iPhone 13 Pro Disgusting Photos

I have bought the iPhone13 pro basically ONLY for the 'pro' camera features and found myself with hooribly over processed, over sharpened, images.. with often orangy, plasticky skin tones.. Yes.. it's such a disapointment.

It points out, as I've said, just because you are unhappy doesn't mean everyone is. I've said innumerable times this does not minimize the opinion of anyone that feels the quality is poor.

Again, there's absolutely zero anyone here can do about it, and complaining here accomplishes precisely nothing as well as Apple Engineering does not read these forums.

If you don't like it, complain here; comments posted at the links below are read by Apple Engineering and if enough people complain, changes may be made in a future software release or future phone:

• Feedback - iPhone - Apple
• Feedback - Camera - Apple

The iPhone 13 pro camera is SO BAD!!! I’m beyond frustrated. I turned on and off every single settings mode and nothing is helping. If a photo is even SLIGHTLY dark my phone edits it and it becomes SO overexposed and the images are disgustingly sharp. It’s so frustrating. I spent so much on this and got it for the camera. I’ve ready many different reviews about people having the same problem.

It doesn't matter what other smartphones do, premium or otherwise. Apple should make things better, not just parrot the competition. I'm judging based on a couple of decades of using digital cameras and prior iPhone use. I understand the limitations of small-sensor cameras.

I look forward to computational photography, but it should make things visibly better, not worse. What you're doing is coming up with excuses, not actually showing anything.

I did a couple of comparisons. Here's the first one, with the back hair of my cat and the edge of a futon. I've cropped out (100% pixel view) sections from two photos (as is the norm for photography comparisons). You can see that one of them has more severe noise reduction than the other, to the point where the posterization and loss of detail is noticeable. Compare the stitches in the futon, where they are almost lost in one photo. Wood grain is more smoothed-out, although neither shows the full grain of the wood that a larger-sensor camera would have picked up; even so, one simply has a bit more detail than the other. In the cat hair, both have some blurring of detail, but near the top, only one has the hairs clearly defined, while the other fades them into more of a blur; the posterization is clearly visible. Finally, look at the hairs on the futon, on the cushion and wood - clearly defined in one and blended into the background on the other.

One is simply better, and it's not the native app. Sure, viewing on a small phone screen it doesn't matter, but then, why bother wasting CPU cycles on downgrading the image if it doesn't matter? Let's just admit that Apple has joined the "industry standard" of heavy-handed aggressive noise reduction, when they used to be superior.

Just the other day I compared a photo shoot in lowlight. the iPhone 13 pro is applying some really bad bad bad bad sharpening effects to the photos. iPhone X is waaay more natural compared to it. and it's ridicolous. in 13 pro, if the camera recognizes a person is a big deal. it goes with some 'adjustments' (that you can't absolutely deactivate because of smart hdr 4 ) in light and sharpening that are so no-natural. no sense.

The fact that you can use third party apps to bypass processing shows it’s not hardware.

Higher shutter speeds are always preferred on phone cameras as not many are tripod mounted.

Ultimately you know where to leave feedback:

Feedback - Camera - Apple

I thought I was unlucky. Waited for a new compact camera this year then the pixel 6 pro came and it's too big so got an iPhone 13 pro but compared to even my pixel 5 the photos are not detailed and the contrast is way too high. The dark areas lose detail and the sky gets blown on sometimes.

Video seems good though but given the hype around the camera updates my expectations were higher. It's going back and I'll stick with the pixel 5 for now.

Obviously this is an issue with Deep Fusion. Your old iPhone XR did not have Deep Fusion since it was introduced with the iPhone 11. Deep Fusion focuses on sharpening your picture and tries to reduce noise in medium to low light conditions.

When you snap a photo your phone has already snapped 8 photos beforehand, and then it snaps another one when you push the shutter button. It then combines the best parts of each photo and it takes about one second to proses the picture, which is the processing you are talking about.

I have experience myself with Deep Fusion destroying my picture, but it usually does an exceptional job. In other words, in most cases you should be happy it’s there. Unfortunately, there is no way to turn Deep Fusion of so there is not a whole lot you can do in this situation. But I hope this makes you better understand what is happening to your photos:)

Same issue. Takes photos of things fine. Makes people look awful. I regret replacing my iPhone X with this. And now I’m stuck with it. I really hope it’s something apple can fix in an update. So many people on so many forums saying the same thing. These are lemons.

If you are within your return window, you can return your device and purchase something else; similar complaints were made about the iPhone 12.

Otherwise, complaining here does nothing as Apple Engineering does not read these forums.

Instead, leave feedback here, which they do read and act upon:

• Feedback - Camera - Apple
• Feedback - iPhone - Apple

Apple is not "in denial" because you don't like the photos you get, but if sufficient people state they want a way to get less processed or pure RAW photos, they may provide one in the future.

I didn’t pay more than 1k for a device only to sit and wait to fanthom updates that might or might never come:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/really-bad-photos-with-iphone-13-pro-max-merged.2315188/

I get amazing shots that I am completely thrilled with with the Apple Camera app.

If the Lightroom app works for you, that's great.

Most of the time for emailed/social media posts I take the photo, hit "Edit" then tap the magic wand to pump up parameters a bit more. I wish I could tell the Camera to always apply the magic want to save myself a step - the same way I always apply Auto Fix as a starting point in Lightroom for Mac to see if I like it.

For serious photos I shoot everything in ProRAW and edit it in Lightroom on a Mac.

Do whatever works for you.

You say the stock camera is garbage, yet it's what you're using in Lightroom on the phone; you have an issue with the Camera app, and you can leave feedback about it here:

Feedback - Camera - Apple

Complaints made here will go unaddressed by Apple as they don't read comments here but do at the feedback address above.

The two photos you posted are also not of the same scene at the same time as the rotation of the fence is different for one thing as is the composition of the two.

Itsokisit wrote:

Taken at the same exact time with a slightly different position since I’m not a robot that can perfectly recreate the same exact frame.

Use a tripod.

Its EXTREMELY clear there’s a software issue just off that picture no?

It's impossible to say as the one from the Camera app was first downconverted from HDR, and then again to lossy JPG.

It's clear the first one looks blurrier, but impossible to know what the original looked like.

Still, I recommend you leave feedback:

Feedback - Camera - Apple

Look at the photo EXIF data and it will tell you the "shutter speed" used.

It's definitely not a hardware issue in all iPhone 13 family phones, but if you think it is a hardware issue in yours, have your phone examined:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

The iPhone 13 Pro wide lens can physically not focus at the distances older iPhones could in part due to the larger sensor used in the 13 Pro, which is why it can macro capability using the Ultra Wide lens:

Capture close-ups with macro photos and video

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max introduce macro photography, using the new Ultra Wide camera with advanced lens and auto-focus system for stunning close-ups with sharp focus as close as 2 centimeters.  iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max can also shoot macro videos, including slow-motion and time-lapse.

Shooting macro in Photo and Video modes is automatic — just move your iPhone close to the subject and the camera will automatically switch to the Ultra Wide camera if it's not selected, while maintaining your framing. To shoot macro slow-motion or time-lapse videos, select the Ultra Wide camera (.5x) and move close to the subject.

You might see the Camera app transition to the Ultra Wide camera as you move your iPhone close to or away from a subject. You can control automatic macro switching by going to Settings > Camera, then turning on Macro Control.

With Macro Control on, your Camera app displays a macro button  when your iPhone is within macro distance of a subject. Tap the macro button to turn off automatic macro switching, and tap it again to turn automatic macro switching back on. 

If you turn on Macro Control, automatic macro switching is enabled the next time you use the camera within macro distance. If you want to maintain your Macro Control setting between camera sessions, go to Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings and turn on Macro Control.

About the Camera features on your iPhone - Apple Support

There's no "not having" it involved; this is the design of the phone, and if it doesn't suit your needs, you will need to return it, if within the 14 day return window, or sell it, and purchase something else.