Why is the iPhone 7 Plus Camera doing this with lights?

[brandscill]

Hi,

My girlfriend has an iPhone 7 Plus and I have an iPhone 6 and the difference when taking photo's in dim conditions with street lamps is frankly disappointing. She noticed similar issues with her iPhone 6s and they seem to be present again.

Why does the phone do this, are we doing something wrong? Why is the 6 better in these situations?

Any advise would be appreciated

iPhone 6 photos below:

[doublepost=1481231449][/doublepost]iPhone 7 Plus photos:

 

[BorderingOn]

Looks like the lens might be dirty.

 

[brandscill]

Looks like the lens might be dirty.

As in the glass protecting the lenses? If so cleaned them prior to these photos

 

[mollyc]

It seems like the aperture is smaller in the second set of photos, which is giving a starburst like effect. Can you check the exif data somewhere to compare?

 

[BorderingOn]

Right, the cover. Sorry to hear that. I've had a similar effect when there was a fog on my SLR lens. If it wasn't for the flare from the lights, I'd have thought the flash was used. Must be something else.

 

[brandscill]

Right, the cover. Sorry to hear that. I've had a similar effect when there was a fog on my SLR lens. If it wasn't for the flare from the lights, I'd have thought the flash was used. Must be something else.

Thanks for the tip, it was worth asking as I only thought to check it today after my girlfriend told me about it in another photo the other week
[doublepost=1481233461][/doublepost]

It seems like the aperture is smaller in the second set of photos, which is giving a starburst like effect. Can you check the exif data somewhere to compare?

Hi,

I have this data from Apple Photos, not sure how to see the aperture size. Is this what you meant?

 

[C DM]

Hi,

My girlfriend has an iPhone 7 Plus and I have an iPhone 6 and the difference when taking photo's in dim conditions with street lamps is frankly disappointing. She noticed similar issues with her iPhone 6s and they seem to be present again.

Why does the phone do this, are we doing something wrong? Why is the 6 better in these situations?

Any advise would be appreciated

iPhone 6 photos below:
View attachment 676945 View attachment 676947 View attachment 676949 View attachment 676950
[doublepost=1481231449][/doublepost]iPhone 7 Plus photos:
View attachment 676951 View attachment 676952 View attachment 676953

Discussion of this type of thing in some existing threads:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-7-plus-lens-flare-issues.2019357/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-7-multiple-lens-flare-issue.1998945/

 

[brandscill]

Discussion of this type of thing in some existing threads:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-7-plus-lens-flare-issues.2019357/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-7-multiple-lens-flare-issue.1998945/

Seems like a step backwards over the iPhone 6

 

[brandscill]

Reading around I can't determine if it's a manufacturing defect or just a general issue now

 

[sunking101]

With the Monet effect too I can't help thinking that the 5S and maybe 6+ had the best cameras. They're trying to do too much now with tiny sensors and lenses.

 

[brandscill]

With the Monet effect too I can't help thinking that the 5S and maybe 6+ had the best cameras. They're trying to do too much now with tiny sensors and lenses.

My iPhone 6 has always been good for nighttime shots - I just don't understand how this can be a huge step back. There is a lack of complaining about this online which makes me wonder is this a defective model?

 

[sunking101]

My iPhone 6 has always been good for nighttime shots - I just don't understand how this can be a huge step back. There is a lack of complaining about this online which makes me wonder is this a defective model?

People have been complaining about the 6S and i7 cameras, do a hunt for the threads. Like with any Apple product, the majority are happy but dig a little deeper and you'll find complaints.

 

[brandscill]

People have been complaining about the 6S and i7 cameras, do a hunt for the threads. Like with any Apple product, the majority are happy but dig a little deeper and you'll find complaints.

Found 2 or 3 threads on here, but nobody with a definitive answer. Some day defect, others say normal.

 

[takeshi74]

Probably not a defect in the way you're thinking but part of the pros and cons involved with the changes that Apple made. As someone mentioned above, they're trying to fit smaller and smaller components including camera sensors and lenses and you can't change the laws of physics. Don't just assume that newer should be better and educate yourself about photography. There are plenty of photo resources out there that you can reference if you really want to understand what's going on and how to address it. Even threads linked above have comments on lens flare specifically.

f/1.8, f/2.2, etc in your screenshots is the aperature.

 

[brandscill]

Probably not a defect in the way you're thinking but part of the pros and cons involved with the changes that Apple made. As someone mentioned above, they're trying to fit smaller and smaller components including camera sensors and lenses and you can't change the laws of physics. Don't just assume that newer should be better and educate yourself about photography. There are plenty of photo resources out there that you can reference if you really want to understand what's going on and how to address it. Even threads linked above have comments on lens flare specifically.

f/1.8, f/2.2, etc in your screenshots is the aperature.

Thanks for the response. I've been reading around the topic a fair bit but it's a little unfair to say I should need to simply educate myself about photography. Not everybody that buys an iPhone should need to be a photography buff before investing in the product.

Is it safe to say that a lower aperture can generally lend itself to a greater amount of Lens Flare?

 

[conleyca]

ISO 100, f/1.8 & shutter at 1/14 is letting in a lot more light than the ISO 250, f/2.2 & 1/20 of the iPhone 6.

I'd suggest tapping a spot on the screen to change the lighting and focus to get the results you are looking for, but you're not likely to get rid of the star effects completely.

Here are a few photos with my 7 plus looking directly into a bright light.

 

[Cameron604]

The answer is simple and straight-forward: Lens flare. That is a physical characteristic of the lens, not a digital problem.

The aperture of any iPhone is not variable. The iPhone 7 Plus has two different lenses, one at f1.8 and one at f2.2, but both are fixed apertures.

The lens flare is likely there as a trade-off choice that Apple made. They made the lens faster this year (the telephoto lens exhibits the same design behaviours since it's a slower aperture but longer focal length).

As covered above, the iPhone 7/Plus shots are more exposed, by at least a full stop. In photography terms, a stop is twice the light (but the picture, to your eyes, wouldn't seem twice as bright). A more exposed shot will (usually) show more lens flare. The lens flare would already be there no matter what, but it would become more apparent as the shot is exposed more.

As far as how to fix this... really... there is no solution. In some cases, lens flare is caused by a bulbous front element on a lens picking up stray light sources (ex. the sun). A lens hood would cut out the lens flare by basically blocking out light from bouncing into the lens element from the sides. However, in your case, the lens flare is coming from all light sources... so a lens hood wouldn't do you any good.

 

[brandscill]

So turns out there was a camera sensor fault. Phone replaced for new today as was in returns period