Is anyone else unhappy with the iphone7 camera?

[Bense]

Hi all. First time poster, long time lurker...

My wife and I have had our 7+'S for about a week now. I have to say, I expected more from the photography. In fact one of our friends who is a apple genus just got his 7+ and is saying the same thing. All of my photos so far are of my kids, so forgive me for not posting examples.

It seems like it is over processing skin and hair to be pixelated. When compared side by side to my IPhone 6, the 6 produces better photos. I took my phone and my wife's phone to the Genius Bar today and was told the phones are mechanically working fine. Nothing they would do.

Does anyone else notice this?

I am planning on downloading some of the raw images and trying to process them.

Thanks
Ben

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

People said exactly the same thing regarding 5s vs. 6.

 

[xofruitcake]

Hi all. First time poster, long time lurker...

My wife and I have had our 7+'S for about a week now. I have to say, I expected more from the photography. In fact one of our friends who is a apple genus just got his 7+ and is saying the same thing. All of my photos so far are of my kids, so forgive me for not posting examples.

It seems like it is over processing skin and hair to be pixelated. When compared side by side to my IPhone 6, the 6 produces better photos. I took my phone and my wife's phone to the Genius Bar today and was told the phones are mechanically working fine. Nothing they would do.

Does anyone else notice this?

I am planning on downloading some of the raw images and trying to process them.

Thanks
Ben

There is a thread of 7+ pictures running. There are some very amazing pictures posted in that thread... There is a distinction between what the camera hardware captured vs the processing algorithm that Apple use on it's own camera apps.. There are plenty of camera app out there that use different algorithm and may get closer to what you like..

 

[Bense]

People said exactly the same thing regarding 5s vs. 6.

I am comparing a 6 to a 7plus.

 

[Gathomblipoob]

I am comparing a 6 to a 7plus.

I think he was just drawing a parallel between the two releases.

 

[SilentDoom]

No. maybe turn off Live Photos? No other suggestions as mine works wonderfully, live photo or not.

 

[MacDevil7334]

At the end of the day, you have to keep in mind a few things:

1. It's a smartphone and we reached the point of diminishing returns with smartphone cameras around the iPhone 5S. There is only so much that can be done with plastic lenses and a small sensor. No amount of marketing from Apple will make it into a DSLR.
2. Speaking of small sensors, it is unfortunate that Apple decided to keep the sensor size the same from the 6S to the 7. Apple can talk about deep trench isolation all it wants, moving from an 8 MP sensor with larger pixels to a 12 MP sensor with smaller pixels creates challenges, especially in indoor or low lighting. The larger aperture on the 7 helps. But, at the end of the day, it's still a small sensor with small pixels.
3. Regarding processing, starting with the iPhone 6, Apple clearly decided to prioritize noise reduction over image sharpness. As a result the ISP has become very aggressive and you tend to end up with pictures that exhibit the smudgy "Monet" effect. This effect is more noticeable in low light environments where the shots naturally have more noise, and is made worse by the smaller pixels in the 12 megapixel sensor in the iPhone 6s and 7.

All that being said, the camera on any modern iPhone is capable of capturing great pictures. You just have to be aware of the limitations. And, there is definitely an argument to be made that Apple took a step backwards when it moved from 8 megapixel sensors with large pixels to 12 megapixel sensors with smaller pixels. While that does allow the camera to capture more detail in theory, it also tends to struggle and lower light situations. Luckily, you do have another option in iOS 10. Apple has allowed third-party apps to access the raw camera data. You can use one of them to shoot in RAW and then process the image to your liking. The process takes more effort, but it will allow you to get around some of the overprocessing that goes on in the stock camera.

 

[kidfreshhh]

Install the ios 10.1 beta the quality seems improved.