iPhone 15 Pro Max ProRAW 48 is broken on iPhone 15 Pro Max

[jajo.j]

Hello all,

My first post on this forum. Unfortunately not a happy one.

I am a photographer and recently upgraded from iPhone 14 Pro Max to the brand new 15 Pro Max. Very excited about this camera. At last we get a good tele zoom that doesn't have the periscope artifacts that most Android alternatives have (lens flare in low light).

But... I always shoot in ProRAW 48 from the main lens to have the best possible quality and flexibility in editing afterwards. I immediately noticed that daylight shots taken with 15 Pro Max in ProRAW 48 are very blurry. Texture is almost non-existent and when inspecting the files at actual size they almost look painted.

Comparing to my ProRAW files from 14 Pro Max, the difference is really huge.

I actually find the HEIC 24MP mode to be much more detailed and has better texture (although with Apple's not so great processing).

Here is a comparison between 14 Pro Max (left) and 15 Pro Max (right), both ProRAW 48.

Did anyone else notice this?

I have reported this as a bug to Apple and also contacted the support that asked me to reset the device to factory defaults and then set it up without restoring iCloud backup. Had no effect at all. I am on iOS 17.0.3.

I guess next step is to replace it, but if this is a software bug that can be solved I really don't want to go through that process.

Right now my plan is to wait a couple of updates and see if it is solved. If not, I will take the device to Genius Bar.

Curious to hear your experiences. Thanks!

/ Jacob

 

[Fat_Guy]

Apple is fixing stuff on the go so I would say your plan to keep it for the time being is correct.


BTW: Is AirDrop working? Some had issues with that.

 

[jajo.j]

Apple is fixing stuff on the go so I would say your plan to keep it for the time being is correct.


BTW: Is AirDrop working? Some had issues with that.

Airdrop works just fine on my device. I have no issues at all since 17.0.3 except the very questionable camera quality.

 

[SumYoungGai]

I returned a 15 Pro Max unit because it had the same exact issue; the right 1/3 or 1/2 was blurry in ProRAW 48 MP. I got another unit and it seems better but I still question whether the quality and sharpness of the main camera sensor is on par with the 14 Pro Max one.

 

[jajo.j]

Here is another example... Something is seriously broken.

100% crop from ProRAW 48. 14 Pro Max to the left and 15 Pro Max to the right. Not taken at the same time as I don't have the 14 Pro Max anymore but exactly the same light conditions.

I took 10 photos on 15 Pro Max and they all came out like this. Ensured that focus was on the same spot.

 

[SumYoungGai]

Here is another example... Something is seriously broken.

100% crop from ProRAW 48. 14 Pro Max to the left and 15 Pro Max to the right. Not taken at the same time as I don't have the 14 Pro Max anymore but exactly the same light conditions.

I took 10 photos on 15 Pro Max and they all came out like this. Ensured that focus was on the same spot.

View attachment 2293169

Perhaps try 17.1 beta? I did notice an improvement in camera focus on 17.1 beta 2, but if you decide to bring this phone to an Apple Store for a diagnostic because the issue persists, they may throw a fuss about the phone being on beta software. I also still have my old 14 PM so I will do some picture testing for you.

 

[jajo.j]

Perhaps try 17.1 beta? I did notice an improvement in camera focus on 17.1 beta 2, but if you decide to bring this phone to an Apple Store for a diagnostic because the issue persists, they may throw a fuss about the phone being on beta software. I also still have my old 14 PM so I will do some picture testing for you.

Yeah, the thought has crossed my mind.

I don't think the issue is focus primarily but rather denoise or compression. I have shots with perfectly sharp in-focus elements but other parts of the image is completely blurry although they are on the same distance from the lens and should be in focus.

 

[Davydd]

Is this an iPhone Pro Max 15 only issue? I see Apple.com and Verizon.com don't mention the iPhone Pro Max but does mention the iPhone Pro 15.

 

[jajo.j]

Is this an iPhone Pro Max 15 only issue? I see Apple.com and Verizon.com don't mention the iPhone Pro Max but does mention the iPhone Pro 15.

I think it is a Pro issue. I have seen some reports in forums that I think is the same issue. Mainly 15 Pro Max but also a few 15 Pro.

 

[grator]

Hello,
Maybe a decentered lens? Is it the same on the whole image, or only on a part of it?
I sent mine back because of this.

 

[jajo.j]

Hello,
Maybe a decentered lens? Is it the same on the whole image, or only on a part of it?
I sent mine back because of this.

It is a possibility. I think usually the sharpness is best at the center. It also doesn't happen nearly as often on close range as on long range.

 

[grator]

If you change the focus point, does the blurriness changes?
On mine, left side was definitely blurry, but if I choose to focus on the left side, then it was better, while the right side became less good.
At the opposite, if I select a focus point on the right side, then the left side was even more blurry.

 

[You’re not me]

Try raw instead of apple’s proraw. I’ve never liked the processing that apple’s software does to create a “ProRaw” image.

 

[climber2020]

Looks like a hardware defect. I'd send it back for a refund if you're within the return period and buy another of the same phone.

 

[Lex404]

Try raw instead of apple’s proraw. I’ve never liked the processing that apple’s software does to create a “ProRaw” image.

There's only JPEG Max/ HEIC Max, ProRAW 12 and ProRAW Max ("up to" 48MP)

I'm taking JPEG max by default, and ProRAW Max sometimes (when I want more post processing).

Pro Camera also takes RAW at 12 MP only...

 

[RRC]

As annoying as it likely is, return it and buy again… that’s not right and no software is going to fix a sub standard lens. It happens, I’ve bought expensive lenses and had issues, just bad luck when working with optics.

 

[SumYoungGai]

As annoying as it likely is, return it and buy again… that’s not right and no software is going to fix a sub standard lens. It happens, I’ve bought expensive lenses and had issues, just bad luck when working with optics.

I agree with this, the 15 PM main camera system should essentially be equivalent to the 14 PM and anything as drastic as this is a hardware issue.

 

[jajo.j]

If you change the focus point, does the blurriness changes?
On mine, left side was definitely blurry, but if I choose to focus on the left side, then it was better, while the right side became less good.
At the opposite, if I select a focus point on the right side, then the left side was even more blurry.

No, the blur does not change when I focus on different parts of the image. I think focus is fine, it is just a very low quality RAW file.

Try raw instead of apple’s proraw. I’ve never liked the processing that apple’s software does to create a “ProRaw” image.

But I need 48MP and that is not possible through regular RAW.

Looks like a hardware defect. I'd send it back for a refund if you're within the return period and buy another of the same phone.

It could be of course. But HEIC 24MP looks perfectly fine, that is what makes me think it is a software issue with ProRAW 48.

 

[jajo.j]

Today I did a comparison between

ProRAW 48 stock on 15 Pro Max (to the left)
ProRAW 48 from ProCamera on 15 Pro Max (middle)
HEIC 24MP stock on 15 Pro Max (right)

Both ProRAW are pretty bad but HEIC looks ok. It does have some texture on the roof.

It almost looks like ProRAW has too heavy denoise going on.

 

[You’re not me]

But I need 48MP and that is not possible through regular RAW.

Forgot to mention that you need a 3rd party app. Almost all of them will do raw at the native resolution.
Some will give a tiff but that is fine.

 

[Talviomena]

I have a iPhone 15 Pro (not max) and I also have issues with the focus, but not the same though. When taking a close-up photo of something flat with the main lens (not going to macro mode which uses the ultra-wide lens), the image is perfectly in focus in the middle of the photo AND in the all four corners of the photo, but in between there’s a quite blurry area. The blurred area is ring-shaped and as said, the focus is good in the middle and edges but not in between them.

Like, if you try to take a photo of some paper with text, it will be partly blurry. The effect is less visible the longer the focus distance is (at least in my unit).

I am going to start a separate topic on this issue but thought to info here as I saw your post. I wonder is my phone camera defective?

Based on comments here about uneven focus (left side blurry, right sharp etc.) with some units, and original poster’s issues, I cannot but wonder if there are some serious quality issues in iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max main camera manufacturing at the moment

Btw, OP, greetings from neighbour Finland

 

[jajo.j]

Forgot to mention that you need a 3rd party app. Almost all of them will do raw at the native resolution.
Some will give a tiff but that is fine.

I haven't seen any app that can do regular RAW in 48MP. Please let me know which one that does it. Thanks

I have a iPhone 15 Pro (not max) and I also have issues with the focus, but not the same though. When taking a close-up photo of something flat with the main lens (not going to macro mode which uses the ultra-wide lens), the image is perfectly in focus in the middle of the photo AND in the all four corners of the photo, but in between there’s a quite blurry area. The blurred area is ring-shaped and as said, the focus is good in the middle and edges but not in between them.

Like, if you try to take a photo of some paper with text, it will be partly blurry. The effect is less visible the longer the focus distance is (at least in my unit).

I am going to start a separate topic on this issue but thought to info here as I saw your post. I wonder is my phone camera defective?

Based on comments here about uneven focus (left side blurry, right sharp etc.) with some units, and original poster’s issues, I cannot but wonder if there are some serious quality issues in iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max main camera manufacturing at the moment

Btw, OP, greetings from neighbour Finland

That sounds super weird. I would understand if the edges were unsharp but having an unsharp "ring" on the photo sounds like some kind of hardware issue. The big sensor will cause some issues on close-up subjects comparing to older models with smaller sensors, like 13 Pro Max. But that should be a gradual loss of sharpness from the center to the edges and not sharp-unsharp-sharp.

And thanks for the special greeting 👋

 

[Ryan1524]

Maybe a silly question, but are these all at same/similar iso, shutter and aperture?

 

[jajo.j]

Maybe a silly question, but are these all at same/similar iso, shutter and aperture?

Aperture is fixed so it is always the same.

ISO and shutter doesn't seem to matter either. I have seen the issue in photos with a wide range of ISO and shutter speeds. However low light photos does look a bit better with slightly more noise. It seems to happen in "perfect shooting conditions".

It looks like very strong denoising.

 

[3Rock]

Not happy with it. Send back before the return period ends. Don’t even count on Apple to fix it through software. If you don’t send it back now, it may be too late for you later or it will be a hassle trying to get it fixed if that’s the problem with it.