Buying latest iPhone

If you want the best cameras on an iPhone, the Pro models have the best. The difference between the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max is the periscope zoom camera, which on the 15 Pro Max gives you a 5 times real optical (not digital) zoom, whereas the 15 Pro is 3 time optical zoom.

So, if taking photos is one of your top priorities on iPhone, go with the Pro models.

tallrishi wrote:

Hi there,

As I have informed that, I am not a pro photographer. So, wouldn't it better for most of the people to buy a standard 15 base model as it it offers value for money. I am not into editing of videos like adding color on ProRes videos at all. Moreover,it's quite expensive than 15 base model. What are your thoughts?

One does NOT need to be a professional photographer to enjoy the better camera capabilities of the Pro model iPhones. And lets be real, professional photographers use professional photographic equipment to do their work, not an iPhone.

It's what I recommended since you said taking "tons of photos and videos" was your priority, which the Pro models are simply better at. But you should buy the iPhone model you think best fits your needs. The non-pro models will take good photos and videos, just not as good as the Pro models will. And for me, the cameras are the most important feature of iPhone, which is why I spend more and buy the Pro models.

Sorry, but this is a user to user only forum. We cannot talk over the phone. No one here works for Apple. We are volunteer users who try to help users when they ask questions, like you.

If you think the 15 (not pro) is enough for your needs, I'm sure you'll be satisfied with it. As I said, for me, taking photos is VERY important and why I spend more for a Pro model. Only you can decide what you need.

Here is a link where you can compare the features of the iPhone models, which may give you more clarity --> iPhone - Compare Models - Apple

One other consideration you may not have considered. Do you ever want to take macro photographs (close-ups)? If you do, the regular iPhone 15 cannot do that. The iPhone 15 Pro can.

If you are doing all of these things, in my opinion, I would either go for the Pro or Pro Max. If you are planning on taking more videos/photos I would suggest going with the Pro Max.

tallrishi wrote:

By th way, have seen/heard that, 15 models support 2x zoom. Is it optical zoom meeting or digital zoom?

Zoom doesn't work the same way on smartphones that it does on real cameras – such as DSLRs and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras.

On those cameras, if you have a zoom lens – say an 18mm – 55mm (roughly 3x) zoom lens, you can zoom from one end of the range to another, and the zoom is continuous and optical. (The widest aperture might narrow as you zoom from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end,). You can extend the range by switching lenses, but in every case, the lenses are mounted onto the same place on the camera.

With a smartphone, you have a few lenses placed side by side. The phone can't continuously zoom any of them. So the phone gives you optical zoom at certain settings, and digital zoom at all of the intermediate ones.

According to Apple's description, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have a dual-camera system:

• 48MP Main: 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor‑shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels, support for super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP)
• 12MP Ultra Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120° field of view
• 12MP 2x Telephoto (enabled by quad-pixel sensor): 52 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels 
• 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 4x optical zoom range
• Digital zoom up to 10x

There are three ways to get optical zoom.

• Using the Ultra Wide lens as a 13mm f/2.4 lens. The sensor behind the lens has 12 megapixel resolution, so this results in 12 megapixel pictures.
• Using the Main lens as a 26mm f/1.6 lens. The sensor behind the Main lens has 48 megapixel resolution, so this results in 48 megapixel pictures.
• Doing exact digital zoom (no jaggies) by using the Main 26mm f/1.6 lens and combining 2x2 blocks of pixels, so the result is "as if" you were using a Telephoto 52mm f/1.6 lens with a 12 megapixel sensor.

0.5x (Ultra-Wide), 1x (Normal), or 2x (Telephoto) give you optical zoom. (With the caveat that Ultra Wide pictures will be taken from a slightly different vantage point than the others.). Everything else is digital zoom.

I think you'll find that this is the way that pretty much all smartphones (whether iPhones or Android phones) which offer "zoom" do things. The problem is simply that smartphones are really small and thin, so there isn't really a lot of room for lenses with continuous optical zoom, such as those on DSLRs and MILCs.

tallrishi wrote:

Hi,

I got what you are trying to say. Question is, does 15 base model give optical or telephoto zoom?

I just explained that. It gives you the equivalent of three prime lenses. When you're at the 0.5x and 1x settings, there is no digital zoom. When you're at the 2x setting, the pixels line up so neatly that you may as well call the result an "optical" setting with no "digital zoom."

There is a 4x difference between the 0.5x and 2x settings. That's how Apple computes the optical zoom range. But if you're taking pictures at some zoom level > 0.5x and < 1x, you're using digital zoom. If you're taking them at a zoom level > 1x and < 2x, you're using digital zoom.

Secondly, how much zoom does it give?

Apple claims

• "2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 4x optical zoom range"
• "Digital zoom up to 10x"

I'm not sure how the 10x digital zoom range is distributed. Does it give you more telephoto? More wide angle? Or a little of each?

Is 15 base model more than good for average user who is not in ProRes video? I am only into taking pictures (day & night mode), videos (slow motion, time lapse). Nothing more than this. Which model do you recommend?

I'm just trying to answer some of your questions about cameras so you can make your own decision.

I've given you my thoughts and I honestly don't know why you are asking again? You seem happy with what the 15 models offer, so buy the phone you seem to have already decided meets your needs.