iPhone 15 Pro Max camera: It might be the camcorder you’ve been waiting for
Apple has always touted the excellent camera performance in its iPhones. rightly so; It’s proven to be excellent in stills and video, but I’m not yet convinced enough that the iPhone 14 Pro Max will replace the mirrorless camera — or at least, become my go-to camera. However, I might change my mind if the iPhone 15 Pro Max rumors turn out to be true.
There’s a reason I carry the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with me so much on professional video shoots. That’s because it’s one of the best camera phones you can buy today, complete with a quad-camera system, a versatile 10x optical zoom lens, and manual controls that will make the videographer in you very happy.
I’ve pretty much used smartphones as first shooters because I don’t necessarily need to get them to match the same level of quality of a mirrorless camera, but just enough for a second camera angle or backup shot. While I’m excited to see what the entire iPhone 15 lineup has to offer, I’m more interested in the possibility that iPhone 15 Pro Max could be the camcorder I’ve been waiting for.
Zoom in using the telescope lens
The main reason I use the Galaxy S23 Ultra as my b-roll camera is because of its versatility. It goes beyond the triple camera systems offered by the vast majority of flagship phones, by moving to a quad system to cover all the ranges. When I’m recording skits or Broadway shows, I’ve found it very helpful to be able to switch from a wide shot to a narrow shot – mainly with the help of the 10x optical zoom lens on the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Well, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is shaping up to be a formidable video camera as it is rumored to have a 10x zoom camera, which would be a huge step over the current 3x optical zoom of the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Previous rumors hinted at 5x or 6x optical zoom, so this latest reveal makes an even more compelling case for the iPhone 15 Pro Max to become a powerhouse for video cameras.
And that’s a big difference because I’ve seen how incredibly clear videos look at 10x zoom with the Galaxy S23 Ultra. No amount of digital zoom from a standard camera phone can match the quality and detail captured by a decent optical zoom lens. There is no way nor how.
Regardless of whether Apple calls it the iPhone 15 Pro Max or the iPhone 15 Ultra, I’d definitely be inclined to make it my backup or rear camera.
The stacked camera sensor can make it a low-light beast
Lighting conditions are not always predictable while shooting professional videos. Sometimes it’s very bright, while other times it’s pitch black — which is why I often stick to the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s main camera because it does the best in low light.
Another big camera upgrade hinted to accompany the iPhone 15 Pro Max / iPhone 15 Ultra is a “triple stack” sensor that should boost its light-capture capabilities. With Photographs, it’s much easier for iPhones and other flagship phones to take decent-looking photos in low light with the help of their Night modes — long exposure photography is used to extract more detail. As for video, you can’t really use the same process.
This is why this rumored triple stacked sensor is so interesting, especially if the sensor is thought to be about an inch wide. Naturally, larger sensors help gather more light, so when it comes to video, you can still get brighter shots without slowing down the shutter speed — or worse, boosting the camera’s ISO sensitivity to the point where the shot becomes noisy looking.
I’m curious how this larger sensor is built into other rumors of a “triple stack” design, but it could make the iPhone 15 Pro Max / iPhone 15 Ultra a low-light monster for video (and possibly photos).
A17 Bionic can enhance video features
I’ll be the first to admit that the iPhone 14 Pro Max delivers better cinematic video than any other phone I’ve tested to date. It also provides a little bit of manual control that the videographer in me craves. However, I want more than just the option to change the frame rate and aperture.
Cinematic mode on the iPhone 14 Pro Max is key Portrait mode for video, where faces are in focus while the background is blurred. The end result looks truly cinematic, like the things you see in movies recorded at the traditional 24 frames per second (frames per second). The next generation of silicon is expected to debut with the iPhone 15 Pro series, and it could finally provide more controls and features for video.
The 3nm manufacturing process that the A17 Bionic chip is expected to use means more processing power for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. That would be the right amount of muscle to give us more than the typical 4K/60fps recording offered by most flagship phones. In fact, it can not only upscale 8K video recording, but also can capture faster frame rate.
There’s a lot more data and processing required to shoot at higher resolutions and faster frame rates, but recent leaked benchmarks indicate a 23% increase in single-core performance, and an even better 26% increase in multi-core performance using GeekBench. Honestly, I’m excited about the video recording capabilities of this new processor.
iPhone 15 Pro Max camera predictions
While Apple has long made the video recording experience in its iPhones simple and straightforward, I’m hoping that all of these upgrades will eventually motivate Apple to give us a true, native manual video mode in the Camera app — not having to use one third party. Even if all the other rumors don’t pan out, the manual video control would be a reason for me to have iPhone 15 Pro Max/iPhone 15 Ultra as my camera.
Other rumored features I’m excited about include the new action button and its switch to USB-C. With the former, I can program a solid-state button to instantly turn the camcorder on with the correct settings I’m using to record video—or maybe launch a different video mode. As for switching from lighting to USB-C, that means I don’t need to buy an adapter for all of my USB-C camera accessories and gear I already own.
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