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iPhone 13 Camera Comparison: If You Have an Older iPhone, It's Time to Upgrade
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WOW! The Pixel is so much better! For example, the "Nutrition" label is a complete mess on the iPhone and it also applies VERY strong sharpening (resulting in absolutely ugly halos).
Sadly.. yes. I wish more people would chime in with their experience, but I think I'm asking too much to this community. But considering various sources, and also reviews, I think they're all like this and no one notices... kind of want to return mine and get a 12 now...
Well, I do have a Pixel 3a (for dev/testing), will also test this myself (vs. my iPhone 11) - interested in the results too.
Welp I ended up here because I “upgraded” from an 11 pro to the 13 and have been astounded at how bad the photographs are. They are over-processed mess. Out of focus rendition is doubled, rather than smooth, and it too is sharpened, creating a chaotic background. Everything is too saturated and the tonal curves make it look like crappy early HDR “art.” White skin is seriously reddened. Highlights and shadows have massive color shift. Even front camera selfies are over saturated and over sharpened (hideous!!).It’s just godawful. Using Halide for “raw” output is barely an improvement.
I hate the 13 and am returning it.
In terms of pure image quality (vs lens reach and fancy machine-learning night time features) the 11 was already downgrade to the 8 plus that I had before it; I only upgraded about a year ago when my 8 broke. The 11 was also over sharpened and over saturated but by a degree I could still live with and fix in Lightroom mobile.
I’m so frustrated!!
If you’re really into photography, and have technical taste — enough to spot lipstick on a pig — I would avoid the 13. It’s not good enough even for quick snapshots of people and pets due to all the excessive processing you can’t turn off. It makes my white cat look haggard!
And the night shots look like watercolors anyway because they first reduce the hell out of the noise, then sharpen. Ugh
I hate the 13 and am returning it.
In terms of pure image quality (vs lens reach and fancy machine-learning night time features) the 11 was already downgrade to the 8 plus that I had before it; I only upgraded about a year ago when my 8 broke. The 11 was also over sharpened and over saturated but by a degree I could still live with and fix in Lightroom mobile.
I’m so frustrated!!
If you’re really into photography, and have technical taste — enough to spot lipstick on a pig — I would avoid the 13. It’s not good enough even for quick snapshots of people and pets due to all the excessive processing you can’t turn off. It makes my white cat look haggard!
And the night shots look like watercolors anyway because they first reduce the hell out of the noise, then sharpen. Ugh
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I think that settles it; your post pretty much clinched it and made me realize I should hang onto my 11 Pro Max another year.
I already think the 11 Pro processes too much and adds too much sharp, if the 13 makes it even worse it will drive me crazy.
Curious, though, if shooting in ProRAW is any better?
I agree with you about the 11! If you’re already dissatisfied I would definitely not get the 13 unless you can try it throughly in store.
I can’t shoot in ProRAW bc I got the mini… that was the only reason I upgraded. But, the regular focal length camera (and I think the ultra wide, but I rarely touch that) are the same as in the pro model, just the ProRAW feature and the ”tele” camera are missing.
Here’s a screenshot of a Halide DNG. Download it or open separately, here in the inline preview it’s hard to see what’s going on/the colorspace is more muted.
There is still somehow sharpening around the text on the camera. There is still color shifting in highlights and shadows — you can see the blue — but it’s not as bad as the camera app.
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I think this photo I took on my first outing with the 13 is a good litmus test:
If you think it’s a punchy, pleasing photo, you’ll enjoy the 13.
If you’re more of a photo buff and it makes you recoil in horror in about 3 different ways… reconsider 😩
FYI… my husband is not that shade of red and his lips are DEFINITELY not that color. Be sure to zoom in on his hands, his arm behind the bag, the highlights on the bag, and the trees in the upper left background.
If you think it’s a punchy, pleasing photo, you’ll enjoy the 13.
If you’re more of a photo buff and it makes you recoil in horror in about 3 different ways… reconsider 😩
FYI… my husband is not that shade of red and his lips are DEFINITELY not that color. Be sure to zoom in on his hands, his arm behind the bag, the highlights on the bag, and the trees in the upper left background.
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Thanks! This is something I already wondered since comparing the 8 pictures to my 13P, now you confirm my theory that bigger sensor and bigger aperture already started to lower sharpness
Other than that, they could tone down or give us the option to switch off the aggressive processing if we complain enough. But the "doubled" bokeh is optical and here to stay, alas. I'm keeping mine though.
Zero. That’s straight outta camera app, just got the phone, looked around to see if I could turn anything off after that photo and the answer is “no.” This is how it is unless you use Halide etc or can shoot ProRaw
The double bokeh wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t aggressively sharpened tbh so yeah it’s optical but the level of mess is a choice!
You’d think with all their processing power, they’d devote the sharpening to the actual in-focus portions of the image.
An interesting comment from DPReview 13 Pro video review's (worth checking out!) comment section:
"I'm not a video shooter, so I'm coming from a layman/consumer perspective and am not particularly picky about video quality. But honestly, the quality was not great. The non-cinema footage, while not bad, looks overly smoothed and sharpened to me, with lots of fluctuations in colour balance. All of the 'cinema' footage looks bad, with obvious problems with the simulated DOF."
That is, the 13 Pro's video also suffers from oversharpening
So much for "best evah" and "the iPhone 11 [Pro] is a hazy trash compared to this phone", LOL...
"I'm not a video shooter, so I'm coming from a layman/consumer perspective and am not particularly picky about video quality. But honestly, the quality was not great. The non-cinema footage, while not bad, looks overly smoothed and sharpened to me, with lots of fluctuations in colour balance. All of the 'cinema' footage looks bad, with obvious problems with the simulated DOF."
That is, the 13 Pro's video also suffers from oversharpening
So much for "best evah" and "the iPhone 11 [Pro] is a hazy trash compared to this phone", LOL...
Okay, I have to wonder here, because he doesn't look "red" to me. I wonder if whatever you're viewing the photos on is over-saturating the color?
I’m considering upgrading to the IPhone 13 Mini from my 11 Pro but struggling to justify it. I’ve always been impressed with my 11 Pro - brilliant battery life still at over two years old, a nice size, fantastic build quality and I’ve taken some amazing photographs with it. I quite like the smaller size IPhone 13 Mini as the 13 Pro is slightly bigger than the 11 Pro. I’ve been comparing stills from the 11 Pro and and the 13 Mini and I don’t think there is that much of a difference, especially in good light where I use it most of the time. The 11 Pro was a fantastic upgrade in 2019 and it still is a very good phone all round. I’m not sure I agree with this article, particularly the comments on the 11 Pro as mine is not like that. I think I’d miss the telephoto lens as well - I do use it quite a bit. Are we tempted to change our phones too often at these sky high prices I wonder ?.
I would go with the 13 Pro every time. The 13 Mini is a good phone with an ok battery but you will have gotten used to not having to think about charging the 11 Pro whereas the 13 Mini might last you all day, anxiety is a real thing.
The extra few mm on the 13 Pro make no difference in your hand. 0.5mm of width and 2.5mm of height is really nothing.
Keep your Telephoto and get the bigger phone.
I think I’m inclined to agree with you, it would be a backward step to go for the Mini.
The iP13 feels a lot heavier - so I would keep the iP11Pro and add a new battery, if necessary. Maybe the iP14 or 15 will add featues like USB-C / TouchID / remove the notch? The iP11 Pro is at least good for another one or two years.
I’m inclined to agree. Even at over two years old my 11 Pro still lasts well into the second day with at least 8 hours screen on time. It’s always taken really good photos and there’s not a mark on it. Must try and avoid this “need to change” mindset ?.