Close, but no cigar.
First impressions – the iPhone 12 Pro represents a significant advance in imaging capabilities over the iPhone XS. Reviews also suggest it brings meaningful refinements to last years’ iPhone 11 Pro, a generation I skipped. For most people the iPhone 12 Pro will be all the equipment they need, and for practitioners of street photography there is much less reason now to head out with a separate dedicated camera.
To the image quality conscious Landscape, Sports, or Wildlife photographer, the iPhone 12 Pro falls well short of, and is not a replacement for, the full-frame DSLR/Mirrorless machines. Computational wizardry married to a tiny sensor can only take you so far (yet). No doubt the gap will continue to narrow in the coming years.
The Ganesha image below was taken in near-darkness, and I was expecting a blotchy, blurry mess. But the ‘Night Mode’ which kicks in automatically together with an assist from the LiDAR scanner produced a result that is shockingly impressive. This is almost magic, as in Arthur C. Clarke’s observation that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
iPhone 12 Pro
Ganesha in very low light
iPhone 12 Pro, 26 mm (FF eqv), ISO 1250, f/1.6, 1/7s
Most of photos taken on mobile phones especially for sharing on social media are also watched on mobile phones. As you say, when it comes to landscapes, zooms and larger screens SLR full-frame is definitely superior.
Do you think the Max Pro will be better than just Pro? For taking photos?
For photos, most likely yes, given the superior specs of the lenses on the Max.
Congratulations on your new purchase! If possible try and let us know about the ProRAW format as well. Thanks!
Apple ProRAW is yet to be released.
I am a (new) proud owner too, Rajan.:-)