Famed photographer Malin Fezehay praised the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max's ability to "capture life as it happens." As seen in the artist's work in the recent iPhone Photography Exhibition in Paris, the photos snapped by Apple's flagship phone boast incredibly "high-quality" images for minimal effort.
As effortless as it may sound, users first need to know the ins and outs of the new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max to bring out 100% of their camera's effectiveness. Below is a complete guide on how to effectively use the devices' camera and app.
MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 22: The iPhone 15 Pro Max in natural titanium seen from below with it's distinct 3 camera profile on display in store on September 22, 2023 in Milan, Italy. After Apple's announcement of the iPhone 15 series on September 12, including the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the highly anticipated lineup is now available for in-store pickup starting today.
Utilizing the iPhone's Physical Buttons
Did you know you can actually operate the iPhone like a traditional camera? Pressing the device's volume up and volume down buttons will take a picture without needing to press the on-screen button.
The iPhone's physical buttons also act as an approximation to a physical camera's release button, providing the same satisfaction. Opting for this method will make taking pictures feel intuitive and smooth, especially in landscape shots where the on-screen button can be tough to reach.
Additionally, if you press and hold either of the volume buttons, the device will start recording a video. This will happen regardless if you're in video mode or not, and in cases that you're not, the on-screen button will turn into a red circle with a video timer appearing at the top of the screen to indicate the video is recording.
You can further personalize the physical button function by going into "Settings," selecting "Camera," and turning on an option to capture burst photos instead of a video.
Finally, you can also maximize the newly programmable "Action Button" that both the iPhone 15 Pro phones have for the purpose of taking pictures. To do so, go to the "Settings" and make sure the "Action Button" is programmed to open the stock "iPhone Camera App."
That said, you can also program the action button to open any camera app of your choice.
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Navigating the On-Screen Controls
Changing between photo mode, video mode, and other modes can eat up valuable seconds when it comes to capturing fleeting moments, which is why you have to rely on the QuickTake feature as much as you can.
Without having to change modes, you can directly record a QuickTake video by pressing and holding down the on-screen button, similar to how videos are taken in some social media apps like Instagram.
If you're planning to take a long QuickTake video then try sliding the button to the right as you hold it down. This will lock the device into recording and you're then free to take your finger or thumb off of the on-screen button.
On the other hand, if you want to take burst photos instead, you can slide your finger to the left side while holding down the on-screen button to promptly start snapping burst photos.
Maximizing the iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max's 3x and 5x Lenses
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max both have the same two main and ultra-wide cameras capable of shooting normal 1x and 0.5x zooms, with the latter typically used for taking group photos or wide-angle shots.
Where the iPhone 15 Pro Max differs is its 5x capabilities, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro is only capable of a maximum of 3x zoom. With the 5x you can truly capture the nitty-gritty details of your subjects, an incredibly handy tool to get more out of your photos.
Switching between the zoom levels is pretty intuitive, all you need to do is slide either side of the zoom buttons to open the zoom wheel or tap one of the zoom buttons, all of which are indicated with an "x."
You can also play around the focal lengths of 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm by respectively choosing the 1x, 1.2x, and 1.5x zooms. If any of these are your go-to when it comes to pictures, you can set it as your default for the main camera.
Play Around the Shooting Modes
Consistent with the iPhone line of devices, this iteration also has different camera modes. Basically, you can change between photo, portrait, and panorama modes for photography. For video, the modes are cinematic and slo-mo.
Cinematic mode puts focus on the subject while slo-mo is as its name implies, capable of shooting 240 frames per second.
Beyond that, the extra modes are night mode for taking photos with minimal light and macro mode for taking pictures that are small. Both of these modes are automatically turned on by respective conditions specific to the mode. For night mode it's dependent on light, and for macro mode, on distance with the subject.
Besides those two modes, there is portrait mode, but you don't necessarily need to manually switch to this mode when capturing a portrait photo. Similar to the previous modes, the iPhone can automatically detect the subject if portrait mode is appropriate through depth data. This is indicated through a stylized "f" showing up in the bottom left corner.
Additional Camera Settings to Know
If you still want to take your iPhone photography to the next level, try enabling "RAW" in the settings which will capture more visual data like highlights and shadows. This is perfect for post-production, providing the editor "more" to play around with,
More options can be found under the "Pro Default" settings, providing choices between 48MP and 12MP. Regular photos in the new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are shot in 24MP, compared to when it was previously compressed to 12MP.
If you choose, you can also apply "HDR" or "High Dynamic Range" on videos which basically means more detail intake. If you're planning to edit the footage afterward, however, "HDR" might over-complicate things, so be careful.
Get to Capturing Moments with the iPhone
That's basically all you need to know in order to effectively use the new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max as high-quality cameras. So, go out there and effortlessly take snapshots of all the fleeting moments you can.
