oneZer01

Q: iPhone 6 plus rear camera blurry/wobbly (not focusing)

iPhone 6 plus rear camera is not focusing, won't remain stable and is blurry no matter how still I get whether video or picture.  Automatic or manual focus not working either.   Front facing camera works fine.   Seems OIS isn't doing anything but making it worse.

 

Here is a photo(below) taken while completely still that never focuses automatically or manually and is vibrating vertically as if taken in motion.

2014-10-20 22.28.33.jpg

 

Videos become wobbly and out of focus.  Link: https://vid.me/Nxh


Steps I have taken:

1. Closed all apps and forced reboot of phone.

2. Reset all settings.

3. Restored phone to latest 8.1 software and set up as new phone.

 

Results still the same even if I use 3rd party camera/video app.

iPhone 6 Plus, iOS 8.1

Posted on Oct 20, 2014 8:59 PM

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Q: iPhone 6 plus rear camera blurry/wobbly (not focusing)

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  • by Bstarr119,

    Bstarr119 Bstarr119 Oct 20, 2014 10:54 PM in response to oneZer01
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 20, 2014 10:54 PM in response to oneZer01

    This is the exact sand issue my iPhone 6 plus is having. Seems to be related to the active image stabilizer and pointing the camera at anything with a refresh rate such as a 60hz light bulb or a TV.

  • by oneZer01,Helpful

    oneZer01 oneZer01 Oct 21, 2014 12:36 PM in response to Bstarr119
    Level 1 (22 points)
    Oct 21, 2014 12:36 PM in response to Bstarr119

    Well, it doesn't matter where I'm using the phone it will do this, outside or inside, light or dark.  Its obviously a hardware issue so I'm going to get an appointment set up at the apple store so they can fix or replace my phone.

  • by Scott Story,Helpful

    Scott Story Scott Story Oct 22, 2014 9:19 AM in response to oneZer01
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Oct 22, 2014 9:19 AM in response to oneZer01

    Yep, I'm getting the same problem. Happened with the ios update this week. Tried the camera directly after the update (was previously working fine). If you put the lens to your ear you can hear it vibrating wildly. Not sure if it's the image stabilization or the focus that is causing the issue. It happens on all apps that use the camera so it's not specific to the built-in camera app. I tried restoring, erasing all contents and settings but it still has the same problem. The problem is constant too and not intermittent. Will post result of today's Genius Bar appointment later.

  • by Scott Story,Helpful

    Scott Story Scott Story Oct 22, 2014 4:53 PM in response to oneZer01
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Oct 22, 2014 4:53 PM in response to oneZer01

    The Genius Bar replaced my phone with no problems - they said that there were definitely some hardware issues with this.  Here is what the video looked like: http://youtu.be/XKOp8PKNenY

  • by oneZer01,

    oneZer01 oneZer01 Oct 28, 2014 3:08 AM in response to Scott Story
    Level 1 (22 points)
    Oct 28, 2014 3:08 AM in response to Scott Story

    Yours was doing exactly what mines was doing.  I took mine to the Apple Store for genius bar service as well, they ended up replacing the camera, so all is well as of now but one of my friends is experiencing this issue again, wow.  It appears this OIS device in the iPhone 6 plus devices is defective and unable to last under long term vibration like a car ride.

  • by gaurav2508,

    gaurav2508 gaurav2508 Nov 1, 2014 8:01 PM in response to oneZer01
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 1, 2014 8:01 PM in response to oneZer01

    oneZer01 - I have the exact same issue. The only problem is that I bought my phone in Canada while traveling and they will not honor the warranty elsewhere. So I'm stuck with a non-working camera unless I can figure out a way to send it back to Canada. My question is, are you sure that the Apple store replaced the camera? Did they give you your phone back or did they give you a new phone?

     

    I'm trying to figure out if this is a software issue (iOS) or actually a hardware problem which can be solved by swapping out a bad part (the camera).

  • by Scott Story,

    Scott Story Scott Story Nov 1, 2014 8:19 PM in response to gaurav2508
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Nov 1, 2014 8:19 PM in response to gaurav2508

    Well, I'm not onezero01 but I did get the whole phone replaced on the spot - they did not replace only the camera.  Honestly, I don't know if it's a hardware or software issue.  The replacement's camera stopped working too, but it was a different error (it would just freeze halfway through making the camera noise, then crash).  I tried setting it up as a new phone rather than restoring from a backup but it had all kinds of errors.  Got it replaced AGAIN today, so this'll be my third one.  Today's visit to the Genius Bar did not shed any additional light on the problem.  I asked the rep if he knew what all the entries meant in the diagnostic logs but he didn't know.

     

    To answer your Canada issue, are you sure you can't just go into any Apple Store and take care of it?  And if not, I had the extended AppleCare warranty on an older phone and whenever I needed it replaced, they would send one to me in advance then I would ship them the old one back.  I'm not sure if this service is only for AppleCare extended warranty.  Good luck, eh?

  • by gaurav2508,

    gaurav2508 gaurav2508 Nov 1, 2014 10:58 PM in response to Scott Story
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 1, 2014 10:58 PM in response to Scott Story

    Thanks for the reply Scott. The reason I was asking Onezer01 was because he specifically mentioned that they changed the camera and not the phone. Amazed to hear that you are still facing an issue with the new phone. I did go to the store here and they told me I need to take it back to where I bought it.  I didn't get apple care extended but that won't matter since the shipping facility is available but only in the country of purchase. So I can send it back to them in Canada but they will ship the replacement only to an address in Canada.

    Since you faced an issue with the replacement(though a different problem), it makes me believe that this might be a software issue. I'm at my wits end at what to do next. Looks like I'm up the creek without a paddle.

  • by oneZer01,

    oneZer01 oneZer01 Nov 1, 2014 11:48 PM in response to gaurav2508
    Level 1 (22 points)
    Nov 1, 2014 11:48 PM in response to gaurav2508

    It was absolutely a hardware issue and they only replaced the camera on my original phone.  If you ever go to an Apple store for repairs you will have to sign a couple of things acknowledging those repairs to the device.  The camera replacement cost $59 but since I'm still covered by warranty obviously it didn't cost me anything.  I also found out from the guy working there that they apparently have quite a few issues with the iPhone 6 plus camera, that OIS device going bad so basically don't be surprised if it happens again.

     

    Also, you are covered under the regular 1 year warranty and unless you talked with a complete fool, you can get your phone fixed at any Apple Store so long as the phone is yours and they don't need to replace the entire phone.  They will only replace the phone if they don't have actual techs that can fix it, a lot of the stores don't have parts or equipment either.  Or they may send you a replacement if none or in stock.

  • by gaurav2508,

    gaurav2508 gaurav2508 Nov 2, 2014 1:28 AM in response to oneZer01
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 2, 2014 1:28 AM in response to oneZer01

    Thanks for the reply. I actually spoke with 3 different people and they all told me that since its a device from a different country, the policy is to not touch it. I was surprised to hear that and told them that this policy could be due to the differing LTE bands in different countries. But since this would be a camera replacement, it wouldn't matter if the LTE bands were different. But they refused anyway.

    The last option I have is to take it to a 3rd party vendor. If I'm sure it's a hardware problem then it's just a case of having to pay for it. But I wouldn't want to do that till I'm sure it's hardware and that its my last option. Is your phone fine after the change? Unlike Scott who needed to get a new one again!

  • by hec13,

    hec13 hec13 Nov 7, 2014 8:17 AM in response to oneZer01
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 7, 2014 8:17 AM in response to oneZer01

    I am having the same issue with my new iPhone 6 Plus - 128 GB device.  I've noticed slow focus when taking pictures as well as auto-focus issues especially during videos.  I am on hold now to speak with Apple Support.   For the price of this device, I would expect a new replacement promptly.  I'll repost with updates on resolution steps taken.

     

    Blurry video iphone 6 Plus

    http://youtu.be/x6AXY9Makqg

  • by goldenpath,

    goldenpath goldenpath Nov 7, 2014 9:13 AM in response to gaurav2508
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 7, 2014 9:13 AM in response to gaurav2508


    @gaurav2508  - I live in Canada.  Not sure if I could be of any assistance and help you out.    Let me know if you think of something. 


  • by gaurav2508,

    gaurav2508 gaurav2508 Nov 7, 2014 11:01 PM in response to goldenpath
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 7, 2014 11:01 PM in response to goldenpath

    @Goldenpath - thanks for offer, though im not sure how you could help. Especially since im located in another country(India). The only think i can think off is if you can find out from a local store if this is a common issue stating you know someone with this issue who is no longer in Canada.

     

    @Hec13 - would appreciate if you let us know of any updates to your situation.

     

    @Onezer01 - can you tell us if  the replacement camera is working fine and have you faced any issues since?

  • by iCarlosDiaz,

    iCarlosDiaz iCarlosDiaz Nov 8, 2014 12:25 AM in response to hec13
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 8, 2014 12:25 AM in response to hec13

    I've been having the exact same problem on the exact same device.

     

    Did Apple fix the issue & replace your iPhone?

     

    I sorta have the same problem as gaurav2508

    Got my iPhone through the US Online Store but live elsewhere in the world.

     

    My only option would be to ship it back & hope they replace the device.

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