I used to feel super excited about switching to a new iPhone. Albeit since the iPhone XS Max i also felt that the power in that one, was surely more than enough for what i do. Over the years, I did less and less with the iPhone until it became just an instrument of a basic modern phone. Well you know, the basics. I rarely play on it. No, actually - I don't play at all. And photos ? I barely do.

I do love the Night photo function since I got the iPhone 13 Pro MAX 3 years ago. While Sal has my iPhone XS Max which is now 5 years old. So, it is about time, that he too gets a newer phone.

I only made the decision because there was a reasonable "deal" on the iPhone 15 Pro MAX. Albeit they now make you bind it for 3 years, instead of two. But the rebates where OK-ish - plus that my monthly payment will not exceed too much with the phone, compared to now, that I already had paid off my old one.

I am not interested into the new iPhone 17 whatever. Really not. I mainly did this deal, so that Sal gets a new phone and a newer battery, now that his XS Pro is a whopping 5 years old.

Sal's photography... is only iPhone based

Since Sal is a pretty avid iPhone photo user - he will have advantage of the good quality from my iPhone 13 Pro MAX, that is for sure. It is even more sensitive, and has a brighter lens. So he gets brighter videos when he makes them at not so bright light levels / indoors.

Plus the new Night mode, allowing him to take night shots with superb quality, even handheld when taken them 3, 5 or 10 seconds long. Albeit this only works if you enable Apple ProRAW (but gives bigger files) - instead of shooting night mode in JPG only. The latter does NOT give good night photo quality.

It is the Apple ProRAW

- when enabled - what gives longtime exposures at night, that really awesome quality !!! I was blasted by the unexpected good quality - which even made Northern Lights render beautifully. Not to mention that the images where sharp and void of most noise. I was blown away - and i don't say that lightly, because i love night photography. And i love quality attached to it ! Super noisy, blurry, weird night images don't do it for me.

I like them smooth and sharp !

And boy, made Night Photo + Apple ProRAW a difference. One I had never seen before in an iPhone, when it comes to night images.

• On our way from Sicily to Stockholm, April 2024

If you use the Night mode in JPG only

the images will look weird, jagged, and rather funky (especially when you look at them later on the computer. On the iPhone everything looks good. Even if it isn't any good.

So, JPG + Night Photo mode = Not worth it, in my opinion. Unfortunately many do exactly that; Leave the camera in JPG mode when shooting night photography with longtime exposure.

It's stupid.

What a waste of that beautiful good quality potential - particularly in night photos !!!

Main Photo

The Gay Cruising Cinema in Stockholm, I simply call them "pornclub" - is a longtime exposure made with iPhone 13 Pro MAX, Night Mode with Apple ProRAW enabled, taken around 7 seconds.

The place however does NOT look that bright, nor does it look that colorful and red at all. The camera collects lots of colors, but the naked eye doesn't really see them like that. It all looks rather dull in reality. And the shadows are much darker, too.