Adam Kos Although the parameters of the Galaxy S22 Ultra model are very different, since it is a truly high-end device, it must also be compared with the top. The Galaxy S13+ model is closer to the iPhone 13 Pro and 22 Pro Max camera setup, but this does not mean that the Ultra is behind, on the contrary. Its periscopic lens can surprise - in good and bad ways.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max has three lenses, the Galaxy S22 Ultra has four. Apart from the ultra-wide-angle lens and the triple telephoto lens, which may be similar to each other in some ways, there is a 108MPx wide-angle lens and a 10x periscopic telephoto lens. Just because of it, it is evident that the competition from Samsung must naturally have the upper hand in terms of zoom.
Camera specifications:
Galaxy s22 ultra
- Ultra wide camera: 12 MPx, f/2,2, angle of view 120˚
- Wide angle camera: 108 MPx, OIS, f/1,8
- Telephoto lens: 10 MPx, 3x optical zoom, f/2,4
- Periscope telephoto lens: 10 MPx, 10x optical zoom, f/4,9
- Front camera: 40MP, f/2,2
iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Ultra wide camera: 12 MPx, f/1,8, angle of view 120˚
- Wide angle camera: 12 MPx, OIS with sensor shift, f/1,5
- Telephoto lens: 12 MPx, 3x optical zoom, OIS, f/2,8
- LiDAR scanner
- Front camera: 12MP, f/2,2
When we look at zoom scaling, the Galaxy S22 Ultra starts at 0,6, continues through 1 and 3, and ends at 10x optical zoom. The iPhone 13 Pro Max then goes from 0,5 to 1 to 3x zoom. The Samsung model clearly leads even in digital zooming, when it reaches up to 100 times Space Zoom, as the manufacturer calls it. With that in mind, the iPhone with its maximum 15x digital zoom is a bit of a laugh, but you have to keep in mind that digital zoom doesn't look pretty either way, whether it's 15x, 30x, or 100x. Yes, you might recognize what's in the picture, but that's about it.
Galaxy s22 ultra
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Below you can compare one set of photos taken on the left by the Galaxy S22 Ultra and on the right by the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Above we have attached a sample gallery of the resulting images with individual graduations of camera lenses. Photos are scaled down for the needs of the website, their full size without any additional editing You can find here.
10x optical zoom of the Galaxy S22 Ultra on the left and 15x digital zoom of the iPhone 13 Pro Max on the right
Periscope surprised
The results of the triple zoom are very comparable, although it can be seen that those presented by the Galaxy S22 Ultra are more colorful. The question is, is it good? In ideal lighting conditions, however, the periscopic telephoto lens can pleasantly surprise. Even though it provides an aperture of f/4,9, it conjures up unexpectedly nice results when there is enough light. In contrast, it's strange how the more complex scenes give him problems (the last two photos in the gallery). As a result, they look as if someone painted them with oil paints. Therefore, it should be used with considerable consideration.
Samsung is better