[LeeRunge]

I took a few ProRaw shots while hiking the other day to see how they compared to the Z5 at ISO 100 for dynamic range. Turns out it's pretty close at typical sharing sizes, but full scale the iphone falls apart. The iPhone 12 could have been exposed a bit darker to save the highlights on the stone in the sun, my error there, but that's the full-auto result. The iPhone stacks the images and composites them into one file preserving highlights and shadow, sort of like a super HDR image above what a regular camera does due to its much higher performance processor.

Both of these are RAW processed in lightroom (on the iphone) with the same shadow lift profile. iPhone produced a bit warmer color overall than the Nikon but for a smartphone, it's very impressive so long as you don't go 1:1 but on typical tablet/phone displays it's pretty good. I had to shoot underexposed on the Nikon to preserve the highlights then raise the shadows utilizing its low iso DR (one of the highest DR in a full-frame right now at low ISO). The iPhone kept up no problem in this very contrasty scene. This was a full shadow under a thick canopy with full sun (Alabama) shooting through on the rocks and water. This would have been unheard of a few years ago to get this kind of result from a small sensor under this much contrast.

I'm not trying to say the iPhone is better, it's still 12 megapixels, but I'm really impressed with what can be done with a smartphone. It's still full auto so basically a high DR point and shoot with a terrible shooting experience, but with you all the time. Works really well in low light also. The video is amazing from it as well being it's Dolby Vision 4k which I don't think any DSLR/Mirrorless can do at the moment.

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Last edited by LeeRunge; 08-19-2021 at 07:03 PM.

[Digitalis]

In the dappled sunlight scene the iPhone does well, colours aren't too disneyfied. The Nikon DSLR seems to have higher colour saturation, and of course there is the unmistakable aspect of DOF between the two cameras. DR between the two seem to be pretty close in that scene. However on my calibrated display the greens in the open sunlit tree scene from the apple phone look far too warm. The Nikon has greens that are are balanced and pleasing in that scene.

Over the years I have noticed that sometimes Apple phones can do really bizarre things with colors.

[LeeRunge]

In the dappled sunlight scene the iPhone does well, colours aren't too disneyfied. The Nikon DSLR seems to have higher colour saturation, and of course there is the unmistakable aspect of DOF between the two cameras. DR between the two seem to be pretty close in that scene. However on my calibrated display the greens in the open sunlit tree scene from the apple phone look far too warm. The Nikon has greens that are are balanced and pleasing in that scene.

Over the years I have noticed that sometimes Apple phones can do really bizarre things with colors.

It’s interesting how the colors turned out as they’re both RAW under the same profile in Lightroom. I think the iPhone is too warm personally and prefer the Nikon colors. *

The dynamic range is pretty similar out of both files which impressed me for a smartphone.

*I edited in Luminar 4 and the colors came out the same, something to do with lightroom mobile going warmer even though they were processed under the same preset. DXO Photolab doesn't recognize the DNG from the Iphone.

[LeeRunge]

I've added a link with the RAW's for the above images and a few others if anyone wants to try editing these in their own software out of curiousity. The ProRaws showed up very overexposed in Luminar 4 but were fine with the exposure adjusted one stop down. The greens also looked identical to the nikon image compared with the lightroom processed images so it seems to vary by software what the end result produces.



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