Iphone 15 pro, or pro max?

svein wilhelm kristiansen said:

My iphone 12 promax is dying… often used as my everyday camera in Raw-mode. Think it was an alright camera for everyday use, to be honest. The main sensor on the 14/15 pro models are much larger (7,3x9,7 mm) than the 12 pros and obviously collecting much more light, just wishing they were 26 mm instead of 24mm (equivalent) and software is better.., and so on. The promax has a small-sensor camera at equivalent 120mm, the pro at 75mm. The promax is obviously cropping in from 24 mm (main sensor cam) on every other focal length until 120 mm kicking in. The benefit of having an alright 75mm portrait camera is lost. And the other sensors are “microscopic”. Any thoughts of buying the pro max instead of the pro? (Ok, I do have lots of “real” camera gear, not always with me as getting older and weaker..)

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I was thinking about this yesterday - I have the Pro max and would probably have gone with a smaller phone if I had to do it over.

Didn't notice as much during the winter when the phone went in the pocket of a heavy jacket but now I find I'm carrying it and get tempted to just leave it at home - which kind of defeats the purpose.

Also have a Fujifilm X100 series camera for a lightweight carry around camera.

If you believe that the “best camera you own is the one that you have with you” then, frankly the camera spec differences between the Pro/Pro Max probably aren’t that important.

i like the Pro Max because of its extra size (its form factor). My advice to you would be to choose between these two cameras based on form factor.

one idea for you to consider is buying a used 14 in the opposite size to the 12 that you have now. In that way, you can try the new form factor (with a significantly better camera than your 12) without paying top dollar. Next year, when the 17’s come out, you will have learned with form factor you like the best and can replace the used 14 with the size that you like the best.

good luck!

I went with the 15 Pro, not Max because:

a) it's cheaper

b) I didn't want to carry a massive phone in my pocket every day.

coming from a non-pro iPhone 11, the camera focal lengths are fine for most occasions. If I know I'm going somewhere that I will need more reach, I have alternate solutions for that.

I went with the pro due to size for my wife and I. I am just beginning to understand the camera, but, so far, I have been pleased with the image quality. I transferred a group picture from Mother's Day to a PC and found the image sharp and detailed. Subject lighting was good. Noise was not visible. Don't know, yet how low light images will look.

I have purchased a lanyard for use on a coming boat trip. It may help for general use.

svein wilhelm kristiansen said:

My iphone 12 promax is dying… often used as my everyday camera in Raw-mode. Think it was an alright camera for everyday use, to be honest. The main sensor on the 14/15 pro models are much larger (7,3x9,7 mm) than the 12 pros and obviously collecting much more light, just wishing they were 26 mm instead of 24mm (equivalent) and software is better.., and so on. The promax has a small-sensor camera at equivalent 120mm, the pro at 75mm. The promax is obviously cropping in from 24 mm (main sensor cam) on every other focal length until 120 mm kicking in. The benefit of having an alright 75mm portrait camera is lost. And the other sensors are “microscopic”. Any thoughts of buying the pro max instead of the pro? (Ok, I do have lots of “real” camera gear, not always with me as getting older and weaker..)

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My previous iPhone was a 13 Pro Max and I was moderately impressed with the cameras and image processing. Where it failed was when shooting HDR images where bright blue skies had areas of contrast or details like telegraph wires against a bright sky... because this always produced artifacts. To get the best results when shooting complex scenes with grass or even clouds required RAW and even then the results were often lacking quality. Most of the pictures looked like they were taken with a smartphone rather than a camera. The 3x (77mm) lens, which a lot of people liked, produced images that looked smeary to me in many cases... like a "digital zoom" instead of optical. Most of my 3x images were unusable for anything beyond a memory capture.
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iPhone 15 Pro Max
When the iPhone 15 Pro Max was released I immediately noticed a tremendous difference with they increased battery power and the terrific screen. But the cameras are distinctly better. The 5x (120mm) lens is now impressive enough that I'll even shoot panoramas with it. The main camera offers a larger resolution and the wide lens is great. Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is good enough (and with me all the time) so I have a near mini-tablet sized screen with great video, superb lowlight ability and near-APS-C quality photographs. Another good feature is Apple's HEIF-MAX format... which is kind of like a cross between a well-tuned HDR shot that looks more natural to the eye - combined with a RAW file. The image quality is very good but the captured file sizes are so small it's hard to believe what little an impact this makes on the iPhone's storage.
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Image integrity is important to me and it's good to know i can rely on my cellphone to capture scenes and object that present themselves. Yes, I still use my dedicated cameras on occasion. But 90% of my personal and day-to-day photography tends to be with my iPhone 15 Pro Max these days.

svein wilhelm kristiansen said:

My iphone 12 promax is dying… often used as my everyday camera in Raw-mode. Think it was an alright camera for everyday use, to be honest. The main sensor on the 14/15 pro models are much larger (7,3x9,7 mm) than the 12 pros and obviously collecting much more light, just wishing they were 26 mm instead of 24mm (equivalent) and software is better.., and so on. The promax has a small-sensor camera at equivalent 120mm, the pro at 75mm. The promax is obviously cropping in from 24 mm (main sensor cam) on every other focal length until 120 mm kicking in. The benefit of having an alright 75mm portrait camera is lost. And the other sensors are “microscopic”. Any thoughts of buying the pro max instead of the pro? (Ok, I do have lots of “real” camera gear, not always with me as getting older and weaker..)

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I am wondering which way you went -- Pro or Pro Max? I am considering the choice right now and probably will go with the Pro since it is less expensive and more to my liking size-wise. Two things that attract me to the Pro Max would be more screen real estate and the 5x telephoto, but I am afraid the weight and size would outweigh the benefits.

Before I got the 15 Pro Max I had always used the smallest phone available. I have the pro max my wife has the pro and for me as someone who takes a lot of pictures the extra battery and reach with the telephoto make a big difference. Do I wish it were smaller? Honestly I hardly notice the size anymore.

svein wilhelm kristiansen said:

My iphone 12 promax is dying… often used as my everyday camera in Raw-mode. Think it was an alright camera for everyday use, to be honest. The main sensor on the 14/15 pro models are much larger (7,3x9,7 mm) than the 12 pros and obviously collecting much more light, just wishing they were 26 mm instead of 24mm (equivalent) and software is better.., and so on. The promax has a small-sensor camera at equivalent 120mm, the pro at 75mm. The promax is obviously cropping in from 24 mm (main sensor cam) on every other focal length until 120 mm kicking in. The benefit of having an alright 75mm portrait camera is lost. And the other sensors are “microscopic”. Any thoughts of buying the pro max instead of the pro? (Ok, I do have lots of “real” camera gear, not always with me as getting older and weaker..)

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Since you have “real camera” gear, maybe you also have Lightroom Classic, where it is easy to see, the focal lengths you actually use in real life for use cases, similar to your planned iPhone use.

I went with the iPhone 15 Pro based on that data from my “real camera” use during “walkabout” and travel, which also requires the very good “ProRES 422HQ” video capabilities (main lens with Apple “computational” assistance delivers wonders for hours on end - also “action” in tropical nights).

The few percent of my use cases, where I used “maximum zoom” (MFT to 150, APS-C to 200 and Full Frame to 300) did not convince me to buy the max (images or videos at “max zoom” were seldom used in actual life, even if good). I invested in internal memory instead (although added external 2TB storage is always available, when really needed).

As always: ONLY YOU can decide, what you need!!!

Regards