iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera Blurry and Out of Focus

As I've said repeatedly, I urge everyone experiencing what they feel is a camera issue to make an appointment to have your phone examined:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Not only can they tell you whether they believe there is an issue with your device or not, you can easily snap some photos with their demo iPhone 15 units in the store and directly compare photos taken in the same conditions under the same lighting.

Obviously if the store unit takes perfect photos and yours are still a blurry mess, either your device or something like its case is to blame, and it's much easier to figure out which and show that proof to the Apple Store staff if you feel their assessment is incorrect.

Note that Apple's diagnostics can only detect obviously broken hardware that doesn't respond to tests at all or is returning incorrect data; their diagnostic software cannot tell that the focusing hardware is broken or miscalibrated.

If you think there is something wrong with your particular phone, make an appointment to have it examined:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Millions of iPhone 15 owners are thrilled with their devices, so it's certainly not a general case issue.

It sounds like you may have used digital zoom on your photos which can cause the appearance of grain; by default the photos are smooth, in fact too smooth for some.

If you think there is an issue with your particular phone, make an appointment to have it examined:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

If you feel your iPhone is truly producing "grainy" and "distorted" photos, make an appointment to have it examined:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Independent reviewers and professional photographers continue to find the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max to have one of the best cell phone camera systems available.

If you are uncomfortable with the amount of processing done, you need to become familiar with how to shoot in ProRAW or true RAW modes using a third-party app like Halide or Lightroom.

Take Apple ProRAW photos with your iPhone camera - Apple Support

I've mentioned previously that what some consider to be overprocessing is what most customers prefer and is the norm for all premium smart phones from all vendors today.

If you want a less processed photo, Apple offers that through use of ProRAW, and third-party apps like Halide and Lightroom offer the ability to take photos in true RAW format.

Take Apple ProRAW photos with your iPhone camera - Apple Support

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

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 ;)

Just another example. I am aware of the day and night difference in the images. However I managed to borrow my friends 12PM.

LEFT: 12PM RIGHT: 15PM

I have problems with the new main camera too. The 5x zoom is fine, the macro is amazing but the main camera keeps having problems. I was at the Apple Support and they kept ignoring my photos of my main camera lens and said its nothing bad with it. But here i can show you my photo of my main camera lens:

They didnt want to swap my phone. They just said i can buy another iPhone 15 Pro Max if i want. What the **** is this support. I have made pictures with an iPhone 13 Pro Max at same distance, same lightning conditions and same position, focus, etc. and here is the difference:

Bottom: 15 Pro Max

Top: 13 Pro Max

But i have dozens of photos where 13 Pro Max does better photos. Even iPhone 8, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, and 7 year old phones of the competition did better in shooting documents / newspapers / etc.

Maybe your lenses are defective too. But for me Apple didn't want to hear about the lens, they kept saying the photos are fine. It was the worst "support" I've ever experienced anywhere.

After 11 years of using Apple products I consider looking at different options.

If it’s not to say about the 15 Pro, I definitely can tell you I went into the store yesterday at Verizon and I was testing out the camera that they was saying if you take a picture in raw photo there is an option for the Focus mode, which was removed, basically what’s the point of getting your iPhone 15 when the iPhone 14 kills the 15 in many ways right now as a photographer I would recommend staying on a 14ProMax. I’m happy with it now if it was a big jump to 200 megapixel and it was fixed then that’s a big difference now if you tell me, this is taking yesterday on my iPhone 14 pro with my Westcott lighting.

Hi all everyone who as had a problem with the iPhone 15 pro max with photography and video please please call up or chat the Apple as I just brought a iPhone 15 pro max and the picture and video quality was diabolical! It a was like the photos were taking in the 1940s or something. The photos were out of focus, grainy, and just overall horrible! I did everything that the agent on the Apple chat told me to do and it made no difference I didn’t ask them to address this problem to the manufacturers that there is a problem with the iPhone 15 pro max, and I said nobody else had complained to Apple with such a problem and I was the only one so please people if you get this problem with the iPhone 15 pro max chat to them through Apple chat or phone them directly I did both and on both occasions they said nobody had come forward about this issue in the iPhone 15 pro max. I will try and upload some images that I took took on the iPhone 15, pro max and my current phone which is an iPhone 14 and there is a **** of a difference. I have returned my iPhone 15 pro max in the hope I get a better replacement! Because this iPhone 15 pro max is worth £1399.00 if it take photographs like these.

These photos above were taken on the iPhone 15 pro max.These photos above are taken on the iPhone 14 you can see the difference in the quality of the pictures. I have not uploaded some of the really good pictures because I don’t want people to claim them as their own! But you can certainly see what I mean!

please please guys complain, and report the iPhone 15 pro max issue!

tilly

Left is taken from my iphone 13PM and right is iphone 15PM. took the photo at the same time. shocking and very disappointed with the quality of the 15PM. very grainy, can't read the text unlike the 13. called customer service twice but can't help me aside from telling me to restore the phone and do the settings. they said they don't see anything wrong with it. 😑

It’s horrific - worst iPhone camera I’ve ever used - I’m sending it back and keeping my iPhone 14 - what a catastrophic cluster feck of a camera :-(