iPhone XS Max Camera In Real Life
Above is a panorama shot from the default Camera app in iOS12. This is straight out of the camera, no processing! Medium’s algorithm will destroy the image, but if you click and enlarge it, you should be pleasantly surprised.
The camera software on the iPhone XS Max is doing some High Dynamic Range (HDR) work in real time that is very impressive. Downside: some mixed results in certain conditions.
This is a really challenging image for any photographer and camera setup to capture. To get a usable image, an experienced photographer might bracket this shot or stack the shot and customize how the HDR is applied. I prefer the image on the right, because I want the trees to frame and give scale to the rock formation. They aren’t of equal luminance weight in my mind as that wouldn’t serve the composition. The trees 300 feet up on the rocks are where I want you to look first. I’ll be honest: this isn’t the strongest composition to illustrate what I’m talking about, but you can see what the iPhone XS will do in certain situations and lighting conditions.
You can see what the software is trying to do. It’s trying to balance everything. Sometimes that’s exactly what you want/need to get the best looking photo. Sometimes you may want higher contrast or the emphasis on the image to be one you choose, rather than what the camera chooses.
Zion National Park is a very tricky place to shoot. Especially if your visit isn’t about waiting for 3 hours to get the exact right shot. You might be hiking and just want to record the incredible rocks to remember your trip. You might be with kids and they will stand in the shadows of the giant formations while the sky behind is blowing everything out. Only the best spot metering, post-processing and maybe even bracketing is going to save a shot like that. It’s for these occasions that I feel the combination of iOS12 software and iPhone XS hardware is optimizing.
And it does some amazing stuff:
Looking at the above image, you can see a surprising amount of shadow detail on the left and general detail in the formation center right, the formation several miles down the canyon. You can see a little bit of an issue with the bluing of the shadow on the background formation center-left. It’s off in the distance and hazy in real life. But the shadow back there isn’t that blue in real life. I didn’t do any processing on this image and tapped the screen to focus/meter on the left rock wall. This is a very difficult image to capture with this much foreground contrast and background detail. Most shots like this would require some editing and processing. But if I’m just capturing my vacation and want to blow my family/friends away with the scope and scale of Zion National Park? This is an incredibly high quality image to capture. Forget sharing immediately, cell coverage in Zion is not reliable or even available in most areas.
I have a history with Zion going waaaaaay back to when George Willig free-climbed Angels Landing in the park and forever after changed its popularity. Those camping trips are burned into my sense memories. Waking up early to cook breakfast and heat water. Tailgate lunches in the parking lot of Zion Lodge. Hiking the easy trails. Wondering if the lightning from a storm would destroy our tent-trailer camper. I can still smell that tent-trailer.
My family has probably 30 different shots of the Overlook view (above), with half a dozen different cameras. The only one that I can show without work is the one above. Here’s an image search of photos from this spot. It’s a tough shot to make, even with post-processing.
This is a nightmare scenario, and the camera doesn’t quite pull it off. Partly cloudy, sun angle causing shadows from the formations and a brightly lit formation (Angel’s Landing) in the distance. A little spot contrast work could possibly make this a keeper. Snapseed and Lightroom CC on iOS are two apps that come to mind that would enable one to do the kind of spot edit I’m talking about.
Even with the faults, this image is an impressive feat for a mobile device. The most expensive mobile device I’ve ever purchased. I thought I was insane when I paid full price ($699 USD) for the first iPhone. I’m off the rails insane on Nutburger Ranch for what the XS Max cost. But if it keeps capturing photos like these, I’ll feel less and less like it was ridiculous and more and more like it was a solid investment. That’s not coming from me being an Apple fanboy. I’m sure the latest hardware from other manufacturers would do an admirable job in these same conditions.
My family has years of photos like these. Some with people, some just landscapes. The worst parts of those photos is that the cameras used were cheap and the film size inadequate. So the photos are grainy as hell, have terrible color cast and in many cases the only real value is that they show an extended family together enjoying a beautiful place. If you want keepers, you have to spend some money. We can argue for days about cheap cameras and how a $500 DSLR would get a similar capture, but with higher resolution. I’d agree on the resolution and agree generally that a DSLR has better optics, but one would have to throw down at least another $500 to get a lens that would capture the same detail as this image from the iPhone XS. Sure, there’s used gear and bidding sites and all that. But lugging all that around on a family trip with kids? Can be a pain and distracting. I know.
On the trip where the images in this piece were taken, I carried a backpack with my Canon 5D Mark III and a 24–105 lens. My girls felt legit shooting with the “big camera” and so they took turns shooting with it. They shot hundreds of frames, and I chalked up lugging it around for them to practice something they both really enjoy, without me goading or prodding.
I’m not sure this is a great review, or even a review at all. Just real-life notes on a new device that shows some promise to capture family moments in high resolution that can be enjoyed for years. I’m not sure there is a way to price that out or do an ROI study.
I’m happy with the iPhone XS Max, despite the high cost, despite the high cost of the loss/theft insurance plan and despite still feeling absolutely demented spending that kind of money for a phone. Plus, the trip was fantastic!
Jon Armstrong is a UX consultant, former art director, long-time blogger, developer (business and web), podcaster, photographer and father of two.
