In a new video shot entirely on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, photographer Tyler Stalman takes an in-depth look at the cameras on the new iPhone 17 lineup, with a special focus on the Pro models. Here’s what he found.
For the past few years, Stalman has been publishing a comprehensive look at the cameras of new iPhones. This year, he focused on the Pro line, particularly how they compare to previous Pro generations.
He also took the time to talk about new pro software features, as well as the cameras on the iPhone 17, and iPhone 17 Air.
Selfie camera: The biggest update of the year
According to Stalman, “the selfie camera is probably the biggest update of the year,” with its new square sensor and Center Stage feature, which automatically switches between portrait and landscape orientations (a feature which, to be honest, he decided to turn off).
Stalman says that both picture quality and the comfort of holding the iPhone vertically while shooting it horizontally are very welcome additions.
As for the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air, Stalman says that most people will probably not notice the difference between their main cameras and the main cameras of the Pro models, then he moves on to the iPhone 17 Pro.
Pro cameras
Stalman notes that while the main camera hasn’t changed, the real improvements show up in how the iPhone 17 Pro handles ProRAW shooting, with the JPEG-XL Lossy format turned on:
You don’t lose any of the detail in your photo. You still have all the flexibility of RAW, but it’s a fraction of the size.
He also compared the iPhone 17 Pro against shots from photographer Derek Boniecki from The Trek Blog, who uses an iPhone 14 Pro Max. In side-by-side tests, the 17 Pro produced cleaner images with less noise and more accurate colors, especially in challenging lighting or zoomed-in pictures.
During the rest of the video, Stalman analyzes multiple aspects of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max cameras against previous Pro and Pro Max models, including video shooting and fantastic stabilization, even in zoomed-in shots.
In a nutshell (and you should really watch the video for the full analysis and nuance), he concludes that when it comes to the cameras, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max might be worth the upgrade if you’re coming from an iPhone 15 Pro or earlier. But again, there’s much more to that, and you should watch the video.
He also notes that this year, Apple has pushed the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max cameras further toward Hollywood-style use cases, which is also a win for casual users, who can also enjoy these benefits (although some may require additional software and hardware).
Watch the full video below:
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