iPhone 13 Pro Really bad photos with iPhone 13 Pro (+Max) Merged

[iStorm]

I had ordered a 13 Pro but having read most of the comments on this thread - and a couple of other websites - I am now thinking of getting a refurbished iPhone 11 Pro instead. ‘Why not a 12/12Pro?’ I hear you ask! A friend of mine has the 12 Pro and regrets getting it and hasn't been impressed. I am wondering whether anyone else reading this thread previously had (or still has) an iPhone 11 Pro and what your thoughts are? I currently have an SE 2 which I plan to give to my wife once I have made up my mind on which phone to get.

Why not consider the regular 13? Coming from the SE 2, that's already a huge upgrade and it doesn't suffer from the bad image quality issue since it's not using the new lenses. I posted this video in an earlier post comparing the two models. The difference is negligible and the 13 is even better than the Pro in some cases. Assuming you don't need to zoom, I think the 13 will be plenty good. If you're set on getting a Pro model, then the 11 Pro might be better. (I also have a friend that did not like the 12 Pro and wished he had just gotten the regular 12.)

I upgraded from the XS to the regular 13 and have no regrets. I thought I would miss the 2x telephoto lens the XS had, but it turns out I never really used it. I went through my photo library and most of my pictures were taken with the normal 1x wide lens, which solidified my choice to go with the 13.

 

[mg51015bb]

I had ordered a 13 Pro but having read most of the comments on this thread - and a couple of other websites - I am now thinking of getting a refurbished iPhone 11 Pro instead. ‘Why not a 12/12Pro?’ I hear you ask! A friend of mine has the 12 Pro and regrets getting it and hasn't been impressed. I am wondering whether anyone else reading this thread previously had (or still has) an iPhone 11 Pro and what your thoughts are? I currently have an SE 2 which I plan to give to my wife once I have made up my mind on which phone to get.

I had an 11 pro and the 13 pro is better. Not really understanding all the complaints here. 13 pro is the best overall camera system I’ve used.

 

[Simacca]

I had an 11 pro and the 13 pro is better. Not really understanding all the complaints here. 13 pro is the best overall camera system I’ve used.

Since updating to the latest beta, my 13 pro is taking better pictures than my old 11 pro.

 

[alicant3]

This guy (iPhone 13 Pro Max Camera Isn't Great, Here's Why. Galaxy S21 Ultra Comparison) did a really nice comparison and his findings are the same for which I have returned my phone. I am still reading all comments and still hoped that Apple would have solved this issue by now but it seems that the bad choice was made first from picking the f1.5 aperture.
I am so darn disappointed because the camera is the main reason why I am not willing to buy the iPhone and I cannot comprehend why so many reviewers which I thought were honest praise so much this crap. It is inferior or maybe close but not on par with a 3 year old phone during daytime photos. I need my phone to take pictures at work, it is something I do on a daily basis and I have in my gallery >30k pictures at the moment and if I pay $1500 for a phone it should at least do this right or okay in order to not get in the way. I had to even take 3 to 5 photos of the same object in order to try to make it to focus on what I was pressing and still was blurry/oversharpened/ color inaccurate.
I really do hope you guys had perfect working units because otherwise there is no reason to say that this is better than the 11pm or 12pm. Not trying to trash talk or anything, just hoping that they fix with update but in my honest opinion I do not think a software update can fully solve this.

 

[BigBlur]

I'm not disputing anyone's claim that the 13 Pro takes bad pictures, but I do wonder how many of the bad ones here are actually just user error. If anything other than the 0.5x, 1x, or 3x* zoom is used, then it will be digitally zoomed/cropped. *The 3x zoom is unique, as it will either use the 3x lens if the lighting conditions are good, or it will digitally zoom from the 1x lens (and be less than satisfactory).

Now whether people knew this or not, I don't think they are using their cameras any differently than before...so why has this become more of an issue with the 13 Pro? I do think it's part software being too aggressive, but could it also be a side effect from the hardware used? The previous Pro models had a 2x lens instead of 3x, so people would likely have been using the 2x zoom before. Perhaps the 2x digital zoom looks fine in those situations when it is digitally zoomed, whereas it no longer looks good when it uses the 3x digital zoom?

 

[MisterTibbs]

It's not just the 13 Pro/Max - I returned my 13 because of the heavy handed processing of the images. I didn't keep it for long, the image on the left is a crop from the 13. I went back a few days later with a crappy wide angle lens on my cheap mirrorless camera. I'd expect the mirrorless to be better, but it's the level of processing on the 13 which I just don't see on my X. It's not just blurred, it looks painted.

 

[TL24]

Well I just got the Pixel 6 Pro the other day and the pictures coming out of this phone just blows away the 13 Pro.

In comparison the 13 Pro photos are over processed, lack dynamic range and are way too artificially sharpened.

Below are some shots I took with my 6 Pro, I'll upload the 13 Pro ones later.

 

[SKRt]

I had ordered a 13 Pro but having read most of the comments on this thread - and a couple of other websites - I am now thinking of getting a refurbished iPhone 11 Pro instead. ‘Why not a 12/12Pro?’ I hear you ask! A friend of mine has the 12 Pro and regrets getting it and hasn't been impressed. I am wondering whether anyone else reading this thread previously had (or still has) an iPhone 11 Pro and what your thoughts are? I currently have an SE 2 which I plan to give to my wife once I have made up my mind on which phone to get.

I have an 11 Pro Max and had a 13 Pro for almost a month. Long story short: I returned the 13 Pro.
I loved the form factor, MagSafe, the Macro option and the tele. But the latter only when it worked. It was totally unreliable, the 13 Pro often cropped instead of using the 77mm camera even when the subject was far enough away and the scene was lit more than enough. The overall sharpness of the main lens (26mm) is worse than on the 11 Pro Max. I assume it’s because of the f-stop of 1.5. The way too aggressive noise filter and integrated post processing makes it even worse. Also harsh highlights like for example reflections on waves in the water become totally blurred. Since this happens only on the 26mm lens I guess it’s the result of issues with the sensor shift in combination with the HDR-implementation. I hope the 14 pro will have a better Mai. lens camera (less open) and a better software implementation.
Your conclusion to take an 11 pro instead of a 13 pro sounds reasonable.

 

[golfnut1982]

I'm not disputing anyone's claim that the 13 Pro takes bad pictures, but I do wonder how many of the bad ones here are actually just user error. If anything other than the 0.5x, 1x, or 3x* zoom is used, then it will be digitally zoomed/cropped. *The 3x zoom is unique, as it will either use the 3x lens if the lighting conditions are good, or it will digitally zoom from the 1x lens (and be less than satisfactory).

Now whether people knew this or not, I don't think they are using their cameras any differently than before...so why has this become more of an issue with the 13 Pro? I do think it's part software being too aggressive, but could it also be a side effect from the hardware used? The previous Pro models had a 2x lens instead of 3x, so people would likely have been using the 2x zoom before. Perhaps the 2x digital zoom looks fine in those situations when it is digitally zoomed, whereas it no longer looks good when it uses the 3x digital zoom?

BigBlur (ironic for this thread ?), I tend to agree with you. Can there have been some tests here and this could be true. Can someone do an experiment and post the results?

 

[diego.caraballo]

Well I just got the Pixel 6 Pro the other day and the pictures coming out of this phone just blows away the 13 Pro.

In comparison the 13 Pro photos are over processed, lack dynamic range and are way too artificially sharpened.

Below are some shots I took with my 6 Pro, I'll upload the 13 Pro ones later.

Awesome results. Congrats on your new phone.
Will love if you can take a couple of side by side pictures outside with the Pixel and the iPhone.

 

[diego.caraballo]

I had an 11 pro and the 13 pro is better. Not really understanding all the complaints here. 13 pro is the best overall camera system I’ve used.

Mind to share some samples? Outside pictures, daylight, no closeups, no portrait, with the wide camera. Maybe a park near you will be perfect. There's always a possibility of a hardware defect in our phones. Thank you!

 

[TL24]

Awesome results. Congrats on your new phone.
Will love if you can take a couple of side by side pictures outside with the Pixel and the iPhone.

There are times where I prefer the overall look of the of the 13 Pro but once I look at what the Pixel 6 Pro produces for the same shot there's a clear winner.

Although I love what Google is doing with their Pixel phones I'm just way too integrated with iOS so it makes it extremely hard to actually stay with Google.

I have 14 days to decide before I can't return the 6 Pro, not sure if the camera alone is enough to make me switch.

 

[Big Dave]

I'm not disputing anyone's claim that the 13 Pro takes bad pictures, but I do wonder how many of the bad ones here are actually just user error.

Just like back in the iPhone 4 days.... "You're holding it wrong!!!!"

 

[Pandyone]

I'm not disputing anyone's claim that the 13 Pro takes bad pictures, but I do wonder how many of the bad ones here are actually just user error. If anything other than the 0.5x, 1x, or 3x* zoom is used, then it will be digitally zoomed/cropped. *The 3x zoom is unique, as it will either use the 3x lens if the lighting conditions are good, or it will digitally zoom from the 1x lens (and be less than satisfactory).

Now whether people knew this or not, I don't think they are using their cameras any differently than before...so why has this become more of an issue with the 13 Pro? I do think it's part software being too aggressive, but could it also be a side effect from the hardware used? The previous Pro models had a 2x lens instead of 3x, so people would likely have been using the 2x zoom before. Perhaps the 2x digital zoom looks fine in those situations when it is digitally zoomed, whereas it no longer looks good when it uses the 3x digital zoom?

I don’t think the examples in this thread is due to user errors.
Some of the examples are without zoom at all, the main sensor with 1x is producing bad photos. As previously stated, this could be processing, hardware or an combination of both.

 

[Apple_Glen_UK]

I have an 11 Pro Max and had a 13 Pro for almost a month. Long story short: I returned the 13 Pro.
I loved the form factor, MagSafe, the Macro option and the tele. But the latter only when it worked. It was totally unreliable, the 13 Pro often cropped instead of using the 77mm camera even when the subject was far enough away and the scene was lit more than enough. The overall sharpness of the main lens (26mm) is worse than on the 11 Pro Max. I assume it’s because of the f-stop of 1.5. The way too aggressive noise filter and integrated post processing makes it even worse. Also harsh highlights like for example reflections on waves in the water become totally blurred. Since this happens only on the 26mm lens I guess it’s the result of issues with the sensor shift in combination with the HDR-implementation. I hope the 14 pro will have a better Mai. lens camera (less open) and a better software implementation.
Your conclusion to take an 11 pro instead of a 13 pro sounds reasonable.

Thank you for the info. I appreciate it.

 

[Apple_Glen_UK]

Why not consider the regular 13? Coming from the SE 2, that's already a huge upgrade and it doesn't suffer from the bad image quality issue since it's not using the new lenses. I posted this video in an earlier post comparing the two models. The difference is negligible and the 13 is even better than the Pro in some cases. Assuming you don't need to zoom, I think the 13 will be plenty good. If you're set on getting a Pro model, then the 11 Pro might be better. (I also have a friend that did not like the 12 Pro and wished he had just gotten the regular 12.)

I upgraded from the XS to the regular 13 and have no regrets. I thought I would miss the 2x telephoto lens the XS had, but it turns out I never really used it. I went through my photo library and most of my pictures were taken with the normal 1x wide lens, which solidified my choice to go with the 13.

Thanks. I'll take a look at that video.

 

[BigBlur]

It's not just the 13 Pro/Max - I returned my 13 because of the heavy handed processing of the images. I didn't keep it for long, the image on the left is a crop from the 13. I went back a few days later with a crappy wide angle lens on my cheap mirrorless camera. I'd expect the mirrorless to be better, but it's the level of precessing on the 13 which I just don't see on my X. It's not just blurred, it looks painted.

View attachment 1901000

Would you be able to share the metadata information from the photo taken with the 13? I'm curious which lens was used.

 

[MisterTibbs]

Would you be able to share the metadata information from the photo taken with the 13? I'm curious which lens was used.

Sure, iPhone 13 back dual wide camera 1.54mm f/2.4
4032 x 3024 1.54mm 0 ev f/2.4 1/173

Taken on a gloomy September morning. I initially wasn't too bothered, but the more photos I took, the more I noticed it. Unfortunately I erased the phone before returning it without syncing to the cloud, so I lost a lot of the pics I took. There's another crop attached, it's a bit pixel peepy, but I'd expect this just to be blurred and it looks like it's attempted to sharpen things which just looks unnatural. Same lens.

 

[BigBlur]

Sure, iPhone 13 back dual wide camera 1.54mm f/2.4
4032 x 3024 1.54mm 0 ev f/2.4 1/173

Taken on a gloomy September morning. I initially wasn't too bothered, but the more photos I took, the more I noticed it. Unfortunately I erased the phone before returning it without syncing to the cloud, so I lost a lot of the pics I took. There's another crop attached, it's a bit pixel peepy, but I'd expect this just to be blurred and it looks like it's attempted to sharpen things which just looks unnatural. Same lens.

View attachment 1901031
View attachment 1901046

Thanks. FWIW, it looks like that is from the 0.5x or Ultra Wide lens (from the f/2.4 aperture).

 

[MacLappy]

Sure, iPhone 13 back dual wide camera 1.54mm f/2.4
4032 x 3024 1.54mm 0 ev f/2.4 1/173

Taken on a gloomy September morning. I initially wasn't too bothered, but the more photos I took, the more I noticed it. Unfortunately I erased the phone before returning it without syncing to the cloud, so I lost a lot of the pics I took. There's another crop attached, it's a bit pixel peepy, but I'd expect this just to be blurred and it looks like it's attempted to sharpen things which just looks unnatural. Same lens.

View attachment 1901031
View attachment 1901046

Thanks for this.

Since this picture was taken using the ultra wide camera, on a iPhone 13.

We now know, it is not only limited to the bigger sensor/brighter lens.

Also it is not limited to the iPhone 13 Pro series but it can affect all iPhones in the 13 series.

What I find most unfathomable from the metadata is the focal length, which is recorded at 1.54mm.

I am unable to replicate this focal length on my iPhone 13 Pro Max at all.

Maybe someone with more experience with cameras can chime in, on what to me is a focal length mystery.

If it is possible, would you mind posting the full picture without cropping in, so we all can have a better idea of the actually composition of the photo.

Thank you so much, your post has shed much light on this camera debacle(especially the metadata), that was previously not know.

 

[SteveJobs2.0]

Sure, iPhone 13 back dual wide camera 1.54mm f/2.4
4032 x 3024 1.54mm 0 ev f/2.4 1/173

Taken on a gloomy September morning. I initially wasn't too bothered, but the more photos I took, the more I noticed it. Unfortunately I erased the phone before returning it without syncing to the cloud, so I lost a lot of the pics I took. There's another crop attached, it's a bit pixel peepy, but I'd expect this just to be blurred and it looks like it's attempted to sharpen things which just looks unnatural. Same lens.

View attachment 1901031
View attachment 1901046

Can you show us the original image. What I see here looks like a 10X crop.

 

[hemon]

Thanks. I'll take a look at that video.

I have also other videos:

It is clear that the camera performance between the 13 and 13 Pro are very, very similar. The camera of the 13 Pro is for me just for a specifically use (telephoto ONLY if the light is good, macro, portrait at 3x and very low light pics) which is not my case. I always bought the "Pro" version, but not this time.

 

[jprmercado]

Chiming in to confirm that I am also experiencing the issue where my iPhone 13 Pro overrides my choice of lens.

For example, I selected the telephoto lens for a few shots, and when I checked the metadata, the iPhone ended up using the wide lens to take the shots.

Also, even with auto-macro turned off, I find that my iPhone 13 Pro has difficulty focusing, and I’m talking about subject that are an arm’s length away [like taking a picture of oneself in the mirror].

 

[MisterTibbs]

Can you show us the original image. What I see here looks like a 10X crop.

+ a 100% in photoshop

 

[MisterTibbs]

Just for a comparison this is taken this morning on the iPhone X that I decided to keep. I would add, that my reason for upgrading was partly down to the ultra wide on the 13. I take a lot of photos of landscapes, so the ultra wide was more useful to me than the X's telephoto.

Edit to add meta (not on my home mac so had to convert this from heic to jpg to post).
iPhone X, Wide Camera - 28mm f1.8 ISO 20 28mm 0ev f1.8 1/676s