$5,000 Pro Camera vs iPhone 15 Pro: Which is Better for YOU?

[@robegeor]

Bonus points to Jordan for the little camera jiggle laughing at Chris' bad pun. You guys are the best!

[@_o__o_]

@@oscararborist onion farts

[@yxx_chris_xxy]

Well, it's an apples-to-nikons comparison.

[@rcpmac]

But missed opportunity at 11:11 to spit the coffee out! I laughed anyways at my own joke (no one else will)

[@CalebThomasMedia]

Chris rocking the old man phone wallet, the dad vest, and the accompanying leather craft goods. He’s aging like a goddamn fine wine 😅

[@kojoefante]

I thought he was just trying to keep warm smh

[@kevinwhite6176]

I'm a complete amateur. I have an iPhone 14 Pro and it does some amazing things. I can take pictures at night, basically, and have more than usable images (which almost always means some sort of thing that happened that I'm trying to document). I've done some legitimately good arty photography in 48mp RAW mode. I also have a Lumix G95D and the two kit lenses (12-60 and 45-150) and taking pictures with the camera is completely different. It feels good using a camera to take pictures. The iPhone is just... it's just not fun to use.

[@tomd4260]

😂😂😂

[@PTYC933]

As a phone enthusiast I can see where the phone is good, for 1 phone heif is like hlg then delivered in dolby vision, dynamic range is going to favor the phone a lot of the time, tone mapping on the phone is just stronger than a few stops of raw dynamic range, heif on the phone that is. I am not even bothered by digital zoom on the phone, it's watercolor but if it is presentable I will post it, just edit it down, make it more cinematic tone, I use all the stock tools, -1/3ev on the camera app, then drop exposure more in post, put a bit of vivid warm. Phone photos are alright, when you introduce more shadows. Now coming to the lumix, try a powerhouse lens, cheap 45f1.7 is an absolute must for that system, 25f1.2 is silly beautiful, and the grand daddy of m43 75mmf1.8. Those will really spark a fire in pursuit of photography. m43 is a pretty small system, even a gf10 paired to a small 45f1.7 or 20mm f1.7 will make some incredible photos. Technically won't be as high dynamic range as phones but still very beautiful even with jpegs natural.

[@UnconventionalReasoning]

If you have a sense of which focal length you use to create your favorite images, you can get an MFT prime near that, either from Panasonic or Olympus. That will take your results up another level.

[@PNWDOM]

Thank you for showing the difference between a real camera and the iPhone in lowlight. Most reviewers cripple the DSLR with cheap glass then go shoot during midday in pristine sunlight. Any camera would look good during that time. I think the future of DSLR's is incorporating smartphone features directly into the camera. Built in SSD's, network connectivity, app stores, etc.

[@finnharvor6773]

Agree. Surprised this hasn’t happened across the industry already. I think years ago a Samsung camera had some of these concepts.

[@medicalwei]

I am thinking it other way round. I believe cameras should focus on doing image capture and maybe light compression, and transfer to smartphone or any processing unit (like external recorder) for further processing and storage.

[@finnharvor6773]

@@medicalwei These are good points, and for what it’s worth, I already transfer a fair number of photos to my phone and process them there (I enjoy doing this in the evening because I want to relax in our living area and not stare at a big computer screen). So as a workflow option, it’s good. But I suspect that as smartphone tech gets better and better , camera manufacturers will have little choice but to add inbuilt editing functionality. We’ll see what happens. But I imagine even now camera companies must be having intense r and d meetings over how to develop next.

[@cristibaluta]

The real cameras should be simplified not complicate them, they are already bloated with lots of crap

[@classicaloracle]

It feels to me as if even the big camera companies simply haven't got the budget to invest in their products. I wonder what Apple expenditure on the camera aspects of their phones is in comparison.

[@CrazyAboutFlyFishing]

Chris, I love how you manage to sneak in something fly fishing related into the vids. That shot of you standing in the river looks great.

[@Jimo368]

It’s pretty astounding how good phones are today, especially wide angle. I generally use my 16mm lens for astrophotography now and use the iPhone for anything unless I am doing nature photography with a telephoto zoom

[@veeaa]

To me the biggest issue with these comparisons is that the KZbinrs take pictures in perfect lighting conditions where any camera does well. As a dad, my conditions for family photography are usually less than ideal indoors in low light. This is where the phone computational photography falls apart as even slightest movement of the subject prevents the phones ability to compose an HDR photo and the subject becomes extremely grainy and blurry. An ILC only takes one exposure with a shorter shutter speed that can freeze slight movement and the ISO performance kills phones in those situations. Adding a flash puts the last nail in the phone's coffin but in perfect sunny day conditions, I'd not take my mirrorless camera with me very easily.

[@skyrunr]

If you want to double the quality of your low light smartphone photos, put it on a mini tripod, and use a warm LED light such as a LumeCube. I don't like all the distractions that come along with getting my smartphone out, and I still appreciate the INTENTION and experience of taking a camera along to capture memories. ;)

[@shmvon]

DSLRs aren't for family pictures either. I will enjoy my set of 18 Nikon lenses until the shutters of my bodies are dead, but then I'll make my life easy and buy the iPhone 22.

[@-grey]

If you're going to do very graphical deep depth of field work in ideal light, a phone is a great choice. It just falls apart when you need versatility or if natural things can quickly look uncanny with too much pre-processing. I would use a phone for abstract architectural black and white, where it's all about vague expressive shape and lines for example. Those types of image can hide the technical flaws of the format like crunchy digital sharpening, over-clocked gain noise, colour banding, awkward HDR, and fauxkeh.

[@andrewdrone]

The fauxkeh... yeah.... ew...

[@TheFlyingDogFish]

A pro camera is always better, except when you don't have it with you. On the other hand, the phone can be good enough for some purposes and it's always in your pocket.

[@jfieqj]

For me the biggest difference is still real bokeh vs fake bokeh. The fake bokeh is getting better, but it still has a lot of errors on fine details around subjects. That said, I found it remarkable just how similar a lot of these shots are. It's comparing a big expensive professional camera to a CELL PHONE, and in some of the shots I would've struggled to tell which is which without a label. Obviously upon closer inspection you can tell the difference, but that they even have a passing similarity is amazing.

[@ccjh0806]

LOL WHAT YOU NEED IS TO GET YOUR EYES TESTED LOL.

[@realamericannegro977]

That Nikon looks way better

[@Robinicat]

Thank you! You helped me make the decision whether to take my new iPhone 15 Pro or my mirrorless Nikon X61. It's a family vacation with children and I just want to be able to capture photos on the fly...so the iPhone is the winner.

[@Bokehmo]

I have a MFT system and comparing my Pixel 6 edited raws with my E-M5 III, I actually find the phone results quite good, and sometimes the phone is able to produce sharper results. It tends to be a little grainy but that's expected with a smaller sensor. Comparing against a 45mp full frame is pretty unfair, but seeing an iphone against MFT or APS-C where you're downsampling from 48mp to 20/24/26 would be interesting. The iphone colours always look bad to me though.

[@mbismbismb]

No wonder it's MFT u r comparing to

[@drchtct]

The APSC and MFT still outperform phones by a mile. Just compare the sensor size, the iPhone 15 Pro's main camera has a crop factor of 3.5, the Ultrawide has a crop factor of almost 6. Do not get fooled by the AI sharpening, there's more to image quality than sharp pictures.

[@WaddyMuters]

@@mbismbismbIn terms of quality, MFT is still way closer to fullframe then any Phone camera is to MFT.

[@SilverSmrfr]

@@drchtct In my opinion it's not that much about the sensor but more about the lenses. Phone lenses are a joke compared to good glass on a DSLM.

[@DarkPa1adin]

​@@WaddyMutersthen compare iPhone to 1" cameras

[@MikeCTRVLR]

Chris, I really appreciate this review. I viewed your other reviews related to this subject, and became convinced that giving up my mirrorless Sony cameras was the right move. Losing telephoto capabilities was the biggest issue. My other issue is that I use DXO POST- processing of raw photos. DXO does not process the HEIC images from an iPhone. I keep nagging them to add it. But no luck so far. Thanks Again!

[@madm4tty]

As an amateur photography enthusiast, I’m continually amazed that we’re at this stage of comparing phones against cameras at this level.

[@Benjamin_Jehne]

I see this in a different way. While iPhones etc. doing the computational thing internally, I get these possibilities in a way higher quality in Lightroom etc. Smartphone images are like a frozen pizza, it’s convenient and fast, but it doesn’t taste like a real pizza.

[@madm4tty]

@@Benjamin_Jehne I understand where you’re coming from, but think of it this way: Traditional cameras are like making pizza from scratch at home. It’s time-consuming, requires more tools, and has a learning curve. While smartphones are like ordering from your favourite pizzeria - quick, efficient, and often just as satisfying for many occasions. It’s all about what suits the moment best.

[@dkcrogue]

@@madm4tty In that analogy, ordering Pizza from a Pizzeria would be like hiring a professional photographer to do it for you, the frozen pizza analogy still works for me for a phone.

[@madm4tty]

@@dkcrogue Fair point. Let's tweak the analogy then. Traditional cameras are like brewing your coffee with a French press - it gives more control, often a richer taste, and is for those who value the process. Smartphone cameras are like using a pod coffee machine - quicker, convenient, and still delivers a good cup for most. It doesn't mean one is inherently better, just different methods for different moments.

[@UnconventionalReasoning]

@@madm4tty Yes, and if I want a quick, tasteless pizza or a random snapshot, I'll take the garbage tool. If I want to enjoy a good meal or create a good image, I'll go with the quality option. The phone is not a camera, it's a computer with some imaging capabilities.

[@fmgjr7809]

Chris, at 11:33 you said, "I still love the ergonomics of using a smartphone." Did you mean to say I still love the ergonomics of using the Nikon?

[@niccollsvideo]

I’m sure I did mean too. I hate smartphone ergonmoics

[@AnotherOtherMan-alive]

One of the upsides of the smartphone is for field reporting. Sure a mirrorless or even an older DSLR can out perform the photographic power of that phone but the ability to directly upload the images and video is not something to be overlooked. I just wish the apps camera manufacturers made were better than they are. Sony, I'm looking at you needing a wifi router (not ad-hoc like with pentax's app for example).

[@sh8736]

I use the Sony transfer and tagging app all the time it works well with the A9, A7IV and A7RV. It does disconnect some times and has to be reset if I view what has been transferred in gallery, but I think that is todo with the phone as it never used to happen but security updates often seem to affect apps. Sure the app could be improved and I need to try the new creators app which maybe better 😊

[@xFreyelis]

Would be great if you incorporate Portrait Photography into your comparisons. It's quite limiting to only show and compare mostly landscape photography with it.

[@shmvon]

100% This is one thing I am missing thus far: maybe it's not the sensor and the processor that matter, but the lens. It's hard to believe a little pea lens could have the detail and lack of distortion that portrait lenses have.

[@christophalbert5565]

I think it's a fair comparison, with one exception: you mentioned several times that the Z8 is much pricier than the iPhone. But you could draw exactly the same comparison with basically every other full frame mirrorless camera on the market, a lot of which are actually cheaper than the 15 Pro Max. You pay a premium for a Z8 vs let's say a Z7 or even a Z5, but the advantages you have over those models were not at all touched on the video.

[@cristibaluta]

Exactly, i think even my A7.3 is cheaper than the iphone now

[@martinhommel9967]

Thanks for your excellent review. Basically the iphone does in camera photoshop - which means less creative choice. The main advantage of the iphone is convenience, i.e. it's usually in your pocket and no processing or picture style choices are required. It's certainly possible to take great pictures and vidoes with the iPhone.

[@Razor2048]

One issue is many ILC and phone comparisons often involves people using heavily scaled down images, thus all you can compare is the tonality of an image but you can't really compare detail levels, artifacting, or any other issues that heavily impacts the usability of an image.

[@lordovravens]

There is a dude who made comparison videos between multiple iphone generations and i think a lumix gf2. I think up to ip 11 or 13. The old Lumix was better every time. Also these videos most of the time use processed raws, what 99.9% of the iphone users will never see. It would be more informative to see "soop" pics from the iphone. I'm not sure even people interested in photography would want to play with phone pictures while the first reason anyone uses a phone to take pictures is convenience.

[@veeaa]

To me the biggest issue is taking the pictures in perfect lighting conditions where any camera does well. As a dad, my conditions for family photography are usually less than ideal indoors in low light. This is where the phone computational photography falls apart as even slightest movement of the subject prevents the phones ability to compose an HDR photo and the subject becomes extremely grainy and blurry. An ILC only takes one exposure with a shorter shutter speed but the ISO performance kills phones in those situations.

[@momchilyordanov8190]

The biggest advantage of the phone is the ease of use. The biggest advantage of the camera is the ability to change the lenses and create drastically different look. And the price difference is not that big, because a pro camera or a good quality lens work fine for a decade or more. That's like 3 or 4 phones.

[@-grey]

Ease of use is why I don't use a phone. It's just to fiddly to me. I had to invest in a Ricoh GR III just to get a pocket 28mm eq. snap camera. I like having confidence that the settings are right, and I can just turn it on and shoot, no focus tapping and locking, or swiping of screens - just good old buttons and dials to point and click with confidence. To be fair to phones though, the UX considerations on Ricoh cameras are phenomenal and not at all the norm. They're definetly the top of the game in that respect.

[@giovannigio6217]

knowing the life span of the camera is at least 6-8 years (3 phones) I could justify going for it. in europe the price difference between an iphone 15 pro max 256GB and a very good android phone with the best snapdragon cpu, so still high end device, is €500 or $530. so if you account for 3 iphones in 6-8 years you have saved about €1,500 or $1,600 by not buying them. you can totally buy a good aps-c camera + lenses. this is how I started. if someone buy mid range phone instead, so this will feel like a downgrade from a use standpoint, you may even afford a Sony A7 C II + lenses

[@-grey]

@@giovannigio6217 Damn.. That's a good point. Product lifecycles are a value issue. 👑

[@kojoefante]

@@giovannigio6217cameras can operate for 20yrs

[@erik5024]

I'm planning on taking my R6-II and 24-70 2.8 to Europe soon, even though I have capable phone (S23 ultra). This is an important family trip and I'll use my phone for a lot, and although the phone is easier and more convenient, my Canon takes superior pictures.

[@anderslaursen5810]

Interesting comparison, would interesting to repeat with some of the compact cameras out there like Sony cyber shot RX100VII and Canon Powershot G5 X mk II - close’ish in terms of portability, fewer megapixels but from a bigger sensor and a proper lens, have the high end phones killed this market or do the still have a raison d’étre?

[@ronaldlee3537]

I have Sony RX100-7, and the image from this camera is way better than any phone camera because the sensor in the RX100 is 4X the area of the sensor in the phone; no matter how they tweak the photo with software, the bigger sensor will always be better. Eeven on compact cameras that is 5 years old, it will beat out the current phone cams.

[@notaspectator]

Ill be using both. Choosing what is hard is one of my principles, manual dslr/mirror is harder path, hence its where you become intentional.

[@danieldougan269]

I don't think anyone expected the iPhone to compete head-on with the Z8. The fact that it's even a serious discussion for professionals is a huge credit to the iPhone. Also, that 120mm focal length on the iPhone is pretty exciting. Still waiting for a phone that can capture wildlife with an 800mm focal length while fitting in my pocket!

[@edisonjohnson8638]

Great piece as always on your thoughts about the iPhone 15 Pro Max as a camera for photography vs a great pro grade camera. Would love for Jordan to do the same for use in pro video, perhaps for a video project where the iPhone is his only option that he must use to its ultimate ability, comparing and contrasting it to his experience doing same with pro video equipment.

[@javarenas]

the one thing I can say as feedback, the iPhone has Live Photo mode where it recorded a bit before and after and it chooses what it believes is the best photo but you can change it. so you can select the best "action shot". i haven't checked the image quality though when you do that.

[@scotthunter4]

That won’t work in ProRaw mode

[@johnmunro4487]

Ideally rather than a Full Frame comparison, how about a Ricoh GR or Fuji X100 comparison.. It feels like this is the real place a mobile phone can compete. Any chance of a video on this? Im sure street shooters would appreciate it and it would be fantastic to see how the iphone fairs in different lighting conditions with these two mega popular cameras

[@Q_QQ_Q]

Should try to compare Sony a6700 $1400 . Similar price .

[@ninjatogo]

I have an a6700. If you're applying some of the same image processing techniques as the iPhone, such as high quality denoising, and motion compensating deblurring, the a6700 beats the iPhone quite easily. If you have a mostly static scene and do a burst shot on the a6700, you can also use the multi-shot compositing technique to further boost quality. The main problem for me is the cost of buying the additional software to do all of this post processing.

[@giovannigio6217]

but then you need to add some lenses which are not free. used a6100 would allow some budget for lenses (like the sigma 18-50mm f/2.8, very well respected general purpose aps-c lens)

[@joseqmeh101]

i think they are considering the nikon 120mm lens to compare

[@peerlessportraits]

Ohhhh my man with the Blue Moon, you can't hide good taste homie 👍🏾 7:27

[@raymurakawa]

Are title descriptions swapped on 8:17 ? The image on the right (Nikon) has muddier detail on Chris' face and shirt and looks iPhone-y. I have to say, the skin tone rendering in Resolve when color managed is pretty good for iPhone Log. Great video as always guys!

[@darwiniandude]

Great comparison - but I would love to have seen an inclusion of hand held night time low light exposures too. Night mode on the phone will allow in very dark environments a 10 second hand held exposure, or more commonly 3 second or 1 second, and it aligns it automatically in software as best as it can. On a traditional camera you have way larger sensor, far superior light gathering ability and better long exposure options, but to do it hand held you'll have to use high iso or a tripod - and the way they both react to movement in the scene, or movement of the camera, is different.

[@dragonnyxx]

Obviously you can't handhold a full frame camera for a 10 second exposure, but with IBIS and steady hands it's not hard to get a sharp 1/2s shot. Given the massively larger sensor and bigger apertures available on a dedicated camera, I'm confident such a comparison wouldn't result in "iPhone destroys $4K camera".

[@darwiniandude]

Agreed - I have an X-T4 with various lenses including the 56 ƒ/1.2 - wouldn’t expect the phone to destroy the camera, just that it would be an interesting comparison, in addition to those they already did. @@dragonnyxx

[@GreenhornPhototaker]

I find the night modes on cameras (Pixel 6 Pro, Iphone 14, so not the very latest) wonderful for memories, but would never use them for a shot i really wanted to get. So i guess i am saying better than a camera in most situations except the important ones for my money. A comparison would be fun though, good idea.

[@veeaa]

OM-1 has some similar functions for long exposure hand held photography, so it's totally possible to do the same as smartphones do with computational long exposures. It's a shame that not more camera manufacturers do this.

[@iPadGameWalkthrough]

It can be increased to 30 seconds if the iPhone is completely standstill

[@SDK2006b]

One of the reasons phone cameras are so popular is that it’s super easy to publish photos to social media and the internet. It’s about time proper cameras made it easy to do this too.

[@POVwithRC]

I do not think real cameras would be able to integrate the necessary software without a host of data protection and efficiency problems. It's easy enough as is, either way. Open app. Transfer. Upload. It's a literal minute of time.

[@Maiiftl]

I feel like the HDR stuff is also better for phones. That kind of seems taboo for proper cameras to do it in their body, as people would rather manually pick stuff to stack.

[@HaiTomVlog]

One option that I’m happy about is the ability to use apps like Nikon’s SnapBridge that lets you send photos directly to your phone - at least on newer cameras. It works pretty well, I think 👍🏼

[@FilmScape4K]

You already can. I can sync photos from my camera to my phone.

[@kalinmir]

yea no...its the way for them to be brincked every 3 years

[@TimChuma]

I take my camera when I want do take live music or event photography. The phone is for fun walking around. I remember going into Boston for a day trip and deciding against actually taking my SLR out of the carry bag.

[@abhattal]

Would like to know how a 1" sensor compact (say RX100VA) compares against a smartphone (say Xperia 5v).

[@-grey]

The 1" compact has better physical usability which translates to shots you would other wise maybe miss. You can save custom modes for reliable speed shooting, you have a solid range of optical zoom, you can use the flip screen for low angle shots or selfies while using the best lens on the system, you can decentralise your photography from your phone so you don't rely on a phone battery to do everything - allowing you better power management options on long trips.

[@jakilahmoulien9070]

The Xperia has a newly developed Exmor type T sensor technology for increased light gathering and dynamic range❤

[@RHoveyFamily1]

Surprising omission of THREE THINGS: 1) the pinhead size of 45 tiny pixels on a tiny phone sensor does not achieve what 45 MP’s do on a much much larger camera sensor; 2) regarding #1 above, try blowing up phone photos into large prints (yeah yeah, who prints anymore, I know) and see the BIG difference in image quality 3) No mention of how “zoomed” focal lengths on phones are not truly optical, but do pixels-stretching (thus detail diminishing) to achieve the results.

[@angelamaloney4871]

I always tell people that if they just want to point and shoot to take snapshots from vacation, they are better off with a tool meant to do that. That’s a cell phone. The full frame pro camera, like the z8, is a vastly more powerful imaging tool that will run rings around the cell phone. But only if you’re willing to take the time to learn how to use it. If you’re going to put it on auto mode and just point and shoot, your results might actually look worse than a cell phone because it is not a tool meant for that purpose.

[@Manoloelgomo]

Using a spice grinder for coffee beans?!?! You need a new traveling barista ASAP

[@AmadoWildlifeVideos]

G9ii looks great. I was just in a wildlife situation where I shot stills with the Z6ii but any video was noticeably bumpy, so I relied on iPhone 13Pro for vids. Only problem is audio quality affected when zoomed in and the footage looks really over-sharp.

[@canpin]

You yelled at Michael? I wouldnt drink that if i were you 😂

[@MakesBadNoise]

Jordan doing hot tub streaming was NOT on my 2023 bingo card

[@amermeleitor]

I have a $150 camera that deliver better output than a new iPhone. Used market is great, we live in the golden era of cheap photography

[@EricTheGreat508]

That’s a lie. The iPhone gives you the versatility of having three lenses, and on-device real time processing.

[@amermeleitor]

@@EricTheGreat508 ah ok, then go and shoot sport photography and birds in fly with an iPhone

[@joseqmeh101]

@@EricTheGreat508 use that thing for sports then, at night or under low light

[@yacko00]

Any high end smartphone advantage: good enough quality, good colors, built in hdr, quick, easy, limited editing needed, no need to transfer and edit after, major time saver, send or post immediately. Amd you always have ot with you. High end cam advantage: more control over shooting speed/aperture and settings, faster shutters, faster to change settings real time, natural bokeh, higher quality RAW, lenses to make it easier to shoot specific things (sports, animals, astrophotography, flash sync, full photoshoots, etc) For 90% of people, a smartphone is truly more than enough nowadays.

[@JP1050x]

I brought my iPhone 15pro, Ricoh GR3, and Canon 5Dii recently to a trip to Japan. I took a ton of photos with my iPhone & GR3, but hardly used my DSLR. It was nice having photos from my iPhone, but I’m sure glad I shot with my GR3. Real cameras still kick the crap out of smart phones.

[@martin_the_artist_]

There's still no contest between a phone and a dedicated camera for anything other than casual snapshots for social media. The fake bokeh still looks god awful. I know too many people that have wasted so much money on getting the latest iPhone, falling for the hype and the marketing (that new 'shot on iphone' ad with the 50k lighting rig lol), and then still wondering why thier photos don't look great. I've since pointed a few friends to budget options like the Gx80, which is what you guys should be doing really. So many amazing cheap photography deals out there. Try replicating the magic of a £25 helios on a iPhone. Pair the Gx80 with an Olympus 45 1.8 and you can get portraits that blow any phone out the water for £400.

[@FilmScape4K]

Exactly. You don’t need a $5k camera. Hybrid shooters like the a6700 and x-s20 with decent lens will take better photos than any phone.

[@snowkie]

The delta between the iPhone and these expensive bodies and glass are getting so narrow, that I find it hard to justify the price of buying a mirrorless setup. I realize for certain situations, a camera will be the best choice. But those use cases are becoming fewer and fewer.

[@Lowridersdoggs]

The apple ProRes LOG video is actually really nice.

[@petermclennan6781]

Love to see some HEIF vs JPG comparisons. Both when shooting and when processing. Also, how to deal with those HEIF/HEIC files on Windows.

[@peconicgp]

Thumbs up for the Fly fishing footage!

[@vinyalonde]

At 11:35, did you mean to say camera rather than smartphone for ergonomics?

[@Readwandx]

Take a shot every time Chris says “obviously” and “of course”

[@osohista]

you know, watching an inconsequential fun little clickbaity video about overpriced cameras is exactly the stuff (I wanted to write content, but screw that word. hate that word) I needed after days of doomscrolling.

[@christopherharmon2433]

With a 'regular camera' you can change the lens (and therefore its focal length). But with a cell phone you are stuck with the FL of the lens (usually slightly wide angle) that is built into the phone.

[@DGBomber]

I would be interested in a similar video but putting the iPhone against the Panasonic G9 II, smaller sensor but computational photography on both, both have great video and stabilization...think about it ;)

[@ernesto_creativo]

I have to get a famous KZbinr like you to get a personal coffee maker employee!!! 😂😂😂❤

[@ericaceous1652]

Great concept for a video - also, nice gilet Chris And G9 II footage looking crisp 👌

[@MrGohunter]

Of course, the one thing that you missed out is that old phrase "The best camera is the one you have with you!" I'm always going to have my phone with me, but I'll only have my "proper camera" and a huge lens with me if I've gone out specifically to take photos. Even with my ageing iPhone XS Max and its 12Mp sensors, the photos taken with it are often better straight out of camera than photos from my Fuji X series before processing in LightRoom, because of the AI stacking. So, unless I am going to print at huge sizes, then the iPhone photos are perfectly good for capturing memories, social media, viewing on my laptop, TV, etc. The other thing is for people photography. Most people are far less likely to be intimidated with a phone than with a big camera, because they're so used to seeing people taking photos and selfies anywhere and everywhere with their phones. That also makes a phone an excellent camera for street photography, where you simply blend into the background, unnoticed. Will I upgrade to an iPhone 15 Pro? The jury's out on that one. We'll see.

[@grafkirk]

Hope you enjoyed Idaho! Longtime viewer from Moscow/Boise here 👋

[@jjampong]

I'm no expert in cameras but I knew you used a phone to record your iphone 15 review in San Jose the moment i clicked on it

[@wuidzeit_simon]

In the UK 🇬🇧 you can now do prescription based photography, right? The reasoning behind that decision is the reason for a real camera! It is about focus, about calming you down and mono-concentration on one tool, and not the Swiss Army knife of competing notifications, which a phone is usually.

[@yamahass66]

Please do a comparison with the pixel 8

[@vivi21channel]

to me, i will still go with Pro Camera. Even though DSLR is heavy but it will still comes the best result. 2ndly, i don't have to worry about out of storage as i have extra SD card. and battery life no worry as well as I just need to buy extra battery. Even though Iphone is lighter and easy to carry around but it is still a phone with limitation on the storage and battery life.

[@blackmamba6938]

On the iPhone, you can select the shots you want in burst and ask it'll ask you if you want to delete the rest.

[@johnleatherman6409]

Was this shot in the Black Hills of South Dakota? The tree coverage on the hills and the buggy you were in made me think it was the Black Hills. I was just there visiting family and someone rents tons of those you can see them though out Deadwood, Spearfish Canyon and further up the hills by the closed mines.

[@beshrsultan6527]

No comparison at all between a proper camera and mobile phone with regard to photos but videos I think the phone has past the camera interms of flexibility with very acceptable quality

[@alexdubois6585]

For me at this stage as an amateur, the real benefit is with subject separation or telephoto. For the rest, also I try, the phone takes most of the time a better picture. I am moving from Fuji to Full frame with primes (and telephoto later) for this reason.

[@kojoefante]

Phones aren’t real cameras just as they aren’t real pcs .

[@bellgreytv]

I hope you will be doing a similar video for the new Pixel 8. Decisions need to be made!! As always, thanks Chris and Jordon

[@PetaPixel]

Check this space again soon!

[@demetriusmichael]

Thank you for this! Camera companies need these kind of comparisons so they can start taking computational photography more seriously. Also phones are IP rated, have great screens, and gps tags your photos.

[@danielvilliers612]

Try shooting beyond 400 Iso. This comparaison is à bit flawed in the sense of comparing to 4000 usd top of the line camera. A 1000 to 2500 usd camera, would still kill the iPhone. I hope the Nikon Zf is a huge huge success beyond just hard-core photographers. Because rather that spend a thousand plus on a phone, get yourself a very very good 300 usd phone and a camera like this. Because the main selling point of those high end phone are mostly the camera. The zf will kill any phone camera for the next decade at least.

[@pmc7105]

Would be interesting to see the phone compared to the OM camera Chris likes to take traveling.

[@michaelcoates7475]

I greatly enjoyed the video! I think that for a professional photographer, no, a camera phone cannot replace professional photography equipment. It’s not even close. However, for the average person Who just wants to take snapshots of their kids and family trips, your camera phone is probably the best option. As mentioned in the video, the photographs will come out much more polished than they would from a mirror less or DSLR camera. Most people do not want to spend hours editing photos at the computer. In addition, most people always keep the phone with them whereas bulky equipment will likely be left at home. And the quality will be far good enough for social media and smaller prints, 4 x 6, 5 x 7, 8 x 10. In my personal opinion there is really no reason to purchase a mid range camera anymore. Your camera phone should cover all of those situation‘s.

[@MarkSMueller]

Great video and wonderful comparison. I'm an iphone nerd and just brought the Max after watching your video. But now watching you at work in the field shooting nature, I just might chase after a Z8! Oh, BTW, where did you get the black leather folio case (your "old man wallet") ? I had one on my last iPhone but the new 15 ProMax doesn't fit.

[@robertjulianagnel1100]

Hi Chris any idea why camera companies don’t employ similar software, hardware, firmware used by smartphones? ergonomics, larger sensors, choice of lenses add the razel-dazel

[@petergunndetective]

Travelling barista... you guys have changed man :)

[@matteophilippi4047]

great video! But wheres the pro camera?

[@allenvanhellen2572]

How many faces is the limit for the iPhone’s portrait mode?

[@MathieuTechMoto]

Fantastic video, please do a Xiaomi 13 Ultra comparison with a full frame camera

[@Skipsul]

Still hate the ergonomics of shooting with a phone, and the ways the phones consistently fight the user for control of how the camera is used.. Always dropping the damned things.

[@thisisbenji90]

I use my Z8 for photo and iPhone for video.

[@NavrajRajLostSouls]

If u thing to see pics only on phone, then stick to ur phone. If u want to print or watch on 65 inch tv then DSLR even 10 year dslr will be generations ahead of Iphone Of S23U.

[@drchtct]

I know it is a way better video title, but you could also just take a Fujifilm X-S10 with the 18-55 kit lens (or a comparable Sony APSC) for the same price of the iPhone 15 Pro and it would still annihilate the iPhone cameras.

[@damirook8342]

agree with below as I have both. My Fuji XS-10 with budget 35 mm XC lens destroys iPhone 15 pro max in almost every scenario except macro shots.

[@Fanatic17]

And here I am listening Bob Odenkirk comparing an iPhone to a camera 😂 I’m sure you get it all the time but it’s impressive how similar your voices are

[@scarcesense6449]

New phones are remarkably good. I just wish there was a low end camera to compliment your phone. Something like an RX10 that cedes the first 120mm or so to the phone and uses that sacrifice to re-engineer the lens for maximum benefit, be it longer reach, smaller size, sharper glass, wider aperture, or a little of each.

[@JudyHill-yk4xf]

Thanks for the information guys. Perfect timing.

[@Nico-bc4ir]

Sorry for being off topic, but are you guys planning on doing a review of the Tamron 17-50 f/4 for Sony e-mount? Imho one of the most exciting focal ranges in years...

[@dolce_gusto]

why is everyone in your videos so so handsome, and the video quality is amazing. thumbs up and subscribed.

[@endemycon]

It would be interesting to see the same comparison i low light photography. Like taking pictures of the moon or evening/night time nature scenes.

[@BlueEagleSG]

I think both are useful, if you can have the camera with you everywhere, sure, I'll prefer the mirrorless camera, but not all the time you have you camera with you everywhere you are, and the phone is with me all the time, so learning how to use the iPhone and avoid its limitations would be a preferred way. I would say not chasing one over another, but using both at the appropriate time. There is no point comparing the photo qualities or other features, there is no comparison. We can't break the rule of science

[@romanpul]

Doesn't the Z8 also have an ADR mode on JPEG/HEIF mode? All of my Z cameras have that. I wonder how that would stack up against the iPhone (which also uses AI filters in addition to HDR stacking)

[@PC-oz7tz]

Thanks Chris...would you and Jordan please do an all features camera/video comparison of the Samsung S23 Ultra to iPhone 15 Pro ? Liked

[@careywest]

Dammit, Michael.

[@MichaelBonocorePetaPixel]

I need my coffee, video production be damned!

[@gigamoment]

I wish smartphone manufacturers would focus on 1 main camera 48MP 1"-type with a great lens 1-3x variable zoom. That could really be a real compact camera.

[@dhrubo9140]

Make a video on (pixel 8 pro vs pro camera)❤

[@charlesjames9783]

The question should be- What are you using it for? For snapshots phone is fine and quick. For Sports and wildlife not so much. Paid detailed work there’s no question. Weddings and special occasions is where the Phones shine. Not as good but good enough.😊

[@RWJSJG]

Love your videos ❤ tell Michael he’s needs to chill 😂

[@MichaelBonocorePetaPixel]

Someone had to keep the caffeine flowing!

[@AF15Spiderman]

I just shot my new A7cii with 28-60 kit lens vs my iPhone 13 Pro indoors and outdoors and honestly I did not see any difference when both were in full Auto which is what I leave my camera on to make it easier for my kids to grab the camera and shoot. However when I capped ISO indoors to 1600, and added a flash the camera became better. We only look at pics on a 27 inch 1440 screen or send on whatsapp so the camera and iphone images feel the same so far.

[@WRX_THUNDER]

Did you even go into camera settings on the iPhone and change the formats to ProRAW MAX for photos and Apple PRO RES for video?

[@FedoraRouge]

It would be nice if you would do a comparison with the iPhone 15 Pro Max with ShiftCam Deluxe Kit which comes with the hand grip and seven lenses to do a review on. I happened to have a Nikon D800E with 14-24mm, 24-70mm and the 70-200mm and just purchased the ShiftCam Deluxe Kit which I am waiting for.

[@PhotoReactionVideos]

Fantastic as always! Thank you for your effort in putting this together 😊👍🏻🍺

[@kleanthiserotokritou]

Any comparison between this and the Samsung S24 ultra ?

[@mike_s_media]

I am so incredibly happy that you guys didn't go the trendy route of lying and saying the iPhone 15 Pro is as good as pro body cameras and that you don't need to buy expensive high end equipment blah blah blah Of course you don't need expensive equipment to make an Instagram post but omg I'm so tired of hearing popular influencers and creators say all you need is an iPhone.... maybe if all you do is play on social media then yeah all you need is an iPhone! Okay rant over, I'm just exhausted listening to people trying to pass a phone off as a professional piece of equipment... And I have and love my iPhone 14 Pro Max but I love my Alpha 1 more when it comes to pictures or video! But in all honesty the people who think they are going to start a career with an iPhone generally lack the understanding of cameras in the first place and would likely be better off just buying a phone in the first place! The whiskey is strong tonight... great video as always!