How to Fix iPhone 16 Pro Max Camera Focus Issue

Hi, I think many people don’t understand some fundamentals of camera lenses and optics. All lenses focus to infinity, but they also have a minimum focus distance as well.

My 50mm (1X) for full frame digital focuses down to about 18” and my 24mm (.5X) focuses to about 12” and 14mm focus down to about 8”

My iPhone 16 PM 1X lens is similar to my 50mm Canon lenses, focusing at about 18”. The .5X lens exceeds the near focus capability focusing down to about 6”. 

Some feel there’s a sharpness issue. The 13mm lens at 6” is not that sharp and the corners are soft. However, this is typical of all ultra wide angle lenses. 

Apple seems to have changed the near focus distance for the 24mm 1X lens. If it’s actually a design change in the lens, no software update will matter. Apple could possibly change the focus algorithm and force the lens to focus closer, but the results may not be acceptably sharp. 

I can confirm my wife’s 15 PM at 24mm (1X) focuses sharply at about 14”, maybe closer. 

The last two posters are claiming closeup photos. I’ve posted numerous extremely sharp handheld shots too. Your point?

New posters obviously aren’t reading the thread. One I responded to claims had the camera replaced. I find it hard to believe a replacement camera isn’t sharp.

Major YouTube reviewers aren’t noting it either. Shayne Mostyn that noticed the blue streaks and acknowledged Apple fixed it with an iOS release has said nothing about any sharpness issues.

Closeup focus has changed, but at the distance the 1X focuses, images are sharp. People just aren’t understanding that close focus has changed on the 1X. It does not focus as close as prior versions. My wife’s iPhone 15 Pro Max focuses 2 to 3 inches closer than my 16 PM. Both are on 18.3.1. The 1X on the 16 PM just does focus as close. It never will. Future models probably won’t either. Apple is relying on the .5X for macro now that it’s 48 MP.

Absolutely true. Apple Support sent me to the nearest Apple Store, guy at the store acknowledged the issue, could not help, saw that the 16 Pros at the store have the same issue and that my son’s 13 Pro takes clearer pictures, told me to contact phone support again and tell them that I posted on this forum and did not receive help, support now wants me to do a screen recording … blabla.

This makes no sense. I know how to take a picture, even with an analog medium format camera. Very disappointing! They should find a solution or offer a trade in for the 17 Pros (assuming a better camera).

This isn’t Apple Support. No one here is an advisor and can put images into anyone’s hands. This is a user to user community and always has been. 😀

It’s mostly me too’s and no proof. This thread has gone from macro doesn’t work, to it can’t take a sharp photo at any zoom to now you’re claiming it is not sharp when it’s approximately 1:1 on a screen.

Again, I’ll disagree. I’ll take some images into Lightroom Classic, magnify the pixels 1:1 and do some screenshots. They’ll be sharp, too.

I really appreciate your effort, but it is not that complicated:

A4 is 21 x 29,7 cm. I opened the 1x camera und photographed the whole page like a thousand times before at about 25 cm distance.

I understand that the minimum focus distance has changed due to a larger sensor. But honestly I don’t care. I expect that my iPhone takes sharp photos by either switching to the 0.5x ultra wide angle camera for macro sooner or getting proper focus with the 1x.

Hello guys, I hace the sane issue… I only had iphone 6 s plus, 7 plus and now I got my all new 16 pro max.. and I can tell you this without any doubt: my old 7 plus camera wipes the floor with the 16 pro max.. I’m not a professional photographer but I’ve always taken pictures all the time with my previous phone.. I’m SO dissapointed, you can’t imagine… Im from Argentina and I don’t know about you guys but I had to work my As$ off to get the money to buy this piece of junk with a 2004 camera on it… so I dont know what will happen in the future…

No, I’m going to make it simple. Apple changed the specification. The 24mm 1X lens does not focus as close as the older lenses. I’ve said that many times, but no one accepts it. Here is another analogy, really simplified. My 2025 Lexus looks different than the 2022 model. It’s obviously defective because they are different and I demand Lexus fix my 2022 model.

Do you understand now. It’s not defective. The lens designed changed. There is nothing to fix. The engineers changed the specifications for the lens. If you want to know why, ask the engineers and product managers at Apple. No software will fix the lens’ ability to focus close, no software will make the 2025 Lexus look like the 2022. Lexus. If you want an iPhone 13 you should have bought one. But iPhone 16 brought changes that you don’t want.

Stop wasting peoples time and go take some pictures.

The size of the chip has no effect on minimum focus distance. None. MoF is a characteristic of the optical design of the lens. Several of the major criteria of lens design are cost, size and weight.

Would you spend $500 more for a better lens? Would you buy the iPhone if it stuck out another 3cm? Would 2cm more be acceptable? If the iPhone weighed 175 grams more would you buy it? How about 80 grams more?

The camera module is always a compromise. You don’t like this models compromises. I get. But no one, not even Apple, can fix to your satisfaction the design modifications made in the camera. Better luck next year. But next year, please do your due diligence and make sure you try the features you feel are most important.

Evolution isn’t always instant progress, but it is change. I don’t need a challenge. I understand your iPhone doesn’t work the way older models did. I understand you don’t want to accept the changes Apple made to the camera module. I understand there’s nothing you, I or Apple can do to undo the changes. You don’t seem to accept my last sentence. You understand the words, but can’t accept the fact the lenses works the way it works. No challenge will fix your acceptance.

There are things my iPhone can’t do my Canon R3 can. There are things my Canon R3 can’t do my Hasselblad can. There are things my Hasselblad can’t do my 4X5 view camera can. Different cameras for different photographic problems. Different tools for different jobs.

If there was one best camera for everything, there would only be one camera. But there are hundreds if not thousands.

I’ve learned to accept change, have you? You’re beginning to sound like a boomer lamenting the change from film to digital. There were a whole lot of them than a couple of dozen iPhone photographers whose principal reason for owning the phone is to shoot A4 at 30cm in poor.

Either learn to embrace change, or sell your iPhone 16 Pro and buy the tool you need, an iPhone 13 Pro. Carrying on here is pointless. Go shoot some pictures that aren’t A4 at 30cm and capture the world and people around you.

Shine75, the forums don’t use @ symbol and never has. You replied to Uhhlyssa, see the small text in your post? If you want to reply to me, you click the reply button under the post you’re replying to.

No, I’m not lost in anything. It seems you’re not understanding and reading what I write.

Do you understand the 1X quits focusing at about 24 inches? That’s about where it ends.

Do you understand I haven’t mentioned macro once?

Do you understand When the 1X can’t focus any closer, you need to switch to another lens the focuses closer?

What lens does the iPhone 16 Pro have that focuses closer than 24” (~60cm)? Hint, there’s only one that focuses closer and it’s not the 5X.

Do you understand the .5X is an ultra wide lens and because of multiple design considerations is not sharp in the corner?

Do you understand the ultra wide lens cost ~ $3000 and up to have corners as sharp as the center?

Do you understand nether the iPhone 16 Pro 1X and .5X changed over previous models?

Do you understand not anyone here or at Apple, can change with software or firmware, how the .5X and 1X can focus?

Do you now understand change, and you made the wrong choice of cameras?

Yes, you are right, it is pointless.

Every camera - especially one as small as this - is a compromise.

Of course people photograph a lot of difference subjects at different distances, but given the fact many of them use the iPhone camera to scan documents and take notes makes this compromise appear to be a design flaw. And I - like many other participants in this thread - did just not expect that.

We will not change this design but Apple may in the next model.

Because this is the first time since my iPhone 3G that the camera quality degraded from a previous generation model to the next - at least in a certain and important aspect - I will of course diligently check the next iPhone’s camera.

The size of the sensor in relation to the size of the lens has an impact on the focus distance, as close focusing lenses require more lens elements. And their size should depend on the sensor size. Maybe the 16 Pro’s sensor is a bit too large for the camera module’s size and depth.

Of course you're stuck. Focus, focus focus... If this was a focus problem, text wouldn't be sharp as **** at center.

And the problem is the same at 1 meter distance. And we do not talk about sharpness for the 0.5x, it's for the 1x. Note that the 0.5x is sharper on the corners than the 1x.... What a surprise, uhhh ?

The problem is not "sharpness" as said many times a bit quickly by users... you just read quick descriptions of people here without testing by yourself. Or looking carefully at the pictures. Or you did look at them but do not understand photography basics.

I won't reply your useless questions. I do visibly understand far more things than you do, otherwise you wouldn't ask such irrelevant questions.

And yes, this problem can be easily solved by software, but I let you search how. Perhaps you'll find when you stop fooling yourself and mix things.

So either you're a troller, either an Apple engineer wanting to minimize the problem, either someone who thinks he understand things but do not in reality.

I agree, but to give (half) a point to Jeff Donald, sometimes progress means regression at some point. Before going up again. The thing here is that regression is there more and more since 3 generations of phones. And it's going worse and worse. And knowing that there is an easy software fix to hide this hardware problem, I don't understand Apple not taking this in account since so long.

Some barely have the issue because few people accurately came up with a test. Every user picked their own subject, in US A4 is not a size readily available. Distance from subject needs to be within the minimum focus distance of iPhone 16 Pro.

There was consistency with the so called test thus no consistency in the results. Sorry, your statement is irrelevant. Several people posted they went to Apple Store and every iPhone had same issue. Why, because it’s not an issue it’s a design limitation.

Im glad you’re not answering my questions because less teaching for me. It’s evident by your statements you know very little of physics (optics) and calculus. You can’t read an MTF chart and discern a sharp lens from deficient lens. Good luck on your photographic endeavors!