This issue seems to be a growing complaint with the 13 Pro series. It seems like the main problems are caused by the extreme conservatism in switching to the telephoto lens and excessive sharpening and processing due to smart HDR (and unlike older models, it can’t be turned off unless you use a third party app and shoot RAW). Some of this can be chalked up to software problems that might be fixed in the future. On the other hand, there are some hardware causes to your observations as well. The main lens on the 13 Pro is a new f/1.5 lens, which IIRC is the biggest aperture on an iPhone yet (the regular 13 is 1.6). Given that apertures are fixed on most smartphone cameras, I’d assume this is what explains the softness (lower f-stop number = bigger aperture = generally softer images). In exchange, you’d mainly get better low light performance, which might be why you get better results in your 13 Pro in most conditions except in bright light—in conditions with lots of light, you usually don’t want or need a huge aperture to collect more light, and smaller apertures (generally) give sharper (i.e. more things in focus in the frame) results. The 11 Pro had an f/2.0 lens which would be much sharper since the opening is smaller. EDIT: I also see from the DP review article that the telephoto lens on the 13 Pro/Max actually has a slower (smaller) aperture than the 12 Pro series since it’s much more zoomed in, as you’ve observed. Because of this, the telephoto lens in the 13 Pro has worse low light performance than the telephoto in the 12 Pro series. This is probably why the 13 Pro keeps preferring the main lens more often, given that the main lens gathers more light. Answer from jennesp on reddit.com
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Digital Photography Review
dpreview.com › articles › all apple iphone 13 and 13 pro camera upgrades: explained
All Apple iPhone 13 and 13 Pro camera upgrades: Explained: Digital Photography Review
June 7, 2023 - But here's the gist of it: Apple managed to cram the larger sensor and optics seen in last year's iPhone 12 Pro Max into the much smaller 13 Mini this year, all the way down to the sensor shift stabilization technology. So when it comes to this year's iPhone cameras, think 'bigger'. ... Last year's iPhone 12 models didn't see any step-up in sensor size from the 11 models until you got to the 12 Pro Max model.
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DXOMARK
dxomark.com › apple-iphone-13-pro-max-camera-test-retested
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max Camera test - DXOMARK
September 20, 2022 - Read on to find out how the all-new iPhone 13 Pro Max camera performed in our DXOMARK Camera tests. ... Primary: 12 MP sensor, 1.9µm pixels, 26 mm equivalent f/1.5-aperture lens, sensor-shift OIS, Dual Pixel AF
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DXOMARK
dxomark.com › apple-iphone-13-pro-max-camera-review-apple-flagship-imaging
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max Camera review: Apple flagship imaging - DXOMARK
September 20, 2022 - Read on to find out how the all-new iPhone 13 Pro Max camera performed in our DXOMARK Camera tests. ... Primary: 12 MP sensor, 1.9µm pixels, 26 mm equivalent f/1.5-aperture lens, sensor-shift OIS, Dual Pixel AF
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GSMArena
gsmarena.com › apple_iphone_13_pro_max-review-2326p5.php
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max review: Camera: Hardware and app
One thing that hasn't changed is the selfie camera. It's the same 12MP unit with a 1/3.6" sensor and a 23mm focal length f/2.2 aperture lens. There's no autofocus here, unfortunately.
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The Verge
theverge.com › tech › apple › cameras
Apple says it every year, but the iPhone 13 cameras do seem much improved | The Verge
For comparison, the 12 Pro Max had 1.7μm pixels, while every other iPhone since the XS has had 1.4μm pixels. Apple isn’t outgunning Android phones on hardware · It’s not clear exactly what hardware changes Apple has made to the iPhone ...
Published   September 15, 2021
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/apple › i hate the iphone 13 pro max's camera. am i the only one ?
r/apple on Reddit: i hate the iPhone 13 Pro Max's camera. am i the only one ?
March 7, 2022 -

it’s mostly due to the tele-lens

I always loved the 52mm equivalent on my 8+, XS Max and 11 Pro Max cause, it gives me a similar f.o.v. than the lensesd i use the most often on my different cameras. But now it’s a 77mm and it’s just too long to take almost every type of photos. Too long to shoot people, too long for animals, too long for landscape and architecture. the only time were i’ve been happy with this longer lens is the few times where i actually wished it was way longer like for filming the weird drone that was going around my building the other day.

But when i subjectively hate this 77mm, it’s also objectively bad, like, it’s very poor in low light and apple are not confident in it, so with most apps, like the default one, if you try zoomig 3x there’s like 75% chances it won’t actually use the tele lens, but instead digitally zoom on the main lens reducing it’s resolution to barely better than 1 megapixel (720p pictures and videos basically)

I’ve spoken with apple about it on the phone, spent hours trying to diagnose my iPhone of not behaving like it should but, the sad truth is that, my iPhone does totally behave as planned by apple. And i’m mad.

My partner still has his 11 Pro Max, and now everytime we go out together and i see a picture than could be taken i borrow his iPhone then airdrop myself the picture.

Also ! The main lens, has a much much bigger sensor, but the lens is actually much worse. In most situations i do take better photos with the main lens with the 13 Pro Max than the 11 Pro Max, but there are some situations, especially closer to the subject and in good light conditions, where the 11 Pro Max takes much sharper pictures.

And globally i also find the 13 Pro Max to use too much noise reduction and especially way too much Sharpening but that can be fixed by shooting RAW.

Anyway, anybody noticed apple not going the right decision with this iPhone ? I get that most of you will disagree with me. It’s okay.

I don’t think the 13 pro max is actually bad, i think for some (maybe even most) people it’s the best iPhone. But it’s not for me, and i really want to get back on the 11 Pro Max and seriously hope apple Brings back the "52mm or so" lens with the next iPhone.

Have a nice day everyone !

Top answer
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Both my 12 Pro Max and 13 Pro Max way overprocess images and I'm surprised people haven't complained about it more.
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This issue seems to be a growing complaint with the 13 Pro series. It seems like the main problems are caused by the extreme conservatism in switching to the telephoto lens and excessive sharpening and processing due to smart HDR (and unlike older models, it can’t be turned off unless you use a third party app and shoot RAW). Some of this can be chalked up to software problems that might be fixed in the future. On the other hand, there are some hardware causes to your observations as well. The main lens on the 13 Pro is a new f/1.5 lens, which IIRC is the biggest aperture on an iPhone yet (the regular 13 is 1.6). Given that apertures are fixed on most smartphone cameras, I’d assume this is what explains the softness (lower f-stop number = bigger aperture = generally softer images). In exchange, you’d mainly get better low light performance, which might be why you get better results in your 13 Pro in most conditions except in bright light—in conditions with lots of light, you usually don’t want or need a huge aperture to collect more light, and smaller apertures (generally) give sharper (i.e. more things in focus in the frame) results. The 11 Pro had an f/2.0 lens which would be much sharper since the opening is smaller. EDIT: I also see from the DP review article that the telephoto lens on the 13 Pro/Max actually has a slower (smaller) aperture than the 12 Pro series since it’s much more zoomed in, as you’ve observed. Because of this, the telephoto lens in the 13 Pro has worse low light performance than the telephoto in the 12 Pro series. This is probably why the 13 Pro keeps preferring the main lens more often, given that the main lens gathers more light.
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GSMArena
gsmarena.com › apple_uses_three_new_sony_camera_sensors_in_the_iphone_13_pro_max-news-51137.php
Apple uses three new Sony camera sensors in the iPhone 13 Pro Max - GSMArena.com news
September 27, 2021 - All three shooters have new Sony IMX 7-series sensors behind, while the ToF and front-facing camera inherited the sensors of the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The main 12MP cam has 26mm focal length equivalent, F/1.5 aperture and 1.9 μm pixel size.
Find elsewhere
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DXOMARK
dxomark.com › apple-iphone-13-pro-camera-test-retested
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Camera test - DXOMARK
September 28, 2022 - It also uses sensor shift OIS, ... to the Pro Max device. The ultra-wide camera comes with a same-size sensor as last year but has gained a faster aperture and and a PDAF autofocus versus the fixed-focus lens on the iPhone 12 series. Sensor size remains unchanged in the tele module but Apple has increased the focal length and the tele now offers a 3x optical magnification compared to the primary cam. Read on to find out how the iPhone 13 Pro camera ...
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TechInsights
techinsights.com › blog › apple-iphone-14-image-sensor-preliminary-analysis
Apple iPhone 14 Image Sensor - Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max Cameras | TechInsights
This full-array Dual Photodiode feature is also confirmed to be in use in the new 48 MP sensor. Figure 4. Apple iPhone 13 Pro/Max vs iPhone 14 Pro/Max Main Rear Camera CIS Dies. ... Figure 5 shows iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max vs iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max Ultrawide rear camera modules.
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PhoneArena
phonearena.com › home › news
iPhone 13 camera: Everything you need to know - PhoneArena
April 15, 2024 - The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max scored large new 48MP sensors in one of the biggest upgrades of an iPhone camera ever, but the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus mostly reused the iPhone 13/13 mini camera.
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Apple
apple.com › by › iphone-13-pro › specs
iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max - Technical Specifications
Learn more about popular features and topics, and find resources that will help you with all of your Apple products.
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GitHub
github.com › openMVG › openMVG › issues › 2077
trying to get iPhone 13 Pro sensor size in mm · Issue #2077 · openMVG/openMVG
February 25, 2022 - According to this page: https://www.phonearena.com/phones/Apple-iPhone-13-Pro_id11635, the sensor size of the iPhone 13 Pro is 1/1.65". And to this page: https://designreviews.com/standards/digital-camera-sensor-size-chart/ the size in mm will ...
Published   Jun 04, 2022
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › IPhone_13_Pro
iPhone 13 Pro - Wikipedia
2 weeks ago - Both models can charge with MagSafe ... the Pro Max model. The iPhone 13 Pro features four cameras: one front-facing camera for selfie and three rear-facing cameras which includes a telephoto, wide, and ultra-wide camera. The rear-facing cameras all contain larger sensors than the iPhone ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/apple › iphone 13 pro max camera modules detailed: brings new sony imx sensors
r/apple on Reddit: IPhone 13 Pro Max Camera Modules Detailed: Brings New Sony IMX Sensors
July 4, 2021 - You can have a camera that always delivers 12 MP from a higher res sensor but uses binning to allow more zooming with the trade off of more noise or less zooming with reduced noise.
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Austin Mann
austinmann.com › trek › iphone-13-pro-camera-review-tanzania
iPhone 13 Pro Camera Review: Tanzania — Travel Photographer - Austin Mann
September 14, 2022 - ProRAW file edited on iPhone in Lightroom CC. It should come as no surprise that I’ve used the new 77 mm Telephoto lens more than anything else out here on safari. Even so, I’ve been impressed with it, more than I thought I’d be.
Address   New York NY 10128 USA
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Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-crop-factor-of-the-iPhone-13-Pro-main-camera
What is the 'crop factor' of the iPhone 13 Pro main camera? - Quora
Answer: I figure that it is about 4.56. Actual focal length is 5.7 mm, coverage approximates that of a 26 mm lens for a full frame camera. 26/5.7 = 4.56. For the larger sensor but wider coverage of the iPhone 14 Pro, the corresponding figures ...
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NanoReview
nanoreview.net › home › apple smartphones › apple iphone 13 pro max: specifications and benchmarks
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max: specs, benchmarks, and user reviews
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max – full specifications, battery, camera, display, and performance tests. User and expert reviews.