IPhone 12 Pro lens flare (2024)

Hyperblue

14 points

I have contacted Apple and they are replacing my iPhone 12 Pro after I sent them sample photos of the ghosting/reflections in the images. A $300 point and shoot digital camera produces lens flare, as does a $10,000 professional DSLR kit--but neither will produce the ghosting/reflecting I and others are seeing with photos taken with these faulty Apple lenses. The problem Apple has with the iPhone lens is NOT lens flare, it's ghosting/reflecting.

I did a camera test with my iPhone X and I had nice lens flares--as was to be expected--but again I didn't see any ghosting/reflections like I am seeing with the 12 Pro. If the replacement phone has the same issue, I'm going to get a refund. There is nothing "Pro" about using a camera that doesn't work as advertised.

[Edited by Moderator]

Hyperblue

14 points

Dogcow-Moof

36,140 points

Internal lens reflection in the face of strong light - completely normal, and this effect in particular is called "veiling flare" or sometimes "veiling glare."

In this cool DSLR photo, the spots on the left are conventional lens flare, the arcs on the right veiling flare:

If you feel differently:

Contact - Official Apple Support

Dogcow-Moof

36,140 points

Schenk21 wrote:

Calling ghostly apparitions lens flare is a real stretch. Points of light or a halo perhaps. Not layered images. The large pieces of glass help sell the phones. Apple has made a calculated decision that the flaw is less important than the cache of their look.

Well you disagree with photography magazines that have been in print for decades and hundreds of other professional photographers, not to mention camera manufacturers like Nikon, Canon and Sony.

Did you read my earlier post?

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251953166?answerId=253783306022#253783306022

Again, this was taken with a $4000 Canon DSLR and lens:

No, the $2000 lens wasn't defective; Canon and professional photographers agreed.

Hrithik_R

8 points

That is a screenshot from a video, I don’t know what to exactly call it but that’s just not expected from a phone of this caliber.

also I have started my own discussion where I’ve shared more images regarding the issue https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252129788

I hope you guys can help me out as here in India we are paying almost double of what you pay in the US and we don’t even get proper support and service. I hope the folks at apple just admit and rectify their mistake.

Dogcow-Moof

36,140 points

Hyperblue wrote:

Will, are you moderating everyone’s responses to you?

I have no ability to moderate anything here.

If posts are removed it is by Apple's employees acting as moderators and is done solely for violation of the Apple Support Communities Use Agreement you and everyone else, including myself, agreed to follow when creating an account here.

Dogcow-Moof

36,140 points

It's not a defect, it's physics.

You can exchange it, but the replacement will do the exact same thing.

You can try to figure out what's wrong all day, but I can all but guarantee that you will still be posting about this issue here this time next year just as the people on the iPhone 11 lens flare thread are, thirteen months after they were informed that it was not a defect but rather just…physics.

Once again, it is what it is, and there is no cost associated directly with the phone - Apple offers a full refund within 14 days of purchase. If there were carrier costs associated with switching phones, you will need to take that up with your carrier.

The phone's camera is working properly, you don't like how it works.

What you consider to be a "defect" won't change, no matter how much you want it to.

Once again, it's impossible to be more helpful and constructive than that; this is what it is and it won't be changing (but if it does, you can always buy one then and spare yourself however many months of anguish.)

I'm not trying to be insulting here, but you don't buy a steak and complain that it's not chicken, you have to buy what's right for you.

Dogcow-Moof

36,140 points

You took a picture under different lighting conditions from a different position at a slightly different angle and pronounce it to be the phone.

Believe whatever you like.

If you believe it is your phone, contact Apple Support directly; I've always said that:

Contact - Official Apple Support

If you believe it is all iPhones, return it for a refund.

Dogcow-Moof

36,140 points

As you're an established iPhone photographer you also know it's trivial to reproduce this on any iPhone going back to at least the iPhone 7 if not before, not to mention all other high end smartphone cameras.

If you believe it to be a sample defect, contact Apple Support directly:

Contact - Official Apple Support

If you believe it to be a defect in design, get a refund now before your return window expires.

IdrisSeabright

154,166 points

William Kucharski wrote:

Completely normal and your XS would have done the same thing taking the same photos.

iPhone XS Max photo:

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/3ed65540-3ecf-47af-a9dd-7961b245a82d

That's a lovely picture.

Dogcow-Moof

36,140 points

I’m not responding in a personal way, but to reiterate the facts:

• Do all copies of the model do it? Yes.

• Have the lenses been changed and improved each year? Yes.

For example, from a third-party site:

The standard wide camera on the ‌iPhone 11‌ series offers the same 12 megapixels and f/1.8 aperture as on last year'siPhone XS devices, while the new 12 megapixel ultra-wide camera gets a f/2.4 lens. Apple has also widened the aperture of the telephoto lens on the Pro models to f/2.0 – an improvement over the f/2.4 lens found in theiPhone X and XS – which allows more light to hit the sensor and grab more detail.

• So does that mean it’s expected and normal? Yes.

• Have I personally experienced the issue on each iPhone going back to at least the iPhone 6? Yes.

• Does that mean if you don’t like it or think it is somehow easier to provoke than on other phones, you should return it/sell it and get something else if it bothers you that much? Also yes.

I’m not sure what else you would expect to read.

As far as the iPhone 6 Plus series:

Green dot issue with iPhone 6 plus when t… - Apple Community

babowa

78,095 points

I think you might find this article helpful:

https://discussions.apple.com/terms

We have to observe the rules like anyone else. If your post violates the rules, it will be edited or removed.

And no, that is not how you get points - bashing someone may get you a vacation though (the hosts block you for a week or longer).

babowa

78,095 points

My goal with the post wasn't to start an Apple love/hate fest, it was to open a discussion about a potential defect in a newly released device. Hopefully, if enough people are vocal about their disappointment with the performance with the camera there may be some awareness and a potential resolution down the road.

If you want Apple to be aware of your concerns, you would need to actually contact Apple. The only Apple employees who regularly check into posts here are the hosts (moderators); otherwise Apple does not participate here. So, it would be more productive to either contact Apple support and/or use the feedback process.

www.apple.com/feedback

lobsterghost1

139,239 points

I give up. You can discuss this till cows fly. You can't change optics. You can't change how the cameras work on iPhone. You're aware of the limitations, yet this "discussion" isn't going to develop anything other than continuing to moan about naturally occurring artifacts, which there is nothing you can do to get rid of, except to take more care when you photograph a subject.

Apple doesn't pay any attention to this forum, so your assertion bringing it up here will prompt Apple to do anything is a false assertion. If you want to let Apple know your thoughts and actually have them read by people you'd like to know how you feel, you should provide feedback via this link, which is the ONLY way Apple will hear you --> Feedback - iPhone - Apple

All of you who are concerned about naturally occurring photographic artifacts, should provide feedback through that link. Discussing it here over and over again, isn't getting you the notice by Apple you're hoping to get.

Dogcow-Moof

36,140 points

But this isn't just a "shoot the breeze" discussion board, it's for getting answers to technical questions.

There are many, many other Apple discussion boards around, this is specifically Apple Support Communities.

The Terms of Use state these points under "Submissions," the emboldening is mine:

•Stay on topic. Apple Support Communities is here to help people use Apple products and technologies more effectively. Unless otherwise noted, do not post Submissions about non-technical topics, including:

+ Speculation or rumors about unannounced products.

+ Discussion of Apple policies or procedures or Apple’s moderation of the Site.

•Be polite. Everyone should feel comfortable reading Submissions and participating in discussions. Submissions that are inflammatory or inappropriate will be edited or removed. This includes Submissions with content that is libelous, defamatory, indecent, harmful, harassing, intimidating, threatening, hateful, objectionable, discriminatory, politically divisive or inflammatory, abusive, vulgar, obscene, p*rnographic, sexually explicit, or offensive in a sexual, racial, cultural, or ethnic context.

• Post constructive comments and questions. Unless otherwise noted, your Submission should either be a technical support question or a technical support answer. Constructive feedback about product features is also welcome.

If you want Apple to "address an issue," that's why you contact Apple Support directly; Apple does not officially read the content on these forums in any capacity other than to ensure compliance with the Terms of Use.

Contact - Official Apple Support

If it's a suggestion like "use coatings" (despite the fact that they reduce low light performance, which is one of the stated features of the iPhone 12 series):

Feedback - iPhone - Apple