I recently upgraded my phone to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, I went with this model for two core reasons, one was the bigger screen, I like a phone with a big screen, two was the photographic capabilities of the Pro Max compared to the other phones in the 17 range.
The power of the iPhone camera system gives you a wide range of focal lengths with exceptional framing flexibility — from sharp close‑ups to sweeping wide shots that let you capture more of a scene without stepping back. And get up close like never before with 8x optical-quality zoom on iPhone 17 Pro — the longest zoom ever on an iPhone.
The 17 Pro Max has the following capabilities:
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- 48MP Pro Fusion camera system
- 48MP Fusion Main
- 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide
- 48MP Fusion Telephoto
Compare that to the standard 17 which has:
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- 48MP Pro Fusion camera system
- 48MP Fusion Main
- 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide
The iPhone Air and the iPhone 17e have the following:
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- 48MP Fusion camera system
- 48MP Fusion Main
Over the years I have made extensive use of the ultra wide capability on my old iPhone, but one thing I missed was an optical telephoto lens. I knew I could zoom in digitally, but that wasn’t the same as using a telephoto lens.
So, I did want to give it a go, so when I was down on Weston beach I took a photograph of the Grand Pier.
Then I zoomed in…
Now this isn’t even the full zoom, but I was impressed with the results.