iPhone 5 defective camera thread (purple flare)

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Binhex

Junior Member
Oct 1, 2012
7
0
0
Yeah, that's the thing. Even though this thread is getting huge & has a lot of news coverage, it's not like it's an end-of-the-world issue. I'd hate to blow it out of proportion, but for me, it's a big issue because the camera is pretty much the primary function of my iPhone as well. I feel like I'm beating a dead horse here to be honest :D

I too am hoping for some kind of fix. Otherwise I'll just wait for a silent update on the 5, or the next revision (the 5S?) or whatever.

http://www.cultofmac.com/193769/pur...-says/?utm_medium=twit&utm_campaign=spread-us

I'm hoping the above link is either not real, or the line there giving people now while they try to fix it. If it is the official line and this is just how it's going to be for the entire life of the phone I'm not sure what I'm going to do as to me, personally, it's unacceptable.
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
http://www.cultofmac.com/193769/pur...-says/?utm_medium=twit&utm_campaign=spread-us

I'm hoping the above link is either not real, or the line there giving people now while they try to fix it. If it is the official line and this is just how it's going to be for the entire life of the phone I'm not sure what I'm going to do as to me, personally, it's unacceptable.

It's interesting, because that article seemed to bounce between two opinions at once. Ultimately, this part of it describes why people are displeased:

but the iPhone 5’s seemed to be more pronounced that others.

However, then you get this portion at the end:

The iPhone 5 lens is just a little bit worse about lens flare than previous versions and distorts light into a purplish hue at certain angles, like some people initially explained.

This reminds me a lot of some of the posts that I've seen throughout this thread where people found a single instance where another phone had a purple aberration, and apparently that means the iPhone 5 is absolutely fine.
 

Binhex

Junior Member
Oct 1, 2012
7
0
0
It's interesting, because that article seemed to bounce between two opinions at once. Ultimately, this part of it describes why people are displeased:

However, then you get this portion at the end:

This reminds me a lot of some of the posts that I've seen throughout this thread where people found a single instance where another phone had a purple aberration, and apparently that means the iPhone 5 is absolutely fine.

I find it hard to understand as well. Yes, this is nothing unique at all to the iPhone 5. What is the problem is the severity of the issue. Just because it does happen with other phones does not excuse how pronounced it is with this new phone.
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
Ah nice, didn't snag it for my commute home. FX Guide again :D

Don't waste your time. They just sit there talking about the whole "-gate" aspect of it all, and even though Anand says that Brian is an optical engineer, they never give any sort of explanation why the iPhone 5 tends to have a purple hue to its lens flares.
 

lothar

Diamond Member
Jan 5, 2000
6,674
7
76
You're all holding it wrong.

Dear Matt,

Our engineering team just gave me this information and we recommend that you angle the camera away from the bright light source when taking pictures. The purple flare in the image provided is considered normal behavior for iPhone 5's camera. If you wish to reach me regarding this case number *********, please contact me at 1-877-***-**** ext. *******. I currently work Thursday-Monday: 7:00am - 3:30pm Mountain Time. If you reach my voicemail, please leave your name, phone number, case number and the best time to reach you. Email is ***********@apple.com.

Sincerely,
Debby
AppleCare Support
http://gizmodo.com/5947972/apple-acknowledges-iphone-5-camera-problem-says-youre-holding-it-wrong

But then again...It is Gizmodo.
 

vshin

Member
Sep 24, 2009
74
0
0
Here's a review of the iPhone 5 camera from www.dpreview.com, a site that does extensive professional-level reviews of photography equipment. They discuss the "purple haze" issue and do comparison shots of the iPhone 5 and 4. Basically, they conclude it's lens flare, which is present on both cameras and it's not really a big deal. From the examples they posted, there doesn't appear to be much difference between the two cameras.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/6867454450/quick-review-apple-iphone-5-camera/3

Overall, I have to wonder if this issue is being overblown (sic). When I did my own comparison shots, I could face the iPhone 4 in a way that would make the purple haze worse than the iPhone 5 shot, and vice versa. At this point, I'm going to have to be skeptical of those comparison shots posted earlier in this thread because one could cherry pick the shot with heavier haze to make a point. I can easily post shots that make the iPhone 4 look worse.
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,387
5,255
136
http://www.cultofmac.com/193769/pur...-says/?utm_medium=twit&utm_campaign=spread-us

I'm hoping the above link is either not real, or the line there giving people now while they try to fix it. If it is the official line and this is just how it's going to be for the entire life of the phone I'm not sure what I'm going to do as to me, personally, it's unacceptable.

I got a call back from Apple. That's basically what they told me - angle it away from bright lights. That sounds sort of obvious, except for the fact that there's light in half my photos - people standing near windows, outside in the sun, next to a car with the sun glinting off it, etc.

I've been shooting with my 4S today and have no such problems. Ah well.
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,387
5,255
136
Here's a review of the iPhone 5 camera from www.dpreview.com, a site that does extensive professional-level reviews of photography equipment. They discuss the "purple haze" issue and do comparison shots of the iPhone 5 and 4. Basically, they conclude it's lens flare, which is present on both cameras and it's not really a big deal. From the examples they posted, there doesn't appear to be much difference between the two cameras.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/6867454450/quick-review-apple-iphone-5-camera/3

Overall, I have to wonder if this issue is being overblown (sic). When I did my own comparison shots, I could face the iPhone 4 in a way that would make the purple haze worse than the iPhone 5 shot, and vice versa. At this point, I'm going to have to be skeptical of those comparison shots posted earlier in this thread because one could cherry pick the shot with heavier haze to make a point. I can easily post shots that make the iPhone 4 look worse.

I wish that was true with my phones :( I've shot a few movies that are entirely sun flare for effect on my 4S with no issues, but was really bad on my 5. Hit & miss I guess.
 

Binhex

Junior Member
Oct 1, 2012
7
0
0
I wish that was true with my phones :( I've shot a few movies that are entirely sun flare for effect on my 4S with no issues, but was really bad on my 5. Hit & miss I guess.

It is much worse on my 5 than a 4S, much worse.
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
I finally got off my lazy bum and made a small compilation photo. It's not as easy to get the same angles given the devices in question are of various sizes and camera qualities, but it should be close enough.

http://i.imgur.com/5DRHs.jpg

The worst that I was able to get is a slight pink haze in the right ASUS TF300 photo, but as expected by some of the other iPhone 5 users, it's pretty easy to get the purple lens flares on the iPhone 5. To note, the left set of photos are taken pointing at my left monitor (the one you see switched on in the right set of photos) with my right monitor being the off-camera light source.
 

cdp7005

Junior Member
Oct 2, 2012
1
0
0
Kaido,

I started following this thread last week. My iphone 5 got delivered 15 minutes ago, and I took some test shots with the camera. Let me know if it looks like I am doing something wrong but the purple halo effect does not seem to be that bad on my phone. I messed around with another iphone 5 last night and was pointing it towards a light and was easily able to recreate the purple halo. I pointed my iphone towards this same light and I did not get a purple halo effect. I will compare the 2 phones tonight to see if I am able to recreate the same halo effect on both phones. Uploaded below are 2 photos I recently took outside. I was expecting to see the purple effect but judge for yourself. If the links below don't work I would be happy to email the photos.

http://imgur.com/E8UMm,6xCGO#0

http://imgur.com/E8UMm,6xCGO#1
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,387
5,255
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Kaido,

I started following this thread last week. My iphone 5 got delivered 15 minutes ago, and I took some test shots with the camera. Let me know if it looks like I am doing something wrong but the purple halo effect does not seem to be that bad on my phone. I messed around with another iphone 5 last night and was pointing it towards a light and was easily able to recreate the purple halo. I pointed my iphone towards this same light and I did not get a purple halo effect. I will compare the 2 phones tonight to see if I am able to recreate the same halo effect on both phones. Uploaded below are 2 photos I recently took outside. I was expecting to see the purple effect but judge for yourself. If the links below don't work I would be happy to email the photos.

http://imgur.com/E8UMm,6xCGO#0

http://imgur.com/E8UMm,6xCGO#1

Thanks for posting! Appreciate it. If you've taken a bunch of photos outside and aren't seeing it, maybe you got a "clean" phone. You're probably the fourth or fifth one to say they don't have any issues, which is good news - that means not ALL of the phones are subject to this problem.
 

vshin

Member
Sep 24, 2009
74
0
0
Other news outlets may be picking up on this thread trying to stir up another antenna-gate, but I don't think it will pan out.

So far I've checked my friends' iphones (4 and 5) for purple haze and they all exhibit the effect to the same degree when positioned precisely. But each person had varying reactions ranging from "meh" to "it bothers me" on the exact same example pic. So I don't think Kaido's phone is any different from mine; but rather, it's a mechanical limitation of the iPhone's camera and each person is going to be more sensitive to it than others. To be brutally honest, I think only a relative few will care enough to return the phone because the average user won't notice it with regular use. If serious photography reviewers are not impressed by the flaw then I don't really see this "scandal" gaining any long-term traction.
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,387
5,255
136
Other news outlets may be picking up on this thread trying to stir up another antenna-gate, but I don't think it will pan out.

So far I've checked my friends' iphones (4 and 5) for purple haze and they all exhibit the effect to the same degree when positioned precisely. But each person had varying reactions ranging from "meh" to "it bothers me" on the exact same example pic. So I don't think Kaido's phone is any different from mine; but rather, it's a mechanical limitation of the iPhone's camera and each person is going to be more sensitive to it than others. To be brutally honest, I think only a relative few will care enough to return the phone because the average user won't notice it with regular use. If serious photography reviewers are not impressed by the flaw then I don't really see this "scandal" gaining any long-term traction.

That's the general reaction I've seen so far as well. Most people don't really care too much. Yeah it's an issue, but it's not a dealbreaker for the average user, I think. Most of my "iPhone photography" buddies have returned or sold their 5's, but the rest are keeping them, regardless of the fact that a lot of the pictures having purple - they accept it as a limitation of the phone, despite it being a step down in quality from the previous iteration.

Plus, Apple will fix the bug at some point and it will become a non-issue for future models, so the problem will probably be limited to the first few month's worth of batches, which the majority of people won't care about anyway. I'm happy back on my 4S, so I'll hold out for the 5S, which will hopefully have an even better camera ;)
 

Binhex

Junior Member
Oct 1, 2012
7
0
0
That's the general reaction I've seen so far as well. Most people don't really care too much. Yeah it's an issue, but it's not a dealbreaker for the average user, I think. Most of my "iPhone photography" buddies have returned or sold their 5's, but the rest are keeping them, regardless of the fact that a lot of the pictures having purple - they accept it as a limitation of the phone, despite it being a step down in quality from the previous iteration.

Plus, Apple will fix the bug at some point and it will become a non-issue for future models, so the problem will probably be limited to the first few month's worth of batches, which the majority of people won't care about anyway. I'm happy back on my 4S, so I'll hold out for the 5S, which will hopefully have an even better camera ;)

I'm seriously considering getting a different phone as well and I really do not want to. My options are to sell my 5 and find a unlocked 32GB iPhone 4S or go to a different platform. I've done many tests with the 4S (my brothers) and my own and the purple is much worse on the 5.

I completely understand this is of little interest to some people but it's a huge deal for me. I want to keep using an iPhone and everything else about the 5 is better than the 4 for me. So I'm not really sure what to do at this point.
 

captdragon

Junior Member
Oct 3, 2012
1
0
0
Apple can take an IDump call it IAwesome and ISheep will buy it :wub:.

Not only that, they will wait in line 4 days for a product that is Guaranteed to be buggy and problematic instead of waiting until the bugs have been worked out or for the IPhone Xs. o_O :confused:

As always, ad hominen attacks and thread crapping are frowned upon here. Please make sure you read our rules before posting any further
-ViRGE
 
Last edited by a moderator:

LeftSide

Member
Nov 17, 2003
129
0
0
Here's a review of the iPhone 5 camera from www.dpreview.com, a site that does extensive professional-level reviews of photography equipment. They discuss the "purple haze" issue and do comparison shots of the iPhone 5 and 4. Basically, they conclude it's lens flare, which is present on both cameras and it's not really a big deal. From the examples they posted, there doesn't appear to be much difference between the two cameras.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/6867454450/quick-review-apple-iphone-5-camera/3

Overall, I have to wonder if this issue is being overblown (sic). When I did my own comparison shots, I could face the iPhone 4 in a way that would make the purple haze worse than the iPhone 5 shot, and vice versa. At this point, I'm going to have to be skeptical of those comparison shots posted earlier in this thread because one could cherry pick the shot with heavier haze to make a point. I can easily post shots that make the iPhone 4 look worse.


Thanks for posting that link. I trust dpreview over any other website when it comes to photos.
 

eelw

Diamond Member
Dec 4, 1999
8,936
4,261
136
On macrumors, someone placed a lens filter over the camera. Purple flare gone. I wonder if the same material coating the filter can be applied to the sapphire cover? Or will case manufacturers add a filter instead of leaving that part open?
 

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
On macrumors, someone placed a lens filter over the camera. Purple flare gone. I wonder if the same material coating the filter can be applied to the sapphire cover? Or will case manufacturers add a filter instead of leaving that part open?

Normally smartphone cameras have a filter coating on them, right? Maybe it's possible that this is a manufacturing anomaly, and the initial batch is just messed up.
 

Binhex

Junior Member
Oct 1, 2012
7
0
0
Normally smartphone cameras have a filter coating on them, right? Maybe it's possible that this is a manufacturing anomaly, and the initial batch is just messed up.

Perhaps, I think they have the possibility of a lot of returns on their hands if this is going to have to be a swap out. If this is the case I hope it happens much sooner than later.