How to Fix iPhone 16 Pro Max Camera Focus Issue

The loss of quality is not uniform across the entire image, but is noticeably worse at the edges. It is the same phenomenon that I experience on my mirrorless camera when I remove the original lens and use a inexpensive third-party lens. If this is an optical problem, I don't think is solvable via software, so do not be convinced by the promise of a future firmware update.

WasAppleTillToday

>> So basically we need Apple to add the 4th lens to the iPhones from the iPhone 13 Pro to take proper sharp photos of menus / pamphlets / brochures

yep, that's right on the nailhead...

Flat-Field Lens (previously noted) that's the feature you want to request

B&H has a nice write up by Allan Weitz:

If you ask the average photographer what the difference between a macro lens and a “regular” lens is, they will tell you macro lenses enable you to get closer to your subject than regular, or conventional, lenses. While this is true, the ability to focus close is only part of the story. The other part of the story has to do with an optical characteristic called “curvature of field,” of which there are two types—flat-field and curved-field...

I would not recommend iPhone cameras being suitable for catalog, archival, advertising work or broadcast video production -- maybe I would classify them currently as a blogger's dream camera -- but they are still optical instruments and operate under such rules and limitations

I am not bashing the iPhone camera systems at all -- anything that can take a 6-sec handheld still picture in near total darkness and come out sharp and naturally bright -- and effortlessly produce seamless high resolution panos -- and record 4K LOG video certainly has my attention...

iPhone 16 is using ultra wide lens for macro which is different than previous models. iPhone 16 PM requires different techniques. Ultra wide angle lenses are not the best tools for shooting macro. The corners in an UW typically are not as sharp as the center.

Ultra wide angle lenses costing much more than a iPhone Pro Max don’t have sharp corners.

I'm shooting A4 size area with the main rear camera (1x), this means a flat surface, like a newspaper, the distance is 20cm. It's clear that I'm not doing macro photography!

iPhone 16 has excellent quality, almost identical to iPhone 15, I know this very well. The problem is iPhone 16 Pro!

> iPhone 16 "Fusion" 1x rear camera (26mm f1.6): GOOD very similar quality to iPhone 15 1x rear camera (26mm f1.6)

> iPhone 16 Pro "Fusion" 1x rear camera (24mm f1.78): very poor optical quality, specially on the corner

I tested several devices, also inside Apple store, and the store staff confirmed to me that this low quality is normal when I shoot A4 paper with the iPhone 16 Pro.

Here you can see a comparison "iPhone 16 vs iPhone 16 Pro"

I always start with calling: 800-692-7753 (apple)

and requesting your CASE REFERENCE NUMBER at the end of the call

if that doesn't move your complaint forward -- call back in a couple days have them setup an appointment at the Apple Store -- watch the person doing any test if they have a clue what they are doing -- it's a pretty easy point to argue if your test is setup correctly...

The iPhone 13 Pro’s standard camera can focus much closer than the 16 Pro‘s. 

When photographing a full A4 sized paper or similar it seems that the 16 Pro is close to the threshold of switching to macro mode. This leads to blurry pictures. Apple should address this by changing the lens or the distance at which the switch from standard to wide angle lens/macro mode occurs. 

Hi, I think many people don’t understand some fundamentals of camera lenses and optics. All lenses focus to infinity, but they also have a minimum focus distance as well.

My 50mm (1X) for full frame digital focuses down to about 18” and my 24mm (.5X) focuses to about 12” and 14mm focus down to about 8”

My iPhone 16 PM 1X lens is similar to my 50mm Canon lenses, focusing at about 18”. The .5X lens exceeds the near focus capability focusing down to about 6”. 

Some feel there’s a sharpness issue. The 13mm lens at 6” is not that sharp and the corners are soft. However, this is typical of all ultra wide angle lenses. 

Apple seems to have changed the near focus distance for the 24mm 1X lens. If it’s actually a design change in the lens, no software update will matter. Apple could possibly change the focus algorithm and force the lens to focus closer, but the results may not be acceptably sharp. 

I can confirm my wife’s 15 PM at 24mm (1X) focuses sharply at about 14”, maybe closer. 

No, I’m going to make it simple. Apple changed the specification. The 24mm 1X lens does not focus as close as the older lenses. I’ve said that many times, but no one accepts it. Here is another analogy, really simplified. My 2025 Lexus looks different than the 2022 model. It’s obviously defective because they are different and I demand Lexus fix my 2022 model.

Do you understand now. It’s not defective. The lens designed changed. There is nothing to fix. The engineers changed the specifications for the lens. If you want to know why, ask the engineers and product managers at Apple. No software will fix the lens’ ability to focus close, no software will make the 2025 Lexus look like the 2022. Lexus. If you want an iPhone 13 you should have bought one. But iPhone 16 brought changes that you don’t want.

Stop wasting peoples time and go take some pictures.

The size of the chip has no effect on minimum focus distance. None. MoF is a characteristic of the optical design of the lens. Several of the major criteria of lens design are cost, size and weight.

Would you spend $500 more for a better lens? Would you buy the iPhone if it stuck out another 3cm? Would 2cm more be acceptable? If the iPhone weighed 175 grams more would you buy it? How about 80 grams more?

The camera module is always a compromise. You don’t like this models compromises. I get. But no one, not even Apple, can fix to your satisfaction the design modifications made in the camera. Better luck next year. But next year, please do your due diligence and make sure you try the features you feel are most important.

Yes, you are right, it is pointless.

Every camera - especially one as small as this - is a compromise.

Of course people photograph a lot of difference subjects at different distances, but given the fact many of them use the iPhone camera to scan documents and take notes makes this compromise appear to be a design flaw. And I - like many other participants in this thread - did just not expect that.

We will not change this design but Apple may in the next model.

Because this is the first time since my iPhone 3G that the camera quality degraded from a previous generation model to the next - at least in a certain and important aspect - I will of course diligently check the next iPhone’s camera.

I understand the issue intimately. I also understand that the incredibly vast majority of users don’t shoot flat copy work at close distances. I also understand that images of people are rarely composed with critical elements in the extreme corners. Lastly, the center of my ultra wide lens is sharp in the center when compared to my wife’s 15 Pro Max and also images previously shot with my 14 PM, 13 PM and even 12 PM. The center of the 16 PM is at least as sharp as previous models.

If your lens is defective, the remedy is to return the item to Apple Support, include photos or files that display the issue and let Apple diagnose the issue. But I’ve post multiple shots with sharp centers portions of images.

OK, let’s see the images you’re not happy with. When you post them, please include a screenshot of the settings for the images too, here’s one of mine.

Try the new ios update

Good, because you’ll have the distinction of being the very first community member to actually post a photo or two that’s an example of what they’re describing.

Words are great, but can’t be diagnosed. A photo illustrating the issue may help resolve the issue. Otherwise, the words are pointless. Apple is not here and will never read the words.

Some people are asking if its the telephot lens or 5x or whatever. For god sake, thats the real problem that even if at 1x you take a normal photo of two persons, one sitting close to you and the other one sitting a little behind him, the person at the behind goes blur and the one who is sitting closer to you becomes razor sharp. The problem is that it is not the photo that you took in portrait mode and you cannot even change the focus in the edit mode since you wanted both of such persons to be in focus like any 'normal' camera phone would do. Duh! I hope apple brings some software update to rectify it.