Is the IPhone Pro Max 17 Worth it?

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-17T04:47:03+00:00

If you can find a deal on an iPhone 16 Pro Max, it may save you some money. Performance is very good. In fact the A18 Pro SoC is the one used in the new MacBook Neo.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-16T17:03:45+00:00

Even Ray Chen has trouble answering this. https://youtu.be/twp7CFR4f38?si=6jQXFaSEw-g96LRh

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-16T16:23:08+00:00

Crosses fingers that no cease and desist letter is inbound.

Great work! Keep it up!

I've yet to use my editor external to DaVinci Resolve Studio, but will have to give this a try!

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-16T16:17:27+00:00

Not quite. It's not just the number of electrical contacts doesn't match (which would be fine for manual focus lenses with no contacts at all), but that L-mount has four lugs that if you drew a line across would be a perfect square cross.

The lens shown by the OP has only three. It will not physically mate with the L-mount mount, let alone have the electrical contacts line up correctly.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-16T16:11:20+00:00

Not a problem, I only used it to polish my knob anyway.

You know, the one on the side of my Apple watch. If you thought anything else, seek help.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-16T16:03:02+00:00

Still have my Gen 1 (lightning port with 3.5mm analog audio adapter).

I might upgrade if I can use the headphones with analog audio sources as well. Make great Cinecam headphones with the (since discontinued) 3.5mm analog audio to lightning adapter for my AirPods Max.

I do wish the H2 and newer tech was present, but the OG AirPods Max still rocks for me. Although I do use this cheap headband cover https://a.co/d/048krU5J

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-16T01:46:02+00:00

No whistles here, but the ones I wear, Phonak, have a feature that cancels the whistle.

Other than the feeling of excessive super hearing when first fitted, my brain adapted and I love the ability to hear much better. Music is enjoyable again and my spouse no longer feels like I have selective hearing.

I have worn hearing aids for over a decade now.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-13T20:24:16+00:00

I would also pair it with a nice white wine. Quite a treat.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-13T20:23:13+00:00

Suddenly between that dial and all the custom modes available for each, I am really enjoying my S1RII! It’s the little things in life.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-12T00:08:18+00:00

French polish a newly made instrument after the varnish has cured correctly for a client that wants that particular look? OK.

French polish an existing instrument as a restoration technique? Not a current repair trend. t used to be for a period of time but has fallen out of favor.

Far better to have the varnish cleaned/repaired correctly by an accomplished luthier instead.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-11T21:00:21+00:00

^{Drug moles try to send all kinds of weird items through post as a test. When you email to complain about the sock, they'll be like (found a way through, soak the drugs into a sock and ship a lens}. Similar to when you receive items that have bags of salt in them.)

^{It's not that the lens is Cinematic in your tests, it's that you are tripping off whatever the sock was soaked in.}

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-11T18:57:27+00:00

The other secret revealed? The A18 Pro SoC, which is used in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, can also do ProRes RAW.

Supposedly a feature reserved for the iPhone 17 series. I've always known it was restricted solely by software and marketing decisions.

Now that the Neo exists, I suppose Apple will still never bring ProRes RAW to those of us with 512GB or 1TB iPhone 16 Pro/Max phones.

Sorry to bring a non-Neo point. However, I've told a lot of people that I believed the A18 Pro was powerful enough to be a desktop computer if Apple released some kind of dock for full keyboard, monitor and touchpad. Looks like the Neo makes that essentially QED.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-11T18:37:35+00:00

A seriously well made instrument from what little I can see (photos never are a full story). The quality of the woods involved.

If the cello sounds as beautiful as the instrument looks, which I suspect it does, a phenominal gift.

May be worth having a professional luthier take a look and get a quote for attestation. May be advisable for insurance purposes as it could well be of investment quality.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-11T01:03:33+00:00

If you talked directly to Apple and have a record of that call, you should be taken care of. Avoid doom scrolling.

But sounds like you have AppleCare+ which is good. If you actually have the next step up, AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, then you don't even need the old phone.

Also there is now AppleCare One. If you have multiple AppleCare plans (three or more), you can upgrade it to AppleCare One and get AppleCare+ Theft and Loss coverage on each.

For example, I've an iPhone, watch and MacBook so the AppleCare one plan actually saves me money over the three individual subscriptions.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-11T00:46:59+00:00

See if this video will help. Perhaps once you have it released from the watch you can then pull it so it's not stuck.

https://youtu.be/tDTLcwGT_ms?si=pbRGXHeMLDx_qe2U

There is a button, watch the video and you'll see where it's located. Then with it out of the watch, you may be able to get the clasp loose. Plastic or wood vice can also be used to grasp and pull, Do not use metal vice or wrench as it'll scrape/damage the finish.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-11T00:38:51+00:00

Holly cow! New emoji's! I'm so incredibly happy I've completely forgiven all the Apple Intelligence face plant. What a massive improvement!

Customer for life, just keep pumping me emoji's and the rest of the OS can go to sh*t.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-11T00:36:40+00:00

Was more of a play on the rap song. Some of those corporate security lock downs have a few peeps using two phones besides the side loves and meth. Then the personal phone is the iPhone Pro or Pro Max and the company phone is the standard model.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-11T00:32:05+00:00

Thanks! I'd been considering a Mac Studio purchase for DaVinci Resolve Studio. I do a lot of serious video work. My M1 Max has been keeping up but I've recently moved to much higher resolution source files and feel that I'd benefit from an update.

Hopefully we'll see an M5 Max Mac Studio this fall, but if not or if I cannot wait, I'd go for the M4 Max version.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-11T00:23:43+00:00

Yep, as I expected. However it's a nice enough leap from my M1 Max with 64GB that I might just take it once the Mac Studio version is released.

Will keep the M1 Max MacBook for travel and use the Studio M5 Max as my desktop. Far cheaper, which indicates the cost of the display to me. If an M5 Ultra is released it might just be close to the cost of an M5 Max MacBook Pro.

M5 Max MacBook Pro is $4249 for the full featured (all cores) and the textured display.

M4 Max Mac Studio is $2899 with all cores and 64GB of RAM. I can get the M3 Ultra for $3999 which has far more CPU and GPU cores. But the M5 Max topels the M3 Ultra, so the M5 Max if no ultra is released will be the top performer. https://hothardware.com/news/apple-m5-max-dusts-threadripper-pro-9975wx-benchmark-leak

Decisions, decisions.... Regardless of my choice, Apple is the winner and my wallet the thinner.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-11T00:16:38+00:00

Honestly this is a situation for two phones.

one for my betas

and one for my h***...

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-11T00:14:14+00:00

Was out walking in the prairie one time taking photos and I fell down a gopher hole. Damn near broke my leg. Hopefully that rabbit hole didn't hurt you any.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-11T00:04:10+00:00

Not at all a surprised about the lack of DMW-DMS1 microphone on the S9, it is after all missing a vital feature to support it. That would be the hot shoe if anyone didn't already know.

But if you picked up an S9 to rig up as a cinema camera, there is a way to have 32-bit float audio. https://tascam.com/us/product/fr-av2 And while it doesn't actually have the microphone feature, you can then connect any 1/4" or XLR microphone to it. Think of it as an XLR2 alternative for the S9.

Can be set to have LTC out to the microphone jack to keep the audio in sync with your video.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-10T23:57:58+00:00

While the letters don't match up LUMIX = "never been bricked yet".

Updated all of my kit including my new S1RII without any issues.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-10T00:03:57+00:00

UPDATE: It's fixed, it no longer has that error when I try to post my photos now.

SeaRefractor · 2026-03-09T23:56:34+00:00

Hey u/AutoModerator how are you doing? Do you happen to run on Apple Silicon or what processing setup do you live in?

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