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?
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?