It came 77 minutes into the September 12th Apple event, after the iPhone updates that will “change mobile gaming”… after the discussion of the Action button…after the introduction of a display mode called Stand By….But Apple’s new USB-C powered iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are coming to change the mobile filmmaking game.
The summary? 21 years to the day after Lightning was released, a USB-C enabled iPhone 15 Pro is on the way with ACES (Academy Color Encoding System) color support (the first mobile device to ever have it), Log capture, and external recording capabilities. Combined with 4K60 ProRes capabilities* on the phone, the “seven camera lenses in your pocket,” and the ability to use Capture One with a USB 3 cable, the new Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are hoping to be adopted by professional photographers and videographers.
I must confess I was a little too excited during the event, and realized I had some questions. 4K60 ProRes? Log? Altogether? Really? I mean the slide does say in 4K60 ProRes in big bold titanium letters so maybe? Did I mishear that? Was I just too hopeful? The Apple Newsroom information (where again, it’s buried) helps to clarify this detail:
“ProRes video can be recorded directly to external storage, enabling higher recording options up to 4K at 60 fps, and greater flexibility on set when using iPhone as the main camera.” [emphasis added]
Which means, yes, you can record 4K60 ProRes with a Log color profile onto an external hard drive…with a phone that (barely) fits in your pocket. Like the Apple iPhone 15 advert says, “Voila! Cinema!”
The world opens up with USB-C and USB 3, including offloading with faster speeds, or recording to an external storage device. And don’t worry – if you end up filming too much and need to upload to the cloud, the new additions of 6TB and 12TB iCloud+ options should support you.
Additionally of note to filmmakers, the iPhone 15 Pro will take advantage of two of it cameras to record spatial videos, ready to playback on the Apple Vision Pro which will be available for consumers in 2024. While the iPhone 15 will be in stores on September 22nd, spatial video capability is coming in early 2024 alongside the Vision Pro.
And, as shared, the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) is supported, and it’s the first mobile device to have it.
Now the real question is…. can I make the iPhone start recording in 4K60 ProRes to an external hard drive with the double tap feature introduced today on the Apple Watch Series 9?
Time will tell.
Apple’s website is full of the new information released today, Tuesday September 12th, including the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch and Ultra 2.
More technical specs for the Apple iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max:
- Titanium design
- Up to 1TB capacity
- Super Retina XDR Display
- A17 Pro chip with 6-core CPU and 6-Core GPU
- Pro Max: 12MP 5x Telephoto (120mm with f2.8 aperture)
- 8MP stills while recording 4K video
- ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording
*when recording to an external hard drive. Apple has confirmed that 4K60 ProRes is available when recording to an external storage drive.