iPhone 5 Users Report Camera Issues – Purple Flare

Apple’s decision to go with a sapphire crystal lens may not have been such a bad idea, some forums say, as more and more photos are beginning to emerge showing a purple halo effect when the iPhone 5’s camera encounters bright lights.

Although lens flare is a common (and natural) issue with all cameras, the issue seems to be more severe with the new iPhone’s camera. Plus, experts say, purple is seldom encountered when this happens.

We have confirmed the issue with our own iPhone 5 test unit. The photo above was taken using the 16GB version of the handset aimed at another iPhone’s LED flash (sitting on top of the iPhone 5’s box). The purple haze is indeed quite visible.

While the source of the issue is yet to be confirmed, Cultofmac cites iPhone 5 camera enthusiasts as saying that Apple has changed the noise on photos from speckles to smearing, suggesting this might be the cause.