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

[Recognition]

Sorry but your response to my comment is confussing. I am talking about my iPhone X compared to the same iPhone X demo units in the Apple Store. I have not tried any other phone makers’ cameras.

My simple experiment is limited to iPhone X so I’m not misleading anyone.

Your simple experiment Is confirming the OPs statement that all iPhone X’s have this so called ‘huge defect’. Where in fact if you were to continue your simple experiment with other iPhones, different manufacturers phones and cameras, the same ‘huge defect’ will also be present, concluding that it is an expected effect inherent in almost all modern cameras and not unique to the X.

 

[Newtons Apple]

HUGE? LOL!

I have gone back and looked at my over 300 images taken with my X and not a single one has this problem. I do admit that I do not take picture of very bight lights surrounded by darkness.

 

[utgjon]

In to confirm that a 7 Plus does the same.

Issue? Meh.

 

[sean000]

HUGE? LOL!

I have gone back and looked at my over 300 images taken with my X and not a single one has this problem. I do admit that I do not take picture of very bight lights surrounded by darkness.

We live in an era when people expect stuff to work perfectly for all possible use cases and in all possible conditions. Photography gear is always about compromise... when you optimize a lens for one type of photography, you might sacrifice qualities that makes it less suitable for other types of photography. Or when you chose to maximize small size (as with a smartphone lens) the design might be more prone to certain issues like flare or chromatic aberration (which is more easily fixed by the camera's internal processing). That said I've owned expensive lenses that were prone to both without certain precautions (like using the lens hood).

Whatever gear we use, we have to learn it's strengths and weaknesses. We might even be able to use the weaknesses to our creative advantage. Embrace that flare like J.J. Abrams!

 

[ac921ol]

cant apple put something in to the software to identify these spots and have them blend in to the surrounding area?

just asking.

 

[jav6454]

Ugh. More FUD garbage. Pure drivel.

If you point even a Leica lens at any strong point source, in the OP's case a ceiling light, you will get flare.

The cheapest Leica lens is $2000. No camera. Just the lens.

This was taken with a $3500 Leica lens...

So for half the price of the cheapest Leica lens, you're getting a phone that connects to the internet, plays games, has TWO lenses, and a camera too.

You simply don't get to complain about lens flare on a telephone, sorry.

Are we done now?

Dear God, hook line and sinker. In unrelated note, that is a great picture.

 

[Newtons Apple]

We live in an era when people expect stuff to work perfectly for all possible use cases and in all possible conditions. Photography gear is always about compromise... when you optimize a lens for one type of photography, you might sacrifice qualities that makes it less suitable for other types of photography. Or when you chose to maximize small size (as with a smartphone lens) the design might be more prone to certain issues like flare or chromatic aberration (which is more easily fixed by the camera's internal processing). That said I've owned expensive lenses that were prone to both without certain precautions (like using the lens hood).

Whatever gear we use, we have to learn it's strengths and weaknesses. We might even be able to use the weaknesses to our creative advantage. Embrace that flare like J.J. Abrams!

Agreed even my Nikon and Leica gear will do it under these conditions.

 

[jav6454]

Agreed even my Nikon and Leica gear will do it under these conditions.

I don't think there is any camera that doesn't have lens flare issues when point at sources of light.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I don't think there is any camera that doesn't have lens flare issues when point at sources of light.

Some lenses do better than others. Very hard to get more light baffling in a camera phone lens

 

[jav6454]

Some lenses do better than others. Very hard to get more light baffling in a camera phone lens

Agreed, but while some lenses reduce the impact, it is still there. Which is why I don't get why people get worked up over it.

 

[sean000]

cant apple put something in to the software to identify these spots and have them blend in to the surrounding area?

just asking.

It gets tricky with lens flare, because the placement, shape, and intensity can be so variable. Most camera manufacturers these days (and I'm sure this includes Apple) use in-camera processing to remove chromatic aberrations, including the purple fringing you sometimes see in photos that have dark tree branches against a white sky (just one example). They may also correct some types of lens distortions like barrel, pincushion, and wavy mustache distortion. This correction information is also provided in the RAW files so that other software applications (e.g., Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop) can apply them automatically.

Some aberrations and distortions are just harder to reduce automatically, so it's left up to post-processing with tools like Lightroom, Photoshop, Snapseed, etc. Perspective distortion can be corrected, but at the sacrifice of part of the frame (you might have to crop the image). Dust spots and some types of flare can be removed with a spot-removal tool that clones an adjacent sample area. I'm sure there are tools out there that attempt to recognize and reduce flare automatically, but flare can be really hard. If you clone out the brightest part of it, you're left with a halo. You could blend that out too, but now you're talking a larger area that likely gets more complex. It could be easily done if the flare is in an area of consistent background (like the sky) but difficult if the area has a lot of detail. Then you also have the fact that there are many photographers who go out of their way to try and create lens flare. I'm not sure smartphone lens flare is as attractive though, because it tends to be too focused. In larger sensor format cameras, the flare a lens produces will tend to be defocused and sort of bokeh like... or it will radiate from the source in a more abstract way.

The best way to deal with flare is to do what photographers have been doing since the dawn of the camera: Change the position, angle, and tilt of the camera relative to the light source until you no longer see flare in the frame... or until the flare either looks attractive or is at least in a less bothersome part of the frame. Then shoot. If you don't notice the flare at the time of shooting, use software to see if you can clone it out, crop it out, or at least fade it a little.

The advantage of a lens hood is that it prevents lens flare from most, but not all, angles. I'm not sure how practical a hood is at the super short focal lengths of a smartphone. The hood would have to be very shallow to stay out of the frame, so it might not help as much as hoods help with larger format lenses. And on the X and 8 Plus you might need different hoods for each lens. I know some accessory lenses like the Moment lenses have built in hoods. if you shoot a lot of photos where flare is an issue, perhaps the Moment, Zeiss, or Olloclip lenses are worth a try?

 

[donster28]

Your simple experiment Is confirming the OPs statement that all iPhone X’s have this so called ‘huge defect’. Where in fact if you were to continue your simple experiment with other iPhones, different manufacturers phones and cameras, the same ‘huge defect’ will also be present, concluding that it is an expected effect inherent in almost all modern cameras and not unique to the X.

Yeah, I think some people here have proven that it is a common trait of cameras on different branded phones.

 

[Recognition]

Would having a polarised filter on the glass help reduce the internal reflection? Or would it impact the quality of the photos taken?

 

[sean000]

Would having a polarised filter on the glass help reduce the internal reflection? Or would it impact the quality of the photos taken?

Adding any kind of filter usually tends to make flare worse, but a polarized filter might reduce it under certain conditions. There is a sacrifice though: Polarizers are usually tinted enough to reduce exposure by at least one stop or more. That means compromising low light capability.

One of the best ways to reduce flare, outside of a lens hood or changing the angle of your shot, is to keep your lens as clean as possible. Any kind of dirt, dust, or smudges can dramatically increase flare. Keep a microfiber cloth handy, or consider a case that has a lens cover you can flip up and down.

 

[bollman]

Well, the Apple fan club sure knows to defend...
This is a picture from my Huawei P10, a $400 phone:

This is in an almost dark room, a picture of a MagLite ML50. The lens flare is there, but come on, the ones from an iPhone X is pretty extreme in comparison.

 

[donster28]

Well, the Apple fan club sure knows to defend...
This is a picture from my Huawei P10, a $400 phone:

This is in an almost dark room, a picture of a MagLite ML50. The lens flare is there, but come on, the ones from an iPhone X is pretty extreme in comparison.

Not really...it all depends on the angle. Flare is flare and it can happen on your $400 phone as well as my $1000 one. I’ve learned to avoid or minimize it though, so it’s not a big deal anymore to me.

 

[utgjon]

Yeah, totally just an issue with the X...

 

[tl01]

We live in an era when people expect stuff to work perfectly for all possible use cases and in all possible conditions. Photography gear is always about compromise... when you optimize a lens for one type of photography, you might sacrifice qualities that makes it less suitable for other types of photography. Or when you chose to maximize small size (as with a smartphone lens) the design might be more prone to certain issues like flare or chromatic aberration (which is more easily fixed by the camera's internal processing). That said I've owned expensive lenses that were prone to both without certain precautions (like using the lens hood).

Whatever gear we use, we have to learn it's strengths and weaknesses. We might even be able to use the weaknesses to our creative advantage. Embrace that flare like J.J. Abrams!

We also live in an era where people want to find problems with everything...they want to be the one to find the next issue first. It’s time to get back to life. Just go live it...enjoy life even with it’s imperfections.

 

[mariusmuntensky]

Just got an iPhone X. This is truly annoying, I just took a sample picture and have the same issue. Hopefully Apple will fix this in a software update if possible.

https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/7axxpv/anyone_else_notice_that_lens_flare_is_quite/

Same situation here:
https://imgur.com/gallery/cNGkN
I've paid 1200 EUR for this?

 

[Kram Sacul]

No one knows how to use Photoshop? If the lens flares/artifacts bother you so much just clone them out. Amateurs.

 

[Phone Junky]

Didn’t know so many people liked to go around and take pictures of direct bright light. It’s there. Deal with it.

 

[5105973]

I was taking video of a family gathering. It was night and the light source included a table lamp and a chandelier in the dining room. I had the little blue dots galore on my iPhone 8 Plus. I also used my Pixel 2. I didn’t have dots that were as obvious nor were they blue, but there were dots on the Pixel 2 image, as well. Dots happen.

 

[haruhiko]

If you point your eyes at a strong light source you won't see anything at all and there will be image retention on your retina right after. But your eyes are one of the best camera in the world.

 

[ipedro]

Ugh. More FUD garbage. Pure drivel.

If you point even a Leica lens at any strong point source, in the OP's case a ceiling light, you will get flare.

The cheapest Leica lens is $2000. No camera. Just the lens.

This was taken with a $3500 Leica lens...

So for half the price of the cheapest Leica lens, you're getting a phone that connects to the internet, plays games, has TWO lenses, and a camera too.

You simply don't get to complain about lens flare on a telephone, sorry.

Are we done now?

No, we’re not done because what is happening is not lens flare. It’s a reflection on the front glass plate. In pictures, it could be confused as flare, but in video you can see that it’s a reflection. Here’s a video that makes it clear that it’s not lens flare:

https://giphy.com/gifs/xT1Ra433gg3u2NCxIQ/links

Here’s a video I shot last night that shows how it can ruin a video: https://twitter.com/metromanto/status/956001527411499008

This does not happen with lens flare which is a refraction of light across the lens. I’m lems flare, you see components of light, not a reflection of the light source.

What’s happening here is that lights in a scene are reflecting on the front glass plate, not on the lens beneath it. It’s like shooting through a window in a lit room. It makes night videos and photos completely useless. I’m as big an Apple fan as they come but even I have to admit that this is a huge design oversight.

 

[fred98tj]

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.