Photographer and YouTuber Chris Freitag is back to explain what the new adjustable aperture does for your photos even if you never touch a setting, why Photographic Styles finally won him over, and how his iPhone replaced a much pricier video camera. Stick around for the free app he still can't believe costs nothing.

In this episode:

• Apple's "Welcome home" event in New York on October 13 and what might show up
• How a trip for a watch band ended with an iPhone 18 Pro at $0 a month
• f/1.48 vs. f/4: brighter low-light shots, natural background blur, and sun stars
• Photographic Styles that work like a Lightroom color profile, plus the new Film look
• Why Chris is happy shooting HEIF instead of RAW
• Camera Control: better than the 16, still clumsy
• What the new aperture means if you just want good party photos
• Shooting video with Blackmagic Camera, and his one gripe: slippery aluminum

Links from the show:
Chris Freitag: https://www.chrisfreitag.com
Chris on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisFreitag
Chris on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@chrisfreitag
Blackmagic Camera: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagiccamera
Leica LUX: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6477182657
Moment Pro Camera: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6748837351
Halide: https://halide.cam/
Meow Wolf Denver: https://meowwolf.com/visit/denver

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at feedback@basicafshow.com
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

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Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

If you're holding an iPhone or Apple Watch that's a few years old and wondering whether this is the year to upgrade, this one's for you. Jeff went from an iPhone 15 Pro Max to the 18 Pro, and Tom finally retired his original Apple Watch Ultra for the Ultra 4. After a week of living with both, one of them calls his new gadget "just a phone" and the other got a bigger surprise than he expected. Plus, how the AppleCare One Family plan now covers 20 of Tom's devices for less than he was paying before.

In this episode:

• Why Jeff went back to the smaller Pro, and the Burgundy finish
• Variable aperture, five zoom levels, and the new Photographic Styles
• Siri AI: better for Tom, still "I can't do that" for Jeff
• Ultra 4 battery: two days on a charge with everything turned on
• Double tap by accident, the wrist flick, and Readiness after seven nights
• AppleCare One Family: 20 devices, $50 a month, and the fine print
• Trade-in values: $455 for the phone, $190 for the watch

Links from the show:
iPhone 18 Pro: https://www.apple.com/iphone-18-pro/
Apple Watch Ultra 4: https://www.apple.com/watch/
AppleCare One Family details: https://support.apple.com/en-us/148275
Every Apple Watch Ultra compared: https://www.macobserver.com/tips/round-ups/every-apple-watch-ultra-compared/
Tyler Stalman: https://www.youtube.com/@stalman
iPhone 18 Pro Camera Review: Dunton, Colorado: https://www.austinmann.com/trek/iphone-18-pro-camera-review-dunton
Mac Power Users: https://relay.fm/mpu

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at feedback@basicafshow.com
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.

Apple finally showed the folding iPhone, and it arrived with a $1,999 starting price and a lot of great and interesting features. Tom and Jeff bring Joe Moyer back to walk the whole event: the iPhone Duo, the 18 Pro and Pro Max, new AirPods, and Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4. One of us pre-ordered before recording. One of us is quietly doing the math on owning two phones at once.

In this episode:

• John Ternus hosts his first event as CEO
• iPhone Duo: 5.4-inch outer screen, 7.6-inch inside, Touch ID, Apple Pencil support
• What the Duo leaves out: telephoto, Face ID, action button, ProRAW
• Duo pricing from $1,999 to $3,199, orders Oct 16, delivery Oct 23
• iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: variable aperture, 8x telephoto, vapor chamber, A20
• New AirPods keep the same price and add noise cancellation to the base model
• Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: new sensors, readiness, health age, 50-hour battery
• Audio Intelligence on the Watch, and where the privacy line sits now
• Live immersive MLB games on Vision Pro
• The OS 27 updates are here

More from Joe Moyer:
Website: https://www.24letters.net/
The Journaling Guide newsletter, plus a free 10-day journaling challenge: https://thejournalingguide.com/
Threads: @thejournalingguide

Links from the show:
iPhone Duo: https://www.apple.com/iphone-duo/
iPhone 18 Pro: https://www.apple.com/iphone-18-pro/
Apple Watch Series 12: https://www.apple.com/apple-watch-series-12/
Apple Watch Ultra 4: https://www.apple.com/apple-watch-ultra-4/
Audio Intelligence privacy paper: https://www.apple.com/privacy/docs/Audio_Intelligence_Privacy_Overview_Sep_2026.pdf
Halide: https://halide.cam/
Gentler Streak: https://gentlerstories.com/
Athlytic: https://athlyticapp.com/
Kalri$$ian "The Falcon" (NSFW)
Celsius 7 "Manners" (NSFW)

Question or Comment? Send us a Text Message!

Support the show

Contact Us

• Drop us a line at feedback@basicafshow.com
• You’ll find Jeff at @reyespoint on Threads and reyespoint.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Find Tom at @tomanderson on Threads
• Join Tom’s newsletter, Apple Talk, for more Apple coverage and tips & tricks.
• Tom has a new YouTube channel
• Show artwork by the great Randall Martin Design

Enjoy Basic AF? Leave a review or rating!

• Review on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Spotify
• Recommend in Overcast

Intro Music: Psychokinetics - The Chosen

• Apple Music
• Spotify

Transcripts and some images are AI generated and may contain errors and general silliness.