When we all rely on camera processing, there's no reliable way to measure and judge "better" anymore, but this is a leading issue in a lot of neural network and AI tech. Developers can always guide it, but who decides what and how decisions are made when a chunk of those decisions aren't and can't be made by humans (devs or users)? We're living in strange times.

From 3:57 to 4:12, he explains the high sensitivity ,noise reduction, sharpening and over processing of images, not only verbally but also by changes in the video to help the viewer understand it visually as well! That's brilliant! 😁

This is prime journalism. This amount of attention to details, story telling is really world class. Thanks Marques for showing the meaning of being a master of your craft.

A lot of my friends with newer iPhones often ask me "what phone have you got?!" because my photos are so clear and vibrant. I have an iPhone 11 and I think it takes much better photos than my friends 12s and 13s. After watching this video I think I'm just going to upgrade to an 11 pro.

I've come to deeply appreciate how you explain these topics. I do I.T. and I find myself overexplaining pretty often and accidentally confusing people by trying to be too clear. You have mastered the art of teaching without overwhelming the listener. Thanks for everything you do!

What’s happening is they will still sell in unimaginable numbers with no end in sight

This video explains a lot. When I moved from the iPhone 8 Plus to the 12 Pro, I was convinced the 8 Plus took better photos. Now I know why - because they were processed a lot less. Apple really needs to up its camera game. What looks good in a lab will be very different in real-world photography scenarios. Why compute at all - we should have full control over editing or leaving the pic in its original form.

The blind test sounds like a great idea and entertaining result. More of these tests would be appreciated

Honestly I hope Marques makes videos forever because these kind of sit down, calm explanations of everything tech is what I am here for

"Partly Photons, but Primarily Processing" is the most eloquent way of explaining modern smartphone cameras that I've ever heard. Great video, Marques.

Yep! A great explanation for why I have to manually adjust every iPhone photo I take in order for the image to come out as I would like. Generally I find the phone prefers over exposure to light everything in frame, and in the process loses so much mood and subtlety. Almost every shot I take requires a tap on the brightest part of the screen and then further decreased exposure by a step or two from there. Said in another way, the photos are not just photons and camera processing, but also user processing. Not to mention any post-processing (which I personally avoid).

Marques...your team and you, are making one of the most educational and easy to understand technical videos on KZfaq. Great work.

I think when you initially purchase a phone, it should have a survey option when setting up the camera app to allow you to pick from photos you prefer over others. Therefore the software can personalize to the user's liking.

Very interesting insight! Recently switched from 11 Pro to 14 Pro, and feel like the difference is fairly insignificant (for the purposes for which I use the camera), leading to the question "what is happening with iPhone camera?"

I couldn't have agree more! Well done and loving this video you and the team put together. thank you M.

Your videos have been WAY MORE philosophical lately... I love them! Keep it up

I think you’re correct with this. I personally wish we could get more of the “preview” pic vs what the post processing pics look like. Take a sunset pic for example, they look different on the preview vs what actually saves to the camera roll (iPhone 14 pro max). This works well on some pics but I’d prefer the most natural / real looking pic myself.

I’m not happy with the focusing distance of the 14 Pro. I had a much easier less frustrating photo taking experience with the 11 Pro I upgraded from. Not to mention the 14 Pro screen I’ve had for 2.5 months has way more scratches on it than the 11 Pro that I had for 3 years… it’s taken several steps back this generation

This was a really done video. Insane how machine learning / ai has significantly tuned captures to perceived quality.

Thank you man for making this video. It helps me confirm I'm not seeing things lol. I have both an iPhone 14 pro and Pixel 6A. I find myself reaching for my 6A for photo taking most every time. Especially low light. The 14 pro does major over processing in 48mp mode with low light situations. It's terrible. I have to turn off, so to speak, the 48mp res for low light. The 6A just works, love it.

This is a Brilliant video. Not only did you break down this complex topic so well, however created & edited the special effects to show people want you are talking about deserves an award

The interesting part in the blind test for me was how important accurate representation of dark skin tone is. I spent a lot of time between images asking "Which one is more accurately representing the tone of Marques' skin?" because some were absolute trash, and that was the easiest thing for me to differentiate in pictures.

Marques, Thank you for explaining this problem and the process of how a smart phone camera works. It’s really helpful……please keep making great videos.

What a review. Learnt so much about the camera system. Thank you!

This reminds me of someone in a podcast saying that it's increasingly hard to distinguish between good and bad TV series, since when everything looks so good these days you are fooled into thinking the story, acting, everything is good, and you don't understand why you are left with a feeling of emptiness inside after watching it. The same feeling is increasingly true with watching photography, as images with bad composition, uninteresting subject matter, etc, still look technically perfect and professionally exposed. Technical tools aimed to help laypeople get better result end up creating this eerie unnaturally "perfected" version of reality, largely devoid of anything interesting.

Cheers for including a clip from our blind camera comparison! I personally agree about the iPhone not necessarily improving lately for photos. I was just chatting with a friend who says he now shoots video and pulls frame grabs from that for his photos because of how much better it looks, overall. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I can’t even explain with words how good this video was!! So informative wow

Sir, you have done an excellent job of explaining. Much appreciated. Well done !!!

So, I’m an audio engineer as well as an artist, & I can say that the same saturation of processing is happening in the audio world just as much as the visual. Over processed vocals or photos are never good 🎈

I really want to focus on what Marques is talking about but just simply amazed at how the editing team of this channel is mind blowing. The quality of production, the simplicity yet when you think deeply, you realized that it was really complex. Now I know the reason why MKBHD don’t upload as often as any other channel does because one MKBHD video is produced meticulously. Simply mind blown! 🤯

This the smartest, clearest, most well done explanation of smartphone image processing I've heard on KZfaq. Kudos.

I love the way you talk 😂 its so real doesn't sound forced or over rehearsed or like your reading a script. Sounds so good. I'm a public speaker and I have to say keep up the good work bro

OMG, I'm glad someone finally brought this to light. I've had iPhone 13 Pro for more than a year. I upgraded from iPhone XS. At first, I was excited about the camera performance, especially in low light. However, then I started noticing the heavy processing mentioned in the video and unnatural subject overexposing. Also, any photos with high contrast scene look like a very bad HDR overprocessing. As a result, despite having a phone with incredibly capable camera sensor and lens (we would've only dreamed of this 5 years ago), many of my photos just look like overprocessed rubbish. It feels absolutely crazy to me that there's not way to turn these "smart" background processes. Now I would much prefer my photos the way they come straight out of camera just on my old iPhone XS. I don't think this is this really what Apple wanted to achieve with this? Well, perhaps the issue will get elevated since it's getting more attention. Thanks for bringing this to light Marques!

Man, the live changes to the image while explaining the overprocessing was yet another impressive feat of this video, I hope the editor is making as much money as he/she should. Said it once, will keep saying it, this is the best tech channel. I just love this channel!

Please do a follow up to with video. iPhone 15 and 15 pro have not improved significantly.

Did anyone notice he actually did all the things in the video starting from 03:57 while he was speaking on it? Hats off to the creativity!!

You seriously put out some of the highest quality content around. Just everything about it is fantastic. Keep doing you my man - you kill it.

The intro and animations in this video are next level, keep it up Marques!

Love this new intro Marques! Keep it up!

That's why you're the best Marques! Amazing explanation one more time :)))

This explains a lot. Just recently I was using a Pixel 4a, while my daughter has a 13 Pro. We both love taking photos, usually with a lot of people in the shot and everyone, *everyone* including me kept getting blown away how the 4a's photos could perform toe to toe in terms of image quality, sometimes even better and all of the time when it comes to low light shots. A few weeks ago I made the move to a 14 (regular). Although the camera experience is better (and the ultra wide is awesome).. I cant help but compare its photos back to my 4a and prefer those.

This might be my favorite video of yours and I’ve been watching since the OG days. As a professional photographer, I’ve always had trouble explaining to others that the phone camera test doesn’t mean much to me because of several different factors. There is just so much that goes into what I personally look for in a photo that an average person doesn’t understand because they’re simply looking at the final processed photo and that’s it. Thanks for making a video I can share with orhers!!

Overprocessed, that's the word I've been looking for, and the way you broke it down makes so much sense!

Simply the best way to put it, perfect explaining

I’m a professional photographer & cinematographer. I was always decently satisfied with my iPhone 12’s camera for what it was. Never expected much out if it. But man, I just picked up the 14 pro and I could not be more disappointed. Bad post processing, blurry edges on one of the lenses, trouble focusing, the list goes on.

im so glad this is being addressed. nearly every photo i take i look at, and I see the software processing it a couple seconds after and it makes the image look worse in my opinion.

One of the best breakdowns I've enjoyed on a while.

Marques does such a great job explaining

I noticed this problem already with the 13pro. I upgraded in 2021 to the 13pro from 6s and man did it looks insanely over processed. I actually preferred the overall look from my ancient 6s despite the noise and other issues with it. Shame they're still getting it wrong, these are not cheap phones.

I am glad this is getting highlighted by tech reviewers like Marques. Hope Apple takes note and gets this fixed ASAP.

3:56 to 4:12 was outstanding how he explained and gave you examples all in secs. That's MKBHD for you.

That was such an amazing description of the differences in what a camera does that my jaw is on the floor.

I like your channel because you dont just "review" and "compare" but also give analysis data, and reasons, even researching physics and engineering behind it.

The blind test was great, kudos MKBHD. I have both the Pixel 7 Pro and the 14 Pro Max and use both on a daily. Yeeeaaaahh, while the 14 Pro Max has it's strengths, if you wanted to just take a photo, dang the 7 Pro is something else. Like iPhone isn't bad whatsoever, it just needs tuning.

I'm so happy you're still making videos :)

Definitely appreciate the depth this video goes into when examining real life vs what the camera produces! I'm currently on a very conservative budget as I've just recently begun my journey into making content. I use an outdated iPhone SE 1st gen as my actual phone, and I use an iPhone SE (2nd gen) as a dedicated camera (no sim card) for when I want to capture video in the outside world, and use a Razer Kiyo Pro for my at-home / online adventures. Something I notice with the iPhone SE (2nd gen) is that when I zoom in, it feels like the quality of the picture or video suffers immensely. Eventually I'll upgrade and I am hoping the newer Iphones retain a lot of detail even when zoomed in! I can't afford the latest and greatest but I'm stilled impressed with how quickly the camera technology in our smartphones improves, and how if you just wait a few years you can get some serious bargains on refurbished iphones! The older I become the more I can't stomach handing over top dollar just to have the latest and greatest, just to watch how you can buy it a couple years later for a small fraction of the price! Thanks for the useful info! Great video! Godspeed and God bless!

I know I really regret ditching my iPhone 11 Pro for the 13 Pro. I take lots of pictures of my work, which tend to be very small machine components. The camera on the 11 worked really well for this. I could get super clear photos that were extremely detailed. The 13 looks just as you said- over processed. I like the 3D scanner on the 13, but it’s not worth the camera downgrade.

I’m so glad you spoke to this. I just upgraded from the XS to the iphone 14 max pro last month, and was driving me crazy how much it auto enhances the photos. Still a great camera system but I like keeping photos as natural as possible.

Exactly this happened with my friend. He had iphone 14 pro max on a trip but did not like overprocessed photos at all. He was more pleased with my 2016 $250 pocket camera as it gave very realistic image with details and some real depth effects.

This might be the best and most informative gadget video i have ever seen.

Perhaps in the next blind camera test, include a "control" picture taken with a proper camera (like DSLR) that's meant to be the "accurate" representation of the scene in the picture. That way we can compare the pictures with how they should look like. Or it can be treated just like another regular picture, and from the result we can see if we tend to like certain looks more than the reality itself.

These videos are the best and most honest commentary on technology. Thank you for all this great content.

videos like this are the reason you are one of the best creators on the platform

The production quality of this video is phenomenal!

The level of editing in MKBHD’s videos gets better and better every time. The first 60sec, while may not seem like much, was perfect introduction to how photos are processed and illustrated beautifully.

Thank you for validating what I have been feeling man. I went from the 13 Pro to the 14 Pro and have found that the regular pictures on the 14 Pro have a ‘blandness’ to them in comparison to the 13 Pro. I have been resorting to either Portrait mode to just recording videos to get those desired results. I’m hoping Apple keeps tweaking the software to get the 14 Pro back on track - in my humble opinion

Inspiring. Very well explained. Just crazy

This kind of videos are a clear explanation why you are the very best reviewer

Ive seen hundreds of smartphone camera videos and for some reason this one just really helped me understand everything that goes behind the software and what a picture actually is. So thank you very much!

Man, seriously. Never stop making videos. Hadn't watched a video of yours for nearly a year. But I opened this one up and it feels like 2011 again. Hats off Marques🤲🏿

When the effects were applied to the video as they were mentioned - attention to detail 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

"Pictures from your phone are partly photons, but primarily processing" Great work Marques. You went an extra mile on this video, and we appreciate it.

The way you included the cinematography at 3:57 of the various smartphone camera processing (lighting, sharpening , etc.) is dope!!!

This is incredible, Marques. Your way of explaining stuff would have me sit down and listen about anything. You could explain why water is wet and I would sit there listening quietly for hours.

I'm a photographer and I've used iPhones often with great results. My 12 Pro was incredible and always reliable. Got the 14 Pro about a month ago and I'm not pleased at all.

I feel like I haven't taken a single photo of myself that i like with my Samsung s20 ultra since I've had it. this video really explains a lot of the reason why. I always feel like it's trying to give me what it thinks I want, instead of taking a picture of what it sees. especially in low light selfie mode. I take photos to remember moments and I want them to look like how they looked in real life, not overprocessed with altered colours!

Great video Marques. I liked how you explained the details of cell phone photography and how different this video was in comparison to your typical review videos. This video was great because you explained something very complex in a very simple, understandable manner to the general public. Happy 2023 to you!

I've always 'watched' MKBHD videos, but recently I started really 'enjoying' them because of all the little details that raise the bar in production quality. Best tech channel ever.

What an engaging and excellent video! Thank you Marques!

Wow!!! You said some mind blowing things ( to me) well done . Thank you

I'm glad you mentioned this as I've noticed something is definitely up with the 14 Pro camera. Over the last few weeks, I've had a couple times where I take a picture of something indoors and the quality is just...not up to par like it usually would be. Then I grab my Pixel 7 Pro and it captures exactly what I was hoping to get with the 14 Pro. I usually keep the iPhone on me as a reliable way to get a great pic and excellent video at any time, but now I can't really trust it with pics. It'll be P7P for pics and 14 Pro for videos only.

Love the real time visual representation through animation and editing, makes it so easy to understand what you're talking about. Like when you say over-sharpened, it's not as jarring as seeing it happen then you're like ok that's bad. Great work man, keep it up!

And I have to say your videos are so good! I am jealous!

What a great observation and testing. Thumbs 👍👍

Really enjoying you summing up using alliteration in these recent videos. Every second of your videos show the hardwork you guys are putting in. Keep up the great job.

This channel has basically been my tech class. Learnt a lot. Thanks Marques.

Really great technical knowledge and well presented

Dang! Marques' content is still getting better.. the only one that can beat Marques' content is Marques himself, he is really second to none.

I’m starting to like the endings more and more!

Love the way you take a deep dive into a topic and notice even the smallest details and then manage to explain them so good.. Keep up the good work, love the channel✌️🙏

Your videos are always so informative and well made 🙌

I love your content, man… but can We take a minute to appreciate the kick ass job your team do? Lights on point, set looks amazing, editing is *chef's kiss*. Seriously!

Love your high sensitivity, noise reduction, & over sharpening edits you made to the video when discussing those issues

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and all the research and tests you all do, GREAT JOB!!

The camera is one of the reasons why I'm holding onto my iPhone 11 Pro Max for as long as I can. It seems like the 11 series was a really good sweet spot for iPhone cameras and I don't want to let it go for a camera that's advertised as being "better" but performs worse in real life circumstances.

Great presentation.

Excellent presentation. I like the video effects illustrating the features. Good research and analysis. Definitely one of the best videos from MKBHD.

I upgraded from XR to 14 Pro Max and one thing which I hate about this phone is when I click a photo and open it, the phone takes a second or two for optimising/processing that photo and then it looks better to me. That delay was not there in previous iPhones and that is what I don’t like…hope it gets improved in future updates.

Great video. I've wanted to learn about this subject for some time now. I swore I preferred the photos my iphone 6 took and now I know why.

I was wrong to think that this will be a clickbait(y) video. When you're coming to MKBHD's channel, regardless what the title is, you're sure to find an extremely thought out, properly made and very simply explained video. You get so many gold stars that I can't even count. ⭐