Is using Apple ProRAW worth it? We test it on the iPhone 12 Pro Max

20 December 2020
Or is Apple's Smart HDR 3 and Deep Fusion good enough, or even better?

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iAnonGuy, 17 Mar 2021Why should anyone care? It's just not worth the effor... more"...no one wants Lumia 1020-sized camera bumps on their phones..."

Lol, and you think camera bumps on modern smartphones is acceptable? If you really want to talk about no camera bump, there's the Nokia 9 PureView for you to look at.

    Oh wow, even from the "supposedly untouched" ProRaw DNG photos, the oversharpening effect is horrendously unacceptable. It really is THAT BAD! Even Samsung can make a much better job with the Nona Bayer-binned 12MP RAW photo.

      • R
      • Ricky
      • YP6
      • 22 May 2021

      Should we have to used other application for Editing image after taken from iPhone 12 pro makes to make image quality look like a DSLR camera or with the help of Apple Pro Raw application we can do all Editing things and make image quality like DSLR camera.

        • A
        • Ash
        • 4Hf
        • 30 Apr 2021

        Thumbs up! I appreciate your time, comparisons and opinions. It’s sad the majority of peeps just act like jerks. People pretty suck. I think is extremely helpful for those who are content creator amateurs constantly upgrading for the latest & greatest Apple camera available because they do not want to have to buy a separate Pro camera given the incredible technology if they can get away with it.

          • i
          • iAnonGuy
          • 4x%
          • 17 Mar 2021

          Girish, 26 Dec 2020Hope you guys could have tested the xperia 1 ii raw as well... moreWhy should anyone care? It's just not worth the effort to shoot RAW on a phone. Only professionals care about this, and why would you buy a phone for this when you can get a camera that is easily better and puts out better RAW data. Phones are only as good as they are due to the compute factor. The sensors aren't actually that amazing, and no one wants Lumia 1020-sized camera bumps on their phones - we've learned that lesson, thanks Microsoft!

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            • AnonF-964910
            • n5n
            • 28 Dec 2020

            abigfanoftechs, 26 Dec 2020How many high school girls care about RAW data? Why did you have to make that oddly specific lol?

              How many high school girls care about RAW data?

                • G
                • Girish
                • m5n
                • 26 Dec 2020

                Hope you guys could have tested the xperia 1 ii raw as well. This is for other tech sites and other reviewers as well

                The xperia 1ii potential is in its raw.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • IV$
                  • 23 Dec 2020

                  Anonymous, 22 Dec 2020What about the tiny textures like grass; the phone review s... morenop I guess

                    Anoninoni Belanda, 21 Dec 2020Unnecessary feature. So many ordinary people out there eve... more💯 % Correct.
                    Most people are won't be using this feature.
                    They are more interested in point, shoot and upload.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • nxg
                      • 22 Dec 2020

                      Android--Master, 22 Dec 2020I know what RAW is. I simply summarized what the person wh... moreYou are wrong. Raw from large sensors will be an absolute pain to correct and edit. It's not only about the sensors. It's about the lenses too. Those super large sensors would produce extremely distorted raw images due to the lenses. Also they'd struggle to produce a uniformly sharp picture due to their depth of field.
                      When it comes to RAW the whole camera setup is important. Lens quality and arrangment is crucial.
                      I've had cameras that produced raw and some of them would come out borderline unusable due to vignetting, distorted images, fish-eye effect, etc. I had tot use very expensive and complex lenses to be able to produce usable raw files. Photoshop/lightroom have profiles pre-set for certain cameras/lenses that autocorrect. iPhone are already included in the list.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • j%t
                        • 22 Dec 2020

                        Alex, 21 Dec 2020Apple is the king. Of word games. ProRAW, sounds like PROfe... moreProiPhone Pro12 ProMax Pro doesnt sound so good.
                        Neither does iPhone 12 ProMax to be honest.

                          Alex, 21 Dec 2020Apple is the king. Of word games. ProRAW, sounds like PROfe... moreLOL... true, and better explanation of apple is:
                          "Our ads don't lie, but you're a fool if you believe them."
                          and every mistake they made they rename it to "feature"

                            RAW from a cellphone is silly. A cellphone has 2 to 5 usable bits per pixel. It needs powerful noise reduction just to produce a pleasing JPEG. Turn on HDR and it needs stacked captures stitched together. The JPEG is as good as it has.

                            A high-end digital camera has 14 usable bits per pixel in each photo. That's enough bits to perform HDR in post processing and still not need to touch noise reduction. Noise reduction is only used at night with fast shutter speeds. Stacking is only needed for extreme cases.

                              Anonymous, 21 Dec 2020Do you even know what Raw is in photography? It's not ... moreI know what RAW is.
                              I simply summarized what the person who wrote this article said in his conclusion.

                              The RAW from a proper dedicated camera is way better than smartphone camera.
                              The RAW from iPhone is not that useful and a gimmick at best for most users.
                              RAW from large sensor Android is way better.

                                • T
                                • TTB
                                • q8E
                                • 22 Dec 2020

                                This was actually trash lmao King of RAW is the LG V60

                                  • D
                                  • Diamonddog
                                  • NuP
                                  • 22 Dec 2020

                                  12 pro max it’s awesome

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • sXN
                                    • 22 Dec 2020

                                    What about the tiny textures like grass; the phone review said these weren't too good. Can these be improved using proRAW ?

                                      • A
                                      • Alex
                                      • snS
                                      • 21 Dec 2020

                                      Apple is the king. Of word games. ProRAW, sounds like PROfessionalRAW, right? And yet, it's PROcessedRAW. Which isn't Raw, because it have adjustments already baked in, right? But never mind, it sound good, right? Like, ProMax. Right? Just add Pro to whatever you like, and it's so much better immediately.
                                      Right?

                                        • D
                                        • Dan
                                        • NU{
                                        • 21 Dec 2020

                                        I'm not into photography really but I just would want to grab a popcorn and learn a little.