I tried the two phones at the Apple Store before opening the ones that came to my house. I took a few pics in the well lit store with both and my iPhone 5. Even though the two 6s were brighter and more in focus, they also had very aggressive and smudgy noise reduction. Did anybody else notice this?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 6 & 6 Plus very aggressive noise reduction
- Thread starter SteveJobs2.0
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Yes. I've noticed this on my 6p. Overly NR smudged looking pictures. Seriously disappointed in the camera on this thing. I like the phone other than the camera. Hopefully it's something they'll admit to and change in an update.
I'm really hoping they address this with a software fix.
Pictures don't compare to the iPhone 5S very well.
Pictures don't compare to the iPhone 5S very well.
I don't have an iPhone 6 yet (my 6+ is arrive today) but as semi professional (part time) photographer, I have an idea as to what might be causing this aggressive noise reduction.
The first thing to note is that the lens on the iPhone or any phone for that matter is tiny in comparison to your average point and shoot or SLR. So straight off the bat, the sensor is getting less light. In good light (outside), the camera will get enough information to produce a decent picture. In low light though (indoors or in the evening) it will need to push what's known as ISO. This effectively increases the sensitivity of the camera's sensor but at a cost. The higher the ISO value, the more noise is introduced into the picture and as a result, a noise reduction pass will have to be applied to counter. The noise reduction does have it's advantages when used sensibly, but crank it too high and you end up with waxy looking images.
This may be one reason... Not saying it is and once I get my 6+, I'll be able to give a more educated reply, but this would be my first guess.
The first thing to note is that the lens on the iPhone or any phone for that matter is tiny in comparison to your average point and shoot or SLR. So straight off the bat, the sensor is getting less light. In good light (outside), the camera will get enough information to produce a decent picture. In low light though (indoors or in the evening) it will need to push what's known as ISO. This effectively increases the sensitivity of the camera's sensor but at a cost. The higher the ISO value, the more noise is introduced into the picture and as a result, a noise reduction pass will have to be applied to counter. The noise reduction does have it's advantages when used sensibly, but crank it too high and you end up with waxy looking images.
This may be one reason... Not saying it is and once I get my 6+, I'll be able to give a more educated reply, but this would be my first guess.
Thanks for posting an explanation that even I can understand.
It was really helpful for a casual photographer like me.
Waxy is exactly the word I've been looking for!
Even in decent (Not perfect) lighting, the noise reduction of overly aggressive. Hoping it is something Apple addresses in an update.
The iPhone 5S takes much nicer pictures currently.
Just so no one thinks this is unique to smartphones. When compared to micro 4/3 or APS-C size sensors, point and shoot cameras with tiny sensors struggle with high ISO in low light so they also employ heavier noise reduction.
That's just the way it works, but what is in question is whether Apple is using too much noise reduction.
Will someone who feels they are having this issue compare Apple's camera app to one with manual controls like Camera+, Manual Can, or VSCOcam.
PS. This issue isn't always tied to sensor size. I use Fuji X cameras, for example, and there are complaints that the noise reduction is heavier on the XE2/XT1 when compared to the previous gen cameras like my XE1 which takes excellent low light photos even up to ISO6400.
That's just the way it works, but what is in question is whether Apple is using too much noise reduction.
Will someone who feels they are having this issue compare Apple's camera app to one with manual controls like Camera+, Manual Can, or VSCOcam.
PS. This issue isn't always tied to sensor size. I use Fuji X cameras, for example, and there are complaints that the noise reduction is heavier on the XE2/XT1 when compared to the previous gen cameras like my XE1 which takes excellent low light photos even up to ISO6400.
There have been a number of threads about this over the past week, but none seems to ever get much traction. We should request that a moderator combine them. This one seems to be the busiest at the moment.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1790221/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1790221/