Hello n2bowling,
Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities! We understand that you have some concerns regarding the camera on iPhone 12 Pro Max. We are unable to speculate on unreleased products and features. We can however provide more information about the camera on the iPhone 12 Pro Max and earlier.
It sounds like you may be referring to the behavior described in If you see a flare, haze, or spot near the edge of your photo or video. This is also known as lens flare, Lens flare - Wikipedia, which is a common phenomenon in photography when bright light sources reflect off of lenses or other surfaces when capturing photos in a darker environment.
The resource provided above in addition to Use Night mode on your iPhone, provides tips to help prevent this behavior when capturing photos and videos at night.
Cheers!