IOS 26.0.1 camera are blurry on iPhone 17 Pro Max and older iPhones.

Ok glad that I am not the only one here. I bought Iphone 17 Pro and have Iphone 12 (not pro) for work. Today I tried taking a photo on my 17 Pro from my monitor and noticed blurry text. I thought may be the screen is not clear. So I cleaned it but still same result. Then took a photo on my Iphone 12 and to my surprise, it was as clear as it should be. I even showed it to my colleague and he noticed that as well. I tried taking different text photos and same result in all images. Did I get scammed for $1300 is what I started thinking. Both my 17 pro and 12 are running on iOS26.0.1

The cameras have different lenses, different sensors (12 Megapixel vs. 48 Megapixel) and this contributes to the different images that result from the different cameras. Apple optimizes their cameras for the average iPhone user. If you’re wanting different results, experiment with different third party apps, different image processing apps and even third party lenses. IPhone cameras cannot fit the needs of every photographer on the planet. Apple has also changed the way iPhones do Astrophotography. These are changes intended to best suit the needs of the average iPhone user.

I gotta say, I am disappointed in my pictures too. I’m by far not a professional photographer, but I’ve enjoyed using my iPhone camera to capture some really great photos until this last update. Doing a google search, and it’s pretty much all over the feeds out there. Just did the 26.1 update, not seeing anything better. Same blurry edges around stuff. There has to be a simple adjustment fix of some sort?!

come on apple…step up, listen to your users…fix this issue.

signed…amateur photo clicker!!

Adjust the exposure using the swipe up and down feature of your iPhone. Also use thE focus lock feature. If you’re using Night Mode, don’t. The moon is illuminated by the sun and needs a regular daylight exposure setting.

You might want to read this review for a more extensive review of iPhone 17 Pro models.

https://www.dxomark.com/apple-iphone-17-pro-camera-test/

I’ve stated several times throughout this thread that the iPhone fusion camera is not the best way to scan documents using an iPhone. The scans will come out sharper overall with little to no geometrical distortion if the scanning feature in Apple Notes app is used.

While the iPhone camera app can be used, it’s computational photography is designed more for three dimensional subjects Whereas the scanning function’s algorithm is designed more for 2D (flat field) copy work.

Here’s a short video released today by the fine folks at ReeFlex.

https://youtu.be/zWJ3GC1TtRc?si=P8fZivAD75fMNUFG

Same issue after the latest 26.0.1 update. Using iphone 15 pro. Camera has lost quality after the ios update 😑

I currently have available to test an iPhone 17 PM, 16 PM and 15 PM. Setup the experiment you want me to shoot. I need exact height and width of object in inches and exact distance from subject (exact point of focus) to camera.

I can’t comment on what an employee said in an Apple Store. Show me her pictures and we’ll talk.

The iPhone 15 PM is on iOS 18.6.2 and not iOS 26.X.X so now tell me exactly what to shoot. My 17 PM is on iOS 26. You set up the experiment and prove me wrong.

Are you a student or a teacher, just curious.

Why can’t DoF be turned off? Good question. The short answer is it involves several laws of physics and can’t be turned off. You The DoF formula I linked to is the mathematical proof of those laws of physics.

You can feel anything you want, but it’s actually you just guessing with nothing to back you up. In regard to the cost, it would matter what it costs. No software fix is going to produce what you want. Bottom line, your not a photographer, you have apparently little understanding of math or physics, have little or no desire to read and learn and feel because you spent a lot of money, a device should do anything you want. Well, it doesn’t. You didn’t do any research and you bought the wrong tool for the job.

Now, how about the samples you want to see? Here’s my 15 PM and 16 PM just waiting for your instructions. Put my writing to the test.

No camera is the perfect photographic instrument for all people. That’s a fact. People want to photograph a lot of things with there cameras such as underwater photography, astrophotography, photography, wildlife photography, sports photography and the list goes on.

Unfortunately, cellphone cameras have limitations when we talk about some of the genres of photography. Cellphone cameras are not ideally designed for those specialties. That’s a fact.

Enter the world of closeup or reproduction photography. Again, cellphones do a respectable job in some circumstances such as flowers and insects. But the photographers capturing those amazing images are using add-on lenses cost upwards of $200 USD to get those results.

When I do reproduction work for artists, I use my Canon R3 and a macro lens capable of flat field reproduction. Total cost, about $6,000 USD. I would never consider using my iPhone 17 Pro Max for that type of work. I would however use my iPhone for my grandson’s second grade science project.

If you do a lot of close up or reproduction type photography consider a different camera. If you do it now and then, consider an attachment lens for your iPhone and if you rarely use the built in closeup or macro features or use the native scanning tools Apple provides in your iPhone.

Please follow this path,

iPhone > Notes > new document/note > Paper clip > scan text or scan document

I bought an iphone 17 Pro three days ago and the camera was a significant part of the decision to upgrade from an iphone 14 Plus. I took the phone to a wedding yesterday and was surprised at the softness of the photos. I then went on to the forums to see if anyone else had experienced this and here I am.

I know when a photo is less sharp compared to a previous camera and all the sophistry I've been reading about depth of field, Apple's decison to make the phone fit most users etc etc does not make up for the fact that subjectively my photos lack bite. I was hoping to ditch my Lumix with Leica lens for most situations but will not be retiring it until Apple sort this issue out.

Please post a few examples. If you had read this thread, you’d see the discussion is about copying documents. Your statement that scenes at a wedding were soft, is a different matter entirely. Please post a few examples so we can see what is going on.

My overall experience to date is that .5X lens is very slightly improved in the corners and otherwise the same as the iPhone 16 PM. The improvement in the corners could just be individual differences in the same lens. The iPhone 17 PM 1X lens is virtually the same as my 16 PM. The 4X is much improved over the 5X and 8X displays much more detail than 10X. Overall, I’m very happy with the improvements in the iPhone 17 PM.

I had the iPhone 13pro. Great phone great pictures but it was time to upgrade to 17pro. I’m getting the same blurry/pixelated photos too. Very disappointing. Especially when I’m taking landscape photos. Everything is blurry when checking quality. Cropping or even the native 4x lens blurry. 8x almost embarrassed to share these photos. Leaves, blurry, trees blurry, anything I try and zoom in to check my photos, just not up to snuff. I’m pretty disappointed. IOS26.01.

dof hard to believe this nonsense

Hi, this is not Apple Support. Apple and Apple Support do not participate here. Everyone posting and commenting are fellow Apple users, just like you.

If there were an issue, as you suggest, don’t you think every tech YouTuber in the world would be reporting it? A few people have unrealistic expectations of what each new iPhone camera will produce. They are of the mindset that every aspect of the camera will improve and that’s not the case. I hear occasionally that my old iphone camera took better photos than my brand new iPhone and I spent all this money and the photos are worse. In specific types of photography this may be accurate. Look at the close-up/macro photos that started this discussion. Some of the earlier models, under specific circumstances, may produce sharper macro photos. Apple made design, cost and engineering decisions that affect the quality of close-ups. Astrophotography is the other area that Apple evidently feels they don’t need to concentrate on.

This is nothing unique among camera manufactures. Camera models change and some features are added, some change, some are even eliminated. It happens. The consumer needs to research the available models, prioritize the types of photography that are most important to them, and choose the camera best suited for their needs. Once the camera is delivered spend a week testing the camera, examining the photos, asking the opinions of other qualified photographers and then deciding if they’ll keep the camera or return it for a refund. But whatever you do get out of the mindset that a new model will excel in every aspect over an older model. I have several cameras from the 1960’s and ‘70’s that under certain conditions take better photos than a $5,000 camera currently on the market.

If you want camera reviews from experts, look at the DXO Mark website. They are highly regarded for their reviews and test interchangeable lens cameras and non-interchangeable lens cameras, including cellphones.

I got this problem too, my older iphone 11 pro is outperforming the new 17 pro and when i send pictures to apple support they claimed to be identical and both were good. Even a blind man with three sunglasses that isn’t even looking will spot the difference, Vertical is 17 pro and horizontal is 11 pro. did we just get a downgrade for 1550€?

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I have an iPhone 17 Pro. Before the iOS 26.1 update, I could take a picture of the moon and it was clear and focused. After the update, I only get a circle of light. This goes for planes and other lights in the sky.see pics. This sucks

I am sorry, the most common business use case for a traveling employee is submitting reports and receipts on work trips. My previous phone worked like a champ, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, upgrade to the 17 Pro Max, and I get worse image stabilization. Think receipts, business card sized documents.

For street, portrait, and landscape shots, yes, it excells, but I need this phone to work for capturing flat documents. I am only asking for this phone to work as my 3 year old phone did.

Apple, I really don't think it is asking too much.