iPhone 15 Pro Max 5X Portrait: Is it better than 3X or 2X for people photos?
The big highlight of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is without a doubt its brand new 5X zoom tetraprism lens, an impressive piece of technology where light bounces off four prisms to reach the sensor. It's a distinctly "Apple way" of doing things, as most other manufacturers use a periscope style, or folded, zoom lens, which takes up a lot more space inside the phone.
You can also use this new 5X zoom lens for portrait mode photos, but unfortunately that also means that you do not get a 3X portrait mode on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
We took a bunch of photos to show you the results with each of these cameras, but first, let's start with a quick overview:
However, you can edit the 2X or 3X shots by lowering the aperture and achieve a similar result.
So how does this work for portrait mode photos? Are 5X portrait mode photos on the iPhone 15 Pro Max better than 3X portrat shots from the iPhone 15 Pro?
Or is it better yet to just use the 2X mode, which is supported even on the regular iPhone 15?
- 2X — 48mm on iPhone 15 Pro series, 52mm on iPhone 15/15 Plus, uses sensor crop from the main 1X camera
- 3X — 72mm on iPhone 15 Pro, a dedicated lens
- 5X — 120mm on iPhone 15 Pro Max, a dedicated lens which is said to be multiple times more expensive than the 3X camera
Scene 1 - Say "cheese"!
In this first shot, we had to step back a bit than how we would usually take a picture in order to even be able to compose with the new 5X camera on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
But the result looks really impressive in the viewfinder. Because of the longer focal distance, the background appears compressed, and all the focus falls on our model. We were outside and it was not a problem stepping back, but in tighter spaces this is not always possible.
At the same distance, using the 3X camera you get what photographers refer to as the "cowboy shot", meaning that the subject is captured from the knees up. We guess the pistols of a cowboy would be somewhere in that area, hence the reference.
At the same distance, using the 2X camera, you get a full body shot with a lot of context. You can see where we shot and this is more of an environmental portrait.
Each of these shots is using the default f/4.5 preset. This results in very creamy bokeh on the 5X lens, but not so much on the others. If we were to edit these pictures to our taste, we would need to strengthen the bokeh for the 3X and 2X shot to achieve better separation, but thankfully that's really easy to do in the Photos app.
Scene 2 - Strike a pose
Here is one more shot that illustrates the type of results you are getting at 2X, 3X and 5X.
The 5X shot looks nice, but keep in mind that we could have moved closer using the 3X lens or 2X lens to achieve a more compressed background, while you don't really have that versatility with the 5X lens.
Scene 3 - Fall colors
In this next shot, because of the creamy background, the 5X shot is the one that resembles the most the results you get out of a professional camera.
Scene 4 - All about the bokeh
If you want to separate your subject from the background, the 3X and 5X zoom cameras do a great job. Don't forget, however, that you can zoom in with your feet using the 2X camera as well to get a close-up perspective. You don't always have the ability to zoom away with your feet when you are using the 3X and especially so when you are using the 5X zoom camera.
Conclusion
Is there a "best lens" for portrait shots?
The new 5X zoom lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max captures face portrait shots with a blurry background that resembles a professional camera and you will get this look by default. This impresses, but such a long zoom range puts you far away from your subject and limits you to this "face shot" look. So specifically for taking pictures of people, the 5X zoom lens feels a bit limiting.
At the same time, if you have pets that you love to photograph, it might just be perfect. You will be able to keep your distance, not disturb the animal, and still get a zoomed in shot.
The good old 3X zoom lens on the iPhone 15 Pro remains very capable and more versatile for people photography. You can move in and capture a close-up portrait, or you can move away to get more of a "cowboy shot". It would also works with pets, but admittedly not as well as the 5X lens.
Finally, the 2X zoom on the iPhone 15, which uses sensor crop, also looks great and we are glad all iPhone 15 models have it. This focal length is great for tighter spaces and when you want to capture more of the environment, and it is the one we find ourselves using the most. It also works good for portrait photos where you have multiple people in the frame.
Finally, the 1X zoom portrait mode was not demonstrated in this article. It is a very useful lens for group shots, but for taking a picture of a single person, it forces you to get way too close and distort facial features in a way that does not look good. This is the lens we would use the least for portrait mode shots.
So... what is your preferred focal length for taking portrait photos? And do you even take a lot of portrait shots with a blurred background?
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