Is this photo effect normal?

[MisterTibbs]

Hi,
Just upgraded to an iPhone 13 from an X. I took my first ultra wide image this morning, just of a church I pass on the way to work. It wasn't what I was expecting, some sort of effect on the image flattened the textures and have a bit of a halo around the edges. As this is my first time using the ultra wide on an iPhone, is this kind of to be expected?

I got on the chat with apple and they want me to back up the phone & restore to factory settings. I think that's just going to be a waste of time!

 

[no0nefamous]

I think that's just a product of all the live and post processing the phone does to photos. When you zoom in to any phone photo they look like weird water color paintings. The reason is it's not possible to capture as much detail as they do through small lenses without running a bunch of algorithms on the image. I wouldn't bother with a restore unless perhaps you start noticing it on things that are up close and filling the frame.

 

[now i see it]

The ultrawide final picture is nothing like the original that came off the sensor. The image before post processing is curved to all hell from the fisheye lens. There isn’t a straight line on any part of the image.
Then after the shot, software bends it all back so it’s kinda straight but there’s inevitably going to be artifacts left over from the extreme manipulation.
That’s what you’re seeing - artifacts from extreme post processing.

 

[MisterTibbs]

After chatting to support and sending a few photos, support said "something's not right" and asked me to return the phone for a refund/replacement. They went on to say "would love to let you know the outcome, but I believe it would be internal information".

So, with regret, I'm going to have to send it back for a replacement. I'm guessing it's not going to be any different, but support recognised something strange at least.

I totally get you @now i see it - I turned live photos on just so I could see the difference.

 

[rp100]

Your pic looks like chromatic aberration that was not properly re-colored. CA is a normal phenomenon with several types, but can appear as magenta fringing where bright white areas meet darker areas. Normally, if you are shooting RAW on a DSLR, any post-production program (i.e. Lightroom) can instantly and convincingly correct it. The most expensive lenses on the market are engineered to eliminate CA, but most users just fix it in post.

I’m going to take a guess and say that the iPhone is attempting to correct the fringing and it’s not coming out as good as expected. The fringing is exactly where I would expect it in that photo, so I don’t think that’s a lens issue (although anything is possible).

If you have the pro model, I would take several photos with RAW enabled and try to capture high-contrast landscapes (trees or buildings with a daytime sky behind them). Then, have the RAW images converted by something other than your phone. I have a feeling you will see a much better result.

 

[MisterTibbs]

Thanks @rp100 - on the pro, can you take RAW across all three lenses?