and white balance correction is less aggressive.

Something else I haven't heard anyone talk about, is that Portrait mode no longer has a maximum distance. Gone is the "place subject within 8 feet" warning, I can take photos of landscapes or distant objects and it blurs the background just the same.

That's great to hear!!
I have a 13 Mini, and was torn on which 15 to get- I really want to use it for photography on hikes when I am not wanting to bring my big camera, but don't want to spend money on the pro (and don't care about the 3x lens). What you said really helps in that decision- it sounds like the regular 15 is great- and added bonus with the 2x that's available!

 

[jm31828]

The only review I saw mentioning that the photo processing on the 15 series was less extreme was a Chinese review. Really makes me wonder about the reviewers in the US.

I am also much happier with it than my 13P. The photos look more true to life, with much more added detail. I know the 14 series is where the processing got really out of control and the 13 was still relatively in line, though.

Do you have a 15 Pro, or regular 15?