IPhone 12 Pro lens flare

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.

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No it doesn’t have significantly more flare, it has more flare at the precise angles you are choosing to show it has more flare.

I can induce flare in any camera and lens I like if I choose to, or can change my angle and composition and avoid it.

If you want to continue to invoke flare, you may do so; Hollywood director J.J. Abrams is known for adding flare as a stylistic touch.

The bottom line, however, is independent reviewers have gushed over the last two generations of iPhone cameras. They aren’t perfect of course but they are very, very good.

To bring the discussion full circle, you can either learn to avoid it if it bothers you, or you can return your phone or sell it as applicable and purchase something that better suits your needs.

Apple, Huawei and Samsung all say it is normal. Photography magazines say it is normal. Reviewers who have been reviewing cameras and lenses for decades say it’s normal.

Pick the phone and camera that is best for you, that’s what a consumer economy is all about.

For a variety of reasons I chose the 12 Pro Max, and wouldn’t change except for those times I need a camera to do something my iPhone can’t, and then I use my Nikon FX format DSLR.

No problem, I’m new on these discussion boards and just thought to give an answer to question here, but been reading a few pages here today.. which I didn’t before providing feedback, my bad.. I was just looking for some answers my self about my new phone here about 5g settings, anyway..

The new camera’s are not defective, as you say.

It’s just physics. Even professional crazy expensive cinematic lenses have this flare/orbs. For a smart phone it’s incredible what is possible nowadays in such a small lens.

I’ll try to explain again to others, not you lobster, here in this thread, hopefully without getting too much hate here.

It’s physics, when the light goes through each element of the lens it gets scattered and that is what is visible as flares/orbs put on the sensor, showing it your screen.

Now in a tiny lens of a phone the elements are (much) closer to the sensor compared to a professional cinematic lens. That’s why a bigger cinematic lens can have a much wider aperture which gives the flares more bokeh (blur) making it less noticeable. Why? Because the their elements are further from the sensor physically compared to a tiny phone lens.

On such a small phone lens the flares/orbs will always be more in focus and more noticeable as the lens is tiny in comparison. This is true for any phone camera even in the year 2021.

One can avoid this by aligning the flares into the the direct light source so the flares “disappear” into the direct light source or avoid to shooting in direct light sources.

So my answer to the Original Question, if his result is normal when shooting into a bright light source?: Yes, it is normal. That’s my take on it.

For all the others here, if you are disappointed and don’t believe it’s normal I can’t say much more then return the phone and get another one, different brand, other model that makes gives you satisfaction for your hard earned money. But my answer remains the same to the original question: YES, this is normal on any phone camera.

I do apologize for my incorrect English, I am not a native English speaker

Hi, thank you for taking the time to recap this for me. Understand why some are unhappy (paid a lot of money and marketing of any product makes you think it will be perfect and meet unrealistic expectations, etc) but

I can only confirm the lens flare/green dots is normal and not because of a defective camera issue.

I get them the same lens flare as everyone else on the iPhone 12 Pro and would get it on any other smart phone. I’ve attached two photo’s casually from my balcony shot with 12 PM; one with the lens flare and one without by changing the angle slightly.

Apple maybe a multi billion dollar company but even they are still bound to physics :)

You may choose to ignore that phones before the iPhone 11 had this same issue, but photos have been posted to this very thread from phones going as far back as the iPhone 6 showing the same forms of lens flare.

You keep fighting the fact that this effect is common to all premium digital cameras, both smartphones and others.

You also ignore the fact that on the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the effect is just as pronounced as on the 12 Pro Max, showing that as cameras improve, the effect will become more obvious (because low light sensitivity increases, making the flares more obvious.)

It's not "gaslighting" it's presenting you with evidence which you can feel free to accept or not, but that doesn't change the fact that it is factual evidence.

There are ways around it - you may have to move, reframe your shot, change when you take the shot or resort to post-production. This is true regardless of whether you are taking a snapshot, a wedding photo or are making a multi-million dollar production for television or theatrical release.

You don't like how it manifests on the 12, and that's fine. But don't upgrade your S20, either.

Or buy a high end DSLR or mirrorless camera.

No one here is trying to "look like an expert," we're providing you with facts and data.

Since you like sun shots, Google Pixel 5:

Samsung Galaxy S20:

Huawei Mate 40:

Sony Xperia 1 ii:

I have here 2 pcs iPhone13 Pro. I read this post and tried it myself. Camera facing sun side and move a bit. You see the green dot coming in the picture. When you make the picture you of course see the green dot and a violet blur over the picture. I tried both phones. Both exactly the same result at the same spot. This is not exemplaric, all 13 pro have this. So no worries and keep your phone. If you do not want this to happen, create a sun block over the lens with your hand and the blur is gone. Why do you think photographers with a big lens also use a sun cap on their lens 😀

Here's an example

11ProMax

12ProMax

Huawei P30Pro

They are shot at the same time & angle

I don't care what Huawei says or what you say.

Just let the pictures talk. I however agree that Apple provides one of the best image/video quality but if they don't resolve this matter quickly, they will be losing customers everyday. I am an Apple fan since day 1. Talking about replacement or refund is not the issue here. This is for Apple to live up to its name. I want Apple to improve so that it may become the best but it's a shame, they don't listen to consumers. They just need more and more people like you to make their life easier.

Even Apple Support just noticed this issue and asked to bring it to the nearest service centre immediately and not a word about it being NORMAL.

I can tolerate a small amount of lens flare because the lenses are not human eye they do reflect but to reflect extremely like this state of the art phone is simply not acceptable to most, only to you perhaps.

[Image Edited by Moderator to Remove Personal Information]

You ignore the photos I've posted showing it's just as noticeable on the Galaxy S21 Ultra as it is on the 12 Pro Max.

As cameras get better it will be more noticeable, as seen in the shot from the $40K+ ARRI Alexa.

If a shot is "ruined" by "orbs" it is because you have not done anything to mitigate them or to plan to remove them in post-processing. If you can't get the shot you want without flare, you have to choose an alternate shot; professional and prosumer photographers and videographers have to do just that all day when shooting.

You will not be getting some admission that older cameras were better because in fact if their flares were less noticeable it was because their cameras were worse - less light sensitive with poorer lenses; you're not likely to see flare on say an old flip phone whose camera was a 640x480 sensor covered with a cheap clear plastic "lens."

Yes, it is due to light reflections within the lens and will happen with any good camera and lens, even very expensive high-end models.

The key is to try to not shoot such that a bright light like the sun is shining directly into the lens.

Dogcow-Moof wrote:

Again, completely normal any time you have intense pinpoints of light like that.

Here are similar photos taken with a brand new Google Pixel 5.

And the same thing would happen with a $10,000 DSLR or a $100,000 cine camera. Skilled photographers sometimes take advantage of lens flare to create artistic effects like these.

trish4 wrote:

I’m having the same issue and super disappointed that I spent all this money for the 12 only to see a green dot in video and photos regularly! I may try a few things or get a new phone. I stopped lugging my Canon and lenses around so I could just carry this but I’m disappointed.

If you took that identical photo with any cell phone camera on the market you would see the same thing, and you would probably even see it with your Canon and lens. When there is a light source in the photo or falling on the lens from outside of the image you will get lens flares. Every camera ever made that has a compound lens will have similar results. As you most likely missed it in posting in this long thread, please look at all of the examples in this link, which has images taken with Samsungs, Pixels, and $50,000 professional cameras→iPhone Camera Lens Flare and Reflections - Apple Community

And here is a technical explanation of lens flare by a professional photographer→What is Lens Flare and How to Deal with it in Photography

As you apparently haven’t read any of the thread you posted to either, I will repeat what has been said hundreds of times. Any time there is a light source in a photo taken with any camera in the world you will see lens flare or ghost images. ANY CAMERA made since the invention of photography.

As you most likely missed it in posting in this long thread or even reading the page you posted to, please look at all of the examples in this link, which has images taken with Samsungs, Pixels, and $50,000 professional cameras→iPhone Camera Lens Flare and Reflections - Apple Community

And here is a technical explanation of lens flare by a professional photographer→What is Lens Flare and How to Deal with it in Photography

It’s how the phone works and in fact the same happens with the 11 Pro Max.

The bottom line is it is up to the photographer to determine the best way to capture the scene; the issue you describe is one professional photographers and videographers have to deal with every day.

All you can do is try different positioning to minimize or eliminate the flares and perhaps remove them later using third-party software.

Apple agrees and I’m having mine replaced tomorrow via Genius Bar.