iPhone 12 Pro Can we talk about how inaccurate iPhone 12 Pro photos are?

[Ricoh GR]

two side by side photos of the same setting, both taken on iPhones updated with iOS 14.4

the warmer and more natural photo is on the left taken by an iPhone XS. the cooler and more inaccurate (from a color reproduction point of view) is on the right taken by an iPhone 12 Pro.

a few items i'd like to call out in both photos:

1. the mortar between bricks is reproduced as an artificial pure white on the iPhone 12 photo.
2. the bricks are artificially darkened (see lower right hand corner) in the iphone 12 Pro photo
3. the purple blanket is also artificially darkened in the iphone 12 Pro photo

this is just one example of many that i can find where the iPhone 12 Pro camera distorts color reproduction and results in an image that looks nothing like what is viewed by the natural eye.

 

[javisan]

Did the night mode turn on automatically in the 12 Pro due to the reduced lighting? I ask as it looks like a night mode pic.

 

[Ricoh GR]

Did the night mode turn on automatically in the 12 Pro due to the reduced lighting? I ask as it looks like a night mode pic.

I'm hoping that's what it is, let me snap another photo with night mode manually turned off.

 

[Starscape]

The cameras on smartphones are always providing software effects to photos since that’s what people like for social media, etc.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I prefer the photo on the right... Obviously opinion is a huge factor in determining a photos appeal...

 

[CarboysDesire]

I also prefer the one on the right. Left looks blurry, although when I zoomed in it isn’t.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Adding what the OP is saying about artificial enhancement. Anybody ever noticed how poor a blue sky appears on an iPhone pic? The software seems to get really confused by the many blue tones and processes it as blocks. It’s fine this on my last 3 iPhones.

This is where a tiny sensor and lens can never compete against a proper camera.

 

[sparksd]

One of the reasons I always shoot RAW (ProRaw on my 12 PM now).

 

[baking soda]

Adding what the OP is saying about artificial enhancement. Anybody ever noticed how poor a blue sky appears on an iPhone pic? The software seems to get really confused by the many blue tones and processes it as blocks. It’s fine this on my last 3 iPhones.

This is where a tiny sensor and lens can never compete against a proper camera.

Dude I don't know about what you're asking but that place looks incredible.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Dude I don't know about what you're asking but that place looks incredible.

It’s Cala D’or in Majorca, I took this a couple of years ago with an iPhone 8+.

The sky looks very weird when you look closely. I’ve noticed this happens on my iPhone 12 and I’ve seen the same issue on the photo threads here too. Not seen this discussed though?

 

[Taz Mangus]

It’s Cala D’or in Majorca, I took this a couple of years ago with an iPhone 8+.

The sky looks very weird when you look closely. I’ve noticed this happens on my iPhone 12 and I’ve seen the same issue on the photo threads here too. Not seen this discussed though?

I see what you mean in the picture you posted.

 

[teeshot44]

Two people see colors differently. People think Picasso is trash and others think Rembrandt is trash. The same iPhone taken photo may look perfect to your eyes which are not the same as mine anyone else’s.

 

[jz0309]

there is a lot of post processing done in the iPhone 12 pro especially (my 11 Promax does it too), but a lot of it depends in which mode you chose and also on your camera settings, so go compare all the settings between the phones ...

Also, as said above, if you don';t like the output of the phone, you have the ability to shoot RAW, that gets you the photo as captured by the sensor and you can do whatever you like with it ...

 

[Taz Mangus]

two side by side photos of the same setting, both taken on iPhones updated with iOS 14.4

the warmer and more natural photo is on the left taken by an iPhone XS. the cooler and more inaccurate (from a color reproduction point of view) is on the right taken by an iPhone 12 Pro.

a few items i'd like to call out in both photos:

1. the mortar between bricks is reproduced as an artificial pure white on the iPhone 12 photo.
2. the bricks are artificially darkened (see lower right hand corner) in the iphone 12 Pro photo
3. the purple blanket is also artificially darkened in the iphone 12 Pro photo

this is just one example of many that i can find where the iPhone 12 Pro camera distorts color reproduction and results in an image that looks nothing like what is viewed by the natural eye.

The picture on the right is sharper with more detail. I can clearly see that in the purple blanket.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I see what mean in the picture you posted.

It seems to be any picture an iPhone takes with a clear blue sky in it. My iPhone 12 and my wife’s do it and I’ve seen it on countless pics in the photo threads here. Much like the OP is saying with colours being artificially boosted, the software struggles with sky’s too.

 

[Spudlicious]

two side by side photos of the same setting, both taken on iPhones updated with iOS 14.4

the warmer and more natural photo is on the left taken by an iPhone XS. the cooler and more inaccurate (from a color reproduction point of view) is on the right taken by an iPhone 12 Pro.

a few items i'd like to call out in both photos:

1. the mortar between bricks is reproduced as an artificial pure white on the iPhone 12 photo.
2. the bricks are artificially darkened (see lower right hand corner) in the iphone 12 Pro photo
3. the purple blanket is also artificially darkened in the iphone 12 Pro photo

this is just one example of many that i can find where the iPhone 12 Pro camera distorts color reproduction and results in an image that looks nothing like what is viewed by the natural eye.

They both look the same to me! Obviously I’ve failed that test.

 

[Taz Mangus]

They both look the same to me! Obviously I’ve failed that test.

If you flip back and forth between the 2 pictures, and observe the right side of the brick walls, they look the same to you?

 

[Spudlicious]

If you flip back and forth between the 2 pictures, and observe the right side of the brick walls, they look the same to you?

OK, now I have spent 10 minutes flipping and I amend my opinion from no difference to little difference, both being very good and testament to how far phone photography has come. For me the right hand shot is slightly punchier, slightly more contrasty. If I study detail such as the picture on the wall, specifically the figure in the archway at left (looks like a headless mannequin in a red dress to me), I see slightly greater clarity in the photo at right. Colour accuracy - how can a viewer with only the photos and not the original scene make a judgement?

To repeat, I think both very good, and they demonstrate how extremely difficult it is for manufacturers to make meaningful improvements, despite their annual claims to have done exactly that.

 

[MacLappy]

Was watching a video review about iPhone cameras in the iPhone 12s and there is a new function that supposedly make pictures look nicer at the expense of accuracy. It is called “Scene Detection”, you could try turning it off in camera settings and see if it helps improve the accuracy of the image. Hope that helps.

 

[Ricoh GR]

It’s Cala D’or in Majorca, I took this a couple of years ago with an iPhone 8+.

The sky looks very weird when you look closely. I’ve noticed this happens on my iPhone 12 and I’ve seen the same issue on the photo threads here too. Not seen this discussed though?

I agree, the sky here looks awful. It almost appears as a "paint by color" image.

I think the iPhone 12 camera + software integration produces some truly horrid images.

 

[Ricoh GR]

OK, now I have spent 10 minutes flipping and I amend my opinion from no difference to little difference, both being very good and testament to how far phone photography has come. For me the right hand shot is slightly punchier, slightly more contrasty. If I study detail such as the picture on the wall, specifically the figure in the archway at left (looks like a headless mannequin in a red dress to me), I see slightly greater clarity in the photo at right. Colour accuracy - how can a viewer with only the photos and not the original scene make a judgement?

To repeat, I think both very good, and they demonstrate how extremely difficult it is for manufacturers to make meaningful improvements, despite their annual claims to have done exactly that.

I'll upload a photo with my Ricoh camera, but I can assure you that the XS produces colors that resemble the "eye" much more closely than the 12 Pro.