iPhone 14 Pro camera?

snerkler

Suspended / Banned
Messages
26,078
Name
Toby
Edit My Images
No
Has anyone upgraded from an iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 13 to a 14 Pro and seen a noticeable increase in IQ from the larger sensor on the main camera, whether that be from the 12mp pixel binned image or full 48mp raw file?
 
Has anyone upgraded from an iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 13 to a 14 Pro and seen a noticeable increase in IQ from the larger sensor on the main camera, whether that be from the 12mp pixel binned image or full 48mp raw file?

Toby, I'm at the moment still using my "iPhone 12 Pro Max" as I'm waiting to be able to get an "iPhone 14 Pro Max" by just stopping by an Apple store.

However my wife pre-ordered a "14 Pro Max" and has had it for a little while now and I have given the cameras a couple of work outs. The Ultra Wide and the Tele cameras are quite a bit better than my 12 Pro Max but the main 24mm camera is on the next level, its absolutely outstanding at 48mp and will be a game changer for me when I get mine allowing plenty of image quality for considerable cropping and it is still extremely good when used at 48mm (12mp), In both cases its far better than my 12 Pro Max main 26mm camera. Apparently the Tele camera is the same as the 13 Pro Max with improved stabilisation and the Ultra Wide has been improved considerably.
 
Toby, I'm at the moment still using my "iPhone 12 Pro Max" as I'm waiting to be able to get an "iPhone 14 Pro Max" by just stopping by an Apple store.

However my wife pre-ordered a "14 Pro Max" and has had it for a little while now and I have given the cameras a couple of work outs. The Ultra Wide and the Tele cameras are quite a bit better than my 12 Pro Max but the main 24mm camera is on the next level, its absolutely outstanding at 48mp and will be a game changer for me when I get mine allowing plenty of image quality for considerable cropping and it is still extremely good when used at 48mm (12mp), In both cases its far better than my 12 Pro Max main 26mm camera. Apparently the Tele camera is the same as the 13 Pro Max with improved stabilisation and the Ultra Wide has been improved considerably.
Thanks George, appreciate the feedback. I currently have the 13 mini and whilst I much prefer the form factor I do find the cameras lacking and miss the tele I had on my 12 pro.

It’s a question of whether I sacrifice form factor for the camera.
 
Out of every phone on the market is there a clear leader when it comes to IQ?
I’ve no idea, but I’m in the Apple ecosystem so I don’t look at other phones (y)
 
Last edited:
When I finally get back over to the states early next year, I’ll be upgrading my Xs I think. Still happy with it but.. very slight itch. Just because
 
Me too re iMac iPad iPhone but The phone is one platform I could change , respect your choice though
I can't really as I have the apple watch too and it needs the iphone to run it, but I've got no urge to change to anything else as they're all much of a muchness to me (y)
 
I can't really as I have the apple watch too and it needs the iphone to run it, but I've got no urge to change to anything else as they're all much of a muchness to me (y)
Good point and after all our main cameras are the most important
 
Well I've found some sample proRAW from the iphone 14 and I've edited them and compared them to the SOOC jpegs and there's a big difference. Whether the proRAW is a step above the proRAW from the 12 and 13 pro I don't know (although George says it is compared to the 12) I don't have the option for proRAW on my 13 mini so I'll likely see quite an improvement. Just a case now whether I can put up with the bigger form factor :thinking: Proper first world problem :lol:

Not sure whether it shows on here or not but here's 1;1 crops of the samples

Screenshot 2022-10-17 at 09.12.57 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr
Screenshot 2022-10-17 at 09.13.06 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

Screenshot 2022-10-17 at 09.13.17 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr

Screenshot 2022-10-17 at 09.13.25 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr
 
I take it you didn't see post # 6? :p

No I didn't. I saw the vid yesterday though and posted it in the Sony thread.

I do continue to be amazed that people interested in photography use smartphones instead of cameras and that vid is IMO a wake up call for anyone who cares about image quality. People who'd never consider MFT seem to use smartphones so there must be some appeal. I suppose the appeal is that most people have a phone with them and there is the connectivity angle to consider but balanced against that is the image quality and the complete lack or ergonomics, oh, and the price of them too.
 
Last edited:
Out of every phone on the market is there a clear leader when it comes to IQ?
I'd say the iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max or the Google Pixel 6 or 7 (not 6a) are the best mainstream phones for image quality. They have the largest physical sensors and best processing algorithms. There are some Sony or Chinese phones with 1" sensors but they're hard to get hold of and / or have weird Android implementations.

No phone is a match for a proper camera, but there have been massive strides in phone IQ over the past couple of years, it really is amazing what you can get out of a decent phone camera these days
 
No I didn't. I saw the vid yesterday though and posted it in the Sony thread.

I do continue to be amazed that people interested in photography use smartphones instead of cameras and that vid is IMO a wake up call for anyone who cares about image quality. People who'd never consider MFT seem to use smartphones so there must be some appeal. I suppose the appeal is that most people have a phone with them and there is the connectivity angle to consider but balanced against that is the image quality and the complete lack or ergonomics, oh, and the price of them too.
I'm not sure that any enthusiast does tbh, but there are the odd times you get caught short so to speak and if you have something on you that can take a photo of half decent quality it's better than nothing. At the moment I've not taken a picture with my 13 mini that is worth keeping,

In an ideal world I'd have a 14 pro to try up against my 13 mini, and even my Olympus as that's a camera I've only used when out on dog walks and in good conditions.
 
No I didn't. I saw the vid yesterday though and posted it in the Sony thread.

I do continue to be amazed that people interested in photography use smartphones instead of cameras and that vid is IMO a wake up call for anyone who cares about image quality. People who'd never consider MFT seem to use smartphones so there must be some appeal. I suppose the appeal is that most people have a phone with them and there is the connectivity angle to consider but balanced against that is the image quality and the complete lack or ergonomics, oh, and the price of them too.
I'm interested in photography and I use my phone lots. It's always with me, slips into my pocket and I can get a photo at the touch of a button in seconds. I have 13mm, 26mm and 52mm lenses, Lightroom built in. I can shoot Raw if I want to. It's waterproof in 2 metres of water for 30 minutes, so I can take it to places I'd never dream of taking a real camera. I've happily shot entire trips away on a phone where bringing a dedicated camera just isn't practical. I'm not going to take my Fuji X-T4 on a night out or to a restaurant with me, but I will have my phone with me. There are many things a phone can't do but, as the saying goes, the best camera is the one you have with you. Surely photography is about creating the image, rather than the gear used to create it? A good image is a good image no matter what it's been taken with. As said above, camera quality is where the biggest strides have been made with phone technology recently, and for casual use a good modern smartphone camera is more than good enough.

Is this a bad photo because it was taken on a phone?

PXL_20221002_100918957.jpg
 
Last edited:
I'd say the iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max or the Google Pixel 6 or 7 (not 6a) are the best mainstream phones for image quality. They have the largest physical sensors and best processing algorithms. There are some Sony or Chinese phones with 1" sensors but they're hard to get hold of and / or have weird Android implementations.

No phone is a match for a proper camera, but there have been massive strides in phone IQ over the past couple of years, it really is amazing what you can get out of a decent phone camera these days
I'd add the Samsung S22 Ultra into that mix.

I also think that, in certain situations (esp. low light and needing to take a photo on the fly) the very best 'phones do now trump traditional camera's.
 
I'm interested in photography and I use my phone lots. It's always with me, slips into my pocket and I can get a photo at the touch of a button in seconds. I have 13mm, 26mm and 52mm lenses, Lightroom built in. I can shoot Raw if I want to. It's waterproof in 2 metres of water for 30 minutes, so I can take it to places I'd never dream of taking a real camera. I've happily shot entire trips away on a phone where bringing a dedicated camera just isn't practical. I'm not going to take my Fuji X-T4 on a night out or to a restaurant with me, but I will have my phone with me. There are many things a phone can't do but, as the saying goes, the best camera is the one you have with you. Surely photography is about creating the image, rather than the gear used to create it? A good image is a good image no matter what it's been taken with. As said above, camera quality is where the biggest strides have been made with phone technology recently, and for casual use a good modern smartphone camera is more than good enough.

Is this a bad photo because it was taken on a phone?

View attachment 370482
I completely agree with what you’ve written but in terms of the photo I guess it depends on where you’re coming from. It’s a nice pic and if it’s a moment that means something to you then great, however in terms of image quality it’s not great imo.
 
I completely agree with what you’ve written but in terms of the photo I guess it depends on where you’re coming from. It’s a nice pic and if it’s a moment that means something to you then great, however in terms of image quality it’s not great imo.
In terms of IQ it's nowhere near a dedicated camera but for the lens and sensor sizes involved I think it's amazing how far phone photography has come. I'd say that's highly comparable to the IQ you'll get from an iPhone 14 Pro, as this was taken on a Pixel 6 which has the same sized sensor (1/1.31") and takes 12MP photos binned down from a 48MP sensor
 
In terms of IQ it's nowhere near a dedicated camera but for the lens and sensor sizes involved I think it's amazing how far phone photography has come. I'd say that's highly comparable to the IQ you'll get from an iPhone 14 Pro, as this was taken on a Pixel 6 which has the same sized sensor (1/1.31") and takes 12MP photos binned down from a 48MP sensor
Thanks. It’s also hard to judge on here as TP destroys IQ. Was this shot in raw or jpeg? When I was looking at samples earlier the IQ from the iphone 14 pro raw was MUCH better than the jpegs, Apple’s image processing is shocking imo and has all the artefacts, oversharpening and over baking the clarity that I dislike on phone images of mine.
 
Thanks. It’s also hard to judge on here as TP destroys IQ. Was this shot in raw or jpeg? When I was looking at samples earlier the IQ from the iphone 14 pro raw was MUCH better than the jpegs, Apple’s image processing is shocking imo and has all the artefacts, oversharpening and over baking the clarity that I dislike on phone images of mine.
It was shot as a jpeg and it's lightly edited in LR but really nothing major. I know I don't add any sharpening as, along with most phones, Google add more than enough to their jpegs anyway. Android doesn't really have the equivalent of ProRaw, it's not as tightly integrated and you miss out on a lot of the computational stuff by shooting Raw on Android. The Pixel still outputs a 12MP file anyway, even in Raw mode so there's not as much point as doing it on the iPhone 14 Pro.

I think phone processing algorithms are tuned to make the images look good on a phone screen, under 7". There's been loads of times I've thought a photo was great on my phone but it looks horrible on a full size monitor, or even an iPad. There is only so much that can be done with a sensor smaller than your fingernail and a lens that's about 3mm long I suppose
 
New 'development', I've discovered the Halide 2 app which allows me to capture raw files from my iPhone 13 mini and the results are night and day different to the SOOC jpegs that the iphone creates, gone is all the smudginess, oversharpening and just general (imo) horrible rendering. It also allows me to shoot macro.

I'm going to see how I get on with this now before upgrading to the 14 pro as I do very much prefer the from factor of the mini. Obviously I'm missing out on the 48mp, and the tele lenses but as it's only for very occasional use it should be OK
 
Deleted.
 
Last edited:
New 'development', I've discovered the Halide 2 app which allows me to capture raw files from my iPhone 13 mini and the results are night and day different to the SOOC jpegs that the iphone creates, gone is all the smudginess, oversharpening and just general (imo) horrible rendering. It also allows me to shoot macro.

I'm going to see how I get on with this now before upgrading to the 14 pro as I do very much prefer the from factor of the mini. Obviously I'm missing out on the 48mp, and the tele lenses but as it's only for very occasional use it should be OK
Thanks Toby. That App has my attention.
 
Toby, had you considered looking at the "ProCamera" app? It'll do everything Halide 2 will do and more. When I'm snapping with my iPhone its my go to app.
 
Toby, had you considered looking at the "ProCamera" app? It'll do everything Halide 2 will do and more. When I'm snapping with my iPhone its my go to app.
It’s on my to do list to look if it has a free trial (y)
 
Toby, had you considered looking at the "ProCamera" app? It'll do everything Halide 2 will do and more. When I'm snapping with my iPhone it’s my go to app.
Just had a quick and it doesn’t appear to have a macro mode? I’m not sure how it works but Halide 2 allows you to shoot ‘macro’ which is handy.
 
Just had a quick and it doesn’t appear to have a macro mode? I’m not sure how it works but Halide 2 allows you to shoot ‘macro’ which is handy.

No it doesn't have a macro mode but by all accounts the one in Halide 2 is nothing to write home about.
 
No it doesn't have a macro mode but by all accounts the one in Halide 2 is nothing to write home about.
It’s not, but it does allow you to take close ups which is something I’ve always found lacking with the iphone, especially the mini which doesn’t have the 2x tele to get in a bit closer.

Halide’s bloomin’ expensive though :eek:
 
It’s not, but it does allow you to take close ups which is something I’ve always found lacking with the iphone, especially the mini which doesn’t have the 2x tele to get in a bit closer.

Halide’s bloomin’ expensive though :eek:

Just out of interest to you, "Camera+" does have a close up mode which I use from time to time. Might be worth you having a look.
 
Just out of interest to you, "Camera+" does have a close up mode which I use from time to time. Might be worth you having a look.
Thanks, I'll check it out.

Still can't decide whether to upgrade or stick with the mini though :facepalm: :LOL:
 
Quick comparison, iphone 13 mini processed raw vs Sony A9ii with 16-35mm f4 (at f11) processed raw. Whilst it's still clear to see which is which I think the iphone is 'acceptable' for those occasions I don't have my camera with me.


Screenshot 2022-10-18 at 16.17.04 by Toby Gunnee, on Flickr
 
I have settled on a small iPhone (12 Mini) for day-to-day and the occasional snapshot, and Fuji X100v as my compact "carry everywhere" camera - there's a big difference in quality and I feel like I am in control, rather than the software.
 
I have settled on a small iPhone (12 Mini) for day-to-day and the occasional snapshot, and Fuji X100v as my compact "carry everywhere" camera - there's a big difference in quality and I feel like I am in control, rather than the software.
I've been wanting the RX100 VI for some time as my carry everywhere camera but there's no way I'm paying £850 for a 1" sensor compact camera :eek:
 
Thanks, I'll check it out.

Still can't decide whether to upgrade or stick with the mini though :facepalm: :LOL:

Must admit I've been sitting on the fence about upgrading to the "14 Pro Max" as I was hoping that the Tele lens would have been improved and I would like 2tb memory. But if I hang on until the 15 is released and the Tele lens still hasn't been improved the same thing will happen again I'll start hanging on for the 16 etc and so it goes on & on and In the mean time I would have lost quite a bit snapping and time.

But what if they do improve the Tele lens with the 15 ? I then will have a perfectly good & serviceable "12 Pro Max" and "14 Pro Max", and being a very successful ex-business man (all sold now) I still think everything through thoroughly.

At the end of the day though this is not a business deal, its about personal joy & satisfaction which is what I've worked for all of my life. So I'm still going to bite the bullet and get the "14 Pro Max" (or at least that is my decision today). :):)
 
Last edited:
Must admit I've been sitting on the fence about upgrading to the "14 Pro Max" as I was hoping that the Tele lens would have been improved and I would like 2gb memory. But if I hang on until the 15 is released and the Tele lens still hasn't been improved the same thing will happen again I'll start hanging on for the 16 etc and so it goes on & on and In the mean time I would have lost quite a bit snapping and time.

But what if they do improve the Tele lens with the 15 ? I then will have a perfectly good & serviceable "12 Pro Max" and "14 Pro Max", and being a very successful ex-business man (all sold now) I still think everything through thoroughly.

At the end of the day though this is not a business deal, its about personal joy & satisfaction which is what I've worked for all of my life. So I'm still going to bite the bullet and get the "14 Pro Max" (or at least that is my decision today). :):)
I'm on the Apple upgrade program so can swap each year if I choose to. You're right, you can wait forever and a day, my wish is for a Mini Pro with the 3 cameras but as they've dropped the mini altogether I can't see them bringing out a pro version.

The 13 mini was a step backwards from the 12 pro I had before in terms of the camera as I sacrificed the tele camera, and whilst I missed that sometimes the form factor outweighed that. But now with the new camera which has the extra detail in good light, plus the pixel binning you can use to improve low light it's worth me considering.

What has surprised me is how noisy the raws are from the 13 mini even in very good light (those house shots were ISO 100, f11, 1/500 on my Sony) the noise in the sky was shocking. The jpegs showed no noise as you'd expect, but I had to brush in 100 NR in LR to the sky with the raw. That was with default sharpening.

So either Halide is poor at extracting the raw (not unfeasible being as the mini doesn't support raw natively) or iphones have really bad noise without very heavy handed processing. I'd not expect any noticeable noise at base ISO in very good light regardless of the sensor size.
 
Last edited:
I've been wanting the RX100 VI for some time as my carry everywhere camera but there's no way I'm paying £850 for a 1" sensor compact camera :eek:
I too was shocked at the price of decent compacts when looking at a travel camera. I went with a Olympus em-10 mk4 which in body only at least is dwarfed by an iPhone in length and width (just not depth) but obviously a lens can reverse that but also plenty of tiny lenses that make it not much bigger than the tiny Sony compacts.
 
Back
Top