iPhone 13 camera not focusing when capturing a photo 8-10 cm away

I think the issue is when the phone is getting closer to the object, there’s a fixed distance where things started to become blurry and it cannot focus closer anymore. The previous phones where the main lens CAN focus on near objects. I’m using 13 Pro btw.

It fails to focus anymore after that fixed point which I’m not used to changing from IPhone 6. The previous phones can focus objects at this distance.

I think they want us to zoom or use macro lens instead but I think the quality is no better than the original lens.

No, it doesn't. It means they had a closer focal length than on iPhone 13. They also weren't the same camera, nor the same sensor and weren't engineered for the amazing clarity of the iPhone 13 phone camera systems. But, for iPhone 13, the focal length is not as close and they chose to add close-up or macro (either is much the same) in the 13 Pro models.

To show how good the close-up capability is in iPhone 13 Pro Max, I took the following two picture moments ago. One is from a distance and you can the white heart with the blue glitter. Then I took a close-up at very close range of the white heart.

You seem to imply it was done deliberately where it is far more likely it was done in favor of other benefits.

Apple doesn’t specify focal lengths per se but if you look at the EXIF data they specify focal length “equivalents.”

For example:

Here you have an example, one taken with iPhone X at its minimum focusing distance and the other with the 13 Pro matching the framing. How is the photo of the 13 Pro better? Is it sharper? Does it have more detail? Does it have any kind of depth?

Now, I 100% agree that the 13 Pro can get the sharpest macro photos; those that it was advertised for. They're absolutely incredible. For me, the 13 cameras are excellent, I couldn't be more happier with them. However, the topic of discussion here is a very specific "issue", the one that is described in the original question. And for that application, you will not get the same results even if you buy a Pro model. That's it. What's wrong with that?

Dogcow-Moof said: "Of course I can come up with circumstances where that is not true as well"

Which circumstances? The ones that people are reporting here as an "issue". If you're going to recommend the Pro as an alternative solution, you should point out that for this specific application that is being discussed, the result will not be the same; although it is a lot better for other applications.

If you wanted to be able to take macro photos, you should have invested in the 13 Pro or 13 Pro Max. iPhone 13 does not have macro photo capability, so it stands to reason your phone can't focus 8 - 10cm from a subject. iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max have Macro Photo capabilities and are perfectly capable of focusing that close.

Your camera isn't defective. It just doesn't have the Macro Photo capability of the Pro models.

Instead of trying to get your camera to do what it is not capable of doing, take the photo further from the subject when you see it is completely focused. Then edit the photo after taking the picture to zoom into the area of the subject you wanted to see clearly. iPhone 12 Pro Max didn't have Macro Photo capabilities and this is what I did if I need a close up picture.

I now have 13 Pro Max and it takes great Macro Photos.

If you've had your phone less than 14 days and you really want to be able to take Macro shots, return the phone for full refund and upgrade to a 13 Pro.

I can't answer why questions. I don't work for Apple and this is a user to user only forum. Suffice to say, the cameras in iPhone 13 are way more sophisticated than iPhone 6 but Apple didn't engineer Macro Photography into the camera system on iPhone 13. They did engineer Macro Photography into iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max.

And as I said, if you need Macro Photography, you need iPhone 13 Pro. Or use the suggestion I provided which will work as I did it on my 12 Pro Max, which also does NOT include Macro Photography.

I have a very expensive Nikon DSLR camera, which cost a LOT more money than my iPhone. If I want to take close up photos, I had to buy a Macro Lens for my DSLR.

Hey samirre i also facing the same problem my iphone 13 doesn’t focus on close object and you know what even my other iphone 12 can do better than my iphone 13 in closeup shots from my prospective it is software glitch.

Hey lobsterghost1 we are not talking about macro capabilities. Even cheap phones can do closeup focus shot so why not iphone 13 . Macro shots is just advance feature that iphone 13 doesn’t have but that doesn’t means we have to compromise in normal closeup focus shots feature

You can say whatever you like, but the iPhone 13 was never advertised as being able to focus that closely.

If it's within 14 days of purchase, you can return it for a refund.

The phone not doing something you feel like it should does not make its inability to do so a defect.

Having this same issue. That guy talking about macro photos obviously doesn’t realize you’re simply referring to CLOSE UP PHOTOS, not a style of photography. I understood what you meant perfectly, an iPhone 6 can take a photo of something up close just fine so you should expect the same on a newer model. It may just be a software glitch. Hopefully.

OP is simply referring to close up shots, nearly every phone on the market right now can take clear close up shots. We aren’t talking about macro photography. It isn’t that hard to realize what OP meant 🤦🏻‍♀️

As "THAT GUY" who you seem to think doesn't understand the difference between closeup and macro, it appears it is you who doesn't understand. Macro photography is taking photos at close distances. Previous generations of iPhone may well have been able to do that. But iPhone 13 cannot. iPhone 13 Pro CAN and DOES take close up photos. You can get somewhat close on iPhone 13, but there is a limit to how close and if its not close enough for your or anyone else's needs you need iPhone 13 Pro, which can take photos at a much closer distance than iPhone 13. That's a fact and won't change.

Okay. I see that you can’t have a reasonable discussion and see other’s point of view. I used the iPhone 6 for the sake of comparison, and because OP mentioned it earlier in the post. I basically mean any phone older than the 13. No matter what differences you point out between the regular 13 and the Pro, there’s still no excuse for why the 13 isn’t capable of capturing a clear shot up close, when many phones on the market with lesser capabilities can do so.

Apple boasts that the 13 has a nice camera (yes I know, not as nice as the Pro). I can see the difference in my pictures compared to when I had the XS Max. So not being able to focus at a reasonable close up distance is an issue and it’s hard to believe that it’s intentional or just something it lacks. Hoping it’s a software thing.

Someone on Reddit suggested zooming in on the subject, then moving the phone away a bit. This helped tremendously and seems to be a good workaround for now.

You still don’t seem to understand what I mean and that’s just fine. I’m not referring to macro photography, I’m referring to taking a simple close up shot of a document and waiting for it to focus. Or something similar to this. Most phones can do this nowadays. It’s hard to believe that this is something you need to buy a pro version for. I fully understand what you’re saying and trying to tell me about the differences between the two phone and their camera capabilities.

You "can't believe it," but focusing on objects close to the lens is, by definition, macro photography.

Various testers have found the wide lens on the 13 Pro Max can't focus much closer than six inches, which is why "Auto Macro" switches to the ultra wide lens.