Have you noticed the purple haze while taking photos with your iPhone 5 camera? You're not imagining, as we've also noticed the issue and quite a few iPhone 5 users are complaining about it in Apple support forums.
The problem has been observed when you aim the iPhone 5 camera towards the sun or bright light source. If you then move the camera so the light source is off screen, a purple halo effect can be seen through the camera. If you take a picture under these conditions, the halo effect also shows up on the pictures.
This thread of AnandTech Forum indicates that the issue is affecting several iPhone 5 users. AnandTech Forum member Kaido who started the thread to discuss the issue writes:
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.
He has posted some side-by-side photos taken using an iPhone 5, iPhone 4S and Nikon D300, which clearly highlights the issue:
You can follow these steps to see if you're facing this issue:
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)
Apple support told an Gizmodo reader that it's a normal behavior for iPhone 5's camera:
“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.”
It definitely doesn't seem like a "normal behavior" as we didn't notice this issue on the iPhone 4S.
It is not clear if the issue is due to a software bug or it is a hardware related issue. There are speculations that the issue could be due to iPhone 5's new sapphire lens cover or due to a new coating on the iPhone 5′s camera. According to a TechCrunch reader and photographer the issue could be addressed with a firmware update:
As many others have stated, this kind of thing happens very frequently in cameras of all types. I actually remember there being a firmware update to my Canon 7D to address this issues with certain less and lighting combinations. It’s a result of certain light frequencies being reflected/refracted in the lens from the off-angle light source. It might look like lens flare on a larger glass, but on something this thin it’s probably always going to look like a purple haze. You simply cannot beat the laws of physics. High end DSLRs have whole image processors a hell of a lot more advanced than the one in a cellphone dedicated to removing this kind of thing. But it still shows up from time to time, especially with new glass.
Let's hope that Apple can fix the issue in the next iOS software update as it's quite annoying.
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