Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone 13 iPhone 13 regular - crappy pics when zoom

EddieKeyton1

EddieKeyton1

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 28, 2021
314
290
When I barely zoom in on any pic with my iPhone 13. I get this result. Here is my 5 year old son, Brian. I just took this picture in 16:9 with about 30% zoom on my 13. It doesn’t matter when I’m shooting. Zoom completely destroys the image. Is there anyway to fix this?
 
d1ce897343bc980e13689637e5e1c643.jpg
 
I think it all depends on the lighting and the processing on the image.

Is the result the same in bright lighting/day time too?
 
MathersMahmood said:
I think it all depends on the lighting and the processing on the image.

Is the result the same in bright lighting/day time too?
Click to expand...

Yes, I’ve tried it for the last two days. Outside in the sun, inside in the light, in the dark. Same outcome. Without zooming pics look good. But once I zoom in even the slightest. That’s what comes of it. Here’s another I just took
07690039619d19e0eaf0b90556508e52.jpg
 
Don’t shoot into bright lights. I’m seeing lens flare.
Choose one lens or the other (if your camera has lens choices) and shoot. Don’t zoom. If you want to have the image fill more of the frame, crop afterwards. Don’t use zoom. Digital Zoom always looks worse
 
  • Like
Reactions: Snørrbjørg and seezar
A few tips…

• Don’t shoot in 16x9. I don’t think you’ll get the full benefit of the 12MP sensor that way.
• If you can, move yourself closer rather than relying on any zoom as loose quality.
• As others have already mentioned, don’t shout towards the sun or a light source as it will drastically alter the photo.

It may also be you have a fault with the camera on your phone as the regular wide photo should have a lot more detail than it appears to have, as well as a fair bit less noise.

Are you using the stock camera app?
 
  • Like
Reactions: EddieKeyton1
I don’t care about the lens flare. I care about the pixelation. Which happens no matter what light I shoot in. If I can’t zoom in on a picture and have it look right then there really isn’t a point in Apple boasting about an upgraded camera is there?
 
RRC said:
A few tips…

• Don’t shoot in 16x9.
• If you can, move yourself closer rather than relying on any zoom as loose quality.
• As others have already mentioned, don’t shout towards the sun or a light source as it will drastically alter the photo.

It may also be you have a fault with the camera on your phone as the regular wide photo should have a lot more detail than it appears to have, as well as a fair bit less noise.

Are you using the stock camera app?
Click to expand...

Yes I’m using the stock camera app
 
EddieKeyton1 said:
Yes I’m using the stock camera app
Click to expand...

I would test it somewhere that isn’t low light and post those results up so we can compare.

Change it from 16x9 to the standard 4:3 ratio, make sure Live Photos is off too.

In low light it’s probably defaulting to night mode but with a very short exposure for the amount of light available. You either need to turn it off if handheld or on and use something to keep it steady.
 
Okay I changed it to 4:3. Also turned off live and I turned night mode off
b532562125fabf624a90d8ea7b4e28db.jpg

4d33522cf27f07d880ed2666ceaf3f40.jpg
 
To add onto this, 12 megapixels is just not going to look good with a major crop/zoom--at all. Optical zoom is the only way to zoom without losing quality--assuming that you are running at the same aperture, ISO, and shutter speed (which is not the case for iPhone cameras). It's not a high def camera and the megapixels of the sensor severely limits the useful cropping of images if pixelation is a concern. The size of the sensor also greatly limits the low light capability. There would be less grain with more light (due to lower ISO), but if you want pictures that you can crop and zoom on without losing much in terms of quality, you need a better camera.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ActionFigures
the 13 regular doesnt have a telephoto lens so its not using physical zoom like the pro's have, alot of the big camera improvements went to the pro iphones
 
  • Like
Reactions: _karrol and MrAperture
It doesn’t matter if I zoom in slightly or x5. Yes this one is zoomed in almost all the way. I was in a hurry when taking it. But it would look just as pixelated if I zoomed in x1 or x2. Sorry lol
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Barbareren
Use the wide lens (1.0x) with no zooming, not the ultra wide and move close to your subject. Turn night mode on if it’s dark and keep the phone as still as you can.

If it’s still a grainy mess, maybe the camera is faulty on your phone but as mentioned, the lower the light the higher ISO you’ll be using and that means more noise/grain in your image.
 
EddieKeyton1 said:
It doesn’t matter if I zoom in slightly or x5. Yes this one is zoomed in almost all the way. I was in a hurry when taking it. But it would look just as pixelated if I zoomed in x1 or x2. Sorry lol
Click to expand...
You are using a digital zoom, in a dark room, with a tiny lens. Lower your expectations. It’s still an iPhone camera. Any camera is going to look worse in this situation, versus shooting in proper lighting with no digital zoom. You clearly have a need for telephoto.
 
  • Like
Reactions: _karrol
You are using digital zoom, I am not sure what quality you are expecting. Unlike optical zoom, digital zoom would magnify your picture, i.e if you use a 5x digital zoom, that’s like you are taking a 2 - 3 mp picture and magnified on to a 12 mp image. No phone will give you good quality digital zooms.

If you really need zoom, either get an iPhone pro which can achieve 3 x optical zoom or get an attachment lens.
 
  • Like
Reactions: _karrol and T'hain Esh Kelch
tis said:
You are using a digital zoom, in a dark room, with a tiny lens. Lower your expectations. It’s still an iPhone camera. Any camera is going to look worse in this situation, versus shooting in proper lighting with no digital zoom. You clearly have a need for telephoto.
Click to expand...

My expectations are that it’s better than my s21 camera. If I were to lower my expectations much more then it would be 2012. That’s horrible for a zoom from what I’ve previously had.
 
Do yourself a favor and exchange the regular 13 for the 13 Pro and the much better cameras. I had the 12 and was so frustrated trying to zoom in on my kids. The optical lens on the Pro makes a big difference when zooming, especially outside in lots of light. I love the cameras on the 13 Pro Max, and the battery life is amazing too.
 
Markgnyc2 said:
Do yourself a favor and exchange the regular 13 for the 13 Pro and the much better cameras. I had the 12 and was so frustrated trying to zoom in on my kids. The optical lens on the Pro makes a big difference when zooming, especially outside in lots of light. I love the cameras on the 13 Pro Max, and the battery life is amazing too.
Click to expand...

I have about 7 more days before my 14 days is up. I might do that. Maybe they were right in the above statements when they said I’m expecting too much.
 
Yep. Never use digital zoom. Basically you have two cameras that are sort of fixed. And a telephoto lens that’s 3x. That’s your zoom. Without the pro you don’t really have any.

Doesn’t the s21 have a high mp camera that can offer better zoom? You’ll have to wait for iPhone 14 for similar.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Synomenon and T'hain Esh Kelch
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back