iPhone 11 Pro Max Camera issues

I ready your response and was taken aback because I know that William has been providing helpful responses. After reviewing all 38 pages of this thread, I found that the sum total of your contribution has been the following:

"I cannot get a photo without noise, absolute disgrace for the price of this phone, in half a mind to return it, cameras when downhill from the 8 plus"

How exactly do you expect people to be helpful when you have provided no useful information?

I understand that people are upset by what they consider to be a bad product that they purchased. However, it is quite obvious by reading this thread, countless reviews, and countless real world examples of people taking amazing photos with these phones that one of two things is true of every person complaining in this forum:

1. They do not understand how to use the new cameras and/or select and frame their subjects or
2. They received a genuinely faulty unit.

It also happens that the large percentage of those being the loudest and meanest to others in the forum fall into category number 1. It is unfair to berate those who have been genuinely trying to help. When the issue is obviously hardware (e.g., spot on every photo) we have all recommended immediate return/exchange of the phone. When the issue is not obvious, we have tried to offer suggestions that would help to confirm if the issue is related to hardware or selection/framing/lens choice. If we are unable to confirm that, or as in your case, you have chosen to provide insufficient information for anyone to offer advice or help, you are left with two choices. You can be gracious and kind to others and provide additional information and sample photos or you can return your phone. But what you shouldn't do is just be unkind.

Based on my own experience IOS 13.2 (probably Deep Fusion) dramatically improved the quality of all photos, even those taken with the low quality UW camera, now a little less compressed and blurred than before, and actually with some good detail when shot in very clear/bright environment, something that was not happening before... it always looked fuzzy even shooting large landscapes under bright sun... much better now, I might actually use it :D

For the bottom photo, the UW lens was the absolute WORST lens to use. You really need to read through this thread to understand the UW lens and why it did exactly what I would expect it to do for a subject like you photographed. If you are basing your unhappiness on a photo like this, I'm sorry to say you don't understand under what conditions and scenes the UW lens should be used.

If you exchange the phone please update if you notice an improvement. I’m still experiencing excessive noise in photographs even at a low ISO which should not be happening.

My expectations might be high given I’m more used to shooting with actual camera equipment but there was a lot of praise surrounding this iteration of the iPhone camera. Taking the same shots with my Pixel 3 XL and there’s no comparison. It seems there’s an issue with the way the camera/software processes in even moderately well lit scenarios.

I’m probably (foolishly) expecting DSLR results when I shouldn’t be.

Outdoor pictures in broad daylight are much better. I think the problem is in the processing for “low light” situations. The joke here is there’s a reasonable expectation that, say, a living room with the lights on and windows open, is not a tragically low light situation.

I can easily shoot in the same situation with another phone or my DSLR without having to jack the ISO up or use a night mode.

What I don’t get is why some folks are having an issue and some are not. I suspect some either don’t care about excessive noise in photographs or don’t see it as easily. Again, I see it in some pictures in this thread where people were trying to show everything is fine with theirs, but I digress.

Has anyone swapped phones and seen improvement?

Been a busy weekend. Here are the pics I've taken. Keep in mind I'm still on 13.1.2. So no Deep Fusion. And these pics aren't the original. But it will get the point across. All pics were taken just using the telephoto (regular lens). Including the night mode shots.

1A and 1B - 1A was taken in a less lit room than 1B. Both at the same distance. Not sure why 1A is more clear, and detailed than 1B. 1B has a lot of noise. And looks like a paint filter was applied to it. Night mode was not used for either one.

2A and 2B - Same as above. Both taken within a couple of minutes from each other. One is a lot more detailed and photographic like, than the other. Night mode was not used for either one.

The foliage shots were clear and detailed. Outside on a cloudy day. Colors were spot on.

And the last two are taken with Night Mode on, and the other using flash. I'm very impressed with night mode so far. And I've found that even handheld for 2-3 seconds (which was average for me in the lighting conditions I've used them in), the pictures came out crisp and clean.

So my take, it's not the camera/lenses. It's the software that renders the image that's the issue. Looking forward to seeing how pics look after I update iOS. Hopefully, it will fix all the "bad pictures" issues. And consistently take good pics, as it clearly can.

is anyone having the issue still now but on front and back video only??

i swapped my phone over in the apple store and the photos are now great but it seems as soon as i chAnge to video setting (even on 4k) theyre coning out discoloured and very grainy and even come out better on instagram stories!

This is the way the camera works.

Either return your phone for a refund if within 14 days of purchase, or sell your phone and buy something else if this is an issue for you.

I know I've said it before, but it won't be changing.

If you really, truly want to know:

Lens elements often contain some type of anti-reflective coating which aims to minimize flare, however no multi-element lens eliminates it entirely. Light sources will still reflect a small fraction of their light, and this reflected light becomes visible as flare in regions where it becomes comparable in intensity to the refracted light (created by the actual image).

Although flare is technically caused by internal reflections, this often requires very intense light sources in order to become significant (relative to refracted light). Flare-inducing light sources may include the sun, artificial lighting and even a full moon. Even if the photo itself contains no intense light sources, stray light may still enter the lens if it hits the front element. Ordinarily light which is outside the angle of view does not contribute to the final image, but if this light reflects it may travel an unintended path and reach the film/sensor.

Cambridge in Colour: UNDERSTANDING CAMERA LENS FLARE

I stand by my statement that this is not the fault of the camera but the user. You are focused on one item in the photos. I am looking at the entire photo and noticing some things. First, notice what appears in the iPhone version that does not appear in the Huawei version, stars. These photos are taken using different settings on each phone. I can take photos on two different phones and get great and horrible photos on either one depending on how I set the camera to take the photo and how I frame the shot. If you think this is a hardware issue then by all means take it to Apple for a replacement. I just don't think it is a hardware issue and you aren't going to be satisfied because you don't know how to use the new phones with the new features.

Using 2x ultra-wide camera during the evening, night or with cloudy sky it grains a lot in the periphery of the photo. Then the algorithm try to adjust it with a lot of blur and the result it's just unnatural, unclear photos. On the contrary with a lot of light, during a sunny day, the ultra-wide shot produces good pictures. I came from a iPhone 7 and after I read online "if you switch from an iPhone 7 or older you should see significantly better results with the camera" I decided to go for it. Personally I am not impressed at all and frustrated for the price I spent for this phone. And the main reason is that I chose the 11 pro max especially for its camera. I'll post some pictures I took later.

The ultra wide camera should NEVER be used in evening or in low light. It was never intended for such lighting situations. If this is your basis for determining the camera is poor on the new iPhone's, it only serves to demonstrate you don't understand the capabilities of the cameras, when to use or not use them. The UW camera does NOT include Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), like the standard camera. The UW camera is f2.4, which is not unusual for a UW camera, but if you knew anything about photography would suggest is a very poor choice for low light situations. You need to learn about fundamental photography.

Mine does it randomly

Sometimes a power down or restart with assist touch helps for awhile

but sooner or later the hiccup comes back

I've never had a more perfect pic than when it was new for a day or two I tried all the cameras out to their extent

Later AFTER Updates, I had problems --- and less so for camera after the 13.3 but battery has taken a HARD HIT in performance since that update - ALL I think it is - Apple screwed up something

If you want to know the truth, it's pretty simple.

Just browser the internet and see 10 or 20 iPhone 11 Flickr Photo Albums posted by different users around the world.

You'll see that most of the posted posted have problems (noise, ghosting, haze, oily smudges, lack of details).

There will be ocasionally a good photo, but they're rare.

My XS Max was a beast. This is pretty much unusable.

Ahh, and that user that keeps saying you're using it wrong ?

He's basically answering every topic with camera issues and saying's it's the user's fault. Or the ultrawide camera. Or the angle. Or the .....

I compose photos carefully. I use the best camera for the scene. And I do EVERYTHING I can to ensure the camera is held as steady as possible, including using something to rest the camera on (someone's shoulder works in a pinch) in lower light situations. Many of the photos posted here have been composed poorly (not carefully selecting angle, especially in low light, which can reduce or completely eliminate lens flare/ghosting), often with the wrong camera and aren't taking photos with a steady hand. As with any camera system, taking one's time when photographing any subject will yield better results. Sure, there are times when a quick photo may be required if time is of the essence, but in situations such as that, people have to accept, if the result is poor, it's not because the camera was faulty.

There is a photographic motto. "It's not the camera, it's the photographer". And this has been demonstrated over and over in this thread.

What I find sad about this thread in particular is people are basing judgment on things they could have done so much better. And people are expecting EVERY photo they take to look like the photos Apple showed in the iPhone Ads and Release Presentation. Those photos were taken by Professional Photographers, using things most people don't have, like professional lighting and Tripods. In essence, the expectations people have had are completely unrealistic. But they can take great photos, if they just put more effort into the things I highlighted above.

Time for bed, so I bid you all a great night's rest.