Every September, the questions arrive: “What do you really think of the new iPhones?” “Do I really have to upgrade?” “Should I upgrade?”
The answer as always is no, you don’t have to get sucked in and spend oodles of money. Unless you’re a tech photo nerd, and want to have the latest. I have played around with the phones in the Hands on room at Apple’s media event, so I can give you my gut reaction.
iPhone Air
This is being billed as the “thinnest” iPhone ever, and is the first major style upgrade I can remember seeing from Apple since the introduction of the iPhone X in 2017.
It’s being targeted to women, primarily, as a fashion statement, complete with a crossbody strap that is truly cute. For the first time in a long time, there are bragging rights to being first on the block with Apple’s latest and greatest. And you get to take advantage of Apple’s redesigned, higher resolution and wider Selfie camera, which will allow more people to get into your shot.
Con: You only get one camera lens with the Air, even though Apple calls it a “Fusion” camera that’s two lenses in one. More on why I’m having a hard time with that logic below, but taking Apple at its word, you get the normal wide angle 1x lens, and the ability to crop to 2x. There is no ultra-wide angle option.
Starts at $999.
iPhone 17 Pro
You get the new and improved Selfie Cam (the highlight of the new releases, IMHO) and what Apple says is a larger image sensor, by 56% on the telephoto camera, which is how Apple gets to touting 8x “optical quality” results for the Pro models, which is equivalent to 200mm. It’s a crop, not a true zoom, buth with the larger sensor, Apple can tout the higher zoom number.
Con: The 17 base model only has two lenses, ultra-wide .5 and wide 1x, so if you’re into photography, you’ll have to splurge for the Pro, which starts at $1,099, or $1,199 (note new, higher price) for the Pro Max. Boost your storage (to 2 terabyte) on the Max and you’re looking at a price tag that tops $2,000, easily Apple’s most expensive phone ever.
So, should you buy?:
—Yes, if you want the coolest looking new iPhone (the Air) and want to brag about it.
—If you’re one of those folks who snapped 500 billion Selfies last year (per Apple) and would like to have higher resolution images that can fit more people in the frame, a big yes. (iPhone 17, Pro, Max and Air.)
—You like taking telephoto zoom shots, and the idea of getting you closer, advancing you from 120mm to 200mm, with a higher resolution camera, the Pro Models are for you.
If you don’t care about any of these, save your money and wait for next year.
Remember that if you have a cracked screen or a sluggish battery, you can always buy replacements for a lot less than it will cost to upgrade. Have you run out of storage? Buy a $10 monthly Google Photos subscription, which gives you 2 terabytes of space. Upload all your images and videos there and wipe the iPhone clean and you’re out $120 instead of $1,000 or so. (Note I didn’t say Apple’s iCloud because it erases files from your backup if you delete them from the phone.)
I’ll have the review phones soon, and will fill you in with my real world thoughts next week.
But first, a word about digital vs. optical zoom.
Over the past few years, phone manufacturers have gotten very aggressive about using terms like “optical quality” to explain away the fact that their “zoom” lenses are nothing more than a crop, which usually relates to a pixelated image.
I always recommend that people do not “pinch” on the screen to get closer, because they’re not really zooming in—just cropping. And the quality usually really pales.
Now Apple, Google and Samsung insist that with higher megapixel lenses being offered on their phones, they can offer better “optical quality” in their crops, because there’s more room to crop from. It’s the same principle as filming video in 4K, and punching in for a close-up, because you have more data at your disposal.
Optical zoom uses the physical movement of the camera lens to magnify the subject; digital zoom uses software to crop and enlarge the image, stretching the pixels to fill the frame. The more you zoom, the blurrier the image looks.
Anyone who’s tried Samsung’s “optical quality” lenses knows the drill. It’s not pretty.
I always tell people to just use the numbers listed on the phone for their Zoom—.5, 1x, 2x and depending upon your models, 3x or 5x. Pinching to 4x won’t do you any favors. But isn’t Apple’s 2X and new 8X digital zoom too?
Here’s what’s different. The camera crops the central portion of the sensor to get the effect, computationally, without stretching or enlarging the image digitally.
I can’t wait to check out the 8X “optical quality” zoom on the iPhone 17 Pro and see how it fares. On this week’s episode of Photowalks, filmed in Missoula before the Apple announcement, I did some tests showing just how awful digital zoom can look out in the real world.
Hopefully Apple’s new and improved cameras will look a lot better!
The new phones are available on pre-order, and in stores Friday, 9/19.
Cruising on the Coast
This week I was back on the California coast, working on an upcoming three-part episode of Photowalks, from San Francisco to Los Angeles, taking in so many memorable and dramatic spots. My all-time favorite is Oceano Dunes State Park just south of Pismo Beach, where you can still drive your car on the sand. There’s just nothing like it anywhere.
(Pro tip: get there at 7 a.m. when the gates open, and be sure to check the tide tables before you go—I luckily had low tide for my visit—but I’ve been there at high tide too, and that ain’t pretty.)
Look for the episodes later this year.
Geoffrey Miller is our first Nomatic Backpack Giveaway Winner
It’s pretty simple: Watch an episode of Photowalks and let me hear from you about the show and you are automatically entered into our new giveaway with our friends at Nomatic, which make cool backpacks!
We heard from many of you—Photowalks viewer Geoffrey Miller is the first randomly selected winner.
An elementary school teacher in the Seattle area, Geoff wrote in and said, “I’m a faithful follower of Photowalks.
I recently viewed your episode from Motor City-Detroit and loved it. There’s a lot to see and do in that city. My dad grew up in Battle Creek (I saw your video… Cereal City was disappointing!) and we would often fly into Detroit when we were heading to see our grandparents. However we never explored Detroit. Well, now I’ve got it on the list for my next visit to the midwest.
Thanks for all your hard work producing PhotoWalks!”
Thank you Geoff for watching and taking the time to reach out. And double thanks to Michael Sommer for suggesting the giveaway idea and helping to make it happen.
The e-mail address is easy: photowalkstv@gmail.com
One last shot from the road (and I’ve got thousands of them!)
You’re looking at the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast, Point Pinos, in Pacific Grove, California, right next door to Monterey.
And….my TV weather reporter outtake
Recording an intro for an upcoming Photowalks episode proved very challenging on a windy afternoon in Cambria, California. Should’ve ditched the hat altogether, I guess.
Thanks as always for taking the time to watch, read and listen! I’m home for a day—and then we’re back on the road again Sunday!
Jeff