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

[thv]

You aren't listening to what anyone is saying. Yes the camera is fine when you take time to compose a shot, take it in RAW and then edit afterwards.

The issue that people are complaining about is not that the camera is not capable of taking great photos. It absolutely is capable of taking great photos. All of your photos of inanimate objects in this thread are proof of that.

It is that for everyday shots, like pets, children, random idiots doing something in public, the camera is worse than just about every model from the 6S until now, and most Android flagships from that time too. None of your arguments hold any water, when every model prior to this was capable of doing things that the 13Pro is not able to do. For the vast majority of users, any older phone is better then this one, camera-wise.

The argument is that older phones are better. You are countering that argument by saying that if you edit the RAW files, the images look good. No-one is denying that edited images look good, but that also applies to older phones. This new camera system takes worse images in almost every way than the last one. Editing can improve any image, even bad ones, the issue is that the images are bad. The phone doesn't have a functional zoom lens, unless you have an arclight pointed directly at the light sensor, and even then it still tries to crop the wide sensor.

I am going to be feeding this phone into a wood chipper in about a month's time. Not even joking.

Exactly, it's like some people can't comprehend that it's not even about needing to edit - I edit to change colors & sharpness a lot and I really don't know what to do with a photo where the AI has completely melted someone's face. You can change the camera settings all you like, the AI will still smooth it out to hell. I shouldn't have to buy a camera app to use my expensive & capable phone camera anyway, but beyond that halide is terrible in an environment like a concert where I need speed & zoom.

This is the only thing that's ever made me consider moving away from iphone. When I used to zoom at a concert I would get a tolerable photo that was a bit grainier. Now I get something that's ridiculous and the most infuriating thing is that for half a second I see a photo I would like on my screen, before it flashes and goes to AI hell. Yes the camera is capable of taking good photos but it is ruining a lot of them and we would simply like an option to turn the **** off... I guess I apparently need to switch to Samsung even though I'd hate to, or just accept that a great portion of my photos will always look like **** now, because though I've seen several articles on the issue it seems apple doesn't care and other people are pretending it isn't happening or is due to our incompetence, it's like talking to a wall...

If I wanted to take great photos of a tree up close then I would pull out my real camera. In a phone camera above all else I want it to be functional in real world situations... Now I can't take a picture at a concert or of my dog or anything else without it looking ridiculous.

Do people really think apple is so infallible that they could never possibly make a bad choice, and all these people with the issue are just idiots who can't properly hit a button to take a photo? If I am an idiot, it's weird that my lack of intelligence w/ cameras never stopped me from taking a photo with my older iphones 🤔

 

[cateye]

Speaking only for myself, no, I don't think Apple is infallible. Far from it. But you're leading from the assumption that something is wrong with what Apple is doing with its post-processing. That the photos Apple's native camera app produces, at times, do not match your expectations is not, intrinsically, a problem with software, it is a problem of process. You're assuming that Apple's priorities match your own, and that they always will, from phone to phone, from version of iOS to version of iOS.

This is why people keep telling you: Not getting the results you want? Change your process. Different phone, different app, different workflow, until you arrive at one that consistently delivers the results you want. Don't expect to change the process of a $2T company that is infamous and unparalleled in the extent to which it actively ignores user input. Steve Jobs birthed the iPhone from his very own womb, and was kind enough to let us use it. But even in death, it's his, not ours. (Cheeky, I know, but it's the reality of things with Apple).

I get that the point of a thread like this is just to say, "woah, I don't like this. Does anyone else not like this?" and there's no harm in that. The logical step is to ask, "how are people working around this so I can work around it too?" The illogical leap is to say, "this is broken and everyone else should think it's broken too."

An unrelated example: I hate Apple's approach to gaming. Loathe it. I despise mobile games, I hate Apple's ham-fisted App Store curation, hate the milquetoast support of gaming Apple has always gotten from major studios. So I bypass it entirely. I spend $0 on games from Apple, in the App Store, or for any of my Apple devices. I do not support publishers that publish games on Apple platforms. I own consoles and in the past have owned a gaming PC, and that's where I do my gaming. My iOS devices and Macs are great for what they do for me, but that does not (and will never) include games of any kind. I don't complain about the state of gaming on Apple devices, because I know most people are perfectly happy with it. So I move on, and take my wallet with me. Apple won't change, so I did.

 

[atari4]

Speaking only for myself, no, I don't think Apple is infallible. Far from it. But you're leading from the assumption that something is wrong with what Apple is doing with its post-processing. That the photos Apple's native camera app produces, at times, do not match your expectations is not, intrinsically, a problem with software, it is a problem of process. You're assuming that Apple's priorities match your own, and that they always will, from phone to phone, from version of iOS to version of iOS.

This is why people keep telling you: Not getting the results you want? Change your process. Different phone, different app, different workflow, until you arrive at one that consistently delivers the results you want. Don't expect to change the process of a $2T company that is infamous and unparalleled in the extent to which it actively ignores user input. Steve Jobs birthed the iPhone from his very own womb, and was kind enough to let us use it. But even in death, it's his, not ours. (Cheeky, I know, but it's the reality of things with Apple).

I get that the point of a thread like this is just to say, "woah, I don't like this. Does anyone else not like this?" and there's no harm in that. The logical step is to ask, "how are people working around this so I can work around it too?" The illogical leap is to say, "this is broken and everyone else should think it's broken too."

An unrelated example: I hate Apple's approach to gaming. Loathe it. I despise mobile games, I hate Apple's ham-fisted App Store curation, hate the milquetoast support of gaming Apple has always gotten from major studios. So I bypass it entirely. I spend $0 on games from Apple, in the App Store, or for any of my Apple devices. I do not support publishers that publish games on Apple platforms. I own consoles and in the past have owned a gaming PC, and that's where I do my gaming. My iOS devices and Macs are great for what they do for me, but that does not (and will never) include games of any kind. I don't complain about the state of gaming on Apple devices, because I know most people are perfectly happy with it. So I move on, and take my wallet with me. Apple won't change, so I did.

No. For sure. Just remember the "you are holding iphone 4 wrong" (iphone 4s antenna problem fixed), "iphone 5 perfect size" (boom iphone 6 plus), so many cydia tweaks which are now ios part, etc etc. Even apple has ears and changes, believe it or not. iPhones' 14 supersmarter correct hdr loading...

 

[ToddH]

Exactly, it's like some people can't comprehend that it's not even about needing to edit - I edit to change colors & sharpness a lot and I really don't know what to do with a photo where the AI has completely melted someone's face. You can change the camera settings all you like, the AI will still smooth it out to hell. I shouldn't have to buy a camera app to use my expensive & capable phone camera anyway, but beyond that halide is terrible in an environment like a concert where I need speed & zoom.

This is the only thing that's ever made me consider moving away from iphone. When I used to zoom at a concert I would get a tolerable photo that was a bit grainier. Now I get something that's ridiculous and the most infuriating thing is that for half a second I see a photo I would like on my screen, before it flashes and goes to AI hell. Yes the camera is capable of taking good photos but it is ruining a lot of them and we would simply like an option to turn the **** off... I guess I apparently need to switch to Samsung even though I'd hate to, or just accept that a great portion of my photos will always look like **** now, because though I've seen several articles on the issue it seems apple doesn't care and other people are pretending it isn't happening or is due to our incompetence, it's like talking to a wall...

If I wanted to take great photos of a tree up close then I would pull out my real camera. In a phone camera above all else I want it to be functional in real world situations... Now I can't take a picture at a concert or of my dog or anything else without it looking ridiculous.

Do people really think apple is so infallible that they could never possibly make a bad choice, and all these people with the issue are just idiots who can't properly hit a button to take a photo? If I am an idiot, it's weird that my lack of intelligence w/ cameras never stopped me from taking a photo with my older iphones 🤔

Well as I mentioned before dude,
The camera is only a tool. The photographer makes the great choices and learns how to control it. No camera out there is going to take beautiful photos because it costs a lot of money or used in program mode. I get the impression that most people want the phone camera to do everything for them so they don’t have to edit, adjust exposure, or composition. They want everything perfect right from the get-go which is not gonna happen. Most iPhone users are not photographers, most don’t know all of the features of the camera, most only just came in trip the shutter and subtle with what they get. If you want to take good photos, you’re going to have to work at it and apply yourself instead of getting mad at the software for not blowing your highlights or making your photo blurry or whatever.

How about this, you guys give me a subject that you want me to photograph and I’ll post it here on the forum. I’ll use the HEIF mode instead of ProRAW and not edit a thing. Some of you mentioned that the issue is with photographing people… well, how would you like for me to photograph a person? Y’all just let me know. Then we will see if we can put some of this complaining to rest. One more thing. Every photographer or amateur photographer who uses a camera should know his or her camera inside and out. You should know the features and controls and how they affect the final image, you should also know its limitations, if you don’t no these things without thinking about it, then you’ve got some studying to do. This way you can apply that knowledge to the camera before you take the shot so that you will be proud and happy with your final image.

You also mentioned that if you wanted to take a really good shot of a tree or a flower you would get your real camera out and take the shot. Well what kind of settings do you use on that camera? Do you shoot JPEG or raw? Also why wouldn’t you use the same techniques for the camera on the iPhone? After all the iPhone camera is still a really good camera it’s just in a different body.

 

[atari4]

Well as I mentioned before dude,
The camera is only a tool. The photographer makes the great choices and learns how to control it. No camera out there is going to take beautiful photos because it costs a lot of money or used in program mode. I get the impression that most people want the phone camera to do everything for them so they don’t have to edit, adjust exposure, or composition. They want everything perfect right from the get-go which is not gonna happen. Most iPhone users are not photographers, most don’t know all of the features of the camera, most only just came in trip the shutter and subtle with what they get. If you want to take good photos, you’re going to have to work at it and apply yourself instead of getting mad at the software for not blowing your highlights or making your photo blurry or whatever.

How about this, you guys give me a subject that you want me to photograph and I’ll post it here on the forum. I’ll use the HEIF mode instead of ProRAW and not edit a thing. Some of you mentioned that the issue is with photographing people… well, how would you like for me to photograph a person? Y’all just let me know. Then we will see if we can put some of this complaining to rest. One more thing. Every photographer or amateur photographer who uses a camera should know his or her camera inside and out. You should know the features and controls and how they affect the final image, you should also know its limitations, if you don’t no these things without thinking about it, then you’ve got some studying to do. This way you can apply that knowledge to the camera before you take the shot so that you will be proud and happy with your final image.

Dont continue to behave like a child. Read the topic from the beginning, there are plenty examples.

 

[ToddH]

Dont continue to behave like a child. Read the topic from the beginning, there are plenty examples.

What the heck is that supposed to mean? You guys are the crybabies not me! Suction becomes you…


Yes I know there are plenty of samples which on this forum are reduced even further (lower resolution and lousy upload quality) and all I see is poor technique and bad photography.

I don’t think any of you guys are taking into consideration that the older phones had much smaller sensors and the pixels were much smaller also the optics were slower and smaller. When a sensor has smaller pixels crammed into a smaller area The images tend to be sharper and cleaner however low light conditions tend to suck with image quality. so, you guys continue to blame Apple and complain… I’m going out to take some great photos with my two iPhone 13 Pro Max phones. Since you guys aren’t willing to try something different like another app or accept any of my help, I have better things to do than to engage argumentatively among you folks and unfortunately y’all have wasted a lot of my time…

 

[juanmaasecas]

A few examples from Live Photos. How it’s expected to look va how it finally looks (screenshots). Of course, if you take another frame from Live Photos it’s not 12mpx…

 

[Guacamole]

I hope iPhone 14 doesn't have this issue. I'll be happy to ditch my 13 pro but I will wait for real reviews (not from YouTubers) and I won't buy on launch day

 

[DanRO]

First photo in pretty good conditions with 3x, camera chooses to use the main shooter instead of the 3x, very bad result.
Second, slightly better with the 3x actual camera, but I still feel like the photos on the 12pm were better

 

[aenflex]

I read through (almost) this entire thread. As always, I’m upgrading right on the heels of Apple’s next release. Whatever.

Anyhow, I wasn’t sure if what I was reading were the complaints of hobbyist and professional photographers, the technical subject matter of said complaints beyond the scope of what I would need or even care about. It couldn’t be that bad, this camera…

But damn. I’m actually kind of disappointed in an iPhone camera for the first time. It actually is pretty crap in many circumstances.

My last two were the XR and 11 Pro. I think perhaps even the 10 takes better photos. Even for a simple family-and-sometimes-nature snapper like me, in low light especially, I’m not impressed.
For sensors that let it more light, the photos are much darker than my 11P photos in side by side comparison shots. And definitely over processed and over saturated. I don’t mind a little back end editing using the native app, but I’m not finding a way to make these photos look better using those tools.

The only decent photos I’ve been able to take are in full sun, on the back deck, macro shots of my plants and cacti. Granted, I need to do more experiments.

If my moms phone wasn’t on death’s door, (and thusly my 11P will replace it), I would possibly return the 13P. Almost certain I will trade it in when 14 drops if improvements are made to Apple’s AI processing.

 

[DanRO]

Don’t you think it’s kinda unfair there is no chance they would do an update to fix the camera, but the only solution is to wait for the next phone, just because of some software issue?
As many nice things Apple has to offer, there are just as many bad things about this brand.
For me is really obvious just like I stated earlier in this thread, there is no logical reason to why they downgraded the camera from the 12PM other than the fact that this years’s 14PM camera, even with it’s 48MP won’t be such a big deal (still not having periscope zoom for example), but when YouTubers will compare the photos to the 13PM it will look so much better.
I actually feel kinda frustrated upgrading from the 12PM, the only thing I love and kinda changes the whole experience is the 120hz display, but that’s kinda it.

 

[Guacamole]

just awful

 

[The Game 161]

Don’t you think it’s kinda unfair there is no chance they would do an update to fix the camera, but the only solution is to wait for the next phone, just because of some software issue?
As many nice things Apple has to offer, there are just as many bad things about this brand.
For me is really obvious just like I stated earlier in this thread, there is no logical reason to why they downgraded the camera from the 12PM other than the fact that this years’s 14PM camera, even with it’s 48MP won’t be such a big deal (still not having periscope zoom for example), but when YouTubers will compare the photos to the 13PM it will look so much better.
I actually feel kinda frustrated upgrading from the 12PM, the only thing I love and kinda changes the whole experience is the 120hz display, but that’s kinda it.

yeah it's bad and a damn shame as most android companies improve the camera via updates over the coming months.

48mp with a 57% larger sensor should make a massive difference but not the point for people who don't plan to upgrade

 

[atari4]

A few examples from Live Photos. How it’s expected to look va how it finally looks (screenshots). Of course, if you take another frame from Live Photos it’s not 12mpx…



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Its a shame not to have the option to turn that awful AI result off. (iphone 14 loading...)

 

[mpavilion]

Speaking only for myself, no, I don't think Apple is infallible. Far from it. But you're leading from the assumption that something is wrong with what Apple is doing with its post-processing. That the photos Apple's native camera app produces, at times, do not match your expectations is not, intrinsically, a problem with software, it is a problem of process. You're assuming that Apple's priorities match your own, and that they always will, from phone to phone, from version of iOS to version of iOS.

This is why people keep telling you: Not getting the results you want? Change your process. Different phone, different app, different workflow, until you arrive at one that consistently delivers the results you want. Don't expect to change the process of a $2T company that is infamous and unparalleled in the extent to which it actively ignores user input. Steve Jobs birthed the iPhone from his very own womb, and was kind enough to let us use it. But even in death, it's his, not ours. (Cheeky, I know, but it's the reality of things with Apple).

I get that the point of a thread like this is just to say, "woah, I don't like this. Does anyone else not like this?" and there's no harm in that. The logical step is to ask, "how are people working around this so I can work around it too?" The illogical leap is to say, "this is broken and everyone else should think it's broken too."

An unrelated example: I hate Apple's approach to gaming. Loathe it. I despise mobile games, I hate Apple's ham-fisted App Store curation, hate the milquetoast support of gaming Apple has always gotten from major studios. So I bypass it entirely. I spend $0 on games from Apple, in the App Store, or for any of my Apple devices. I do not support publishers that publish games on Apple platforms. I own consoles and in the past have owned a gaming PC, and that's where I do my gaming. My iOS devices and Macs are great for what they do for me, but that does not (and will never) include games of any kind. I don't complain about the state of gaming on Apple devices, because I know most people are perfectly happy with it. So I move on, and take my wallet with me. Apple won't change, so I did.

OK, but what if you had always really liked Apple’s approach to gaming, and had relied on it as a key feature of every iPhone, and suddenly it stinks with the newest one?

 

[ToddH]

Its a shame not to have the option to turn that awful AI result off. (iphone 14 loading...)

Like we have told you many times, use a different app like the Moment app. It does not apply the HDR processing. Let that sink in…

 

[atari4]

Ok…. I’ll take some random shots of people over the next day or two and post my results. Then we will find out if the issue is the camera / software or user error.

Like we have told you many times, use a different app like the Moment app. It does not apply the HDR processing. Let that sink in…

So it is not finally a "user error"?? LOL

No thanks I am waiting the new super smart ultra pro correct hdr coming with iphone 14...

 

[juanmaasecas]

So it is not finally a "user error"?? LOL

No thanks I am waiting the new super smart ultra pro correct hdr coming with iphone 14...

I think some of the stuff posted here is user error, like people zooming in and out a bit (which means digital zoom) instead of using just the 3 lenses in the pro models (or 2 in the base one), hardware issue as the 3x lens is darker, not that sharp and with a tiny sensor, leading to bad quality if the light is not ideal.
But this year the iPhone is abusing of computational photography and it’s horrible the fact that we can’t disable it.
Using third party apps (for quick jpg) leads to worse quality in most scenarios, like too low dynamic range.

 

[ToddH]

So it is not finally a "user error"?? LOL

No thanks I am waiting the new super smart ultra pro correct hdr coming with iphone 14...

Well in a way it is still user error. most of you aren’t photographers and you really don’t know what you’re doing when taking a photo which results in user error. I was simply stating that if you want to turn off the HDR effect, which is designed to help people who don’t know what they’re doing, refer to another app Like Halide or Moment.

 

[juanmaasecas]

Well in a way it is still user error. most of you aren’t photographers and you really don’t know what you’re doing when taking a photo which results in user error. I was simply stating that if you want to turn off the HDR effect, which is designed to help people who don’t know what they’re doing, refer to another app Like Halide or Moment.

I have been taking pictures since I was 14 and I’m 34 already. If I want to really do some serious photography I have my canon R5 with plenty of lenses.
I switched to Apple ecosystem from pc/android for their Colors (screen calibration/quality in phones and laptops) and camera. iPhone pictures used to be true to life with natural yet beautiful skin tones. Now, this iphone 13 looks like a Samsung sometimes, with those overly bright and saturated skin tones…
There are a lot of people here that think like me. We just want the true to life classic iphone look.

 

[pegasus912]

Well in a way it is still user error. most of you aren’t photographers and you really don’t know what you’re doing when taking a photo which results in user error. I was simply stating that if you want to turn off the HDR effect, which is designed to help people who don’t know what they’re doing, refer to another app Like Halide or Moment.

It may be designed to help people who don't know what they're doing, but it isn't doing a very good job if it's resulting in user error as you say. My problem is that even when using proraw the noise reduction can't be undone. That is not good, as it results in the watercolor effect. If they just gave us an option to turn that off then the would solve a lot of issues. I do use LR and Procamera but I shouldn't have to for passable photos.

 

[aenflex]

Like we have told you many times, use a different app like the Moment app. It does not apply the HDR processing. Let that sink in…

Question about that, Todd -

Should the JPEGs from Halide be a better quality than the JPEGs from the stock IOS Camera app? Should they lack the extreme processing that Apple applies? Or is Halide best when only utilizing the RAW photos capture mode?

Is Moment better than Halide for JPEG formats?

Thanks!

 

[Fat_Guy]

The sad reality is the the iPhone excels at video and if they could fix the lens flare it would dominate. I’m a video guy so I carry an iPhone. If I was a photographer I would go Android and probably Sony. The iPhone 14 should be a step up, it’s just that Apple is years behind in photography. If they can get 8K that is usable video I may upgrade from my 12 PM. But all that is for video, and for those that wonder why we need video in 8K - then that phone is not for you. If I was a photographer the periscope zoom would have been enough to switch me over long ago. The Pixel is superior at skin tones. However my forte is video.



Use the best tool for the job and where your priorities reside.

 

[Guacamole]

I think some of the stuff posted here is user error, like people zooming in and out a bit (which means digital zoom) instead of using just the 3 lenses in the pro models (or 2 in the base one), hardware issue as the 3x lens is darker, not that sharp and with a tiny sensor, leading to bad quality if the light is not ideal.
But this year the iPhone is abusing of computational photography and it’s horrible the fact that we can’t disable it.
Using third party apps (for quick jpg) leads to worse quality in most scenarios, like too low dynamic range.

I always click on the 3x zoom and I still get the same bad result

 

[TL24]

The sad reality is the the iPhone excels at video and if they could fix the lens flare it would dominate. I’m a video guy so I carry an iPhone. If I was a photographer I would go Android and probably Sony. The iPhone 14 should be a step up, it’s just that Apple is years behind in photography. If they can get 8K that is usable video I may upgrade from my 12 PM. But all that is for video, and for those that wonder why we need video in 8K - then that phone is not for you. If I was a photographer the periscope zoom would have been enough to switch me over long ago. The Pixel is superior at skin tones. However my forte is video.



Use the best tool for the job and where your priorities reside.

Although I do agree that the Pixel 6/6Pro and the new Sony phone are excellent, the iPhone 13 lineup still competes very nicely with them.

For stills, the Pixel 6 Pro wins for me hands down but I need an overall camera so I stick to my iPhone 13 Pro.