Hawaiian Hibiscus and the New iPhone 14 Pro Max

Summary

Erika Burkhalter reviews the camera capabilities of the iPhone 14 Pro Max through photographs of hibiscus flowers in Maui, comparing it to previous models and professional DSLR cameras.

Abstract

Photographer and travel enthusiast Erika Burkhalter shares her experience testing the iPhone 14 Pro Max's camera by capturing the intricate details of Hawaiian hibiscus flowers. While acknowledging that the iPhone's camera cannot surpass the quality of her professional Nikon equipment, she expresses admiration for the phone's ability to produce high-quality images with impressive depth of field control. Burkhalter provides a visual comparison between photos taken with the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the iPhone 11 Pro Max, highlighting the improved detail in the newer model's images. She plans to publish a more comprehensive comparison with DSLR photos and encourages readers to subscribe to her work for updates.

Opinions

Burkhalter is impressed with the iPhone 14 Pro Max's camera, noting its ability to capture detailed images from petal to stamen of hibiscus flowers.
She believes that while the iPhone's camera is not equivalent to her professional Nikon cameras, each new generation of smartphones is narrowing the gap in photo quality.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max's camera is praised for its convenience and the quality of its images, making it a reliable tool for capturing moments when her professional camera is not available.
Burkhalter suggests that the depth of field control on the iPhone, while not commonly used by most people, contributes to the high-quality images possible with the device.
She is excited to share a future article comparing the iPhone 14 Pro Max's camera with her DSLR, indicating her continued interest in the evolution of smartphone photography.

Testing out my new iPhone 14 Pro Max on one of my favorite flowers

While the iPhone will never shoot quite as good of a photo as my Nikon Z9 or my Nikon Z7II, each generation of phones gets closer and closer. I just upgraded to the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which has been getting rave reviews. And I have done some testing out of its camera on recent trips to Sedona, Arizona and, last week, in Maui.

While the hibiscus is not a native Hawaiian plant, they are ubiquitous in local gardens and resorts. They float softly in the gentle breezes, their paper-skin petals fluttering. And their stamen explode from a long stem into a curling mass of pollen-studded antennae tipped with fuzzy red balls.

It’s that long stem that makes the hibiscus a bit hard to photograph because the flower does not sit “all on one plane.” With a DSLR, you can control the depth of field. And you actually can do that on an iPhone too, but I doubt that very many people (including me) actually do. It’s meant to be more of a “point-and-shoot,” which means that the phone picks the depth of field (the f-stop).

So, I was impressed that the phone was able to capture the detail from the petals to the tip of the stamen in the next photo.

All in focus from petal to tip of the stamen. Photo ©Erika Burkhalter. iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Just for comparison, the next photo was taken with an iPhone 11 Pro Max. I still think that it is rather amazing that a phone can take a photo of this quality. That bee is pretty clear. And both the stamen and the petals show a lot of detail.

But check out a very similar shot taken with the iPhone 14 Pro Max. There is just more detail from petal to stamen.

I have to say that I am quite impressed with the camera on the new phone. Since it is the camera that I pretty much always have with me, it’s nice to know that it takes such great photos.

I recently did a couple of hikes in Arizona with both my Nikon Z7II and my new iPhone 14 Pro Max and have been looking at the photos side-by-side. I’m in the midst of putting together a little article so that you can see how the phone stacks up to the DSLR, so stay tuned.

Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).

Photography, Travel

Hawaiian Hibiscus and the New iPhone 14 Pro Max

Testing out my new iPhone 14 Pro Max on one of my favorite flowers

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