- Feb 14, 2004
- 48,394
- 5,257
- 136
Update: (7-Oct-2012) Official Apple response: You're holding it wrong:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4436?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
Another sample pic of the purple flare via CNET:
http://asset2.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/10/07/photo_%2817%29_610x413.jpg
Update: Official Apple response from Engineering:
1. This is normal (the excessive purple flare)
2. Don't point it at bright light sources, if you don't want purple haze
Even worse, this doesn't just happen when you point it at bright light sources. Here's a picture on a rainy, overcast day with no direct sunlight - notice the light purple haze on the right side: (my 4S doesn't do this)
http://i.imgur.com/MEVqF.jpg
Welcome everyone!
This is a thread discussing the issue of excessive purple light flare on the iPhone 5. It has been determined that many cameraphones, including the iPhone 4S, share the problem of purple haze around bright light sources, especially when those bright light sources are just barely off-screen. The problem is that the iPhone 5 exhibits more light bloom with a purple tint than other phones, to the point where it is affecting image quality. Here are some comparison examples:
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/180c7n48voye9jpg/original.jpg
http://www.trbimg.com/img-506374b0/turbine/la-fi-tn-iphone-5-camera-purple-20120926-001/600
The question is: Why is it so much worse on the iPhone 5?
******************************
Edit 2: Note - don't just point your iPhone 5 at a bright light. The bright light has to be OFF-SCREEN for the effect to happen (the majority of the time, anyway). And it needs to be fairly bright - the sun, a lamp, etc. This is a fairly specific issue with results that you can easily replicate if your iPhone 5 has this issue. And please report your status/results. Thank you!
Edit: It seems like a lot of iPhone 5's have this problem. For those just coming in, please do the following:
1. Aim your iPhone 5 camera towards a bright light source (CFL, incandescent, sun)
2. Move the camera so the light source is off-screen (especially on the shorter sides of the screen)
3. See if you experience a purple halo - either flare or haze (see sample pictures below)
Please report in if you have this issue (or if you don't, we'd like to know that too!) on your iPhone 5.
***************************
I am having an issue with my iPhone 5's camera, where I get purple flare/haze when a bright light source (such as a lamp or the sun) is just off-camera. In addition, the 5's screen displays purple colors more brightly than a computer screens, so it looks even more prominent on the phone itself. Here is a crop & enhance of the problem: (a window with daylight coming in is just off-camera)
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/sVGVkz99
Purple flare off a work lamp: (right corner)
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/z1SxJac8
Purple haze off the sun:
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/C4HD6OxG
Purple sun flare:
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/RrcVXaSN
Slight purple haze off a tree:
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/57j8b6px
I have confirmed this issue on five iPhone 5's so far, including both the black & white model.
Testing procedure:
1. Aim your iPhone 5 camera at a bright light source
2. Move the camera so that the light source is just off-screen
3. See if the purple flare happens
It seems to happen the most off bright lamps and the sun. Not as bad on LED lighting or florescent lighting. I do get mild purple haze off my LCD computer monitors (2 tested). I take a lot of of photos and video with my iPhone and this is a really annoying problem for me. I haven't seen much on the web reported about it, but I've confirmed the issue on multiple phones, so I know it's not just me. I'm guessing it's related to the new Sapphire Crystal change from glass, but perhaps it's software-related to related to making the iPhone 4S's camera lens thinner.
Please post your results if you have an iPhone 5 (definitely doesn't happen on my 4S) after testing indoors & outdoors, thanks!
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4436?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
Another sample pic of the purple flare via CNET:
http://asset2.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/10/07/photo_%2817%29_610x413.jpg
Update: Official Apple response from Engineering:
1. This is normal (the excessive purple flare)
2. Don't point it at bright light sources, if you don't want purple haze
Even worse, this doesn't just happen when you point it at bright light sources. Here's a picture on a rainy, overcast day with no direct sunlight - notice the light purple haze on the right side: (my 4S doesn't do this)
http://i.imgur.com/MEVqF.jpg
Welcome everyone!
This is a thread discussing the issue of excessive purple light flare on the iPhone 5. It has been determined that many cameraphones, including the iPhone 4S, share the problem of purple haze around bright light sources, especially when those bright light sources are just barely off-screen. The problem is that the iPhone 5 exhibits more light bloom with a purple tint than other phones, to the point where it is affecting image quality. Here are some comparison examples:
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/180c7n48voye9jpg/original.jpg
http://www.trbimg.com/img-506374b0/turbine/la-fi-tn-iphone-5-camera-purple-20120926-001/600
The question is: Why is it so much worse on the iPhone 5?
******************************
Edit 2: Note - don't just point your iPhone 5 at a bright light. The bright light has to be OFF-SCREEN for the effect to happen (the majority of the time, anyway). And it needs to be fairly bright - the sun, a lamp, etc. This is a fairly specific issue with results that you can easily replicate if your iPhone 5 has this issue. And please report your status/results. Thank you!
Edit: It seems like a lot of iPhone 5's have this problem. For those just coming in, please do the following:
1. Aim your iPhone 5 camera towards a bright light source (CFL, incandescent, sun)
2. Move the camera so the light source is off-screen (especially on the shorter sides of the screen)
3. See if you experience a purple halo - either flare or haze (see sample pictures below)
Please report in if you have this issue (or if you don't, we'd like to know that too!) on your iPhone 5.
***************************
I am having an issue with my iPhone 5's camera, where I get purple flare/haze when a bright light source (such as a lamp or the sun) is just off-camera. In addition, the 5's screen displays purple colors more brightly than a computer screens, so it looks even more prominent on the phone itself. Here is a crop & enhance of the problem: (a window with daylight coming in is just off-camera)
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/sVGVkz99
Purple flare off a work lamp: (right corner)
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/z1SxJac8
Purple haze off the sun:
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/C4HD6OxG
Purple sun flare:
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/RrcVXaSN
Slight purple haze off a tree:
https://twitter.com/i/#!/weaksauce12/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com/57j8b6px
I have confirmed this issue on five iPhone 5's so far, including both the black & white model.
Testing procedure:
1. Aim your iPhone 5 camera at a bright light source
2. Move the camera so that the light source is just off-screen
3. See if the purple flare happens
It seems to happen the most off bright lamps and the sun. Not as bad on LED lighting or florescent lighting. I do get mild purple haze off my LCD computer monitors (2 tested). I take a lot of of photos and video with my iPhone and this is a really annoying problem for me. I haven't seen much on the web reported about it, but I've confirmed the issue on multiple phones, so I know it's not just me. I'm guessing it's related to the new Sapphire Crystal change from glass, but perhaps it's software-related to related to making the iPhone 4S's camera lens thinner.
Please post your results if you have an iPhone 5 (definitely doesn't happen on my 4S) after testing indoors & outdoors, thanks!
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