Terrible pictures taken on 5S and 3 Apple Rep's say "it's normal"

[finn5975]

I just went and watched the iSight camera video advertisement on Apple.com. Not surprisingly, they make some very impressive claims of the camera and back up those claims but providing a myriad of perfect looking shots. I would watch that video, and at face value, I would think I was getting one of the greatest cameras ever to be made.

However, I know from life never to just stop at face value. Number one, they are trying to sell me something. So, everything is going to look fantastic. They don't tell you if they took 20 photos of that mountain or sunset before finally getting the perfect shot. They don't tell you if they are using a tripod, if they are adjusting the angle 14 times to get the right amount of light, etc. The images they show are images of still objects. They are in perfect lighting. They are not giving you examples of photos taken at a concert, inside a dark kitchen, of a running dog, a quick moving kitten, etc. None of the pictures they show you are cropped or zoomed...not one! They are giving you controlled examples in perfect conditions to demonstrate what the camera 'can indeed do' if you do so in the same way.

Even in the photo they show of the group at dinner in low light, you can tell that some of the folks are 'fuzzy'. The photos where they use the two-tone flash are of subject matter close to the camera, not far away because they realize the flash will only work to a certain distance. A consumer has to use a bit of common sense when researching a product. A consumer needs to know that only the best selling points will be used in a video designed to sell you the product. It doesn't mean the camera on the iPhone cannot do all of the things they show and claim....but it doesn't mean there weren't extremely controlled conditions in arriving at the examples they showed either.

 

[Massie]

Any photo taken with a white background comes out great this is the reason I use it to take my eBay item photos. Led's flower photo had a lot of background disturbance with the brick wall to be very effective

I was actually looking more at the focus in that shot?since the main subject is out of focus and the background is in focus, it seemed like it might not show the OP how good the camera can be.

 

[anon4757448]

To finn5975: The Apple commercials advertise the phone as a point and shoot camera. These are just a few parts of their advertisement: ?What makes the iSight camera so remarkable is how beautiful photos look without your having to do anything at all. Just aim and shoot. That?s it... All because of the advanced technologies custom designed for the camera?s hardware and software." and they also advertise "The new iSight camera on iPhone*5s builds on the iPhone*5 camera in ways that make a real difference to your photos. It captures beautiful images at 8 megapixels. What makes them beautiful is a redesigned camera sensor that allows for bigger pixels." According to you, the phone has a tiny sensor and weak LED Flash. The video advertisement states that the 5S has a white and amber flash which allows beautiful pictures in any light. So, excuse me for expecting what was promised. If you go and look up their advertisement and watch Apple's video advertisement of the 5S you will understand my expectations. I wasn't expecting anything that was not marketed by Apple. I have taken pictures in many different lights and none of them are capable of being used for albums which makes me get "bent out of shape", as you say. Furthermore, the Apple Store is not a doctor's office. And it is a bit of a stretch that you are trying to compare the two. People go to the doctor because they require the attention of ONE person who has gone to school for over a decade. You would expect to make an appointment when there are hundreds of people who need one particular person. We go to the doctor for our health and sometimes to save our life so waiting for the doctor for even an hour is frustrating, but easier to understand because their is only one of them. We also need to make appointments because we need the privacy of our own room. However, the Apple Store, has an average of 100 people working in the store and the employees have a few weeks to a few months of training and they sell products that are mass produced. They are really not comparable. What if we had to make an appointment to shop at Macy's or Target? I have gone to the Apple Store about a dozen times and received bad customer service on at least 10 out of the 12 appointments. To say that I am bent out of shape, is a bit of a stretch. And I have seen the pictures that people have posted on this forum and they do not compare to the quality of pictures advertised by Apple. The 5S advertises that it captures 8 megapixels, which should be plenty big enough to zoom in and blow up to poster size without being grainy. There are many pictures posted that would not be capable of being blown up which shows me that this is a 5S problem and not a photographer issue which means that the 5S does not do what it is suppose to do as far as the camera is concerned.

Can't say the 5s doesn't produce as advertised if the vast majority of devices are working just fine. It seems that everyone that has commented here is fine with their phone's camera output.

I agree that your pics are poor but that means: 1) there IS a problem with your phone and/or 2) you're zooming too much.

Since the people here aren't there with you, there is only so much help they can provide. You can't make someone believe Apple presents false advertising when their phones work perfectly.

Looks like you've already decided to move to the Nokia. I hope it meets your needs. Best of luck to you!




Sent from my iPhone 5S using iMore Forums

 

[Lisa Bradley]

The drummer face is so distorted. This picture was originally not zoomed in on. I tried to edit it in the Iphoto app and wanted to have it blown up for my daughter. I took at least 25 pictures on this particular day and unfortunately none of them are usable. Thanks for your help.

 

[Lisa Bradley]

Well like I said, I told the Apple Rep what my photo needs would be and he assured me it would zoom and crop and take concert pictures just fine. If you can't depend on their "experts" then the product is of no value. I went and asked a Verizon rep if they had a phone that could take good low light shots and zoom on video and they were honest in telling me no. Honesty was all I was interested in. I am sadly disappointed and now know that I am going to have to purchase a Nokia. Thanks for your help.

 

[Ledsteplin]

For what it's worth (and I don't mean to offend Ledsteplin) I don't think this is the best example of what the camera can do either...here is a shot I took for work (for use in a print ad) using my iPhone 5:

View attachment 61904

I think the detail, color balance, etc are pretty good--and your phone should do even better.

She never commented on the rose photo. She referred to her own photo I tried to enhance.

 

[Lisa Bradley]

The only thing I did differently on the poster size picture was that I used my 4.

 

[Lisa Bradley]

Just so you'll understand where I am coming from with these 5S pictures, let me show you some awesome pictures that were taken with my I phone 4. These are pictures from all different moments. Some are cropped and some not, but, all of them are capable of being blown up and used in photo books. None of them look cartoonish or grainy when you zoom. Even the picture of my son's birthday in low light and the one of the different light fixtures in Home Depot are of awesome quality. As you can see from the Zac Brown concert, the pictures are far from perfect, but, you can make out the face and it was taken at the exact same place as the Elton John concert. It was in the same light and was majorly zoomed in on. Since these are so awesome and they were taken with the 4, I was expecting even better pictures with the 5S. I thank everyone for your responses, but, I think I am going to check into getting a Nokia.

 

[Lisa Bradley]

KarenK: I would be really happy with this picture. I think printing it would be fine. Thanks for sharing. Love It!

 

[Lisa Bradley]

Ledsteplin: Check out my nature pictures I took with my 4. This is why I feel disappointed with the 5S.

 

[ritesh]

Did you try taking a picture with your phone, inside the service centre and click the same picture with a technicians phone ? Does it vary? If you think Apple has mislead you, why not take a legal recourse, in the US equivalent of a consumer forum/court. Atleast this way, they may offer you a replacement or try to help you out.

 

[Lisa Bradley]

Some of the ones I attached did not show up. Again, these were taken with my I phone 4. They have been zoomed and cropped and sent off for copies. None of them are cartoonish. The first one was taken on the beach at dusk and zoomed in. And although the Zac Brown concert pictures are far from great, you can still make out his face. These were taken on the same stage as the Elton John pictures and about the same time of night and zoomed in on. These are awesome and show why I feel so disappointed in the 5S. I was expecting my picture quality to get better.

 

[finn5975]

So I decided to look at the exif data of Lisa's pictures to see if I could pinpoint the problem that way.

Here are two photos that she used to show how terrible the iPhone 5S is despite her 4S having taken such awesome pictures:

Yet the EXIF data shows both of these photos to be taken not with the 5S, but instead her iPhone 4S.

Then in her myriad of pictures uploaded to demonstrate how awesome her iPhone 4S was at taking pictures compared to her crappy 5S...


The EXIF data shows that these were actually taken with a Canon Powershot SX50.

Of the pictures uploaded that I could actually confirm came from her 5S, the average file size was 550kb. Of the pictures I could actually confirm came from her 4S, the average file size was 1.4mb. For what it's worth.




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[Massie]

So I decided to look at the exif data of Lisa's pictures to see if I could pinpoint the problem that way.

Here are two photos that she used to show how terrible the iPhone 5S is despite her 4S having taken such awesome pictures:
View attachment 61959View attachment 61960
Yet the EXIF data shows both of these photos to be taken not with the 5S, but instead her iPhone 4S.

Then in her myriad of pictures uploaded to demonstrate how awesome her iPhone 4S was at taking pictures compared to her crappy 5S...
View attachment 61961
View attachment 61962View attachment 61963
The EXIF data shows that these were actually taken with a Canon Powershot SX50.

Of the pictures uploaded that I could actually confirm came from her 5S, the average file size was 550kb. Of the pictures I could actually confirm came from her 4S, the average file size was 1.4mb. For what it's worth.




Sent from my iPhone using iMore Forums

Awesome work!

 

[kataran]

So I decided to look at the exif data of Lisa's pictures to see if I could pinpoint the problem that way.

Here are two photos that she used to show how terrible the iPhone 5S is despite her 4S having taken such awesome pictures:
View attachment 61959View attachment 61960
Yet the EXIF data shows both of these photos to be taken not with the 5S, but instead her iPhone 4S.

Then in her myriad of pictures uploaded to demonstrate how awesome her iPhone 4S was at taking pictures compared to her crappy 5S...
View attachment 61961
View attachment 61962View attachment 61963
The EXIF data shows that these were actually taken with a Canon Powershot SX50.

Of the pictures uploaded that I could actually confirm came from her 5S, the average file size was 550kb. Of the pictures I could actually confirm came from her 4S, the average file size was 1.4mb. For what it's worth.




Sent from my iPhone using iMore Forums

Interesting and I don't believe she was trying to dupe our community if you snap a lot of photos there's an easy chance of forgetting which device was used but in this case she should have checked the EXIFs herself

Lisa you appear to be an intelligent but high strung person and not using your head in this problem that seems to be overwhelming you

If your i4 at 5mp are taking such wonderful photos such as the ones you posted wouldn't you believe that any company would improve on there product in future releases. It's clear as day that your 5s camera is defective and you should use your persistence that you show here at Apple and demand a replacement how ever it takes

 

[kataran]

Did you try taking a picture with your phone, inside the service centre and click the same picture with a technicians phone ? Does it vary? If you think Apple has mislead you, why not take a legal recourse, in the US equivalent of a consumer forum/court. Atleast this way, they may offer you a replacement or try to help you out.

Great advice

 

[anon4757448]

Just so you'll understand where I am coming from with these 5S pictures, let me show you some awesome pictures that were taken with my I phone 4. These are pictures from all different moments. Some are cropped and some not, but, all of them are capable of being blown up and used in photo books. None of them look cartoonish or grainy when you zoom. Even the picture of my son's birthday in low light and the one of the different light fixtures in Home Depot are of awesome quality. As you can see from the Zac Brown concert, the pictures are far from perfect, but, you can make out the face and it was taken at the exact same place as the Elton John concert. It was in the same light and was majorly zoomed in on. Since these are so awesome and they were taken with the 4, I was expecting even better pictures with the 5S. I thank everyone for your responses, but, I think I am going to check into getting a Nokia. View attachment 61936 View attachment 61940View attachment 61939View attachment 61938View attachment 61937 View attachment 61941View attachment 61942View attachment 61943View attachment 61944View attachment 61945View attachment 61947

The iPhone takes pics with the date on it? I'm asking for a friend...


Sent from my iPhone 5S using iMore Forums

 

[mikeo007]

So I decided to look at the exif data of Lisa's pictures to see if I could pinpoint the problem that way.

Here are two photos that she used to show how terrible the iPhone 5S is despite her 4S having taken such awesome pictures:
View attachment 61959View attachment 61960
Yet the EXIF data shows both of these photos to be taken not with the 5S, but instead her iPhone 4S.

Then in her myriad of pictures uploaded to demonstrate how awesome her iPhone 4S was at taking pictures compared to her crappy 5S...
View attachment 61961
View attachment 61962View attachment 61963
The EXIF data shows that these were actually taken with a Canon Powershot SX50.

Of the pictures uploaded that I could actually confirm came from her 5S, the average file size was 550kb. Of the pictures I could actually confirm came from her 4S, the average file size was 1.4mb. For what it's worth.




Sent from my iPhone using iMore Forums

Oh wow...not wasting any more time with this one. Thanks for investigating.

 

[Lisa Bradley]

Finn5975: You are full of it!!! All of these pictures were taken with my Iphone. Don't try and create something that is not there. If you don't like my posts, then don't read them, but don't try and say things that you do not know to me correct. Look at the Hawaii pictures taken with my 4 and compare them to the amusement park or the picture of the drummer at the ocean front and you can clearly see that there is a big difference between the picture quality of the 4 and 5. I notice you did not put any of the Hawaii pictures in your comparison. What does your exif data show you about those pictures???? Pinpoint on those.

 

[Just_Me_D]

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