Apple explains purple flare issue affecting camera on iPhone 5 and other ph

[p1p3]

sorry but my Galaxy s 2 does't do that at all. this is iPhone 5 hardware problem not software. so Apple have no fix for the problem believe me .

Here is a quick picture i took with my S2, not as much as some pictures I have seen but there is clearly purple in it.

http://i.imgur.com/2oeou.jpg

[theyarecomingforyou]

The thing is on the iPhone 5 it happens on all light sources, and while you can get a flare on every camera, the iPhone 5 has a huge range of effect where's most others have much smaller ranges, and can perfectly fine take pictures with light sources and even the sun in angles the iPhone 5 can't without the purple haze.

Also it's not simply about a flare. It's a flare plus the purple haze, if it had been just a flare it wouldn't have been an issue

Exactly. We're talking about shots where they take the same picture on different phones - including the iPhone 4S - and it is only the iPhone 5 that is affected. I've never come across this on any phone I've owned yet users of the iPhone 5 started noticing the purple flare immediately, which is interesting after Apple touted how the camera was improved.

[+BeLGaRaTh Subscriber¹]

They're making it wrong.

[HawkMan]

You're right, there's a purple haze when I take a picture with my living room light just out of the frame, and that's not really that bright.

Can't think of a time I'd ever need to take such a photo though so I guess I'll live with it :p

Some people have speculated it's the Sapphire coating on the lens cover.

It's not about specifically taking those photos or videos, but rather lights occurring like that when you take pictures, which happens a lot more than you think.

I don't think it's really a reason to avoid the iPhone 5 for those in the eco system, but for those not, it would be a reason to avoid it, and for those who want a good camera, it's a good reason to chose another, but then the iphone 5 camera isn't that great to start with compared to other good camera phones, so it wouldn't be at the top on those lists anyway.

[SMELTN]

I had it do it to me on multiple occasions.. BUT.. The weirdest problem I have seen was it did it on a video I recorded while at the local JV football game Thursday night.

In the right hand bottom of the screen, about at the fence post you can see some weird fragment moving around.. It wasn't an any photo I took or other videos I have done. I assume it was because of the way the lights were angling off the camera

[Scorbing]

I'm not trying to defend Apple in any way as I own an iPhone 4S but before you Apple haters trash them with your comments, why don't you try to replicate the issue on your phones? Whether is an Android, iPhone or your precious, perfect Nokia Windows phone and see if it happens?

I personally have never seen that effect as I have not tried it but why don't you haters try it on your phones and see if you come up with the same results and let us know.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

apple's new slogan should be: "Apple...no matter how you hold it, it still isn't right"....ok, just kidding, but that sure does seem to be a trend

[benthebear]

I'm interested to know what causes the color purple to be predominate. I found this image from a CCTV camera, and it has a pinkish/reddish haze.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CCTV_Lens_flare.jpg

Apple is so full of it.

Really? From now on, we shall refer to you as Neowin's resident lens flare expert.

[Scorbing]

I took these photos with the iPhone 4S. Its camera is pretty amazing for a phone. I used HDR Effect on the Instagram application. Click on the photos to see larger, original shot.

[einsteinbqat]

Gosh! Have we really gone this far? So far that we all believed that the "it just works" mentality has entitled us to just complain about any thing, and blame this on a design defect?

The simple fact that people are complaining about lens flares and chromatic aberrations just shows how much they absolutely do not know how lens, light, refractions and other high-school physics work. They probably were sleeping in class, or just simply erased those teachings from their memory because they classified this as "Why am I learning this, it will not be useful to me in real life".

What's next? Are they going to complain that we cannot use the phone under water, and that we cannot make phone calls because the battery is dead?

Lens flares, chromatic aberrations, etc., are as old as lenses and cameras. That means centuries. Why do you think photographers use polarised filters, take multiple shots, and use a plethora of accessories when working with intense light source? For the fun of it, perhaps?

Cameras use many lenses. Light trapped between lens components, the coating of the lenses, the materials use to fabricate the lenses, can all create aberrations in the output. And this holds true for cheap cameras to very expensive ones.

Look at this NASA-taken picture. Tell me what you see at the top of the picture. Right? (Purple) lens flare! If it can happen on a picture taken by a camera used by NASA, why could it not happen on an iPhone or any other cameras for that matter?

[Scorbing]

Gosh! Have we really gone this far? So far that we all believed that the "it just works" mentality has entitled us to just complain about any thing, and blame this on a design defect?

The simple fact that people are complain about lens flares and chromatic aberrations just shows how much they absolutely do not know how lens, light, refractions and other high-school physics work. They probably were sleeping in class, or just simply erased those teachings from their memory because they classified this as "Why am I learning this, it will not be useful to me in real life".

What's next? Are they going to complain that we cannot use the phone under water, and that we cannot make phone calls because the battery is dead?

Lens flares, chromatic aberrations, etc., are as old as lenses and cameras. That means centuries. Why do you think photographs use polarised filters, take multiple shots, and use the plethora of accessories when working with intense light source? For the fun of it, perhaps?

Cameras use many lenses. Light trapped between lens components, the coating of the lenses, the materials use to fabricate the lenses, can all create aberrations in the output. And this holds true for cheap cameras to very expensive ones.

Look at this NASA-taken picture. Tell me what you see at the top of the picture. Right? (Purple) lens flare! If it can happen on a picture taken by a camera used by NASA, why could it not happen on an iPhone or any other cameras for that matter?

Well said! (Y)

[Charisma Veteran]

I thought maybe it was the spirit of Steve...

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Any camera can and will do this. I don't think it's up for debate.

BUT - we were trying this out on different phones at work when the sun was reflecting off another building. The new iPhone does it a LOT more and a LOT easier to replicate than any of our other cameraphones.

Is it a big deal? No not really. Can easily be solved by changing the exposure levels set as default in the camera app, which will probably be silently done via upgrade.

[FiB3R]

It's dark here now, but I`m gonna take a few photos with my phone tomorrow and purposely try to get a purple lens flare

Pretty sure I have taken photos directly at the sun to see how they turned out and not ended up with a purple anything on them, just dark with a bright spot where the sun is, but I`ll have a go tomorrow

Forget that test. How about trying to get rid of the orange/red tint bang in the middle of photos taken with a lumia (800?)

[MikeChipshop Member]

I don't think the issue is that it can happen on other phones/cameras. Any one with a inkling of knowledge of photography knows it happens.

What the issue seems to be is that it happens a lot more with the iPhone than any other smartphone and a tweak to the software could probably cure it more often than not.

Myself and a friend have tried this out me using a Desire HD and him using the iPhone 5 and i have to say, although i could replicate the purple flare, it did take a lot more work where as the iPhone done it more often than not.

[Detection]

Forget that test. How about trying to get rid of the orange/red tint bang in the middle of photos taken with a lumia (800?)

wow that sucks, I have the 710 and it doesn't suffer from any red/orange tint

[123456789A]

I tried doing what Apple said to do and the purple flare did go away, but now it has been replaced by a red sheen.

[threetonesun]

I don't think the issue is that it can happen on other phones/cameras. Any one with a inkling of knowledge of photography knows it happens.

What the issue seems to be is that it happens a lot more with the iPhone than any other smartphone and a tweak to the software could probably cure it more often than not.

Myself and a friend have tried this out me using a Desire HD and him using the iPhone 5 and i have to say, although i could replicate the purple flare, it did take a lot more work where as the iPhone done it more often than not.

I suspect it has something to do with the iPhone 5 being thinner. I assume they had to modify the lens in someway that made it shorter and more susceptible to lens flare.

That said, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that 99.9% of photos suffering from this are terrible, anyway, and the ones that weren't will look fine with it.

[HawkMan]

Forget that test. How about trying to get rid of the orange/red tint bang in the middle of photos taken with a lumia (800?)

http://www.flickr.com/groups/lumia800photo/pool/

I looked over quite a few of them, but can't find any red tint.

[FiB3R]

http://www.flickr.co...a800photo/pool/

I looked over quite a few of them, but can't find any red tint.

Apparently it only happens with indoor shots under incandescent lighting, but you can still make it out here...

http://www.flickr.co...-lumia800photo/

http://imageshack.us...68/wp000434.jpg

The second one is a shot of my own. Wasn't intended to be a great photo, just a quick snap, showing a friend something.

[.Neo]

Look at this NASA-taken picture. Tell me what you see at the top of the picture. Right? (Purple) lens flare! If it can happen on a picture taken by a camera used by NASA, why could it not happen on an iPhone or any other cameras for that matter?

Because mindlessly jumping on the "Apple sucks" bandwagon in order to score cheap approval points of others is important to some.

[MikeChipshop Member]

That said, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that 99.9% of photos suffering from this are terrible, anyway, and the ones that weren't will look fine with it.

I'd reckon you're right ;)

[javagreen]

Gosh! Have we really gone this far? So far that we all believed that the "it just works" mentality has entitled us to just complain about any thing, and blame this on a design defect?

The simple fact that people are complaining about lens flares and chromatic aberrations just shows how much they absolutely do not know how lens, light, refractions and other high-school physics work. They probably were sleeping in class, or just simply erased those teachings from their memory because they classified this as "Why am I learning this, it will not be useful to me in real life".

What's next? Are they going to complain that we cannot use the phone under water, and that we cannot make phone calls because the battery is dead?

Lens flares, chromatic aberrations, etc., are as old as lenses and cameras. That means centuries. Why do you think photographers use polarised filters, take multiple shots, and use a plethora of accessories when working with intense light source? For the fun of it, perhaps?

Cameras use many lenses. Light trapped between lens components, the coating of the lenses, the materials use to fabricate the lenses, can all create aberrations in the output. And this holds true for cheap cameras to very expensive ones.

Look at this NASA-taken picture. Tell me what you see at the top of the picture. Right? (Purple) lens flare! If it can happen on a picture taken by a camera used by NASA, why could it not happen on an iPhone or any other cameras for that matter?

Are you seriously comparing a NASA camera, which probably has a massive lens aperture and sensor to accomodate a far wider scope, to the iPhone? And justifying the purple effect on the iPhone? This NASA camera can probably still capture the sun in the other hemisphere while it's setting in one. Jesus probably used the iPhone 5 to capture the Big Bang?

Funny, the only likes you've got on your post are from the well known iToots, who'll toot their horn no matter what.

[+jamesyfx Subscriber²]

Is that... Jesus?

Yeah I was gonna ask him what he was doing in my kitchen but I was too nervous.

But yeah I was trying to show it is possible to do it on any camera. :rofl:

[-T- Member]

While I've never experienced this problem on any of my iPhones up to & including the 4S or any of my android phones, it seems odd to me that every time apple have a problem with their devices, their response is often, "all phones do it, so shut up"