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00:00All right, I think we are good to go.
00:02Hey guys, I'm Tom the Tech Chap,
00:03and this is a camera comparison
00:05between the iPhone 13 Pro Max
00:07and the brand new S22 Ultra.
00:09So I thought I'd start with a little video side by side.
00:12These are being shot at 4K 30,
00:15and you can also hear my voice
00:17as I switch between the microphones.
00:19So you can have an idea of the sort of video quality
00:22or the stabilization as I'm walking along here.
00:25And I figured I'd show you around.
00:27This is actually Wells Cathedral.
00:29The smallest city in England.
00:32And it's got a ton of old stuff.
00:34Then there is this place,
00:37which is actually the oldest still standing
00:41medieval street in Europe, I believe.
00:44Cobbled steps here,
00:45so putting that stabilization to the test.
00:49It's funny, when my wife Sarah moved here from the US,
01:00she thought everything looked
01:01like it was straight out of Harry Potter,
01:04which I guess a cat does.
01:06Somewhat, there is even a castle with a bridge and a moat,
01:12which usually has some swans in,
01:13although I can't see them at the moment,
01:16because you may also know
01:18that this is where they filmed Hot Fuzz.
01:21And those swans, 15 years later,
01:23continue to be hilarious for the local constabulary.
01:27It's about two foot tall, long, slender neck.
01:31Yeah.
01:32Aha, look, found him.
01:33And this is why you need a good zoom lens
01:39for when you're swan spotting.
01:40So that is the maximum zoom for 4K video.
01:43Nine times on the iPhone, 20 times on the S22 Ultra.
01:48But realistically, I think the most you'd want to go
01:50is 10 on video.
01:53♪ Hey, you're my party, you're my ballin' ♪
01:56♪ Once again, you dance again, you tell the truth ♪
01:59Okay, hopefully that doesn't fall over.
02:01But they both do have a few tricks up their sleeve.
02:03For example, the Samsung can shoot in 8K, 8K 24 FPS,
02:07still not 30 for some reason,
02:08whereas you're obviously topping out 4K 60 on the iPhone,
02:11although I don't know how many people
02:12really shoot in 8K or want to.
02:15We also, of course, have that 10 times
02:16telephoto lens as well.
02:18But then on the iPhone, you can shoot in ProRes at 4K 30
02:22or 1080p 60, and particularly in low light,
02:25it does noticeably reduce the noise.
02:27Obviously, it whacks up the file size hugely,
02:30and because of that lightning port,
02:31it can be a bit tricky actually taking it off the phone.
02:33Most of the time I use AirDrop
02:34and try and keep the clips shorter,
02:37but suddenly that does increase the quality.
02:43One thing they both have now is a video portrait mode.
02:45So let's turn that on.
02:48Like magic.
02:49I have been very impressed with the cinematic mode, actually.
02:51I think the separation between the subject, me,
02:54and the background's been pretty good.
02:55Of course, you are limited to 1080p 30, you know, 4K,
02:58and no even 24 FPS option,
03:00which is the cinematic frame rate, which is a bit bizarre.
03:03You can, of course, change the aperture,
03:05that bokeh effect on the iPhone before or after you shoot.
03:08It's currently, I think, F4, so a little less severe.
03:12To be fair, though, I'm not really sure
03:13how often people actually use this kind of mode.
03:16I'll tell you what is quite popular, though.
03:18So let's switch over to the lovely
03:20and ever so subjective world of photography.
03:24So we have three camera lenses on the iPhone
03:26and four on the S22 Ultra.
03:28They both have an ultra wide, a main,
03:30and a three times optical zoom telephoto
03:32with the S22's extra lens
03:34giving us a stalkery 10 times optical,
03:37which is actually quite usable even up to 30 times.
03:41And you can still go nuts up to a hundred times,
03:43aka space zoom, which is both impressive
03:47and still a bit useless.
03:48I mean, fair play for a phone handheld.
03:51It is pretty good, but realistically,
03:53I found it a lot more useful for checking train times
03:55or reading text at a long distance.
03:57It can come in handy.
03:59Just don't be weird.
04:00But I do think for the sheer versatility
04:03of having the extra 10 times zoom, point to Samsung.
04:06However, at the other end of the spectrum,
04:08both phones do have a macro mode.
04:10And while they both do a good job,
04:11the iPhone does have a shorter focal length
04:14so you can get even closer.
04:15So that's a macro point to Apple.
04:18Now, one request I get a lot in these camera comparisons
04:21is to test the camera with moving subjects,
04:24not just me with a cup of tea in my hand for some reason.
04:27And so here is Sylvie,
04:28usually the antithesis of a fast moving object,
04:31but I managed to catch a couple of her yawns.
04:34And in this first shot, the S22 has nailed the focus
04:37with the iPhone looking a little softer.
04:39But then in my second shot, they're both nicely in focus.
04:42Although again, you can see that difference
04:43in the field of view.
04:44There's a lot more in the frame on the Samsung.
04:47Back outside, I decided to scare off a few pigeons.
04:50Although the first thing you notice
04:51is the iPhone gives us a much brighter photo,
04:54but it has kind of overexposed the pigeons a little bit.
04:57So I did manage to get a few in-flight shots.
05:00This is not scientific by any stretch,
05:03but I think the Samsung just edges out in front.
05:07And finally, meet Lex.
05:09I wish he was my dog, but he did let me take a few photos
05:12and there is a stark difference between the phones.
05:15Now I'll tell you, I always use a microfiber cloth
05:17on the cameras before each shot,
05:19but the iPhone just looks washed out and flat.
05:22The S22 is arguably too contrasty
05:25and we do lose some detail in the darker areas.
05:27So perhaps the iPhone is better for editing in post,
05:30but when Lex's owner asked me to send her photos of the dog,
05:34I sent the Samsungs.
05:35All right, so back to me with my cup of tea
05:38and let's look at some portrait mode shots.
05:40And the good news is both phones let you tinker
05:43and adjust the bokeh after you've taken the photo.
05:45And you can also play around with various lighting options,
05:48which all look kind of bad.
05:51If you follow me on Instagram at The Tech Chat, by the way,
05:53you'll see me post this portrait shot.
05:56And as you can see, there was a big difference
05:58in the contrast, the color tone.
06:00Although zooming in,
06:01you can see the iPhone's edges are a bit softer.
06:04The S22 can pick up individual hairs,
06:07which is pretty crazy.
06:08Although I do like how the iPhone introduces
06:11the bokeh, that blur on my right shoulder,
06:12as it is further away from the camera,
06:14like you'd see on a proper DSLR.
06:16But despite that, I've got to go with the S22 on this one.
06:20Now, just quickly for the sake of continuity of this video
06:23and why I suddenly have shorter hair later on,
06:25I did get my haircut today
06:27with a number four on the back and sides
06:29and a little scissor trim on the top, if you're wondering.
06:32On any new phone though,
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07:29Okay, sun's down, camera's out.
07:31Let's see what these can do at night.
07:33And the first question I had is, do we get lens flare?
07:36And the answer is yes on both
07:40with the starburst of the lamps
07:41and the little green lens flares.
07:43Although it is a bit more prominent on the iPhone.
07:46In fact, let me show you some 4K video
07:48I shot on both phones
07:49and you can see how the lights react in real time.
07:53Hey Sarah.
07:53Hey.
07:54Which one of these phones would you take
07:56if you had to pick one?
07:57Neither.
07:58Why?
07:59I got a Pixel.
08:01Damn it, should've included the Pixel.
08:05Good answer.
08:06So they both pick up some lens flares,
08:08although it is more obvious on the iPhone.
08:10And so perhaps that new clear glass
08:12on the S22's main lens is helping.
08:14But more importantly,
08:16the iPhone stabilization is doing a much better job
08:18than the S22 where you can really feel
08:20each step as it vibrates.
08:22I know my friend SuperSaf had a similar experience
08:25and this may need a software update.
08:27But to be fair, Samsung hasn't mentioned anything to us
08:29or asked us to wait.
08:30So fingers crossed it gets improved
08:33and keep an eye on my pinned comments below
08:34as I will update it if anything changes.
08:39Now the big difference for low light photos
08:42is the color and the white balance.
08:44And actually I do prefer the S22 here.
08:47We still see the white of the lights in the middle
08:49but that doesn't overwhelm the entire shot.
08:51And it naturally fades back to the realistic orangey tones
08:55that are coming from the nearby streetlights.
08:57They've both done a good job here,
08:58although the iPhone is a little washed out by the lights
09:01and we're losing some of that contrast.
09:03But the S22's white balance trips up here
09:06with an unnatural yellow tone to the whole photo.
09:10Now, while the S22 is a little oversaturated,
09:13particularly on Sarah's face,
09:15the colors, particularly in the background,
09:17are more true to life.
09:18The iPhone perhaps aesthetically looks nice
09:20but the ultra white balance is overcompensating
09:23for the tungsten ambient light.
09:25It's the same story with me.
09:26You look at the color of the lapels on my jacket
09:29and my face, again, it's definitely a bit too saturated
09:32on the S22, but the iPhone goes too far the other way.
09:36And also, the Samsung is more detailed
09:38and that flat overexposed iPhone look
09:40sometimes just doesn't look good.
09:42Okay, back in the studio now
09:44and I'm really impressed here
09:45how the S22 handles the dynamic range,
09:48particularly on my neon sign.
09:50And in fact, the whole photo looks cleaner and sharper.
09:53The iPhone can still look good
09:54but if we zoom into Marty's face,
09:57you can see there is more detail on the Samsung.
09:59Although the iPhone does get a point here
10:02as the color is spot on.
10:03The S22 is too blue
10:05and also some of the detail can be lost
10:07in those darker shadows.
10:09Even with a three times zoom portrait shot,
10:11you can really see that field of view
10:13and focal length differences.
10:15Looking at my face and my eyes though,
10:17the S22 packs in a ton more detail.
10:20The thing is though,
10:21even if the S22 is overtaking the iPhone,
10:24sometimes the 13 Pro just hits right
10:26with that flatter exposure and warmer tone
10:29so we get a more pleasing Instagrammable photo if you like.
10:33Hmm, what do you think?
10:35Low light selfie video this time.
10:38Still a 4K 30,
10:39although not in progress on the iPhone
10:41which you do have the option of
10:43which would even increase the quality further.
10:46What do you think though?
10:47This is gonna be a bit of a analog for say,
10:50if I had a social life and I was outside at a pub maybe
10:53and recording a drunken selfie on the way home.
10:57Let's change the lighting up.
10:59Looks like I've got a wider field of view on the iPhone
11:02which is very useful for selfies.
11:05I do like though that both phones
11:07have a little green light next to where the camera is
11:09so you always know where to look
11:12when you're taking a selfie.
11:15So the iPhone 13 series
11:16didn't really upgrade the selfie camera,
11:18but I have found the S22 is quite a big improvement
11:21over the S21 even though they share similar hardware.
11:24And so here the Samsung is noticeably more detailed.
11:27Even in portrait mode, the skin tones,
11:29the contrast, the detail,
11:31the iPhone just keeps coming out too soft.
11:33It's not bad, but I hope we do see some improvements
11:36on the 14 series later this year.
11:39So the big question, which is best?
11:42Well, the iPhone is genuinely brighter, warmer and flatter.
11:46Subjectively, it may look more Instagram ready
11:49but it's not always the most realistic.
11:51It does take better macro shots
11:53and also switching lenses while filming
11:55is still more seamless.
11:57Plus it's cinematic mode, ProRes support
11:59and stabilization I think give the iPhone the win for video.
12:03And sometimes I do just like how the iPhone takes photos,
12:07but that is very subjective.
12:08Now comparatively, the S22 Ultra is darker
12:11with heavier contrast and shadows.
12:13It does have a wider field of view
12:15so you get more in the frame
12:16and shots are often more detailed.
12:19Plus that extra 10 times telephoto makes it the zoom king
12:22and together with more camera modes,
12:24including the pro mode if you want to tinker,
12:27the option to shoot at the full 108 megapixels
12:29or even record 8K video.
12:31The S22 is more versatile.
12:33I also found the microphone to be a touch cleaner
12:36with better background noise reduction.
12:38The selfie camera is sharper
12:39and it's also good to see that social media apps
12:41can now take advantage of the S22's camera features.
12:45So it is a tough one.
12:46I think realistically, which one you go for
12:49is gonna come down to the ecosystem.
12:51Whether you have an iPad, an Apple Watch or a Mac,
12:55even if the camera is better on this,
12:56the ecosystem's gonna sell it for you on this.
12:58But in terms of just the cameras,
13:01well, I'm lucky enough that I get to have both
13:04and carry both around with me.
13:05But if I could only take one,
13:07I know most YouTubers tend to just sit on the fence here
13:09and I'm tempted to
13:10because they are both extremely good phones and cameras.
13:13You really can't go wrong with either.
13:15But if I had to just take one with me,
13:19I would go with the S22 Ultra.
13:22It's just a bit more versatile
13:24and I think it's a pretty solid upgrade
13:25even over last year's S21 Ultra.
13:28But more importantly, what do you think?
13:29Which phone came out on top in the camera department?
13:32Let me know in the comments below.
13:33And also, if you did enjoy the video,
13:34a little like and subscribe.
13:35And also that, what do you call it, the bell icon thing.
13:38Because I think only about 15% of you lovely subscribers
13:41actually get notified when I post a new video.
13:43So make sure that's checked as well,
13:45that little ding-a-ling bell.
13:46I'll also leave links in the description below
13:48if you fancy buying one of these.
13:49And actually right now through my affiliate link,
13:52I think you can get some Samsung credit
13:54if you buy one of these, which is very tasty.
13:55And I will see you next time right here on the Tech Chap.
13:58Thanks for watching.
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