iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera Blurry and Out of Focus

Hi All,


It seems im not having a very good experience with the new iPhone 15 Pro Max. Coming from a 14 Pro Max the pictures were great. nice and sharp, never had issues with "blur" or "grainy" photo's.


This new iPhone seems to be a downgrade in the photo's it can produce. I'm constantly getting very grainy photo's even with the slightest bit of zoom after the photo has been taken.


I have tried all resolution's etc (12mp, 24mp, 48mp HEIF & Pro Raw.) this has affected th 1x and 5x camera.


My 14 won me a few awards for photo's and consider myself fairly knowledgeable on iPhone Photography. The 15 just isn't putting out good quality images.


All photo's are stored "on device" so there is no iCloud trickery happening.


The below is an example of what I am talking about.



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Posted on Oct 2, 2023 8:01 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Oct 11, 2023 5:06 PM

I am experiencing the same. The shot looks great until I capture the photo. Once captured, it turns grainy and looks nothing like it did in the initial shot. Ive tried turning all of the auto settings off to see if that helps and it hasn’t. Super disappointed! My 13 Pro took better photos.

487 replies

Oct 11, 2023 2:11 PM in response to Doesntmstter

Incredibly frustrating and ridiculous. This is my most expensive iPhone (1 TB), and it reminds me of iPhone 4 (whose color distortion issues were never fixed). Having seen reports here of positive results from doing an express replacement, I scheduled an evaluation and presumed that would be the result. Nope. They doubled down and said they can only do a replacement when their diagnostic reveals problems. They lead by saying they cannot use any photos taken outside of their store as evidence, and then they changed their tune when I took ones in the store that reflected clear problems. I requested a manager, and his solution was to shoot pics with a demo iPhone 15 Pro. Sure enough, they were just as distorted as mine. Therefore, it’s not a problem with my device. Case closed. 😤

Nov 17, 2023 1:49 PM in response to bruyere12

Yes, I contacted Apple support and reported this problem and they said the diagnostics look fine and told me they can connect with a Senior Advisor but I didn’t follow up. I also left a feedback on the Apple website in the Camera section. I think more the feedbacks received on their official website, the better chances it would get fixed. Here is the link -


Feedback - Camera - Apple


Dec 12, 2023 9:23 PM in response to Johnnyoctane

They are not at ALL fuzzy; if they are, one of three things has happened:


1) The wrong focus point was used/chosen

2) Digital zoom was used

3) You moved, causing motion blur


This isn't my opinion; virtually every photography blog and review site will tell you the same.


If you don't like the photos the iPhone 15 Pro Max takes or they are not suitable for your purposes, that's why there are other products on the market that may better suit your needs and desires.


But to call the photo the 15 PM

takes, that are regularly used for professional online and print work "fuzzy," is wildly incorrect.


Further, photos taken in ProRAW or especially RAW mode are absolutely incredible for such a relatively inexpensive device with such small lenses.


In the end, we could argue about this all day, and as always, if you think something is wrong with your particular device, make an appointment to have it examined:


Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple


Dec 23, 2023 2:30 PM in response to sarahbara5187

Without knowing the precise issue you are seeing it's hard to say, but it's definitely not a case where all iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max devices take poor photos in any way.


If you have an Apple Store nearby, I would suggest you make an appointment to have your phone examined in person:


Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple


You can then also take some photos with their demo iPhone 15 units in the store of the same objects under the same lighting conditions at the same zoom level and directly compare whether yours are worse, and, if they are, get a replacement.

Oct 20, 2023 1:07 PM in response to Doesntmstter

I am having an issue if I put my phone close to an object it does not focus at all. I tried various settings, even did a phone reset and nothing. I also tried using different lenses and it seemed to focus better on 2x. I was trying to use the QR Code Scanner at work because we actually scan a lot of those barcodes, and the camera is super blurry on the app. On the regular camera it's also blurry and takes a while to focus. IDK what to do.

Nov 4, 2023 2:35 PM in response to ARVideoQuestions

Here’s Reddit at it’s best, being better than Apple’s support as usual. Here is the workaround:


"With a larger sensor comes a larger distance required to avoid blurry photos.


To avoid the auto-switching of the cameras like that, go to Settings > Camera and enable "Macro Control". Then also enable "Macro Control" in Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings.


Then open the Camera and get it close enough to something or put your hand in front of the camera as though you want to do a macro shot or a macro video of your hand or whatever it is in front of the camera so that you can get the Macro Mode indicator on the bottom-left. When you see it, turn it off. That way it will no longer automatically switch to Macro Mode unless you tap it to turn it on. If it's yellow, it's on."

Nov 11, 2023 1:57 PM in response to InceyUK

After getting my camera lenses changed by Apple I went to a museum with a friend who has the iPhone SE. we took the same photo with each camera. Hers was better quality and better focused all around. Seriously this is crazy.


I’m getting a replacement phone but don’t hold high expectations. I will never buy another iPhone again until it’s out at least 3 months and possibly never again.


Those wanting a fix, I encourage you to call Apple support and make your voice heard. Apparently this forum serves just for all of us to complain and sympathize with each other, but not to get the problem fixed. For the fix, you have to contact Apple support.

iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera Blurry and Out of Focus

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