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iPhone 6 bad photo quality (flash,tones,white balance); 5S produced better results

I just got an iPhone 6 because my 5S got stolen. I was not considering upgrading my phone as I was pretty satisfied with my 5S. The camera is among my top criteria when I choose to purchase a phone. I'm very disappointed with the iPhone 6 photos; bad tones (very bright, pinkish?!, sometimes the self-facing camera is unusually warm?!), the white balance and contrast is off most of the time, and these shortcomings make the pictures blurry when using the flash. The 5S did a far better job at it and the pictures were warmer, sharper and more detailed with the use of flash.


I really hope Apple can fix this with the next update otherwise I'll just go back to a 5S - which is a shame because I bought a 6 simply to enjoy the very minimal changes assuming all other aspects staying the same (bigger screen, faster processor, and god forbid the somewhat 'upgraded' features on the camera).

iPhone 6, iOS 8.1

Posted on Nov 1, 2014 1:51 PM

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19 replies

Sep 7, 2017 8:56 PM in response to brittadine

I'm amazed I can see the face of the musician in your picture. I have an IPhone 6. Whenever I take a picture of anyone on a stage, their face is a white blob. That's in color. If I use monochrome, I can see their face. That is from the same distance and from the same lighting. It would be nice to take color pictures of people on stages, and actually see their face and not just a white blob where there's normally a face. I'm like 10 feet from the stage.

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Dec 28, 2014 6:51 AM in response to davidkf

You are not alone. I actually returned my iPhone 6 after only a day because I was so, so disappointed in the camera. Blacks and darker colors are very muted compared with the crisp contrast offered by the 5 / 5s. But by far the noise reduction is the absolute worst. Apple is overprocessing in this respect and users have no way to opt out. I can't even believe how bad some of these images look. Here are a few of my own and then a few from around the web.


Side by side iPhone 5 versus 6. The watercolor affect from aggressive noise reduction is unbelievable. Not to mention unusable.

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Again, same side by side comparison - shot with the 5 on the left, 6 on the right. Horrible!

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Screenshots from a very large image I found elsewhere - too large to post here, but wanted to show real-size at 100% zoom. The entire image looks as if it's been painted. Look at the insanely bad detail in the trees:


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And then I found this on twitter - perhaps the best example of all. Guy took a photo at concert from 50' away. Obviously challenging conditions - low light, distance, etc. I think we'd all expect a fair amount of grain and be fine with it. But what he didn't expect was the insane alien hand the guitarist ended up with due to - again - the heavy-handed noise reduction.

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Why has Apple decided to force us all into this aesthetic? No doubt non-discerning users will not notice either way but for those of us who love / rely on our phones for crisp, high quality photos at all times - WHY did they do this?

Feb 17, 2015 11:24 PM in response to davidkf

I Have the same problem. My daughter has the iPhone 6 Black and her qualities are great. I have the iPhone 6 White and the quality is like the examples some of the other users have posted: light contrast, lots of noise, pale, blurry, etc. I've had this iPhone replaced before. The phone had the same exact problems. When I switched it in, the quality didn't change at all. It's still the same old blurry, noisy quality. From my experience, I think the white iPhones have a defect and Apple needs to fix it. I'm planning on going back to the Apple Store and switching it for a black iPhone, if that's even possible. This phone was quite a disappointment. 😟

Feb 18, 2015 2:38 AM in response to lobsterghost1

The iPhone 6 has in many articles been given down votes for its lacklustre camera since release, just google phone 6 camera quality issues. My gf's 6 does not take such good pictures as my 5s, when you print them out you really notice the difference. I have to confess the fact that none of your apple devices have any issues, is starting to make me wonder, have you found the mystical holy grail of all Apple hardware 😉

Feb 18, 2015 5:34 AM in response to killhippie

killhippie wrote:


The iPhone 6 has in many articles been given down votes for its lacklustre camera since release, just google phone 6 camera quality issues. My gf's 6 does not take such good pictures as my 5s, when you print them out you really notice the difference. I have to confess the fact that none of your apple devices have any issues, is starting to make me wonder, have you found the mystical holy grail of all Apple hardware 😉

Maybe I have found the holy grail. And if I have, I'm very happy I did. I don't know what else to say except neither iPhone 6 in our household has any issues. They both take great pictures too. I'd post some, but I'm at work. If I get a chance tonight, I'll add some pictures taken with my phone.

Feb 18, 2015 5:41 AM in response to beletebekele

beletebekele wrote:


I'm planning on going back to the Apple Store and switching it for a black iPhone, if that's even possible. This phone was quite a disappointment. 😟

Taking a device back that's not working properly is an excellent idea. Many it seems can't figure that out. As for it being a black or white phone that makes no difference. The color of the case is irrelevant as the internal components are all the same.

Feb 24, 2015 5:47 PM in response to lobsterghost1

Were you able to take the pics. Please take some pictures of people (hands, faces, etc). All the iPhone 6 pics I have taken had this grainy issue along the edges and it is especially easy to see on people. I have tried a bunch of phones in Apple store and also my friend's phone. My friend didn't think he had an issue until I pointed it out to him. At that point he agreed that his old 5s took better pictures.

iPhone 6 bad photo quality (flash,tones,white balance); 5S produced better results

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