Report: ProRes recording on Apple's new iPhone 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max models will tear through up to 6GB/minute

A $150 MicroSD card won’t store 6GB/minute for more than a few seconds before massive temperature throttling

I haven't used a hard wire to transfer data from my iPhone to my Mac for several years now. I just use iCloud. Works very well. Even for large files.

All of this complaining about a recording format that probably less than 1% of iPhone owners will ever use. And those who do will surely know how to deal with it.

High end videographers are used to working around all sorts of non ideal situations, including transfer and storage of large data files. I know a guy who is a really great DP and he is excited about his new iPhone 13 Pro Max, to try out the Cinematic mode. He will try out the ProRes as well. And he has solved far greater problems than figuring out a way to get large files off of his iPhone.

Let's get real...this is largely a non issue for those who will use ProRes.

I mean… do you really not know the answer to your question?

Didn't you know, Tic Toc will look better in pro res with bokeh ..

The sensor of an iPhone is from a video perspective quite large, & combined with a powerful processor u can record high quality videos. To edit videos, just like with photos, the fewer lossy compression conversions you have , the better end result. ProRes is a very good format edit in Apple iMovie or FCP, as it does not require any initial conversion and is easy to edit. U can then export to the HEVC format, a very efficient codec suitable for storage and playback.
This is similar to why we benefit from RAW format in photography. Everyone does not need it but it facilitates the easy creating of even higher quality videos, which can then be appreciated on the large 4K TV screens that are already prevalent in the homes..
I want to upgrade my iPhone 11 to 13 Pro in order to take advantage of that benefit.
But I understand by ur question that new technology can be confusing at times & the benefits might not always be crystal clear for everyone. But we are here to help each other out

iPhones do not support the lightning to USB-C dongle at 3.0 speeds, only the non-USB-C iPads do for the sole purpose of extracting another $30 from customers and creating more e-waste. Even if it did support it, carrying a $30 dongle around to get one of the single most basic/elementary smartphone features that has been widely available since 2013 on a $1000+ phone in the year 2021 is comical.

As of a decision reached today, every phone sold in the EU will require USB-C starting in 2023, so that will hopefully force Apple to quit their lighting port BS globally but we will see.

The cherry on top is the lightning port is capable of USB 3.0, apple just disables it for dongle sales.

The EU can tell manufacturers what connectors to use? I doubt that will ever survive a court challenge. Kind of like telling auto makers what kind of wheels and tires they need to use. Simple solution: you don't like the lightning connector, buy something else.

Actually the lastest iPhones do support the fastest WIFI out there. You can transfer your large Videos via Airdrop and WIFI 6c 100x faster than any DSLR with regular WIFI a,b,g and still 20x faster that WIFI ac.

You have to see what phones can to to believe it.

The other day it took me twenty minutes to offload my Nikon Z5 files wirelessly to my MacBook, while a similar amount of iPhone images and videos were tranfered in a couple seconds.

"most other cellphones"?

I don't think you have checked recently. Definitely not most. Just like with headphone jacks, it is more of a pleasant surprise rather than an expectation.

The fastest SD card standard, SD Express, in its latest version has a nominal maximum transfer rate of 3938 MB/s, not quite enough for this 4.4 GB/s ProRes video stream (let alone that I don’t know if there yet any products available for that standard). The fastest “SD card slot” in a camera I know actually uses the CFexpress Type A standard (20 x 28 x 2.8mm) with a transfer speed of 1 GB/s.

What is available beyond that is CFexpress Type B cards, which have a physical size of 38.5 x 29.8 x 3.8mm (good luck fitting that into phone) . Several high-end cameras from Canon, Panasonic, and Nikon use that format. Unfortunately, even that format tops out currently at 2 GB/s. Another version, Type C, tops out at 4 GB/s but has an even larger physical size: 54 x 74 x 4.8mm.

it is great on mac and Final Cut Pro X.

It’s not ridiculous if you work at Apple. They aren’t in business to give you free stuff.

It’s not ridiculous to offer loyal customers reasonable prices.

It seems that anytime a manufacturer offers product differentiation, or charges a price that someone doesn't like, or basically doesn't give away the product, that someone accuses it of product "crippling."

That's become an over used and trite term simply because so many throw it around without any real knowledge of what it takes to bring these products to market, the trade offs involved in real world engineering, the business of product segmentation, or what it takes to run a profitable business.

And just because one person can't afford something doesn't mean that no one can. It seems that Apple sells a lot of iPhones every year, so plenty can afford it. Of course with the cell phone business there are all sorts of offers and free financing anyway as well.

Lightning doesn't record ProRes, it would only be one way to transfer.

Of course there is iCloud and other cloud based solutions that are superior. Let's go into the 21st century and embrace wireless forms of transfer.

Or you just use one out of the trillions of cases that fit the iPhone to make you sleep well at night or on the pavement ;)

I’ve dropped lens on concrete more expensive than this iPhone during a shoot. I just carry on shooting with another lens. What about you? Is the fun over and you cry and sit and stare at that pavement or carry on? The fun is in creating not owning a product you don’t use.

It is a great piece of technology, like most of the top end smartphone nowadays really, but has its limitations for camera and video use for keen amateurs and pros alike. Ergonomics is the major one. Fragile too when it comes down to an accident.

"And then it falls out of you pocket on the concrete"

What do you think happens when you drop a Sony A1 + cinema lens on the concrete? it bounces back into your hands and you keep recording?

I don't think you carry Sony A1 + Cinema Lens in you pocket routinely.

“ but has its limitations…” Of Course! That’s why it’s targeted mostly for amateurs but professionals can also use it. I see a professional as anyone who can make money with a given specific skill. The smartphone era allows anyone to take a picture or make videos. It gives rise to more creativity with such limitations that allows more people, new generation of people to learn about composition or just telling their own story. The traditional camera doesn’t help that way because of the lack of ease of use.

"I don't think you carry Sony A1 + Cinema Lens in you pocket routinely."

I don't see phones randomly jumping out of pockets often, either. So I pictures the more realistic scenario of you dropping it while in use.

And on accidents…. Your definition of accident is if a phone drop and break because it’s ‘expensive’ and then you feel regret. Is that your worry? My concern is not of such accidents. I am more concern if an accident can cause harm and injury to a fellow crew member.

Problem: Honey, stop calling me, I’m on a shoot and you’re interrupting.

Solution: Airplane mode

Problem: Hey, little Johnny broke his leg and I’ve been trying to call you.

Solution: buy a second phone

It’s just getting silly.

Where does the silliness stop.

I guess the focus mode that ships with iOS15 comes at the right time. Besides the fact that most people aren’t using their smartphone as a phone primarily or at all.

It’s a phone! It’s not a multi thousand buck body that needs another thousand dollar, or more, lens to work.

This high end video is a bonus that most people won’t use. Those that will, just have to suffer the annoyance of leaving the phone connected until it transfers the data.

I agree it’s not satisfactory for most of us. But really, most people who will use this mode won’t be using their phones as daily phones, but recording devices instead.

Hopefully, next year, Apple will have a better way to do the transfers.

<deleted>

You do realize that no one making a video is forced to record in ProRes on the iPhone? That this is simply a feature for high end users.

You also realize that a tiny percentage of iPhone users will ever record in ProRes. Most will not even know what it is or that it's even there.

You also realize that those who do use ProRes are going to be experienced video creators, who know the file sizes and are used to dealing with problems of transfer and storage.

This is a non issue for the vast majority of those who will purchase the iPhone. And really this is a non issue for those who will use this feature, as they are smart enough to figure out how to make it all work.

@m black Wow, way to make up some scenarios. That's great critical thinking right there. Do you think a pro using high end equipment stops shooting because his phone rings? If he does, he still has to stop and put it down to get to his phone. What's getting silly is you making up excuses.

Lack article from iFixit smartphone repairability score since environment friendly is important.

@Pseu
Acting like a common ostrich won't stop the photographic industry meltdown that occurs due to computational photography domination.

@Pseu_Pseu_Pseudonym I think it deserves some attention, and this article definitely makes sense (it's going to be the first phone allowing that). Cinematic mode allowing you to move focus around after the shot is also another feature worth an article. That's going to become a standard feature in the next years, that everybody would expect from a phone (dedicated cameras have only one sensor, so that won't be possible on them and it'd be interesting to follow the progress).

So you can't insert MicroSD and you can't connect USB-C SSD either, is that right? Looks like pretty limited phone to me.

I'm not an iOS user, but I do remember SanDisk making a thumb drive kinda thing that connected directly to the iPhone, presumably (possibly incorrectly) to offload data.

But you are right, not having the option to add media to the device that apparently will revolutionise the cinema industry is short-sighted, or, maybe there's a pro max model coming with that for only $3999

There's no SD card slot on iPhone since...ever. I haven't checked the 13's specs, but if it had it, it'd be the biggest news all over the place and we would certainly know. But there are lightning to USB 3.1 adapters, I have one with a 128Gb USB stick on it. You have to use the files app to move files from one place to another.

Both Google's own phones and Apple phones have NEVER had an auxiliary card slot for additional storage. Ever. The only phones that have had that feature have been third party Android phones.

Every Samsung I owned had an slot and I really like to have my photos on a card in case the phone cracks/dies.

Even if true, I'd say 15 minutes of good video is worth the wait.

Not worth the wait. Or all the mucking around necessary to get it to work, or the sub par footage it spits out.

The problem with this convenient 'Pocket Cinema' solution is it needs to be as large as a Sony A6600 to be close to the Sony in terms of IQ.

It's worse.
ProRes really only works well with apple software.
Real programs like Resolve hate ProRes, even Premiere iirc doesn't natively work with ProRes.

You may as well save space and shoot log footage or use more data and have the latitude of something like braw, which edits and grades much, much more easily on lower specced machines than any flavour of ProRes.

debatable. makes sense for workflows which are budgeted for colour grading. No benefits for out of the box videos. you will theoretically see benefits in the absence of any compression artifacts (in demanding scenes like the forest example) but more important better color subsampling - 4:2:2 or up to 4:4:4 if supportet.But most important better gradients because its a 10 bit Codec in its lower flavors. better than 8bit/4:0:2 of h.264/h.265 for colour grading. Thats benefits shooting with flat or log transfer curves.

and @pseudo guy: thats ridiculous

I remember the days without video cameras, khe-khe

Edit as in push it through some filter, cut and splice some parts and that's it? You don't need Prores for that.

Except other brands are about 5 years behind Apple at this point…

Because we all know that high end video producers want to use micro sd cards for their projects. Those will be the ones using ProRes. They will figure out a solution like they always do.

Too many people write about this as if the average Joe is going to know or care about ProRes.

And yes, as retro points out, right now no other brand has the processing power of Apple and none do this Cinema mode effect.

or buy a pro video camera...

Cinematic mode is only 1080p and 30fps so not really 5 years ahead or whatever number you want to put in, its pretty gimmicky. Besides Prores is Apple's own proprietary format so I doubt other phones will get it, Prores is an industry standard but whether its relevant is another matter, I mean my Ninja V could get Prores flavor from my RX0ii.

I think they will within two generations, the iPad mini got usb-c, I think that’s a deviation. I won’t upgrade my iPhone until they get thunderbolt, as is, no rush for an upgrade.

How many people need usb-c for charging?? I don't think there is a great push from consumers to want their iphones to have usb-c. I use the port only for charging and probably 90% of all other consumers do too.

I’d rather have USB C. But I’m not about to pick a phone or operating system based on charging cable. Rather have 5 years of software updates than my favorite cable type.