WEBVTT 00:00:00.060 --> 00:00:06.600 when the original iPhone was announced the camera wasn't important at all 00:00:04.500 --> 00:00:11.219 barely getting a mention from Steve Jobs in that legendary keynote you have a two 00:00:09.120 --> 00:00:14.759 megapixel camera built in as I said What mattered at the time was that you could 00:00:12.719 --> 00:00:19.100 pinch to zoom and so I can just move them further apart and stretch the image 00:00:19.140 --> 00:00:24.900 that was amazing and yet over the 15 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:28.220 years since then the iPhone evolved from three devices in one 00:00:28.619 --> 00:00:33.420 to four in that time we've seen many new 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:38.520 features and improvements leading us to the large 48 megapixel sensor found in 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:42.960 the iPhone 14 pro when I reviewed it last fall I noticed that photos taken in 00:00:40.680 --> 00:00:46.860 raw are amazing now photos taken normally look kind of processed and so 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:52.079 it got me curious about the evolution of the iPhone camera Brandon Lee and I went 00:00:49.379 --> 00:00:56.340 and took photos with every iPhone we could get our hands on my eyes are still 00:00:54.180 --> 00:00:59.039 burning foreign 00:00:57.239 --> 00:01:02.640 okay so I should first confess that this idea is actually the brainchild of 00:01:00.420 --> 00:01:07.080 Brandon Lee he's had an Ever growing interest in capturing light so obviously 00:01:05.580 --> 00:01:12.240 he's curious about the iPhone cameras you want so badly to have something in 00:01:09.900 --> 00:01:16.740 your head work out in front of a camera and especially at the beginning it 00:01:14.460 --> 00:01:20.100 doesn't that challenge of like okay Closer Closer Closer you get a little 00:01:18.360 --> 00:01:24.479 bit better you learn one thing you get a little bit better and then I got 00:01:22.439 --> 00:01:29.939 addicted to it over the last 15 years Apple has made 28 different versions of 00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:34.380 their iPhone camera and that's not even counting all the software features they 00:01:31.619 --> 00:01:39.060 add on top of it the iPhone is the most used camera in the world what has Apple 00:01:36.780 --> 00:01:45.420 chosen to do in the evolution of this product to improve the camera and why 00:01:43.020 --> 00:01:49.200 I want to know why though as Marcus Brownlee recently demonstrated in his 00:01:47.100 --> 00:01:54.000 annual camera comparison the iPhone processing is letting it down compared 00:01:51.600 --> 00:01:57.600 to the others so maybe we can see where and when this trend started I remember 00:01:56.159 --> 00:02:01.320 the first camera phones people were like they put a camera on it was just amazing 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:07.320 that it had a camera to begin with that's crazy to think about to do this we assembled a wide history of 23 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:12.900 iPhones to take three different photos after a wet West Coast winter snowfall 00:02:10.020 --> 00:02:16.620 they are a daytime photo of a building a nighttime picture of me working on a 00:02:14.340 --> 00:02:20.879 frozen MacBook and a portrait of me with portrait mode 00:02:17.819 --> 00:02:23.819 we're missing two phones because one was 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:28.200 mislabeled on eBay and the other is a diagnostics from an Apple Factory the 00:02:26.580 --> 00:02:34.620 first photo we wanted to examine is of the Fort Langley Community Hall in 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:36.120 Langley ideal but boring at the same 00:02:34.620 --> 00:02:41.519 time yeah yeah but I think this is like a very good flat nice flat photo 00:02:38.160 --> 00:02:44.840 everything can be judged pretty easily 00:02:41.519 --> 00:02:44.840 well let's take a look at it 00:02:46.220 --> 00:02:51.900 I love how de-emphasize the cameras on this phone like it's just a little 00:02:50.040 --> 00:02:56.360 because cameras weren't even common on phones at that point all right one two 00:02:54.120 --> 00:03:03.180 three oh it's like looking you know in an 00:03:00.540 --> 00:03:06.959 old-timey photo old tiny potato old tiny potato with color I don't even think 00:03:04.860 --> 00:03:10.260 it's in Focus so you couldn't even it's probably a fixed Focus you couldn't pick 00:03:08.640 --> 00:03:14.340 your focus I don't think anyone thought that the original iPhone was a good 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:18.180 camera okay so the first iPhone wasn't really about the camera so what about 00:03:16.200 --> 00:03:22.500 the iPhone 3GS because it's having a bit of a moment which I'll tell you about 00:03:19.739 --> 00:03:27.480 after this video sponsor War Thunder it is a free to play online military combat 00:03:25.019 --> 00:03:32.099 game that runs on macOS by battling it out on over 100 major battlefields from 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:35.879 World War II to the modern present day take advantage of the Arsenal of more 00:03:34.200 --> 00:03:39.780 than 2 000 historically 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really get in there I see 00:04:19.579 --> 00:04:26.400 artifacting chromatic aberration like a rainbow 00:04:22.979 --> 00:04:27.960 zero on detail 00:04:26.400 --> 00:04:32.639 um moving on every time I put the four up I'm so 00:04:30.660 --> 00:04:38.419 impressed by how much better it looks do you think it's the redness green or the 00:04:34.139 --> 00:04:38.419 camera I mean it was a huge leap 00:04:39.780 --> 00:04:44.580 from here yeah to here that's pretty 00:04:42.960 --> 00:04:50.639 it's a big deal it was a big deal yeah because it went from 3.2 megapixels to 00:04:46.440 --> 00:04:53.400 five I can also see this says Fort 00:04:50.639 --> 00:04:58.500 Langley Community Hall 1931. so what happened next 00:04:55.440 --> 00:05:00.380 whoa I've always been curious where in 00:04:58.500 --> 00:05:06.960 the iPhone's lifespan did that happen and why did that happen and why did no 00:05:04.139 --> 00:05:12.720 one else even stand a chance man that looks good too 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:15.300 I think that the iPhone 4S 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:19.199 hands down is the biggest jump in quality 00:05:16.259 --> 00:05:24.360 in the iPhone's lifetime we already get into photos that are pretty respectable 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:29.880 even when we hit the 4S even compared to stuff now yes oh wow well because now 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:34.979 it's harder if you weren't a pro at photos you could look at this and it 00:05:32.699 --> 00:05:39.600 would still hold up to some extent what about buying a 4S a 4S for the aesthetic 00:05:37.620 --> 00:05:43.139 reasons as opposed to 3GS the imperfection is the aesthetic yeah is 00:05:41.880 --> 00:05:47.220 this the generation they added the whole color filter thing the color filter 00:05:45.479 --> 00:05:51.660 thing actually wasn't added with the 5S specifically it was added with iOS 7. oh 00:05:49.440 --> 00:05:55.740 okay which I still uh can't forgive 00:05:55.740 --> 00:06:01.440 so yeah what's going on here I really 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:05.160 don't like the 5S to be very clear this is my subjective opinion of this test 00:06:03.180 --> 00:06:10.500 that we did there are obviously going to be situations where the 5S probably can 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:14.400 beat the 4S in terms of its detail or whatever but when I look at this photo 00:06:12.479 --> 00:06:19.380 okay there's that and then here's the 4S 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:22.319 yeah it's way clearer the 5S should be technically a better photo with all 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:26.940 these with even all the specs on it but it somehow when I look at the 4S and the 00:06:24.900 --> 00:06:31.380 5S I'm almost disappointed at the 5S because I would expect the 5S to be 00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:36.780 better and this is why I think the 4S is the big jump the jump but do regular 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:40.860 people agree with Brandon let's let's ask a couple of people 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:45.300 okay no definitely the one on the right it's a lot more legible when I zoom in 00:06:43.080 --> 00:06:49.319 you're noticing it's clear which one which one for probably the one on the 00:06:47.460 --> 00:06:52.680 right what thank you Mark no that's great that's exactly the answer I wanted 00:06:50.699 --> 00:06:56.580 oh the one on the left yeah what matters to you in that photo 00:06:54.780 --> 00:07:01.560 then I think that the photo on the right is just a bit too bright it 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:07.319 it blurry without zooming in whereas the one on the left side I feel 00:07:04.919 --> 00:07:11.400 like the entire photo kind of works a lot better 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:13.740 for the five I do honestly I think I prefer the one on the right I think you 00:07:12.419 --> 00:07:17.940 look more natural the one on the left looks a little over processed I can't 00:07:16.020 --> 00:07:23.900 really describe it but it looks maybe too sharp or too not natural looking I 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:28.800 guess just to verify you prefer the 5S yeah I think I do what's interesting 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:33.360 here is that Brandon and Mark are the photographers in the group whereas 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:34.560 Brandon and Sarah just take photos I 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:40.139 don't know how you tell these different I like do you know what this is do you 00:07:38.340 --> 00:07:42.840 know what this is that's a 13 because I don't it's a 14 plus how do you know 00:07:41.699 --> 00:07:48.840 that when we look at the 10 we see the 10r 00:07:45.840 --> 00:07:52.400 yeah the crunchiness isn't really there 00:07:48.840 --> 00:07:52.400 and then we move on 00:07:53.639 --> 00:08:01.259 the 11 a little bit you start to see it because 00:07:57.479 --> 00:08:04.740 of diffusion yeah move on 00:08:01.259 --> 00:08:06.120 to the 12th and it's it's there it's 00:08:04.740 --> 00:08:12.180 like a lie that's in your face I feel like it's gonna like come out and attack me here's the 13. oh interesting it's 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:15.960 less no it's very sharp but it's not as bright oh they paired it back here well 00:08:13.740 --> 00:08:19.259 they paired the exposure back on that it makes you wonder where Apple has moved 00:08:17.699 --> 00:08:24.500 their processing since then and the best way to see that is at night 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:30.419 this situation was really where I 00:08:27.660 --> 00:08:34.440 noticed the trend in sharpness yeah it's like that is really coming out 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:40.620 significant like you really can see it most people 00:08:37.979 --> 00:08:45.600 are gonna pick this one I think do I like this trend I don't know 00:08:43.800 --> 00:08:51.420 I will say I've never really been impressed by my iPhone camera I hate 00:08:48.060 --> 00:08:54.120 like artificial sharpness in photography 00:08:51.420 --> 00:08:57.839 and the right side has a lot of that like I zoomed into the tree and it just 00:08:56.220 --> 00:09:03.600 looks bad it's like a lot more manipulated by the software whereas with 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:07.800 the left side here yeah it feels a lot more like I'm actually staring at this 00:09:05.820 --> 00:09:11.940 scene that's happening yeah you can definitely tell the one on the right 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:16.740 does feel a little bit more over sharpened I don't like it I like the one 00:09:14.339 --> 00:09:21.420 on the left for that the left looks more smooth the right looks more sharp and I 00:09:19.800 --> 00:09:25.920 don't like either of those the biggest difference I really see in this photo is 00:09:22.860 --> 00:09:27.180 sharpness and uh texture the left one 00:09:25.920 --> 00:09:33.060 just looks like it's better the color temperature and the colors and the dynamic range all look fairly similar I 00:09:31.740 --> 00:09:36.899 think it looks a little unnatural on the tree but everything else I think looks 00:09:34.920 --> 00:09:40.560 pretty good and like I said that my main issue with the iPhone sharpening from 00:09:38.820 --> 00:09:43.380 what I've seen is usually when it's just like a close-up photo of someone in like 00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:47.940 their family or their face or something I find it makes her face look really 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:52.380 unnatural if that makes sense I picked the newer phone every single time I 00:09:49.260 --> 00:09:54.360 think so I guess Apple does their 00:09:52.380 --> 00:09:59.580 research they're improving the camera for you yeah so the processing is 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:05.300 getting quite overt on the newer iPhones but with the last three Pro Models 00:10:02.040 --> 00:10:05.300 that's not the end of the story 00:10:06.779 --> 00:10:13.800 the last thing I want to touch on here yes with this particular 48 megapixels 00:10:10.980 --> 00:10:17.580 Pro raw that is where I think Apple has really changed the 00:10:15.959 --> 00:10:23.519 game that's much more natural looking and I will be that smile yeah look at 00:10:21.300 --> 00:10:27.839 your jacket look at your face yeah the light here the range the like this is 00:10:26.700 --> 00:10:33.120 not even this doesn't even look like a low light photo anymore no yeah we went 00:10:30.060 --> 00:10:37.980 from it's been a long time ago yeah to 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:39.899 here man this looks really good Pro raw 00:10:37.980 --> 00:10:44.160 plus the 48 megapixel is now where the iPhone shines the most 00:10:42.180 --> 00:10:48.420 most people are gonna pick this one I think full of software gimmicks on the 00:10:46.500 --> 00:10:52.800 iPhone the most photographic is portrait mode okay so what we're doing right now 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:56.060 is I'm sitting on Ice to try out uh portrait mode which is introduced on the 00:10:54.360 --> 00:11:02.339 iPhone 7 plus and provides kind of a simulated shallow 00:11:00.360 --> 00:11:08.880 depth of field which you would get in a DSLR camera with a much bigger sensor 00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:10.860 so this clearly Sean on the Sony A9 Mark 00:11:08.880 --> 00:11:13.680 II very expensive mirrorless camera this is the Baseline this is where you'd want 00:11:12.779 --> 00:11:19.440 it to be to be ideal situation so with its introduction of the 10r they had the 00:11:17.880 --> 00:11:23.880 main camera only but they wanted to give portrait mode a chance and so they 00:11:21.959 --> 00:11:29.720 introduced an algorithmic-based portrait mode which reads that I'm a person tries 00:11:26.519 --> 00:11:33.180 to figure out my outline and then apply 00:11:29.720 --> 00:11:35.220 this you know bokeh effect around that 00:11:33.180 --> 00:11:38.399 it uses the main wide camera which contradicts have portraits have been 00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:41.220 traditionally taken with a more telephoto lens so it certainly has a 00:11:40.140 --> 00:11:48.300 look because you have to move the camera closer and then you get Barrel Distortion which is unflattering to the 00:11:44.760 --> 00:11:51.480 face how close does the iPhone get the 00:11:48.300 --> 00:11:53.760 iPhone is capable of producing something 00:11:51.480 --> 00:11:58.620 that could dupe somebody this is a very clear issue right here this is an 00:11:56.160 --> 00:12:03.360 improvement still some trouble here that is a really it's just a very hard spot I 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:08.480 don't think any of them got it here yeah but the fall off on your hood is much 00:12:06.540 --> 00:12:13.860 better because it was just like a vlog which is what makes you look Photoshop 00:12:10.500 --> 00:12:17.279 this is portrait mode on the wide oh my 00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:19.680 goodness so this is what I mean I place 00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:24.540 the tripod down you we stood you in a spot and then you weren't close enough 00:12:22.140 --> 00:12:30.180 the use case for it is slimmer because of the practicality you have to meet 00:12:27.480 --> 00:12:35.700 Apple's parameters for the ideal shot yeah from what I pick I don't know the 00:12:34.260 --> 00:12:40.560 left side just has a bit more of a blurred background on the right side 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:45.200 and then yeah on Zoom the right side is a bit sharper I'll say the right side 00:12:42.779 --> 00:12:45.200 this time 00:12:46.019 --> 00:12:50.639 not a lot like the right side is just a 00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:55.680 bit cleaner do you use portrait mode uh sometimes 00:12:53.040 --> 00:13:02.160 when I'm taking pictures of my dog very specifically I find portrait mode 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:05.639 looks very unnatural I would say initial Impressions I don't see a huge 00:13:03.540 --> 00:13:10.320 difference it seems like the one on the right is doing better with the little 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:12.720 fur on your coat like it's sharp and then it goes to blurriness whereas the 00:13:11.639 --> 00:13:16.620 one on the left it's just all the same amount of blurriness so you prefer the 00:13:14.760 --> 00:13:22.200 one right yeah they look very similar so it's almost 00:13:20.459 --> 00:13:25.860 like they tried to make it shallower depth of field on the one on the right 00:13:23.760 --> 00:13:30.540 but then they have this transitional blur so that it doesn't look as like 00:13:28.079 --> 00:13:34.500 immediate I like aspects about both of them yeah I would say the one on the 00:13:32.579 --> 00:13:38.040 left but I do like what they're doing with the one on the right 00:13:36.120 --> 00:13:42.839 a little bit I feel like the one on the right is the newer phone and the one on 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:48.120 the left is the older one would you ever use portrait mode 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:52.380 I had issues with the clunkiness of portrait mode in the app the quickness 00:13:50.160 --> 00:13:57.480 of it I don't think will ever beat a new or normal camera and it doesn't inspire 00:13:54.600 --> 00:14:02.339 a lot of confidence because I know that it can probably fail right and so that 00:13:59.700 --> 00:14:04.940 probability would refrain me from using it regularly I think I just used my 00:14:03.839 --> 00:14:09.540 normal camera 00:14:09.540 --> 00:14:15.540 in terms of doing this whole experience what's been the biggest takeaway I think 00:14:13.620 --> 00:14:18.420 to me they're trying to cement the belief 00:14:16.680 --> 00:14:22.260 that you don't need anything else especially now with what you know about 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:25.980 the 14 pro would this be enough to make you switch back to iPhone 00:14:23.940 --> 00:14:29.579 with my knowledge of how to use the portrait mode on top of it and the video 00:14:27.720 --> 00:14:33.660 features and the pro raw and the fact that you could 00:14:30.779 --> 00:14:38.160 color correct the image and manipulate it however you want because it is a raw 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:43.199 photo that you're getting I don't like iOS Jonathan what I'm still strongly 00:14:41.699 --> 00:14:47.459 considering it because I do need to upgrade my phone soon even after all 00:14:44.699 --> 00:14:51.120 this you would say uh if you if you care about pictures 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:55.980 fire real camera it is really cool to see the evolution 00:14:53.699 --> 00:15:03.240 of a product like this because it is so historical you really do see that 00:14:58.199 --> 00:15:05.220 between the seven plus and the 11 the 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:09.420 difference isn't that drastic and now we're at the 14 pro the 48 megapixels is 00:15:08.040 --> 00:15:13.560 a big jump but then do they really make another big jump after that 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:18.540 we'll see we'll find out next year yeah thanks for comparing every single Mac 00:15:16.199 --> 00:15:23.880 address video if you like looking at many photos give this video a like and 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:29.160 if you want to see more photos get taken you might as well subscribe now I'm 00:15:26.040 --> 00:15:31.079 curious what iPhone camera did you find 00:15:29.160 --> 00:15:34.920 the best is it always the latest one or was there an old iPhone camera you 00:15:32.760 --> 00:15:37.880 really developed an affection for like those tick tockers