Level 1 (135 points)

iPhone 17 Pro main camera photos are blurry from center to edge

Dear all,

I mainly use my iPhone camera for research purposes, taking pictures of rare music manuscripts and old editions.

I use an iPhone XS (12 MP main sensor) and my wife an iPhone 17 Pro (48 MP main sensor).

During a recent session at a library where we took a combined total of 4000 pictures, we were shocked by a specific difference: the iPhone XS pictures were perfectly crisp while the ones takes with the 17 Pro became progressively blurred from the centre out. The effect was as if the notes were progressively being detached from the paper, casting a shadow underneath, their strokes becoming increasingly blurry.

We were shooting from about half a metre of distance, all pictures confirming we were using the main sensor, in ideal lighting conditions provided by the library. We tried to take a picture of an A4 page of printed text and the results were the same: crispy center, blurry edges, progressive worsening of the definition from the centre to the edge. We tried to shoot in RAW: same results.

I am attaching a sample picture (which I had to convert to JPEG through the Finder because the forum doesn't accept HEIC).

What I'd like to know is:

if this could be a hardware issue (i.e., you cannot reproduce the issue on your iPhone 17 Pro)
if this is a known software issue
if there are certain camera settings that could help mitigate this issue.
other suggestions

I am considering to upgrade my XS to the 18 Pro but if this issue is still there, I cannot afford to be crippled like this for the next 7-8 years. Please also notice that, getting closer and shooting with the telephoto lens results in a perfectly sharp picture. The problem is that no music page fits in the sensor at that distance.

Thank you for your kind help!

Posted on Sep 23, 2026 2:31 AM

5 replies

Richard.Taylor

Level 7 (25,466 points)

Sep 23, 2026 7:38 AM in response to NotationMaster

I see the effect in your picture, . How close were you to the page? If you're right in the center, then the edges can be significantly farther away from the lens, causing a loss of focus at the edges. The solution is to back off, some.

Another thing you might try in Settings>apps>Photos is to turn off "View Full HDR."

High Dynamic Range works by taking multiple exposures and combining them, but any motion during the exposures can cause a blur.

NotationMaster Author

Level 1 (135 points)

Sep 23, 2026 2:18 PM in response to Richard.Taylor

About 40-50 cm above the page.

When getting nearer the telephoto lens would take a much crispier image overall, and without all those visual artefacts.

We could not get farther from the table. My main point is that ~2000 pictures taken with the iPhone 17 Pro and more than half of them are blurred like this (or worse), being particularly sensitive to even the slightest curvature in the paper (typical in books). ~2000 pictures taken with the iPhone XS and perhaps 20-30 show slight signs of blurriness in the very corners.

Something is definitely wrong here.

I tried to turn off View Full HDR but the result is not better. By the way, the iPhone XS has the same option and it didn't 'ruin' the pictures.

I will also consider bringing a musical score to the Apple Store or Apple Genius Bar and show them the issue in person.

Richard.Taylor

Level 7 (25,466 points)

Sep 24, 2026 8:53 AM in response to NotationMaster

NotationMaster wrote:

About 40-50 cm above the page.

I will also consider bringing a musical score to the Apple Store or Apple Genius Bar and show them the issue in person.

That's pretty close. A telephoto lens shouldn't be used at that distance. I would use a different table so I could get farther away.

NotationMaster Author

Level 1 (135 points)

Sep 24, 2026 9:26 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

I fear there may be a misunderstanding.

The telephoto was never used for these pictures: always the main camera (as each file says).

I am not aware of a way I can manually decide what camera to use.

The only thing I said about the telephoto lens is that, when I got to about 20 cm or less from the paper, then Macro mode would kick in, but this was by accident, not something that happened regularly.

Why would the iPhone XS main camera from 50 cm produce a crispy image and the iPhone 17 Pro main camera from the same distance produce a blurry image?

Richard.Taylor

Level 7 (25,466 points)

Sep 24, 2026 9:41 AM in response to NotationMaster

NotationMaster wrote: …Why would the iPhone XS main camera from 50 cm produce a crispy image and the iPhone 17 Pro main camera from the same distance produce a blurry image?

I'm not sure. They have different cameras. I haven't looked it up, but the f/stop on each lens is different, and that affects depth of field .

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256363331