How to Fix iPhone 16 Pro Max Camera Focus Issue

>>getting your subject in proper focus is goal number one -- and knowing how to run a quick test to troubleshoot a focus defect (or lens personality) is invaluable -- regardless of the approach<<

For one, a lens test only shows a limited set of information. Your assumption that proper focus is goal number one is just not correct.

Let’s look at several rodeo photos from the Madison Square Garden Rodeo.

Ernst Haas (March 2, 1921 – September 12, 1986) was an Austrian-American photojournalist and color photographer. During his 40-year career Haas trod the line between photojournalism and art photography. In addition to his coverage of events around the globe after World War IIHaas was an early innovator in color photography. His images were carried by magazines like Life and Vogue and, in 1962, were the subject of the first single-artist exhibition of color photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art. He served as president of the cooperative Magnum Photos. His book of volcanophotographs, The Creation(1971), remains one of the most successful photography books ever published, selling more than 350,000 copies.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Haas

Of course there’s always Ansel Adams and here’s what he had to say.

“There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.”

Henri Cartier-Bresson, considered by many to ge the greatest photographer of the 20th century, had this to say,

“Sharpness is a bourgeois concept”

Sharpness isn’t everything. But I agree it’s a fact that there are occasions when tack sharp photos are not only desirable, but are mandatory.

Just saying your photos aren’t sharp means nothing. If you want to talk sharpness, we need to establish standards as far as the image to shoot, lens to test, distance to subject, lighting levels etc.

Seems like a lot of work and I agree. But the one universal is comparing a $200 (at most) to a $2000 Sony lens is an effort in futility.

iPhones are a great device to blur motion. Here’s an example with iPhone 15 Pro Max in Yosemite National Park in October 2023.

I’ll save you a bunch of time. Review the rankings of this website.

https://www.dxomark.com/smartphones/#sort-camera/device-Apple%20iPhone%2016%20Pro%20Max

My 16pro is definitely having an issue focusing on an object using macro lense with medium light, although I defined a point on the screen. Example pics can be provided

your depth of field looks like about 4mm (if you can even call that shallow plane of focus sharp for 1/36th second hand held) but I marked the crop where I see your actual focus point, I can actually see the plane of focus on the other side of the cup, but I have a disciplined eye -- everything else is clearly out of focus to my eyes

that rounded cup with soft edges and soft lighting is a poor focus test (or the best test) because it is very hard to control focus point

you would have done a lot better using the chocolate wrapper as your focus point for its contrast and hard lines

best use a tripod, tap the screen to lock your focus point, then release the shutter slowly on exhale ... I'm hesitant to say your test is a bit flawed in my opinion -- but I am not sure what area you tapped on to lock focus and if your camera was absolutely stationary or moving around handheld or jerked with the shutter release...

1/36 sec handheld macro is a real challenge even for a pro (unless on a tripod and shutter release) -- look AMZ for LOONSA HD Selfie Master (what I use 8$ for three the buggers)

Me too!!! At the beginning of December I "upgraded" from iPhone 15 to iPhone 16 Pro.

Initially I thought I had a defective model, so I went to the Apple Store (Carosello, Italy) to do some comparison tests: thanks to the helpfulness of the staff, I was able to take several photos with the devices present in the showroom, also trying different software settings, and the result was shocking: all the iPhone 16 Pros have the same very low image quality.

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.

Sorry, but even with a medium format camera it is very easy to focus on the pages of a paper magazine.

Do you happen to know what depth of field is?

In fact iPhone 15 is able to focus on the magazine, but you claim that iPhone 16 Pro, despite having a smaller aperture, needs a super flat surface!?!?

In any case here is the test I did in the Apple Store with a flat surface, I hope the surface is flat enough.

I mentioned your macro example in a previous response to you. I’m not sure what is going on, but at ISO 100, f/1.78 and 1/122 second, your image is darker than it should be. Please see my example below at similar light and settings.

My image was made in more light, which resulted in a brighter image and sharper focus. Your images lacks contrast and makes it very difficult for your camera to focus accurately. This is no different from prior iPhone cameras. Your shutter speed is slower, because of lower light levels, and that causes camera movement, which blurs your image. You may also have your camera settings set incorrectly, and the camera is not selecting the correct lens for the distance you are from the subject.

Yes I have these same issues and it’s very frustrating. Did you find a solution?

Same condition, same distance, good light I was in a shopping mall, I took a lot of picture in these days, several tests, no way to keep the same quality when I try to shoo an A4 format. Since you can do the same test very easily, please share your shots.

For work and also in my free time I often shoot A4 paper, for example if I have to send or archive documents, duplicate analog photographs, shoot a restaurant menu, or save a magazine page.

They will tell you that the surface is not flat enough, that the distance is not right, that you have not focused. But none of these people are able to publish a comparison test. I know how to take a photograph. The reality is that I now have 2 smartphone models, and I am using them in the same way.

If you think about it, this thing it's a genius marketing strategy!

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"

Similar issue here only on iOS 18 (all versions) with my iPhone 16 Pro Max. Absolutely mind-blowing this issue persists.

Zero issues with my iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 17.

I put some time in this test comparing my iPhone 16 pro max capture to my Nikon D810 through a Nikkor Micro 2.8 lens -- the Nikon was locked down on a heavy professional bogen tripod and I was using a wireless remote shutter release.

the iPhone was hand held, I am quite practiced hand holding shutter releases, but that handholding the iPhone is a flaw to my results -- I do believe I got the leaf surface in focus -- if I used the iPhone processing it looks much sharper (but way over sharpened for my taste)

the iPhone was shot yesterday, I went back same time this morning with the Nikon

here is the iPhone full frame:

I shot Apple RAW format

Opened in Photoshop in ProPhotoRGB in 16-bit

I did minimum selective color (it could use some more minus yellow saturation)

did a little unsharp mask (sharpening)

converted to sRGB

Down scaled to 2000 pixels tall (hoping it fits forum size)

below is the Nikon version -- I shot the Nikon loose (4912x7360 pixel dimensions) and cropped in

I shot in RAW .nef

opened in Photoshop ProPhotoRGB 16-bit

I did minimum selective color

Slight Curve adjustment

and a little unsharp mask (sharpening)

converted to sRGB

Down scaled to 2000 pixels tall

you may notice the Nikon example below goes slightly soft at the bottom -- this does not ruin the image for me as the shot is in the fat part of the leaf (I shot this at f/8, I probably would have tried f/11, but the light didn't last long)

CONCLUSION:

these results are pretty much what I expected -- the Nikon has Nikkor glass and the ability to stop down, I am not sure if this Nikkor is a so-called Flat Field focus lens

here is the original scene -- you may be able to see what I saw when the sun backlight hits the leaf -- the magic happens...

if you want to bring these images into Photoshop -- sRGB would be the correct profile to Assign...

They said to wait for the iPhone 17 Pro Max to come out, then trade in your old phone.