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

pinkocean66 wrote:

From what I find there is nothing that states it shouldn't be able to take generally up close photos. I only find things that say it cannot take macro photos.

There is nothing stating it will, either.

No minimum focus distance is claimed for the iPhone 13, and if no specification is explicitly stated, Apple is free to implement anything they like.

Likewise, if you're disappointed by the product, you have 14 days to return it and get a full refund.

Apple isn't responsible for the phone not meeting a restriction you placed on it.

Not a software issue, works as designed.

Is it normal for my iPhone 7 S Plus to take superior photos over the iPhone 13? Because this is what I’m dealing with. 13 pro or not, these iPhone 13 photos are unacceptable and I’m incredibly disappointed.

Personally, I can't fathom how an iPhone 7 can take better pictures than iPhone 13. If you don't think your camera is working acceptably, schedule an appointment at your Apple Store Genius Bar and show them the phone.

My 13 Pro Max takes some of the best photos of ANY iPhone I've ever owned and I have owned many, including X, Xs Max, 11 Pro Max, 12 Pro Max and now 13 Pro Max.

I know, it’s completely unbelievable! But I read so many others are having this issue too.

if I want absolutely stellar photos, which model would you recommend? Am I safe with the 12? Or should I even go to an 11?

Mr Lobsterghost.. Everything your saying is understandable and there is no doubt or issue with the fact that macro closeup shots aren't available on iphone 13 and 13 mini.

But i will speak here based on my experience with my iphone 12 mini which i traded for the 13 mini. I can tell you and i'm completely confident that this issue is there. I have been taking photos of my laptop screens or documents for references for a while with several previous iphones, when i started doing that with the iphone 13 mini i realized that i have to go further back and zoom to get the right clear photo.

I hope Apple will state this to the public and sort it out soon.

With all do respect.. Just to be clear, I also found out just by googling it, that the Pro and Pro Max versions have the same issue..

So there you go.. An issue is an issue whether you guys like it or not..

[Edited by Moderator]

You are correct; the wide lens can’t focus any closer on the 13 Pro or Pro Max than it can on the 13.

That is why for macro purposes the Pro/Pro Max will (by default) automatically switch to using the ultra wide lens which can focus closer.

So it’s not an issue because only the Pro/Pro Max promised macro capability and it is provided via the ultra wide lens.

You can of course disable the “Auto Macro” setting on the Pro/Pro Max and go back to not being able to focus closer than 6” or so unless you manually select the ultra wide lens.

This is by design, it’s not a “bug” or issue.

You’re upset because the device you bought doesn’t do what it was never promised or advertised to be able to do.

One needs to be at least 5 inches (12cm) away from the object before you can be sure it is in focus. Afterwards you need to crop out the excess display for the closeup to show correctly as desired. Cumbersome! Apple needs to fix this.

Apple did address this. They offer Close-up photography (Macro Mode) on the 13 Pro Models. If close-ups are important to you, you should have considered buying a Pro instead. The cameras on iPhone 13 are simply not engineered to capture in-focus photos as closely. And the Pro models have an additional camera to accommodate close-up photography which is missing on the non-Pro models.

Macro photography is in essence close up photography.  However, close up photography is not always considered as true macro photography.

If the subject you are photographing is small and you want to make it look big, you end up with a “macro” view of a “micro” subject. This is macro (micro) photography. Macro photography is taken with a dedicated macro lens.

Close up photography is the act of photographing objects in close range so the subject you are photographing fills the frame. In other words, it’s the act of photographing subjects close up. This is easily achievable with any lens.

The iPhone 13 mini - having a standard lens - is incapable making closeups that are in focus. This is sad.

You're getting semantic, here. Whether you want to call it Macro or Close-up, an iPhone 13 can't focus clearly closer-in than about 6 inches from a subject. An iPhone 13 Pro can. You can say that's sad. It is what it is. And again, if close-up photography was an important consideration to you, the Pro Models would have been the better choice to buy. The more expensive phones have ALWAYS included features the standard phones don't.

No. Unless Apple wanted to use Digital Zoom, which wouldn't be a good solution in terms of clarity. Camera lenses have fixed focal lengths. The camera on iPhone 13 can't just increase the focal length with a software update.

Rosieviolet2021 wrote:

This doesn’t make sense, older models are capable of doing this simple task. This isn’t by design.

Yes, it is. And its why Apple designed the Pro Models with Macro Mode, which the 13 models don't have and can't have. What a previous model could or couldn't do has nothing to do with the current models.

Does it means that previous phones main lens are equipped with micro lens so that they can focus on very near objects (not the extend of macro lens) however the iPhone 13 it has to switch to the macro lens for taking pictures at that close distance?

Ahhh, the difference of the focal length of the 6 and 13 explains it all. Quite an unfortunate iPhone 13 users can’t focus objects with a more nearer distance because of the focal length in addition they don’t have the macro lens.