iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 (Pro Max) - shadow mystery solved :-)

[Tapper123]

FINAL UPDATE: Good news!

So, I went back to the same restaurant today, and they have an array of small lights all across the ceiling. And they actually do cause what looks like concentric shadows as rendered by the iPhone. You can see them with your bare eyes.

PieTunes et al are correct, the cause was multiple light sources.

I just never noticed until I was looking at my photos later. But I'm happy to say the iPhone 11 cameras are fine (in fact, they are excellent and great fun to use).

Thanks to all who read and responded to this thread.

--------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE: I plan to go back to this place again soon and examine their lighting. Maybe, just maybe it's not the iPhone and their lighting is actually casting shadows like that. I will definitely update this post once I get a chance to do that.

------------------ Original post follows ------------------

Been using an iPhone 11 Pro Max for a few days and really enjoying it.

However, tonight I came across an anomaly I hadn't seen before: a strange rendering of shadows in 2 photographs taken of food in a restaurant. Look at the shadows around the plates, for example.

I suspect it has to do with the type of lighting in the restaurant (i..e fluorescent?), and the iPhone taking multiple shots to combine, and the algorithm not knowing how to handle the way the lighting is refreshing?

Any theories/thoughts welcome.

-snip-

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Been using an iPhone 11 Pro Max for a few days and really enjoying it.

However, tonight I came across an anomaly I hadn't seen before: a strange rendering of shadows in 2 photographs taken of food in a restaurant. Look at the shadows around the plates, for example.

I suspect it has to do with the type of lighting in the restaurant (i..e fluorescent?), and the iPhone taking multiple shots to combine, and the algorithm not knowing how to handle the way the lighting is refreshing?

Any theories/thoughts welcome.

Something for Apple to work on, as these images are maybe OK as memory shots, but are ruined as photographs. I know I'm not the only one who likes taking food shots, so this is a real problem for that sort of thing.

This is a pretty well-known site so I'm hoping maybe someone from Apple will see this and pass it onto the devs who work on the camera algorithms. If there's a more effective way to pass this info onto Apple, please let me know.

View attachment 868512

View attachment 868511

The food looks amazing! but where is the anomaly picture?

 

[Tapper123]

The food looks amazing! but where is the anomaly picture?

It was good.

Look carefully at the shadows around the plates. Shadows should not look like that. (EDIT: unless there are multiple light sources, LOL!)

For example, here is another food shot taken with the same iPhone 11 Pro Max, but in a different restaurant. Here the shadows are normal looking:

Here I've outlined in red the area to look at:

 

[murad_fourth]

Lol sorry but, i am actually wondering, why do you take photos what you eat? Sharing them in Instagram? 😂 And i do not have an idea why the shadows like that but that's right, it is strange

 

[PieTunes]

How many individual light bulbs/fixtures were directly above your table?

 

[Tapper123]

Lol sorry but, i am actually wondering, why do you take photos what you eat? Sharing them in Instagram? 😂 And i do not have an idea why the shadows like that but that's right, it is strange

No, I never share such photos (well, except for this post! ), and never used instagram (I'm an old guy). I'm a camera guy, and any excuse to take photos is good for me. Food is a great subject -- it's nice to look at and doesn't move

But yeah, those shadows are weird. I may go back to that restaurant again this weekend and take more shots and examine the lighting.

How many individual light bulbs/fixtures were directly above your table?

Very good question. I don't know, but I plan to go back and look at that. Maybe, just maybe it's their lighting setup and not the iPhone. But, I'm not sure. I will report back hopefully in a few days if/when I get a chance to eat there again.

 

[murad_fourth]

No, I never share such photos (well, except for this post! ), and never used instagram (I'm an old guy). I'm a camera guy, and any excuse to take photos is good for me. Food is a great subject -- it's nice to look at and doesn't move

But yeah, those shadows are weird. I may go back to that restaurant again this weekend and take more shots and examine the lighting.



Very good question. I don't know, but I plan to go back and look at that. Maybe, just maybe it's their lighting setup and not the iPhone. But, I'm not sure. I will report back hopefully in a few days if/when I get a chance to eat there again.

Ah OK, but i will tell you something, the food in the photos seem like delicious 🤗

We'll be waiting for you to eat at the same place again and write here why the shadows like that (of course will be waiting also for the photos of the delicious food). 🤭

 

[JemTheWire]

To me it just seems that your table was being lit from multiple light sources. Each in a slightly different place, hence multiple shadows.

 

[rocknblogger]

look at the shadows below the guacamole. if you look closely the shadow of the guacamole is a bit larger in the outermost shadow and just barely showing in the innermost shadow. This leads me to believe that there are in fact multiple lamps in the ceiling that are close enough to cast slightly different shadows.

It was good.

Look carefully at the shadows around the plates. Shadows should not look like that.

For example, here is another food shot taken with the same iPhone 11 Pro Max, but in a different restaurant. Here the shadows are normal looking:

View attachment 868516

Here I've outlined in red the area to look at:

View attachment 868517

 

[MrAperture]

To me it just seems that your table was being lit from multiple light sources. Each in a slightly different place, hence multiple shadows.

This.

 

[Diamond Dog]

Maybe that restaurant does not obey the normal laws of physics. Test things other than light, too, to confirm-- perhaps gravity?!

 

[Tapper123]

Posted an update in the original post.

TL;DR -- it was caused by multiple small light sources, and the camera is fine.