Why is it so impossible for me to take consistently good photos with my 6?

brittadine · Dec 28, 2014

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.

First two photos are mine - side by side iPhone 5 versus 6. The watercolor affect from aggressive noise reduction is unbelievable. Not to mention unusable.

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.

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?

sunking101 · Dec 28, 2014

brittadine said:
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.

First two photos are mine - side by side iPhone 5 versus 6. The watercolor affect from aggressive noise reduction is unbelievable. Not to mention unusable.

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.

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?

What I don't understand is why every single review raves about the i6 camera and how none of them mention the limitations of the lack of RAM, or the bugs in iOS8. It's like every review makes the i6 out to be utter perfection. Does Apple pay backhanders or something? I've said a few times that my iPhone 5 takes better photos than my 6+, but I get my head bitten off by people claiming that I'm talking rubbish.

Bahroo · Dec 28, 2014

sunking101 said:
What I don't understand is why every single review raves about the i6 camera and how none of them mention the limitations of the lack of RAM, or the bugs in iOS8. It's like every review makes the i6 out to be utter perfection. Does Apple pay backhanders or something? I've said a few times that my iPhone 5 takes better photos than my 6+, but I get my head bitten off by people claiming that I'm talking rubbish.

the iPhone 5 camera is not better then the 6 plus or 6, 98% of the time you will come out with a superior photo from the 6 plus or 6 compared to the 5. stop with this nonsense you post.

and what does the camera have to do with the device overall in a review? were talking about one aspect of a smartphone here, the camera, the camera got raved about hard in reviews because the camera is amazing on the 6 plus and 6, thats why..and i havent noticed really anything, my 6 plus takes noticeably better photos then my 5S/5 ever did, in multiple lighting conditions and times and everything

and sure there have been reviews wheree they mentioned iOS 8 bugs and iOS multitasking limits,

----------

brittadine said:
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.

First two photos are mine - side by side iPhone 5 versus 6. The watercolor affect from aggressive noise reduction is unbelievable. Not to mention unusable.

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.

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?

its a cell phone camera, if you expect a great image taking a zoomed in digital zoom photo in low light, at a concert, 50 feet away from the people, your on drugs

sunking101 · Dec 28, 2014

Bahroo said:
the iPhone 5 camera is not better then the 6 plus or 6, 98% of the time you will come out with a superior photo from the 6 plus or 6 compared to the 5. stop with this nonsense you post.

and what does the camera have to do with the device overall in a review? were talking about one aspect of a smartphone here, the camera, the camera got raved about hard in reviews because the camera is amazing on the 6 plus and 6, thats why..and i havent noticed really anything, my 6 plus takes noticeably better photos then my 5S/5 ever did, in multiple lighting conditions and times and everything

and sure there have been reviews wheree they mentioned iOS 8 bugs and iOS multitasking limits,

----------

its a cell phone camera, if you expect a great image taking a zoomed in digital zoom photo in low light, at a concert, 50 feet away from the people, your on drugs

Nobody in this thread agrees with you!
As for the concert pic, sure nobody expects anything fantastic but that plasticine hand!?

01silver4 · Dec 28, 2014

azhava said:
HDR is completely useless in low light situations. It's designed to be used in scenes where you have very bright highlights and very dark shadows. It takes three photos - one at normal exposure, one underexposed (for the highlights) and one overexposed (for the shadows), then blends them together.

You are correct sir. But don't u think low light could pass for the same as dark shadows are darker areas? A mean it's taking dark shadows and brighter lit areas and merging them together Right? And then producing the best result for that photo correct? So I think it could serve some perpose for most low light situations where at least there is some light present to make a decent enough photo.

FieldingMellish · Dec 28, 2014

01silver4 said:
You are correct sir. But don't u think low light could pass for the same as dark shadows are darker areas? A mean it's taking dark shadows and brighter lit areas and merging them together Right? And then producing the best result for that photo correct? So I think it could serve some perpose for most low light situations where at least there is some light present to make a decent enough photo.

No.

Imory · Feb 9, 2015

brittadine said:
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.

First two photos are mine - side by side iPhone 5 versus 6. The watercolor affect from aggressive noise reduction is unbelievable. Not to mention unusable.

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.

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?

That is unbelievable. I thought the NR was a result of iOS 8? Many have claimed that their 5 and 5's have been affected by it to the same extent the 6 and 6 Plus suffer from ridiculous NR.

Mildredop · Feb 9, 2015

Essa86 said:
So here are some shots I took with my iPhone6 at night. When ever I take night shots with lights around I get these lines. Is it normal???? Because when ever I take them with my wife's iPhone 6 she does not have these glair lines.

It's grease on the lens.

Altis · Feb 16, 2015

I'm hoping Apple fixes the aggressive noise reduction.

Some of the photos on my iPhone 6 look like water paintings even in outdoor daytime light. Seems that the front-facing camera does it a lot more than the main camera.

Might do a side-by-side comparison with the 4S to see... I feel like it was sharper, outdoors at least.

Martin82 · Feb 17, 2015

I bought iPhone 6 about a week ago (after exchanging 5 units due to screen problems which was a really bad experience with quality). After taking a 1st photo I couldn't believe. I was sure it was some mistake.. I did some more tests especially in good daylight and took some portraits...and my conclusion is simple-it's a drama, step back from 5 and 5s (i was very happy with their camera/processing results), a huge f...mistake or a joke. I still can't figure out how someone could do such a bad thing to iPhone camera and processing engine.. My main decision maker for this purchase was relatively good camera(for a Phone of course). What a mistake.

All photos look like painted, with very high noise reduction and jpeg compression There is no detail, the issue is mostly visible when photographing people with their skins. I can't belive that Apple could hire such an idiot who destroyed one of the most important iPhone feature. Unbelievable. There is absolutely no reason to process photos like that unless its taken with a really high ISO. I think I am going to sent the phone back. Now I just regret selling 5 and 5s or maybe I should not if this is a software issue.

BigMcGuire · Feb 17, 2015

Damolee said:
Not sure what to make of this phone's camera capabilities yet.

All I can say is .... damn!

that be me · Mar 1, 2015

Is this still an issue for those on 8.2 or 8.3?

MCSN · Mar 1, 2015

the plasticine hand bwahhaaa.

i can make the pain go away, i can make it stop, ~ripley~ alien resurrection

Imory · Mar 15, 2015

that be me said:
Is this still an issue for those on 8.2 or 8.3?

Has anyone noticed any differences on 8.2? Haven't really had the opportunity to try it out myself.

illusiumd · Mar 19, 2015

What makes me so angry is that Apple just released a whole ad campaign about how great the camera is. I just bought this phone before the birth of my first child - a purchase based on the great reviews of the camera. How could they get it so wrong? Thank God I still have my old clunky DSLR around otherwise I'd have months worth of absolute ****. Photos are an inherently emotional feature - and for Apple to tout the amazingness of this POS camera when so many people have crap photos piling up is BS.

meistervu · Mar 19, 2015

I felt like I live in a parallel universe from the posting with people having problem with the iPhone 6 camera. I have owned many PS digital cameras, and for the last 10 years shot with quite a few SLRs. I have plenty of experience with noise and noise reduction programs. I normally shoot raw and use a raw conversion tool.

So far I am quite happy with the iP6 photos. I have yet experienced the sort of problem illustrated on this thread. I have seen reviews from respectable site like DPReview which on the iP6. They are pretty thorough. I didn't see the type of problems mentioned here either.

I suspect that if almost every person who bought an iP6 get the type of photos I do with mine, myself being extremely picky, most people will be happy.

I haven't tried to go out of my way to reproduced the problems, but have better things to do with my life.

TheLondonFella · Mar 19, 2015

Try Camera Plus, Camera+ or a similar app which has a Stabilizer mode.

When active, after tapping the shutter button the app will only take the shot when the iPhone is being held perfectly still (using the gyroscope).

This is a great feature and I guarantee you, you will see massive improvements in the photos you take compared to using the stock Camera app.

Also, don't forget to tap to focus on your subject.

Good luck ...

meistervu · Mar 19, 2015

TheLondonFella said:
Try Camera Plus, Camera+ or a similar app which has a Stabilizer mode.

When active, after tapping the shutter button the app will only take the shot when the iPhone is being held perfectly still (using the gyroscope).

This is a great feature and I guarantee you, you will see massive improvements in the photos you take compared to using the stock Camera app.

Also, don't forget to tap to focus on your subject.

Good luck ...

Or spend 5 minutes searching for good hand holding techniques and another 5 minutes practicing it.

Kids these day have things so easy. Back in the day we used to have to wait until we finish a roll of film in which each shot were taken with great care because it costed an arm an a leg for the film and processing. Then we had to walk up hill both ways in the snow to drop the roll off for developing and printing, waited for weeks before we could pick up the photos.

Now, all you have to do is sit there with the phone in your hand, shoot, and study the result. I bet if people spend about 5 minutes reading up on techniques and another 5 minutes practicing, their photos would greatly improve. That is unless they already have the basic techniques down.

You don't want to use an app that delays the capture until it senses that you stop moving because many great shots are about timing. When the time comes, you shoot. Great shots don't wait for you.

TheLondonFella · Mar 20, 2015

meistervu said:
Or spend 5 minutes searching for good hand holding techniques and another 5 minutes practicing it.

Kids these day have things so easy. Back in the day we used to have to wait until we finish a roll of film in which each shot were taken with great care because it costed an arm an a leg for the film and processing. Then we had to walk up hill both ways in the snow to drop the roll off for developing and printing, waited for weeks before we could pick up the photos.

Now, all you have to do is sit there with the phone in your hand, shoot, and study the result. I bet if people spend about 5 minutes reading up on techniques and another 5 minutes practicing, their photos would greatly improve. That is unless they already have the basic techniques down.

You don't want to use an app that delays the capture until it senses that you stop moving because many great shots are about timing. When the time comes, you shoot. Great shots don't wait for you.

You foolish dinosaur!

You're obviously one of those "when I was a kid ... " drama queens!

Going by your logic/thought process, we shouldn't have any kind of "fancy" apps, at all. Come to think of it, you'd probably have us connect two Coke cans via a bit of string to communicate with - HA!

The OP asked for advice, and I gave it.

And what about people who have illnesses, and simply CAN'T steady their hands??

I, for one suffer with an overactive thyroid, which causes body tremors (resulting in shaking hands). It's under control at the moment, but this condition caused me to sell my 5D Mk II and a plethora of L lenses some years back because I couldn't hold the camera steady.

YOU are the typical kind of sarcastic member of this community that I can't stand.

What a bitter life you must lead ...

meistervu · Mar 20, 2015

TheLondonFella said:
You foolish dinosaur!

You're obviously one of those "when I was a kid ... " drama queens!

Going by your logic/thought process, we shouldn't have any kind of "fancy" apps, at all. Come to think of it, you'd probably have us connect two Coke cans via a bit of string to communicate with - HA!

The OP asked for advice, and I gave it.

And what about people who have illnesses, and simply CAN'T steady their hands??

I, for one suffer with an overactive thyroid, which causes body tremors (resulting in shaking hands). It's under control at the moment, but this condition caused me to sell my 5D Mk II and a plethora of L lenses some years back because I couldn't hold the camera steady.

YOU are the typical kind of sarcastic member of this community that I can't stand.

What a bitter life you must lead ...

I don't think I have ever been called a foolish dinosaur, especially by those I have never met.

Well, this foolish dinosaur didn't mean to offend you and those with similar condition. He certainly was being insensitive when suggesting that most people can improve their photos by spending 10 minutes doing some research and practicing hand holding.

What I had in mind when I wrote those comments were people who look for technology to solve their problems where a basic handholding skill would serve them better.

What a bitter life you must lead ...

Thanks for your concerns. Yes, receiving this type of insult can make a person bitter. Fortunately I have a pretty healthy perspective on things. I figured you wrote it at the heat of the moment and you didn't really mean it.

thekb · Mar 26, 2015

Bahroo said:
its a cell phone camera, if you expect a great image taking a zoomed in digital zoom photo in low light, at a concert, 50 feet away from the people, your on drugs

Here's the winner folks. The first photo in the thread and the concert photo were OBVIOUSLY zoomed in -- meaning they put their thumb and index finger on the screen and spread them apart. It takes VERY LITTLE zooming in to wreck the photo quality. The digital zoom on the iphone is atrocious.

That's not to say that noise reduction or a jacked up jpg algorithm can't cause muddied backgrounds. We hashed these arguments out in about 2002 with digital point and shoots. All digital point and shoots have this problem, including the iphone. I have an iPhone 5, and am not particularly impressed by the photos I've seen with the 6 or 6+. Doesn't really look much improved after 2 years of work. However, using the clearly zoomed in first photo in this thread as an example of what you can achieve is flat out misleading.

FieldingMellish · Mar 29, 2015

Zoom in the iPhone is its crowning weakness.

meistervu · Mar 29, 2015

It started to make sense to me now: is it possible the disparity in the abysmal examples that people complained about here and the "normal" shots are the product of digital zoom?

For me, digital zoom gives zoom a bad name. A friend of mine called it cheating. You are letting a piece of software adding more pixels based on neighboring pixels. I am sure there are great advance in this field over the years, but in the end if you can get more information out of nothing then wouldn't need to be at the concert to take that picture. If you want to do that, you are better off doing it at your computer for a couple of reasons: 1) you can use a software with an algorithm that's not written with time constraint, and 2) you can experiment with different guesses. You can't expect much relying on a tiny phone's processor to do the guessing right on the spot instantly.

thekb · Mar 30, 2015

meistervu said:
It started to make sense to me now: is it possible the disparity in the abysmal examples that people complained about here and the "normal" shots are the product of digital zoom?

I don't know about all the bad examples, but the very first post definitely looks zoomed to me.

Technarchy · Mar 30, 2015

For the 14 days that I had the iPhone 6 I too found it challenging to consistently take clear pics. Where the iPhone seemed to excel is macro shots. Outside of that the photos were just okay.

I actually preferred my S5 and Note 4 camera.

Why is it so impossible for me to take consistently good photos with my 6?

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