iPhone X HUGE Defect with the camera... extreme lens flare

[Recognition]

I have photos showing this is not new nor unique to the X nor unique to Apple. The iPhone 5C, 6S, 7 Plus, X, Huawei Mate 9 and the Samsung S8 all do this to some extent or other. I have or have access to all these phones and they all do it.

Yup, just have a look at the 'Similar Threads' at the bottom of this page, Threads about iPhone 6 lens flare dating back over 3 years!
Don't know where these people complaining have been for the last 3 years, probably not taking photos on phone cameras one can presume!

I'd like to hear what the solution to this inherent 'issue' could be..?

 

[Rck1984]

As others said before, this isn't something new..

I happen to have both an iPhone 7 and an iPhone X, both the 7 and the X reflect direct light sources to some degree. These examples are made with both phones right next to each other, under the exact same conditions.

iPhone X:

iPhone 7:

As you can see, both phones show the same reflection. This is just one example, but i have plenty more to show. Video footage likewise...

I guess it's tougher to accept because we just paid a premium price of about $1200 for an X, but this isn't just an iPhone X issue, all my iPhones had/have this.

(Apologies for the enormous pics, but at least its easier to catch this way)

 

[Ffosse]

I haven't noticed anything with either my 8 or X.

 

[Plx32]

Honestly I never noticed something so severe on my previous iPhones.

Those 3 green dots are like three little UFOs that ruin an otherwise very good night picture.

It is really annoying.

In video mode, it is even worse...

 

[Rck1984]

As others said before, this isn't something new..

I happen to have both an iPhone 7 and an iPhone X, both the 7 and the X reflect direct light sources to some degree. These examples are made with both phones right next to each other, under the exact same conditions.

iPhone X:
View attachment 748416

iPhone 7:
View attachment 748417

As you can see, both phones show the same reflection. This is just one example, but i have plenty more to show. Video footage likewise...

I guess it's tougher to accept because we just paid a premium price of about $1200 for an X, but this isn't just an iPhone X issue, all my iPhones had/have this.

(Apologies for the enormous pics, but at least its easier to catch this way)

Here is the same example on my girlfriends iPhone 8 and Samsung S7:

Iphone 8:

Samsung s7:

These two devices have the exact same issues. Can't just blame the X for this...

 

[fred98tj]

Honestly I never noticed something so severe on my previous iPhones.

View attachment 748419

Those 3 green dots are like three little UFOs that ruin an otherwise very good night picture.

It is really annoying.

In video mode, it is even worse...

Here’s photos from a X, 7 Plus, 6S and a Huawei Mate 9. All do the same. Some are just screen shots of short videos. Not necessarily in the order I listed.
[doublepost=1516921828][/doublepost]Pretty much all phone cams will do this to some extent or other. Depends on the lenses and angle of the light(s).

 

[Daremo]

I am resurrecting this old thread for 2 reasons... 1) I was looking for others with the same issue only on the iPhone XS Max. It seems MUCH worse than last years X. and 2) IT'S NOT LENS FLARE. It's reflection on the glass lens cover. The gap between the lens and the glass causes this more than it needs to me. Tested this on 2 different Max phones, against 2 different X's. Last years handle it better, the Max is worse, BUT handles light overall better. Give and take I suppose.

 

[maj88]

I am resurrecting this old thread for 2 reasons... 1) I was looking for others with the same issue only on the iPhone XS Max. It seems MUCH worse than last years X. and 2) IT'S NOT LENS FLARE. It's reflection on the glass lens cover. The gap between the lens and the glass causes this more than it needs to me. Tested this on 2 different Max phones, against 2 different X's. Last years handle it better, the Max is worse, BUT handles light overall better. Give and take I suppose.

I have the same problem with Xs Max.

 

[sean000]

I have certainly seen this issue on my iPhone X, but it has only been a problem for a few photos. If you shoot a lot of night photography, or inside dark spaces with lots of lights, it might be more of an issue. The thing is that there are trade offs in camera and lens design, and flare is something that can never be 100% eliminated. This is the main reason camera lenses usually ship with lens hoods. I have lenses that cost over $1,000 that will flare under some conditions. In some photos (like the finer dots) it's super easy to clone out of a photo. In other cases it's more of an issue because of the placement or coverage of the flare.

As others have shown, this can be an issue on any smartphone camera... largely because you can't really use a useful hood with a phone. You may be able to eliminate it or minimize it by adjusting your shooting angle or position, but of course that will also change composition and perspective. Some believe the glass cover over the dual lenses of the newer iPhones has made flare worse. There might be some truth to that, as I have seen additional filters contribute to flare on some of my camera lenses. But there might be a purpose to this design that is either protective or image enhancing... with the negative impact being increased flare. I shoot a lot of photo and video with my iPhone X and it has rarely been an issue. I have better cameras for night photography, but I do sometimes use my iPhone for that as well. If you shoot so many photos in conditions where you see flare, perhaps you would be better off using a dedicated camera. Not only will you be less likely to encounter the flare (as long as you use a hood) the image quality will be better in other ways as well.

 

[Packers1958]

The phone may cost over $1000, but that camera hardware including lens, is a $44 part. It's a cheapo camera with really good software.

 

[d_ganggreen]

Never had issues with my X, but last weekend I tried to take some night photos and I noticed the "little green dots" on mine and thought it was hardware issue.

I am more knowledgeable now, but still stinks for the price of the phone. I wonder if there is a "screen protector" that we can put over the lenses that would filter it?

 

[sean000]

Never had issues with my X, but last weekend I tried to take some night photos and I noticed the "little green dots" on mine and thought it was hardware issue.

I am more knowledgeable now, but still stinks for the price of the phone. I wonder if there is a "screen protector" that we can put over the lenses that would filter it?

The price of the phone has nothing to do with it. Professional camera lenses that cost more than the iPhone XS, just for the lens, can flare too. Lens hoods are the best way to reduce or eliminate flare, but smartphone camera lenses are too small... any hood that might be big enough to block enough light would also be seen in the photo. The best way to avoid flare is to avoid pointing the camera at a bright light source. Sometimes you don't have much choice, but slightly changing the angle or position of the camera may help. Depending on the light source, you may also be able to shield your camera a bit with your hand, but that's tricky to do on smartphones without getting into the frame. Lens flare as always been a thing in photography. You either do what you can to avoid it, or you embrace it and try to use it artistically by adjusting your composition and angle.

Oh... and try to keep your lenses clean. Smudges, smears, and films of dirt/oil can make flare worse, and will reduce contrast and sharpness.

 

[Cjallen]

Resurrecting this thread as I’ve trawled the internet with every word combination possible in efforts to see the same fault I have with my X, it’s led me here although the OP is’nt as bad.

I spoke with Apple support, who agreed something is not right and gave me 3rd party options for where I currently am, Bangkok. I went to one and the language barrier was too much to get anywhere, even with my whole album of terrible snaps. Apple are due to open their first Apple store next month, should I hold off and see them, or attempt the other 3rd party options?

Aside from this thread, I found another on Apple communities replicating my same issue, and his battle to resolve.


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8458231?answerId=33656407022&page=1

 

[Samut]

Resurrecting this thread as I’ve trawled the internet with every word combination possible in efforts to see the same fault I have with my X, it’s led me here although the OP is’nt as bad.

I spoke with Apple support, who agreed something is not right and gave me 3rd party options for where I currently am, Bangkok. I went to one and the language barrier was too much to get anywhere, even with my whole album of terrible snaps. Apple are due to open their first Apple store next month, should I hold off and see them, or attempt the other 3rd party options?

Aside from this thread, I found another on Apple communities replicating my same issue, and his battle to resolve.


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8458231?answerId=33656407022&page=1

Have you tried cleaning it with microfiber cloth? Thats pretty much how pictures look like if there are grease or other smudges on the lens.

 

[michaelrw10]

Honestly I never noticed something so severe on my previous iPhones.

View attachment 748419

Those 3 green dots are like three little UFOs that ruin an otherwise very good night picture.

It is really annoying.

In video mode, it is even worse...

im so glad i found this thread. I thought I was the only one having this problem. Back in January I searched for other users with the issue but I found nothing; not surprising given how new it was. The problem on my phone is almost identical to this. the only reason I havent taken it into Apple store yet is because of jailbreak. I need to read this thread more and see what recourse has been available for users, if any, or if anyone has tried talking to Apple about it

Here are a few examples: https://imgur.com/a/1XE23HO
I have other good ones but I recently dumped my phone into long term storage so I currently only have photos that are 3 months old or less


Here's just 1 example for those who dont want to follow the link:

 

[fred98tj]

It’s internal reflections and “normal”. All cellphone cameras do that to some degree or other. Even full size cameras and tv cameras do it.
[doublepost=1541822331][/doublepost]

Here are a few screen shots from the movie “True Lies” as examples.

 

[fred98tj]

Btw, those “dots”are not from my cam taking the photo, they are actually in the movie. That’s exactly how that scene looks when viewed.

 

[michaelrw10]

yeah but thats in a movie and no telling what cinematic effects are added.. lens flare, bokeh, depth of field.. all these are cinematic effects applied in post-processing. Ive owned every major iphone release dating back to the 4. Ive NEVER seen this problem before. Also, this was just the most recent example. I have plenty of others. Many times I see two dots right next to each other (perhaps the dual lens).

Here is one gif showing the dual artifact:
https://i.imgur.com/XHhHMMK.gifv

Here is one taken right after, of the same thing, but artifact is more faint and moved to bottom right: https://i.imgur.com/r3KbZvW.gifv

I have lots of these, sometimes they are colored others time theyre just plain white. sometimes its a single dot, other times it is 2. This is not normal. Surely this is some manufacturing/engineering defect

 

[fred98tj]

Then you simply have never looked at your photos well. Scroll up some and you’ll see a post I did a while ago showing several cameras doing that.
They all do it to some extent or other.
Simple as.
[doublepost=1541889739][/doublepost]They’re little video clips from iPhones X, 7 Plus, 6S and a Huawei Mate 9. I could post up photos from a Samsung S7 and a Nokia 6 showing the same thing.

 

[Azathoth123]

All camera lenses will exhibit flare under certain conditions. Some lenses are better than others, and simple lenses (fewer glass to air or glass to glass interfaces are better). The best bet is to shade the lens so that light cannot directly fall on the lens - use your hand (other), a bit of cardboard, your hat....

Another post seemed to criticize Apple for going to a 5-element lens vs the older 6 element camera. If it performs as well, 5-element will likely produce less flare. But to the uninformed, mo glass = mo betta. Not so, exactly the opposite unless the extra glass performs an extra function.

What I would like to see is maybe trying to correct or reduce flare in software. That would be way cool even if it did not eliminat the flare completely.

And BTW, flare can be used creatively though a ‘flarey’ lens would not be a good choice for any fixed lens camera like a phone.

 

[michaelrw10]

ok sure, much like a lot of things in life, its not black and white, but rather a continuum. that may be so, however, it stands to reason that if it has existed on any of my previous iphones, then it has never been bad enough that I took notice.

This was the first time apple offered essentially two different phones; the X and the 8. I convinced myself that the X was the right move; it was the first time I ever paid over $1k for a phone (previously I had kept them in the 500-700 range). So, I spend this unthinkable amount of money for the flagship model; the top of the line, premium iphone.. and its NOW, of all the phones ive ever had, its the $1000+ iphone that gives me this problem? come on.. its not acceptable in my opinion, no matter how common we say it is. Im sure there are plenty of iphone x out there that don't have this issue and that the lens flare (or whatever the hell we want to call it) is so minimal that the user never notices. So I just happen to be the < 1% of users that purchased a unit with aberrant lenses.

Like.. it's ok that you see some lens flare when youre taking a photo and the sun is shining and its a nice spring day or whatever. Hell, it even makes it look cinematic and picturesque. But when you have an otherwise excellent photo op, in low light conditions, and you see these two white dots contaminating the every shot, it's not ok.

Yes, in some regards there is a lottery when it comes to the quality of any individual unit. There are those that are immaculate; perhaps the top 5% of all produced. Then you have the bottom 5% - these probably barely pass the QC checks, but are not outright rejected. Then you have everything in between. Well, those lenses that are crap but still passed QC are produced into full products, boxed up and shipped out, and bought by people like me who expect close to perfection when paying for premium flagship items. And some of those people who buy these bottom 5% phones end up coming to macrumors to share the experience and look for other users who experience the same thing.

My goal here is not to bitch and moan about Apple, iPhone, the iPhone X, etc etc.. but I do think that its worth bringing up and discussing. Obviously im not the only one, since OP also shared his experience. It just seems, however, that there is a difference of opinion on what constitutes a bad/poor lens, and what is considered "normal"

 

[fred98tj]

Dude, since you’re lol twisted up about your iPhone X, I can say, for sure, all iPhone x’s do that. Several people I know have X’s and theirs do it. The two units in the store here do it and mine does it.
Not picking on the X specifically because ALL cameras do it to some extent or other.
Don’t like your X then sell or trade it for something else. Simple as.
Nothing is going to “fix” your X. Sorry.

 

[michaelrw10]

remember im not the one that started this thread so clearly im not the only one who found this noteworthy. your argument is that all cameras do it, thus its irrelevant. this standpoint is really oversimplified. Also, I never asked you or anyone else here for a fix. My only intention was just to share my experience, much like OP did with his/hers. I've known for a long time that the only solution is to exchange the device. And, fwiw, I love my phone; there are so many things that are great. It's just the camera artifacts that are frustrating, as they are profoundly more severe than any camera i've ever owned before. I respectfully disagree with your opinion.
Agree or disagree, finding a solution does not depend on whether or not severe lens aberrations are frequent or uncommon.

 

[Azathoth123]

I believe that you can rig something up easily as long as it doesn’t have to ‘live’ on the phone full time.

Maybe something like an Olloclip ‘clothespin’ clamp with a simple small lens hood from B&H?

Now you’ve got my curiosity going so maybe I’ll give it a whirl.

 

[thadoggfather]

i wish I remembered my X doing this, not sure I do... but I'll take peoples word for it

seem to be noticing it more on my XR.

Havent tried an XS/Max but they report the same.

The degree to which mine does it is generally just a green dot but I've seen some photos of trailing green dots (multiple) or ghost like duplicates of certain objects/lettering,