iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera Blurry and Out of Focus

Wondering what they told you, i have the same issue and i also have spoken to apple support and sent a screen recording of how the camera looks before you take the photo and after and they sent to engineers and when i got the call back i was told that the engineers said this was normal so it just sounds like we got new phones with crappy cameras.

I was in contact with Apple support for the same problem. I sent a lot of logs and I sent photo comparison between an iPhone 13 and my iPhone 15 pro max and the difference was incredible. The photo taken with the 13 was crispier and with many details, the 15 was blurry and out of focus. They called me 10 minutes ago to tell me that the technician has inspected everything and said that my camera hasn’t a problem since both the 13 and the 15 were working as intended (😅) and if I want I can reach an Apple Store for further investigation. Forgot to say that I opened the practice 2 weeks ago and in two weeks I sent diagnostics log and different pictures/screen recording. Can I be annoyed more than this?

I've been a professional photographer for almost 40 years and have been really enjoying the iPhone 14 Pro Max for illustrated diaries, from which I've sold many prints. I bought the 15 hoping it would be 'even better', but sadly it's a total joke, a kid with crayons would create a sharper picture. This is a major fault and it seems widespread (been talking with a tech journalist who says this is very true).

I have now returned my absolutely rubbish iPhone 15 Pro Max, and gone back to my iPhone 14 Pro Max. I was within 14 days 'change of mind' period and easily within the 30 day 'faults return' period. I won't be buying another 15 unless they resolve the issues completely, and even then I will only ever buy in store where I can check the camera first.

I took my 15 pro max into Best Buy apple support after talking in to applecare. He set my camera format from high efficiency to most compatible. I don’t think it had much of an effect regarding focus - his thought was …that the camera was doing its post processing incorrectly. I agreed to try it for 2 more months to see if the apple iOS sw is to blame… thinking that the next release (17.2) may help.

i did learn something new …

…. iPhone version of Lightroom Classic - also takes photos (-hold the icon down to get to the options). All expected camera features are available… manual /shutter speed /stop /iso… are available.

I’m at an Apple Genius Bar. Got a new iPhone 15 pro max. Same problems. They say the only way Apple will fix this or recall the devices is if enough users report the problem to Apple. This forum does nothing but allow us to commiserate. If you want Apple to fix please contact Apple support. The more of us that formally register complaints with Apple Support (this forum is not Apple Support and they do not look at this forum) the more likely something will be done.

alex_ccab wrote:

Apparently Apple doesn’t read this forum. I’ve been in contact with support who claimed weeks ago they knew about problems. But haven’t heard anything since. And no software update has so far changed anything.

If you look at the terms and conditions you agreed to when you joined this site, it specifically states that.

This forum is for Apple users to help other Apple users solve technical issues.

Apple does not read these forums except to monitor threads for adherence to those same terms and conditions.

If you want Apple to look into something, contact Apple Support directly:

Contact - Official Apple Support

Alternatively, you can leave feedback, which is read by those who decide whether there are issues to address, at the link below:

Feedback - iPhone - Apple

As far as third-party sites, DxOMARK considers the iPhone 15 Pro / 15 Pro Max's cameras the best of any device sold for use in the United States, and they got rave reviews from the creators of the Halide photo app.

That's not to dismiss your concerns, but rather to say I have had no issues with mine and if you are concerned about your particular phone, make an appointment to have it examined:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

thank, bur this way you can't know, if your lens is ok or not. You don't need A4 page, just open a book and take a picture of a page. Just make sure the page covers the entire frame, so it would be rather close to the lens.

You can believe whatever you like.

I'm not saying the effect isn't there, I'm saying it's an inevitable consequence of taking a close-up image using a high MP sensor coupled with a relatively small lens with a large aperture.

Similar complaints were lodged against the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max, also because of the leap from a 12 MP sensor to a 48 MP sensor.

So yes, it's there.

Can it be fixed? No, it cannot. Not in hardware, not in software.

Since you work with Sony cameras and Zeiss lenses, try the same experiment, you'll see the same blur.

Does that have anything to do with actual photos taken of subjects at a normal distance? Not at all.

Feel free to express your displeasure to Apple if you like:

Feedback - iPhone - Apple

But you can't violate rules of optics.

MummieYah wrote:

I hope apple will do something to fix this problem with IP 15 PM camera, It’s not satisfying making us feel that we just wasted our money

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/0c1d709d-2610-46bc-bf5e-17f27f872542

I can't really see if you have done this or not but have you tried to take some photos with HDR turned off?

Dogcow-Moof wrote:

The iPhone 13 has a radically• different camera system with different lenses and a much smaller sensor:

iPhone 13 Pro: 12 MP sensor, normal lens f/1.5 with 1/1.9" sensor size with 1.9µm pixels, minimum focus distance approximately 4"

•

iPhone 15 Pro: 48 MP sensor, normal lens f/1.78, 1/1.28" sensor size with 1.22µm pixels, minimum focus distance 7.7"

Yep, optics dictates that a larger sensor means a larger minimum focus distance.

Again, you have to work to get a $5000 mirrorless to focus where you want - it often gets it right, but it often gets it wrong, too.

Fstoppers: 4 Reasons Why the Autofocus of Your Camera Is Failing

I always learn a lot from you, D-M!

Hello,

I was experiencing the same as you, my photos were looking so grainy and blurry. However, everything changed after I followed this video tips https://youtube.com/shorts/EU0VCoaBka8?si=4Yi9JDSEOuY8wqWN

apparently there are a couple of settings we can use to maximize our iPhone 15 camera. Trust me, once I activated them my camera is stunning.

I’m writing down the settings if you cannot open the video for any reason. Go to your phone settings - camera settings:

• Change Record Video to 4K at 60 fps.

go to “Formats”

• Choose the “most compatible” option.
• Choose 24MP in ”Photo mode”.
• Turn on the “ProRAW & Resolution Control”. Choose default as “ProRAW Max (up to 48 MP).

enjoy your phone ;)

If your iPhone 15 Pro Max photos are out of focus, you need to select a more appropriate focus point manually.

Use iPhone camera tools to set up your shot - Apple Support

As always, look at the information for your photo in Photos to make sure no digital zoom was in use when the photo was taken:

I am facing the same issue with my brand new 15 pro max 512 GB, I have found a way that fixes it. Going into the settings > Camera > photo mode > change to 12 mp.

The selfies on the 12 mp setting look a 100 times better than with the 24 mp option turned on. Hope this helps some of you guys! And apple please fix it, this is laughable stuff from such an expensive device

For those of you that are experiencing an issue have you tried updating to iOS 17.2 which mentions addressing some camera improvements? Because I haven’t had the experience with my 15 Pro Max that most on here are mentioning I can’t test anything out to see if it fixes the issues you all are having but hopefully someone will chime in if they see an improvement.

Note that regardless of what the camera is set to, you will only see 24 MP photos in bright conditions and only in 1x mode.

The native lenses on a 15 Pro Max shoot in .5x (ultra-wide), 1x and 5x (telephoto) mode.

The 2x zoom is actually extracted from a 1x photo; technically it's a digital zoom but isn't as lossy as usual because it's starting from a 24 MP image rather than the 12 MP image created when you shoot with the 5x lens.

Still, it isn't a straight optical zoom so it may indeed look a bit more harsh than the purely optical 2x lens on older iPhones, but it's better than only providing 1x and 5x.