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iPhone 15 Pro Max - Choice of focal lengths by Apple

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gaul

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iPhone 15 Pro Max - Choice of focal lengths by Apple … once again ..

Why this obsession with WIDE? Ultra-wide .. wide.. then only the rest

Which photographer goes out with these 3 primes:
  • 13mm
  • 24mm
  • 120mm
Unbelievable that nobody explained to Apple the standards of focals …

Gaul
 
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Pretty sure that they have thought about it, and they do understand focal length... :-)

Makes a lot of sense to me, selfies, selfies in landscape, selfies at gig, something different therefore more creative. Serviously though the whole look and feel of phone shots is defined by wide angle, it is photos in small space and large, informal, quick and very easy.

Just because it doesn't fit everybody's view of what they think photography should be doesn't make it wrong. And I find it very liberating to use a phone camera because it doesn't conform to the standard conventions of DSLR.
 
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Andrew564 said:
Pretty sure that they have thought about it, and they do understand focal length... :-)

Makes a lot of sense to me, selfies, selfies in landscape, selfies at gig, something different therefore more creative. Serviously though the whole look and feel of phone shots is defined by wide angle, it is photos in small space and large, informal, quick and very easy.

Just because it doesn't fit everybody's view of what they think photography should be doesn't make it wrong. And I find it very liberating to use a phone camera because it doesn't conform to the standard conventions of DSLR.
Click to expand...
Instead of 13 / 24 / 120mm ... I would prefer a range btw 20 & 120mm (and a medium focal in btw..)
 
Ah! A symmetrical spread of numbers... :-)

People don't use phones like that, I like my phone because it doesn't do that. And to be honest if most photographers here had a phone with the same focal lengths they always used they would take the same photos they always do, compare the IQ and they wouldn't be using the phone either... :-)
 
I do not use an iPhone - I am an android user. My phone crops by default the actual 4:3 photos to fit that super wide screen. So 24mm before cropping is not the same as after it. Also, the WA makes it easier to stabilize the image and let more light in. Like that phone, forgot the brand that had a very fast lens even by FF standards, the catch was that it was 16mm eq.
 
gaul said:
iPhone 15 Pro Max - Choice of focal lengths by Apple … once again ..

Why this obsession with WIDE? Ultra-wide .. wide.. then only the rest

Which photographer goes out with these 3 primes:
  • 13mm
  • 24mm
  • 120mm
Unbelievable that nobody explained to Apple the standards of focals …

Gaul
Click to expand...
there is setting that you can choose 24-28-35 for the main lens. 28 and 35 is cropping from 24
 
valsan said:
gaul said:
iPhone 15 Pro Max - Choice of focal lengths by Apple … once again ..

Why this obsession with WIDE? Ultra-wide .. wide.. then only the rest

Which photographer goes out with these 3 primes:
  • 13mm
  • 24mm
  • 120mm
Unbelievable that nobody explained to Apple the standards of focals …

Gaul
Click to expand...
there is setting that you can choose 24-28-35 for the main lens. 28 and 35 is cropping from 24
Click to expand...
Yes...

Still, a huge gap from the "main" camera to this "telescope" at 120mm
 
gaul said:
iPhone 15 Pro Max - Choice of focal lengths by Apple … once again ..

Why this obsession with WIDE? Ultra-wide .. wide.. then only the rest

Which photographer goes out with these 3 primes:
  • 13mm
  • 24mm
  • 120mm
Unbelievable that nobody explained to Apple the standards of focals …

Gaul
Click to expand...
There's some logic. The 24mm camera uses a quad-bayer sensor, so they will crop until 50mm from the unbinned output. Doing correctly the quality can be very good (of course, ignoring lens distortion).

The only one that is using a "sane" combination of focal lengths is ZET/Nubia with 16mm+35mm+90mm.
 
Panino Manino said:
gaul said:
iPhone 15 Pro Max - Choice of focal lengths by Apple … once again ..

Why this obsession with WIDE? Ultra-wide .. wide.. then only the rest

Which photographer goes out with these 3 primes:
  • 13mm
  • 24mm
  • 120mm
Unbelievable that nobody explained to Apple the standards of focals …

Gaul
Click to expand...
There's some logic. The 24mm camera uses a quad-bayer sensor, so they will crop until 50mm from the unbinned output. Doing correctly the quality can be very good (of course, ignoring lens distortion).

The only one that is using a "sane" combination of focal lengths is ZET/Nubia with 16mm+35mm+90mm.
Click to expand...
Yes, this ZET/Nubia with 16mm+35mm+90mm is a sane combination

Thx for pointing out

Gaul
 
gaul said:
iPhone 15 Pro Max - Choice of focal lengths by Apple … once again ..

Why this obsession with WIDE? Ultra-wide .. wide.. then only the rest

Which photographer goes out with these 3 primes:
  • 13mm
  • 24mm
  • 120mm
Unbelievable that nobody explained to Apple the standards of focals …

Gaul
Click to expand...
they need fast lenses for good performance.

fast means big sensor, big sensor means smaller cropfactor, means longer actual FL.

Theres no space for a fast longer lens. Hence the new 120mm equiv is f30 equivalent...
 
gaul said:
Still, a huge gap from the "main" camera to this "telescope" at 120mm.
Click to expand...
Here’s a representation of the difference between the previous “telephoto” camera (77mm) and the new one (120mm):

c383b77a8be74ee685f190df0dd3d98f.jpg

Significant? You can decide for yourself.
 
I would have loved a 45-55mm type of focal range too for the image perspective it gives, not for the fact that is narrower than 24mm or that it brings the subject closer. For my street photography needs that is excellent and not being a digital crop on anything would be have been great in terms of detail

However, I think the great majority people don't find that focal length useful at all neither they need a compression of perspective from foreground to background a real 50mm would give (after all it is quite neutral, so may seem unimpressive), they either want a wide like 24mm either a tele 90-120mm. I tend to ignore the ultrawide lenses in general as I do not like that look or the distortion in brings, but in smartphones usually they will be used for macro which is a good thing to have.
 
In my humble opinion, they messed up big time for my use. But it seems like they saved me some money this year. I had planned to upgrade my 13pro this year, but not now. I knew that I was not going to be too happy with the 24mm equivalent main camera, much preferring the 26mm equivalent of my 13 pro. But the real killer is that I love the 77mm equivalent tele lens of the 13 pro and it is my most used lens, so would not want to loose this native focal length and have to digitally zoom every time to get it. I would love to have more telephoto, but was hoping for an actual optical zoom to get it. For my money, they could leave the ultra wide off completely or use it for another telephoto option. I never use the ultra wide - ever.

Oh well, now I can take the stash I put up for my new iphone on some other photography related toy. So guess Apple didn't save me anything anyway. :-(
 
Agreed, except for the aperture thing. I only consider aperture being used for control of the exposure, or lightness as some suggest, of my photos. In that respect, 2.8 is 2.8 regardless of sensor size. I do realize the dof part and that it would require a much smaller aperture opening on a FF sensor camera lens with the same equivalent focal length to achieve the same dof as the phone camera. But I view that as another advantage of the phone camera's small sensor as I personally will always choose whatever aperture I can to provide the largest dof possible. I do not like shallow dof photos. But that's a personal thing and I don't expect anyone else to see it that way, I don't care how shallow the dof is in their photos.
 
Bob A L said:
Agreed, except for the aperture thing. I only consider aperture being used for control of the exposure, or lightness as some suggest, of my photos. In that respect, 2.8 is 2.8 regardless of sensor size.
Click to expand...
But f/2.8 is not because f changes with sensor size (they do not even quote the actual FL, which is around 16.4mm). With phones, which have an electronic shutter and you cannot control the SS anyway, knowing the exposure is absolutely useless.
 
J A C S said:
Bob A L said:
Agreed, except for the aperture thing. I only consider aperture being used for control of the exposure, or lightness as some suggest, of my photos. In that respect, 2.8 is 2.8 regardless of sensor size.
Click to expand...
But f/2.8 is not because f changes with sensor size (they do not even quote the actual FL, which is around 16.4mm). With phones, which have an electronic shutter and you cannot control the SS anyway, knowing the exposure is absolutely useless.
Click to expand...
The f number (2.8 in this case) designates the physical size of the aperture opening and is based on focal length of the lens. It has nothing to do with sensor size. In the case of Apple i-phone 13 pro, the 77mm equivalent telephoto lens is 9mm focal length with a f2.8 aperture opening. This information is available in the exif of any photo from the 13 pro.
 
Bob A L said:
J A C S said:
Bob A L said:
Agreed, except for the aperture thing. I only consider aperture being used for control of the exposure, or lightness as some suggest, of my photos. In that respect, 2.8 is 2.8 regardless of sensor size.
Click to expand...
But f/2.8 is not because f changes with sensor size (they do not even quote the actual FL, which is around 16.4mm). With phones, which have an electronic shutter and you cannot control the SS anyway, knowing the exposure is absolutely useless.
Click to expand...
The f number (2.8 in this case) designates the physical size of the aperture opening
Click to expand...
It does not. The physical size in this case is about 5.5mm. It is well hidden in the specs.
Bob A L said:
and is based on focal length of the lens. It has nothing to do with sensor size. In the case of Apple i-phone 13 pro, the 77mm equivalent telephoto lens is 9mm focal length with a f2.8 aperture opening. This information is available in the exif of any photo from the 13 pro.
Click to expand...
That 77mm eq. was computed with sensor size in mind, like it or not. F2.8 by itself is a meaningless number without the actual FL, which Apple hides. To compute it from the equivalent one (they even "forget" to call it equivalent), you need the sensor size, or the crop factor. Fun fact.

Copy and paste from Apple:

12MP 5x Telephoto: 120 mm, ƒ/2.8 aperture

This 120mm is a shameless lie.
 
Last edited:
Bob A L said:
But the real killer is that I love the 77mm equivalent tele lens of the 13 pro and it is my most used lens, so would not want to loose this native focal length and have to digitally zoom every time to get it.
Click to expand...
Yeah I guess the rumors which said it will take/buy the actual 85-125mm lens zoom system from Sony Xperia 1 IV weren't true.

Sony Xperia 1 IV had a 1/3.5" sensor for that zoom lens just like Iphone 13/14 Pro Max on the 77mm lens.

That being said I can't believe a 1/3.5" sensor can be that great and I would probably want nothing less than 1/2.55"
 
J A C S said:
Bob A L said:
J A C S said:
Bob A L said:
Agreed, except for the aperture thing. I only consider aperture being used for control of the exposure, or lightness as some suggest, of my photos. In that respect, 2.8 is 2.8 regardless of sensor size.
Click to expand...
But f/2.8 is not because f changes with sensor size (they do not even quote the actual FL, which is around 16.4mm). With phones, which have an electronic shutter and you cannot control the SS anyway, knowing the exposure is absolutely useless.
Click to expand...
The f number (2.8 in this case) designates the physical size of the aperture opening
Click to expand...
It does not. The physical size in this case is about 5.5mm. It is well hidden in the specs.
J A C S said:
and is based on focal length of the lens. It has nothing to do with sensor size. In the case of Apple i-phone 13 pro, the 77mm equivalent telephoto lens is 9mm focal length with a f2.8 aperture opening. This information is available in the exif of any photo from the 13 pro.
Click to expand...
That 77mm eq. was computed with sensor size in mind, like it or not. F2.8 by itself is a meaningless number without the actual FL, which Apple hides. To compute it from the equivalent one (they even "forget" to call it equivalent), you need the sensor size, or the crop factor. Fun fact.

Copy and paste from Apple:

12MP 5x Telephoto: 120 mm, ƒ/2.8 aperture

This 120mm is a shameless lie.
Click to expand...
specs for iphone 13 pro

In the case of Apple i-phone 13 pro, the 77mm equivalent telephoto lens is 9mm focal length with a f2.8 aperture opening. This information is available in the exif of any photo from the 13 pro.
 
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