iPhone 15 Pro Max Photography: A Game-Changer with Some Caveats

The iPhone 15 Pro Max continues Apple’s legacy of pushing mobile photography into new territory. With a powerful triple-lens system and a 5x telephoto zoom exclusive to the Pro Max model, it’s clear Apple had photographers in mind. The 48MP main sensor produces crisp, detailed images in bright conditions, while Smart HDR 5 balances highlights and shadows for a natural look. Computational photography remains a standout feature, making everyday snapshots look expertly composed with minimal effort.

Low-light performance sees further improvement, thanks to a larger sensor and faster aperture. Night mode activates automatically, capturing more detail with less noise, even in challenging conditions. Apple’s Deep Fusion tech ensures fine textures are preserved, and with the option to shoot in ProRAW, advanced users can take full control in post-processing. The iPhone 15 Pro Max also supports Log video recording, turning the phone into a mini cinema camera for creators who want maximum dynamic range.

However, despite its strengths, the iPhone 15 Pro Max isn’t without flaws. The new 5x telephoto lens is limited in its versatility due to its fixed focal length; shots in the mid-zoom range (between 2x and 4x) rely on digital cropping or lower-quality sensors. Additionally, while ProRAW and Log video are powerful tools, they require significant storage space — something that could quickly become an issue, especially with the base 256GB model.

Ergonomically, the titanium build is lighter, but the phone remains bulky, which can make handheld shooting over extended periods tiring. The user interface of the native Camera app, while polished, still lacks full manual controls unless third-party apps are used — a downside for photographers wanting granular settings like shutter speed, ISO, and white balance adjustments.

In summary, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is one of the best smartphones for photography on the market, combining powerful hardware with intelligent software. It’s ideal for travel, social media content, and even semi-professional work. Still, limitations in zoom flexibility and manual control remind us that it’s not a full replacement for a dedicated camera setup — yet. For many, though, it hits the sweet spot between convenience and creative potential.

Recent health issue, leg amputation

Thirteen days ago, I had my left leg amputated below the knee.  It’s been harder on me physically than emotionally.  I used to be outdoors practically every day.  But now I’m stuck indoors.  I was in the hospital for 13 days.  I just got home to the apartment 3 days ago now and it’s hard.  I have no access to a vehicle so it’s hard to go anywhere.  I get tired physically going down the hallway to the garbage shoot.  Mentally I’m ok.  Just the fact I’m indoors is draining.  I’m waiting on a prosthetic leg but I have I have an appointment in 2 months on February 6, 2024 to get a fitting.  I’m on a waiting list to see if anyone cancels so I can get in sooner.  My upper body strength is getting better.  But I’m getting bored and I’m antsy sitting doing nothing in the apartment.  I’m waiting to get approved for OC Transpo which is the local transportation company.  I’m hoping to get approved so I can get outdoors.

In the meantime, I’m uploading shorts and longer form videos to my YouTube channel but I’m not much of a talker.  My channel link is right https://tinyurl.com/dvfk8nzh.  It’d be awesome if you subscribed and watched the some of the videos.  I’m trying to get to 1000 subscribers in the next month or two,  I want to get monetized so I could start making some extra money on the side.  Another side hustle I suppose.  LOL. The goal is to get myself out of the apartment and start doing photography and videography again.  I want to go and move to Calgary and be on my own.  Self reliant.

I am studying Final Cut Pro X on the iPad Pro with the goal of getting a maxed out M3 MacBook Pro laptop so I can edit videos professionally.  That is the goal over the next couple of months until I get my prosthetic leg.  When I do get my prosthetic leg, I’ll be more mobile and I will be out with my Sony FDR AX700B camcorder and my new laptop.  I do have a few goals I’ve set for myself as you can see.  I do have a lot of time on my hands.  So please subscribe to my channel here https://tinyurl.com/dvfk8nzh and watch the videos.  If you wish to contact me, you can email me here.

This is going to be the longest day ever

Today is going to be a really long day.  It’s Friday before a long weekend here in Ottawa,  The weather is finally nice and really warm.  And the 2021 iPad Pros have been released and are available for sale finally.  I am able to actually pick up a space grey Apple iPad Pro with 12.9” screen, 1TB of storage, 16GB of RAM and the M1 chip.  I have my appointment with Apple at 4:45pm today.  So I am not waiting until June 9th, 2021 for it to ship.  I cancelled my online order once I got notification that my 2021 12.9” screen, M1, 1TB, 16GB Space Grey Apple iPad Pro was reserved and available for pickup.  My credit card was charged and I am a confirmed owner of a brand new 2021 Apple iPad Pro.  I am just so excited to be a proud owner of this iPad Pro.  My 2018 iPad Pro 12.9” screen, 512GB storage still works wonderfully.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with it.  I just wanted a faster hard drive, faster processor and more RAM.  Apparently the screen on the new iPad Pros is supposed to be amazingly fantastic. I just cannot wait to use the new iPad Pro to edit my photography and videography.

I just hope Apple improves the iPad operating system to take advantage of the hardware.  We will find out June 7th, 2021 at Apples WWDC conference.  The apps I use the most include, but are not limited to LumaFusion, Apple Photos, Pixelmator Photos, Netflix, Disney+, Blogger, Pages, Numbers, iTunes, YouTube, YouTube  Studio, Affinity Photos, Affinity Designer, Firefox, Safari and a few astronomy apps for star gazing.

I’ve put my 2018 Apple iPad Pro up for sale on Kijiji.  If I don’t get any bites by 4pm today, I’ll see if I can trade it in when I pick up my new 2021 Apple iPad Pro.  If I don’t get a byte on Kijiji and I do a trade-in with Apple and they either take it off my credit card, I’ll just get an Apple Watch for the girlfriend.

On a side note, I did purchase some new photo and video equipment earlier this week.  I purchased a Sony RX100 Mark VII and a Sony FDR-AX700B camcorder.  I can’t wait to test out the new iPad Pro with these cameras.  I hope the software developers take advantage of the new horsepower that the new iPad Pro offers.  I hope Apple gets iPad OS to be a more pro operating system.  iPad OS is really lacking in some features that it greatly needs.  A progress bar when you’re copying over files is one.  The ability to format external drives is another.  The full use of an external display is another. 

I am so happy with the latest equipment I got

So this week has been a little different.  I traded in my Sony a7R Mark II, Canon Vixia HF G50, Sony FDR AX53 for a Sony RX100 Mark VII and a Sony FDR AX700B.  The Sony RX100 Mark VII I’ve had before.  Purchased it I think a year and a half ago and then traded it in for some other equipment.  Funny how things work out that I end up with the same camera again.  About 4 years ago, when I was in Calgary I traded in some photo equipment for the Sony FDR AX100b.  Awesome camcorder as well.  It came in very useful when I was out there in the mountains doing landscape videography.  Funny now in 2021, I’m still doing photography and videography with this amazing equipment.  I’m just so happy with the photo and video equipment.  

I ordered the 2021 Apple iPad Pro with the 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM and the M1 processor.  I can’t wait to get it in the next two weeks.  My ecosystem will be complete.  I don’t plan on upgrading any equipment in the foreseeable future.  This hardware is very mobile for a single run and gun shooter like myself.  After work today, I’ll go to Mud Lake here in the west of Ottawa.  Apparently there is an Ospray that has been hanging around and is apparently close to shore.  I also want to do another talking head type video as well.  I can’t wait for September this year.  I’m still planning on going out west to pursue my photo/video career.  

On a side note, editing video in LumaFusion is tremendously easy.  Colour grading the Sony FDR AX700B footage is just a joy.  I honestly can’t wait for the new iPad Pro to come and see what Apple does with WWDC this year.  Hopefully we’ll get a Pro type operating system on the iPad Pro.  That would be just an amazing dream.

Dell XPS 17" 9700 with Windows 10 Pro

 

So, I've had the Dell XPS 17" 9700 Windows 10 Pro laptop for a couple of weeks now.  The only upgrade I've done to this machine is add a second 2TB NVMe solid state drive.  I ordered the laptop with 64GB of memory which may be overkill for now but I wanted to be future proofed.

The computer runs on an Intel i7-10750H processor.  At the time of ordering, Dell did not have the i9 variant of processors available.  Also, I could have gotten the i7-10875H variant but it cost about $500 more with that processor and the upgraded video card.  I'm thinking I'll be getting a new laptop in 4-5 years.  At that point I'll max out the CPU, RAM and video card options.  Another reason why I love the Dell XPS 17" 9700 is the 17" 4k screen.  It is a touch screen but you can disable that in the BIOS which I have done.  I don't see a point of having a touch screen on a laptop.  Sure, an iPad or an iPhone type device but not on a laptop or a desktop.

My two favourite pieces of software for photo and video editing are Affinity Photo and Davinci Resolve.  Affinity Photo is really fast on this Intel based system.  Photo editing is a breeze on this system.  

Davinci Resolve runs smoothly on this system as well.  No lag or hick ups at all.  I've only edited one 75 minute video on here and it took a few hours to export the video.  It was a 4k/60 video shot on an Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max.  

Today after work I will be going to do some video work for myself.  I want to edit 4k/30fps videos shot on my Canon Vixia HF G50.  I want to see how quickly the computer edits 4k/30fps videos that are only about a minute long.  It's supposed to be nice and warm today with a lot of sunshine today.  We shall see.  I will update you at a later date as to how the computer performs. 

I have something coming in 3-4 weeks

So I ordered the 2020 Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB internal hard drive.  When IOS 14.3 comes out and support ProRaw, I think I’ll pretty much drop all my other photography and videography gear and just use the iPhone and iPad Pro as my two main devices.  I shoot Raw photos on all my cameras.  The iPhone support 4K/60fps which is another reason I am getting the iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB SSD hard drive.  4K/60fps takes up a lot of space.  The 64GB iPhones fill up within half an hour with 4K/60fps data.  Now that the iPhone 12 Pro max will be able to shoot Raw natively in the Camera app, I won’t need my Canon point and shoot.  From the details I saw, the photo file size will be at about 25MB which is more than enough for photos to be uploaded to sites like Adobe, Shutterstock and other websites where you can sell your photography and videos.

I basically won’t need a physical laptop to edit my photography and videography.  I can use my 2018 Apple iPad Pro with the 512GB hard drive.  Three years ago, you couldn’t shoot and edit anything on an iPhone and iPad which would be usable.  But now, the hardware and software are so good and getting better, that a DSLR or a mirrorless camera are not needed.  Especially for YouTube or sites like Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, Pond5 or any of the online photo and video selling sites.

I used to photography a lot of wildlife at Parc Omega.  I’ve been to Parc Omega maybe twice this year.  The reasons I don’t go anymore is the pricing to get in is just ridiculous.  Way too expensive.  The last time I went, there were more people than animals.  Parc Omega is far more commercial than an actual natural habitat right now.  It used to be good up until about 4-5 years ago.  It wasn’t that well known but at the same time it was.  Now it’s way over commercialized.  It’s not fun anymore.

I think in March or April of next year, I’ll end up moving to Calgary, Alberta.  Since I got back in July of 2017, I haven’t been the same.  I miss the mountains.  I mill the lakes.  I miss the fresh air.  I miss being out in actual nature by myself.  COVID-19 has definitely proven that I don’t want to be around 99% of the people on this planet.  I would rather be out on a hike somewhere with my camera, away from the majority of the people on this planet.  I think that’s why the iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB of internal storage will be such a good device for me as a person and a photographer.  Shooting in ProRaw will help a lot.  It will have to get better throw as this will be first generation software on the camera.  Eventually, probably in the next year or so, it’ll get much better with software and hardware upgrades.  Apple by far is doing a much better job on its hardware and software than any other phone manufacturer.

I think the iPhone 12 Pro Max paired with the Peak Design aluminium travel tripod will make an awesome photographic tool to take amazing landscape shots out in Alberta and British Colombia.  Once the border opens up, I’ll be able to travel to the western United States.  All I’ll need with me as far as photography goes will be my phone, iPad Pro and my lightweight tripod.  I don’t take portraits, I don’t do weddings.  I just do landscape and cityscape photography.  With ProRes and ProRaw on the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the ability of the 2018 iPad Pro to edit ProRes and ProRaw files, I’ll be able to do a lot more photography in the future than I can right now.  I can be total stealth.  

Seriously Apple!!!!

I’ve hit a wall.  The new Sony RX100 Mark VII is not supported on the 2018 Apple iPad Pro running iOS 12.4.  And it probably won’t be supported with the new iPadOS coming out in about a month or so.  So what do I do for the next month?  I think I will have to pull out the Windows 10 laptop and edit photos and footage in ON1 Photo Raw 19.5 for the next month or so.  I’ve basically run out of space in Photos as well to import said photography and footage.  I know, I know, first world problems.  I need external hard drive support on the 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  I do not want to edit in Windows 10 or on a MacBook Pro.  I am enjoying the iPad Pro too much.  I just wish September 19, 2019 would come sooner so I could install Apple iPadOS on my iPad Pro and ditch the computer life forever.

Today at work I bought a mic plate for less than $7 so can attach either my Sony RX100 Mark VII or my Canon Vixia HF R800 and my Rode Video Mic Pro+ and use that for either 4K or 1080p video.  The Sony RX100 Mark VII doesn’t have the optical reach of the Canon Vixia HF R800.  

I am really, really bored with my I.T career. I just have no more will to pursue it any further.  I am enjoying photography and shooting video far more than I am fixing computers for everyone.  This will definitely be my last I.T contract in Ottawa. I am planning on moving to Calgary in early 2020.  When I was in Calgary back in 2017, I really enjoyed it. Going to the mountains every weekend.  Enjoying the mountains, forests and lakes.  Hell, the photo I took that I was thinking was just a snap that I edited in black and white was not going to sell,  Ever.  Now it’s my number one best selling photo ever on Shutterstock.  I’ve sold it almost 250 times since it being uploaded.

I am teaching myself how to use Affinity Photo on my iPad Pro.  I haven’t touched Photoshop in more than 2 years.  I really do not enjoy the subscription model Adobe is using to sell their software.  I paid less than $25 for Affinity Photo for my iPad Pro.  I also have it on my Windows 10 laptop.  It’s an awesome Photoshop alternative.  

Now it’s time to go for dinner.  Big Bone BBQ is calling my name.

Apple iPadOS

I really, really, really need iPadOS to come out ASAP.  The current version of iOS absolutely sucks as an operating system.  I have a hub attached to my 2018 Apple iPad Pro and attached to the hub I have a Seagate 4TB hard drive.  The current versions of iOS does not provide access to the Seagate external drive.  The Yeti Blue Mic works like a charm.  The SD and Micro SD card slots work flawlessly.  I just need the better file system so I can copy my photos and videos directly to the external hard drive and then I can import the photos into Darkroom and use them directly with Affinity Photo.  I just wish Audacity would port their software for audio editing.  Apple should port Final Cut Pro X or a dumbed down version of the software for the iPad.  Not as dumb as iMovie but something for editing video clips.  I hope I can use the current FTP software I have on the iPad Pro to upload stuff to my Shutterstock, Pond5 and Videoblocks ports.  Mouse support and dark mode are going to be welcome additions as well.

I also can’t wait till the Sony RX100 Mark VII comes out in about a week or two.  I am saving up money like crazy to buy the little pocket camera.  I have about $550 saved so far.  Hopefully I’ll make a few large sales on Shutterstock, Pond5 and Storyblocks in the next few weeks so I can cash out the earnings to buy the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  After I buy the Sony RX100 Mark VII, the next big purchase will be an upgraded drone.  A drone that can shoot in RAW and that takes 4K videos.  The DJI Spark I currently have is ok but it only shoots in the JPEG format and it only shoots 1080p video which is actually pretty good.  But it seems I’m selling more and more 4K videos recently.  Thankfully the Sony RX100 Mark VI and the VII shoot 4K footage which is amazing.

The new Apple iPadOS

I honestly cannot wait until Apple releases Apple iPadOS.  It’s honestly the updated every iPad owner has been waiting for.  So far my four favourite things about the operating system are dark mode, mouse support, external hard drive support and the ability to import files from an SD card directly onto the iPad or an external hard drive.  I just have to buy an external USB-C hub and I can attach my earphones, a hard drive, an external mic and an SD card  with the SD card slot.  This OS is why I bought the 2018 Apple iPad Pro in the first place.  With the exhorbitant prices Apple is asking for their laptops, the iPad was a better choice.  The keys actually function properly and the iPad doesn’t underclock the CPU when it’s put into heavy use.  I just hope that my apps will be updated to use the new iPadOS functionality.  I only use LumaFusion for video editing, Pixelmator Pro, Affinity Photo  and  Darkroom to edit my photos.  I also use the iPad as a media consumption device.

I can finally get rid of my late 2013 MacBook Pro and the Asia Windows laptop I got last year.  I won’t need the laptops anymore.  The 2018 Apple iPad Pro will be able to do everything I want.  

The list of software I currently use is Affinity Photo, PixelMator Pro, Darkroom and LumaFusion for my microstock agency business.  I of course use iTunes for music and AppleTV and YouTube for videos.  When the Apple TV service is started in September I will of course subscribe to it.  I already subscribe to Apple Music and Netflix.  I’ll probably end up killing of Netflix when the Apple TV subscription starts.  Netflix sucks right now and has been sucking for a while now.

I’m just thinking about what Apple announced at WWDC2019 and I have to laugh at their arrogance charging $999US for a damn monitor stand.  It’s a monitor stand!!!!!!!!  With what they’re charging for a monitor, they should have included the damn monitor stand.  It’s unreal what they’re charging for the new Mac Pro, the new monitors and the stand that they just announced.  I get it.  It’s high end and it’s for companies that make a killing in movies, commercials and that stuff.  But for me, it’s far overprice.  In the end, I’ll probably just end up buying an iPad every three to four years and spend $2000 on it.  I already have the needed accessories like the keyboard and Apple Pencil.  Now that the iPad is going to have mouse support, I probably won’t even need the Apple Pencil.  I can’t draw worth a damn.  I might just use it to write notes to myself.  But that’s about it.

Finally. Apple iPadOS 13.

Better file support.  Mouse support. External hard drive support.  Apple iPadOS 13 looks to be awesome.  I just hope Apple will port over Final Cut Pro X to the iPad and it will be a total computer replacement.  I can't wait till September/October when Apple releases the new OS.

I am trying to convince myself

I have been watching a lot of these Youtube videos where people live in their Jeep or another vehicle and just drive around North America and discover Canada and the continental United States even going up to Alaska and the Yukon.

I've had the itch for the past three years to do this.  I'd probably say the last 7 years.  Lets just say that when I had cancer back in 2010/2011, I've been wanting to go out on the road and just travel.  I don't get to do much since I work 5 days a week and just pay bills to keep my head just above water.  I don't want that kind of life where I just go to work and pay bills.  There is a lot more to see than just a cubicle and the 4 walls of your home living room or bed room.  Life is more than that.

I've been thinking that early next year, I trade in my 2015 Hyundai Elantra for a Jeep 4 door and just live and travel in that.  I'm very afraid of not being able to buy food or pay for my bills.  I've always worked and I hate living off of donations.  That's why I don't use services like Patreon or GoFundMe.  Those are great for raising funds for like AIDS or cancer research.  But to live off of the donations of others I find troubling.  I don't make a lot of money with my photography.  A few hundred bucks here or there.  I probably need roughly $3500 a month live after tax.  I probably make $200 a month with my photography.  The photography money is not steady either.  Some months I make more and some months I make less.  I make a few bucks a month with the blog, but again, nowhere near where I need to be.  I have a Youtube channel but I hate being on camera.

I would love to travel the United States.  Go from state to state.  But I can't legally work there and I would need to support myself.  You really can't travel in Canada in winter.  Last year when I left for Calgary in early March, I got stuck in North Dakota for 2 days because of a snow storm in a 95km/h wind storm. At one point it felt like my hotel room was going to fly away and end up in Kansas or somewhere.

I don't mind the snow.  I actually love the snow but I do like the weather in Arizona in the fall.  2 years ago I was on vacation in Arizona and fell in love with the state.

Right now, I'm trying to lose 50 pounds before the end of March 2019.  I feel like the next six months will be life changing.  I know the old saying of: the only thing to fear is fear itself.  And that's my biggest fear right now.  Not fear.  But the unknown of how I'm going to support my travel financially. If you have any thoughts or advice, just post it in the comments.

Fort Henry, ON - Canada

So we were in Sandbanks Provincial Park, Ontario yesterday which was fantastic.  Weather was sunny and hot.  And I mean real hot.  We went back today only to find out that the wait to get in was about a two hour wait just to pay to get into the park.  My girlfriend and I decided it wasn't worth the two hour wait as they already closed the big beach there as it reached capacity.  We decided to head to Kingston, ON as my girlfriend has never been to Fort Henry.  

I took the opportunity to fly my DJI Spark.  Take some pictures and some video.  I'm learning on how to fly the drone as it's a bit scary the first few times.  On occasion, I would lose sight of it in the sun.  I keep forgetting to look at my Apple iPhone 8+ to see what I'm actually photography and taping.  I've just finished uploading to my Shutterstock, Pond5 and Videoblocks portfolios.  Hopefully they will be accepted and available for sale soon

On a side not, I got a nickname of Red Lobster because of the sunburn.  

Will be heading to...

...Sandbanks Provincial Park near Kingston, Ontario this weekend.  I will be taking the drone and cameras.  Hopefully the weather will co-operate and my back will be ok.  The last time we went, my back pretty much spasmed out and we had to go to the hospital for the back pain.  I could not sleep on my back and it was really uncomfortable.  Luckily we went to the chiropractor and my back seems to be ok.

On a side note, Google in its infinite wisdom does not support the blogger app in the Apple app store.  So I'm looking for a blogging IOS app which is cheap and good.  Let me know in the comments section please.   Thanks everyone and have a good weekend.  Especially the long weekend here in Ontario.