iPhone 13 Camera is blurry

I wasn’t too close - that’s a crop from the center of the image and you might notice the shirt is in focus, the back of the chair is in focus - my kid is leaning back so the face would also be in focus (and this was one of the few shots where they weren’t wiggling).

Yes, I’m aware this is just other users but it can be helpful to know other people are experiencing the same thing - especially when the camera was so well reviewed.

Please keep in mind you may be making your comments in good faith, but others may not appreciate having someone dismiss their concerns so readily.

Actually, 100% crops do still show degradation because of DPI differences and of course HEIC to lossy JPEG conversion.

I know what looks razor sharp on my iMac 5K becomes filled with digital artifacts if I post it here; it's trivial to do an Internet search and find reviews of the 13 Pro Max on photography sites that have much better photos than I do.

The ironic thing is the better the camera, the more it shows flaws in your technique; many people found this when DSLR sensors went above 35 MP or so. I know many people complained the Nikon D850 produced blurry photos until those same people were forced to use tripods, and it revealed even at high shutter speeds a 45 MP sensor will reveal camera shake unless you use high shutter speeds and small apertures to maximize depth of field.

Apple does tend to over-process slightly, which is why it's great you can shoot in RAW and see how good these cameras really are.

Then how was I able to take a photo, crop it and show it without any softening anywhere? You didn't answer my question. Did you know which camera you used?

Yes, I'm posting in good faith. Are you? I will continue to post if I feel what I'm saying is correct.

If you aren't happy with your camera, I'll say it again. Take it to Apple. Maybe there is an issue with yours. Maybe there isn't. What you don't seem willing to accept is there are multiple ways to take excellent shots using iPhone 13 Pro. I'm getting excellent results. I'm sorry you're not as happy as I am.

Ps: I see you either edited your post or it was removed. I am NOT being condescending in any way shape of form.

“Try the photo using a different camera or F-Stop or focal length or any manner of options available to you to get better photos.”

This might be why people think you’re not posting in good faith because why would I post here if I hadn’t tested it thoroughly?

And you are aware the f-stop is fixed on cell phones?

I’m glad you’re happy with your phone. A lot of people aren’t and instead of assuming they are doing something wrong, are looking at it the wrong way, or not trying multiple things in order to get better photos you might try a what I originally suggested.

Oh, so I'm a mind reader now. I have no idea what you've tested. You've not suggested you've adjusted F-Stops. All you've done is complain and post not great photos. I would so love to take your iPhone and take some pictures with it.

You and I just don't need to continue communicating with each other. I don't need to teach you anything. But I do think you're not happy with your phone. I can't help you with that.

Good luck with your quest for whatever will make you happier.

You as well. So now you suggest because there are no blades there is no F-Stop, which of course you didn't even know was there to begin with. iPhone takes nothing but electronic images. So the F-Stop is a digital setting, but it works. Disparage all you want. You clearly don't know enough about your camera.

Learn how to use your cameras. And I'm fine.

You can write back if you wish to have the last word. I'll not be responding to your further.

Have a really nice weekend.

I’m starting to wonder if some of us have a bad batch of phones. My iPhone 13 pro max is taking **** photos. Period.

something very very wrong with smart HDR.

tried filmic Firstlight app. It also had some horrible colours with hdr turned off. I think that looks like a bug.

that said. When I tried the Adobe Lightroom the colours were much better.

noisey low light. And horrible “smart” automatic photo filters. It’s trash.

Sometimes the photos are a bit over-processed, but if you shoot in ProRAW it's not an issue.

If it's been 14 days or less, you can return your phone for a refund, or at the very least you could sell it used, buy a used iPhone 11 and walk away way ahead financially.

Either way, there is a path to happiness for you.

Im having the same problem too with my camera on iphone 13. Right after i take a photo at first it's blurry then i need to wait a second or two to view the picture and it's too sharp and cartoony! Apple please fix this bug please.

I have had the same problem! I’ve compared the pictures of my Note 10 plus with the IPhone and the photos are better on my two year old device! Apple should do an update to fix the blurriness issue, especially when trying to take a picture in low light, it’s not focused at all.

You did a digital zoom on the portion of the photo I posted which is already a downsampled JPEG of the original and claim there’s a problem?

I don’t know what to say about that except digital zoom is always problematic in any context.

What you describe is not a bug, it takes a moment for the phone to fully process the photo you just took.

If you take a photo and put it into Photoshop on a top of the line Mac Pro it will take a moment to process, too.

I haven’t used a X or XS in a while, but certainly the iPhone 11 Pro Max and 12 Pro Max did the same.

Exactly Dogcow. People here are all too often basing their perceived negative impression of iPhone 13 Pro photos using digital zoom, which is simply only going to provide the results they're complaining about. If iPhone cameras had Optical Zoom, that would be great. The added cost and complexity of lenses which can optically zoom out would be cost prohibitive in a cell phone for sure.

No matter what anyone does, there are always going to be tradeoffs and digital zoom uniformly is not good. So, I don't EVER EVER use it unless I simply have no choice and then, I accept the results will be poor at best.

No. None. Zip. Nadda. Digital zoom is simply a bad method to take a picture and will guarantee bad results. Zooming in on an image shot from far away and expecting crystal clarity as an example of poor cameras is just goofy.

I'm sure I'll get flamed by some of my peers for this opinion, but there is a case for digital zoom on a smartphone camera. Consider that for many users the purpose is point-and-click-then-send, and the user has no intention or ability to import into post processing for enhancement or cropping. Continuously variable optical zoom is rather beyond the practicality and economics of a smartphone so it has to be digital. It helps to be able to crop in camera and remove the embarrassing group who would otherwise appear at the edge of frame and for these purposes the digital crop is usually acceptable with any degradation made insignificant by the poor lighting and intoxicated atmosphere of the moment.

It is also useful for my own usage, record pictures while doing technical repairs. I need a photo of connectors so I can check they are correctly replaced, but I need to have some kind of zoom to get close enough to read the cable labels. Slight loss of quality is unimportant, getting a usable shot with the portable device immediately to hand is essential.

If I want exhibition grade photos I'll be using Nikon not Apple to capture the image, unless it is a first snatch shot with the closest device to hand when the little green man steps out of his starship.