The iPhone maker acknowledges 'purple lens flare' problem as reproduced in PCMag's experiments, doesn't offer much of a solution beyond, 'hold the phone differently'.

Remember that with the iPhone 5's camera? Sure you doPCMag's own Jim Fisher recently reproducing and comparing lens flare intrusions on photos taken with Apple's new smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S III, the HTC One S.

Now Apple has addressed the issue itself, acknowledging over the weekend that the imaging of a "purplish or other colored flare, haze, or spot" can occur in "[m]ost small cameras, including those in every generation of iPhone."

So how to fix this problem? Unfortunately, as the iPhone maker has done in the past, the advice for users on how to get around this particular issue is essentially to "stop holding it wrong."

Upon the release of the iPhone 5 last month, some users began reporting a strange issue with the iPhone 5 camera where a purple flare or haze appears when taking a photo near a bright light source such as a lamp or the sun. The issue was first reported by a forum user going by "Kaido" on the tech review site AnandTech who posted several different photos taken inside and outside that showed a purple haze.

The user said he confirmed the issue on at least five different iPhone 5's, including models from AT&T and Verizon in black and white. The issue occurs when you aim your iPhone 5 towards a bright light, and then move it so the light source is just off-screen. It happens most often near bright lamps and the sun, but also occurs to a lesser degree near LED lighting, florescent lighting, and computer monitors.

"I take a lot of photos and video with my iPhone and this is a really annoying problem for me. I've confirmed the issue on multiple phones, so I know it's not just me," Kaido wrote.

Later, Fisher found that the iPhone 5 was in fact particularly vulnerable to lens flare of the sort Kaido and others had described. Interestingly, PCMag's digital camera analyst found that Apple's previous-generation handset, the iPhone 4S, was one of the best at minimizing the reproduction of flare caused by out-of-shot light sources (the Galaxy S III was another phone that handled lens flare well, he found).

So what happened between iPhone generations to cause this issue to crop up? Online chroniclers of purple lens flare have speculated that anything from a software glitch to the iPhone 5's new scratch-resistant Sapphire Crystal lens covering could be to blame. Fisher guessed that latter:

"[T]he most likely cause is a combination of the lens design and, more importantly, the coatings used in its construction. Modern coatings are designed to minimize reflections and have all but eliminated severe flare in SLR lenses. Nikon says that its latest coatings will let you shoot into the sun without a significant loss of contrast. On paper the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5 have a lens that's identical, save for one crucial factorthe new scratch-resistant sapphire covering that protects it from scuffs and scratches. Whether Apple used a different coating on this cover, or if the coating is unchanged and it's simply not behaving well with the sapphire material is anyone's guess."

Whatever the cause of purple lens flare on the iPhone 5, Apple's not being very specific. Here's all the company had to say on the matter:

"[Lens flare] 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."

See? You were holding it wrong all along.

For more, see PCMag's full review of the iPhone 5 as well as the slideshow below. Also check out Top Apple iPhone 5 Complaints.

With additional reporting by Jim Fisher and Angela Moscaritolo.



