Apple has issued an official statement confirming its stance on the purple haze issue that has been affecting iPhone 5 users, and if you were hoping for a replacement phone you’re going to be out of luck.
We reported a short while back that some iPhone 5 users were seeing a purple haze creeping in on pictures where a direct light source was close to the frame. Several users reported this to Apple, with most being told it was normal. The Cupertino company has now issued the following statement:
“Most small cameras, including those in every generation of iPhone, may exhibit some form of flare at the edge of the frame when capturing an image with out-of-scene light sources.”
“This can happen when a light source is positioned at an angle (usually just outside the field of view) so that it causes a reflection off the surfaces inside the camera module and onto the camera sensor. Moving the camera slightly to change the position at which the bright light is entering the lens, or shielding the lens with your hand, should minimize or eliminate the effect.”
This statement backs up the response a Gizmodo reader received from an AppleCare representative recently, and we can see where Apple is coming from. With any smartphone camera or digital camera, including a very bright light – especially the sun – in or around the edges of a frame will result in a number of different effects caused by light reflection and distortion.
As for why the lens flare on Apple’s iPhone 5 is specifically purple, we believe this to be attributed to the sapphire lens cover Apple uses in its new phone. If you’re experiencing this issue a lot, try to avoid bright light in your photos, and also try repositioning your phone.
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