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[Log In] Forgot password [ ] Back to Login [Password Reset] 1. Home 2. Insights 3. Travel Tools 4. Blurry iPhone Text Picture Problem: Is There An Easy Solution I'm Missing? Blurry iPhone Text Picture Problem: Is There An Easy Solution I'm Missing? Blurry iPhone Text Picture Problem: Is There An Easy Solution I'm Missing? * Ben Schlappig * 54 minutes ago * 7 [comments-i] 7 Share Tweet Collectively I'd like to think that OMAAT readers know just about everything, so I'm wondering if anyone might be able to help with a solution to my problem... In this post: * My one annoyance with using the iPhone camera * Is there some obvious solution I'm missing? * Bottom line My one annoyance with using the iPhone camera I review airlines and hotels in great detail, though I take a pretty low-tech approach to doing so. For as long as I can remember, I've just been using my iPhone to take pictures for the blog, and I find that it does the trick. [Etihad-First-Class-A380-73]The iPhone does the trick for taking plane cabin pictures I'm not a professional photographer, and for me, the iPhone strikes the right balance between portability, ease of use, and quality of pictures. The reality is that when I board a flight, I often have only a matter of seconds to take pictures, and my goal is also to fly under the radar as much as possible, and not arouse suspicion among airline crews about what I'm doing. [Aircalin-Business-Class-A330-900neo-3]It's easy to fly under the radar with an iPhone The iPhone camera has become really good nowadays, and the quality evolution is impressive... for the most part. As the iPhone's features have in theory improved in recent years, there's one aspect of the camera that I find is getting worse. Specifically, when I use the camera to take a picture of text (like a business class menu or a hotel restaurant menu), I find the text is increasingly blurry. I guess part of the issue is that the iPhone has gotten so good and high resolution that it has a hard time deciding where to focus when taking a picture of a page, and that gets tricky with text. For what it's worth, I have an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and before that, I had an iPhone 16 Pro Max, and both have had exactly the same issue (so this problem wasn't isolated to one phone). For those who have no clue what I'm talking about, below is an example of a picture of an Etihad wine list, and how it's much blurrier than I feel like it should be. [Etihad-Residence-A380-46-scaled]Etihad first class wine list, but make it a bit blurry! (from 2026) It's kind of funny, taking pictures of menus with text is probably the single biggest thing that frustrates me about the photography aspect of flights, because it feels like taking a picture of a piece of paper should be super easy, but it always gives me issues (and I usually end up taking like 20 pictures of the same page, and then picking the best one). I do this stuff for a living, and I should be able to do better than posting blurry text. Some people might be thinking "well wait, has something actually changed?" I know that seven years ago when I was taking pictures with previous generation iPhones, I thought that text was significantly clearer, and less blurry. [Aer-Lingus-Menu]I feel like iPhone pictures of text have become worse (from 2019) Is there some obvious solution I'm missing? I've tried Googling this question, but there's oddly little discussion about this online (maybe I'm just describing my problem poorly?). It's confusing, because I can't imagine I'm the only person who uses the iPhone camera to sometimes take pictures of text. Is there something obvious I'm missing, or something I'm doing wrong? I've read it makes sense to take pictures from further away (since it's partly a focus issue), and then cropping the picture, so that's what I've been doing lately. Even so, the quality is still pretty bad. Is there some setting I have to change? Do I just need to carry another camera or an old iPhone specifically to take pictures of menus and stuff? Sorry, I know this is an arbitrary question, but it's something I've been dealing with for quite a long time now, and I figure I should ask and see if there's a solution. With some upcoming travel, I figure this is as good of a time as any to ask. I should mention that I appreciate that an increasing number of airlines and hotels publish their menus online, which is ideal. In those situations, I can just screenshot the menus there, and don't have to worry about taking pictures. Some people might suggest that I get a scanner, or something, but that's not really practical. For example, when I'm at a hotel restaurant, I'm not going to bring a scanner to breakfast, and I'm also not going to "steal" the menu (often in a nice binder) and take it home. Bottom line I feel like my iPhone serves me well for my travel pictures... except for taking pictures of text, like menus on airlines or at hotel restaurants. I'm sorry for the total newb question here, but I feel like I should be able to do better that this with ease, yet oddly searching this problem online isn't returning many good results. Anyone have any insights about my iPhone camera problem? Share Tweet Conversations (7) The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered. Write a comment * Most Recent * Oldest First * Most Helpful Cancel reply [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Add a Comment[ ] Type your response here. If you'd like to participate in the discussion, please adhere to our commenting guidelines. Anyone can comment, and your email address will not be published. Register to save your unique username and earn special OMAAT reputation perks! [ ] [ ] [Post] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] D[ ] 1. [ava] pstm91 Diamond April 13, 2026, 6:59 pm I switched to the Google Pixel (and Google Fi) and will never look back. Much better camera (and phone in general) and having everything automatically integrated with Google makes everything so much easier. Also, for how much you travel (especially internationally), Fi is by far the best provider I've had. Have never needed a sim/e-sim since switching, and that includes some really off-the-beaten-path places. My wife's iPhone's camera constantly has issues, and the quality... I switched to the Google Pixel (and Google Fi) and will never look back. Much better camera (and phone in general) and having everything automatically integrated with Google makes everything so much easier. Also, for how much you travel (especially internationally), Fi is by far the best provider I've had. Have never needed a sim/e-sim since switching, and that includes some really off-the-beaten-path places. My wife's iPhone's camera constantly has issues, and the quality of my pictures vs hers is not even comparable, especially if Zoomed in or like you pointed out - focusing on text. Can't recommend it enough. Read more Helpful Reply 2. [ava] ptahcha Member April 13, 2026, 6:35 pm Rather than pointing camera downwards, take the picture of the menu straight on by hoisting it upright. Additionally, as you are framing the picture, tap the middle to sharpen the focus. Helpful Reply 3. [ava] Whitney Guest April 13, 2026, 6:27 pm I'm not sure if this would work, but I wonder if scanning the item as a PDF via the Notes App might work better, since that functionality is still using the camera but is intended for text scanning and so may have different settings. Helpful Reply 4. [ava] Mason Guest April 13, 2026, 6:26 pm AeroB13a, it's your time to prove the iPhone superiority (if that's actually a thing). Helpful Reply 5. [ava] TheGrimCorsair Guest April 13, 2026, 6:13 pm in general, almost all lenses are softer in the corners of the image, but it may be especially noticeable if you're photographing a menu with the lens 6-12 inches away from the center. The top and bottom of the menu will always be a little further away from the lens than the center of the menu, and the lens will usually focus on the center so you lose some image quality/focus in the corners. Try... in general, almost all lenses are softer in the corners of the image, but it may be especially noticeable if you're photographing a menu with the lens 6-12 inches away from the center. The top and bottom of the menu will always be a little further away from the lens than the center of the menu, and the lens will usually focus on the center so you lose some image quality/focus in the corners. Try using the 2x lens from a bit further away and see if the depth of field helps out more for the top and bottom/corners. Keep the lens centered over the menu too. You can easily try this at home. Read more Helpful (1) Reply 6. [IMG] matthewsoft New Member April 13, 2026, 6:11 pm Have you tried doing it with the 2x lens? I think sometimes it's a problem with the wider angle of the new standard 1x lens. Have you tried comparing it to the scanning feature in the Notes app? I wonder if it helps reduce the blurriness of those captures since it's in "text" mode. Helpful (1) Reply 7. [ava] Casey Guest April 13, 2026, 6:10 pm Do you have live photos turned on? Might be making a difference... Helpful Reply Report a Comment Why are you reporting this comment? ( ) Spam ( ) Racism ( ) Harassment or violence ( ) Inappropriate Thanks for letting us know! Your feedback is important in helping us keep our community safe. Submitting... Submit Report Featured Comments View all comments (7) Write a comment Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ). The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered. [ava] TheGrimCorsair Guest April 13, 2026, 6:13 pm in general, almost all lenses are softer in the corners of the image, but it may be especially noticeable if you're photographing a menu with the lens 6-12 inches away from the center. The top and bottom of the menu will always be a little further away from the lens than the center of the menu, and the lens will usually focus on the center so you lose some image quality/focus in the corners. Try using the 2x lens from a bit further away and see if the depth of field helps out more for the top and bottom/corners. Keep the lens centered over the menu too. You can easily try this at home. 1 [ava] matthewsoft New Member April 13, 2026, 6:11 pm Have you tried doing it with the 2x lens? I think sometimes it's a problem with the wider angle of the new standard 1x lens. Have you tried comparing it to the scanning feature in the Notes app? I wonder if it helps reduce the blurriness of those captures since it's in "text" mode. 1 [ava] pstm91 Diamond April 13, 2026, 6:59 pm I switched to the Google Pixel (and Google Fi) and will never look back. Much better camera (and phone in general) and having everything automatically integrated with Google makes everything so much easier. Also, for how much you travel (especially internationally), Fi is by far the best provider I've had. Have never needed a sim/e-sim since switching, and that includes some really off-the-beaten-path places. My wife's iPhone's camera constantly has issues, and the quality of my pictures vs hers is not even comparable, especially if Zoomed in or like you pointed out - focusing on text. 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