Apple support document addresses iPhone 5 'purple haze'
Apple has publicly explained an issue that can result in a purple "haze" or flare that users have discovered can show up in pictures taken with the new iPhone 5.
The official support document posted on Apple's site is entitled "iPhone: Camera image effects." It notes that users may sometimes see "a purplish or other colored flare, haze, or spot" in an image with an "out-of-scene bright light."
"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," the offered resolution states. "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."
Days after the iPhone 5 was released, the so-called "purple haze" issue was noted by users online. While some speculated it could be related to a defect with the phone, further investigation revealed the problem is common with many modern digital cameras, especially miniaturized devices.
At issue is a lens array's refractive index which numerically represents the manner in which light, or more specifically wavelengths of light, moves through the optics system. Ideally, a lens will focus all colors, or wavelengths, at a single point on the focal plane, thus creating a near-perfect replication of an image. In practice, however, lenses don't allow for wavelengths to meet at a convergence point, creating what is called chromatic aberration.
Due to a number of factors, including reference tuning, architecture of digital sensors and relatively short focal lengths in smaller camera systems, chromatic aberration usually presents itself in shorter wavelengths like violet.
High-end lenses can be adjusted to deal with axial chromatic aberrations, those that cause color fringing, and are called apochromatic lenses, though these types of systems are costly and bulky as additional glass elements are added to the array. Another form of compensating for the distortion are aspherical lenses that are specially designed to reform light to achieve more accurate focus. These elements are also costly, however, as a multitude of steps are needed to manufacture the glass.
The official support document posted on Apple's site is entitled "iPhone: Camera image effects." It notes that users may sometimes see "a purplish or other colored flare, haze, or spot" in an image with an "out-of-scene bright light."
"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," the offered resolution states. "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."
Days after the iPhone 5 was released, the so-called "purple haze" issue was noted by users online. While some speculated it could be related to a defect with the phone, further investigation revealed the problem is common with many modern digital cameras, especially miniaturized devices.
At issue is a lens array's refractive index which numerically represents the manner in which light, or more specifically wavelengths of light, moves through the optics system. Ideally, a lens will focus all colors, or wavelengths, at a single point on the focal plane, thus creating a near-perfect replication of an image. In practice, however, lenses don't allow for wavelengths to meet at a convergence point, creating what is called chromatic aberration.
Due to a number of factors, including reference tuning, architecture of digital sensors and relatively short focal lengths in smaller camera systems, chromatic aberration usually presents itself in shorter wavelengths like violet.
High-end lenses can be adjusted to deal with axial chromatic aberrations, those that cause color fringing, and are called apochromatic lenses, though these types of systems are costly and bulky as additional glass elements are added to the array. Another form of compensating for the distortion are aspherical lenses that are specially designed to reform light to achieve more accurate focus. These elements are also costly, however, as a multitude of steps are needed to manufacture the glass.
Comments
Geesh not everything is a scandal. Oh the black iPhone get warmer in the sun than the white version.... Ya just like a car.
Now apple is paranoid & feels it has to defend every comment even a non issue.
If its an issue, or other things tick you off about the iPhone..... simply just don't get one..
Or, I suppose, I could take fewer pictures of the sun.
Interesting article, though.
Can't wait for whatsontapfornextweek'sgate. That'll tide us through until it's time for a whole new bunch of iPad Mini gates.
All this happened because Gizmodo (I think it is) show this compared with iPhone 4 and another camera and both didn't show this "purple" issue but iPhone 5. They don't tell you though that: 1. They never shoot them at the exact same angle. 2. All the lens they tested didn't even have the same focal length. And 3. This kind of aberration can go away even with a slight change of angle (the glare not but the purple tint will). People who see the comparison then freaked out thinking not only iPhone 5 alone produces this but you will get purple tint every time you shoot at the sun. Both are false. I don't know all of this was because of Gizmodo's lack of expertise in this field or their lack of honesty.
The whole purple haze thing is a total non-issue. It is obviously just a Google conspiracy to drum up bad publicity for Apple.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigalmac
Now apple is paranoid & feels it has to defend every comment even a non issue.
The industry at large is in a state of panic.
Apple's got all the mindshare, and has got everyone counting their legal chickens. Competitors worried about who will be *next* to get dragged into court kicking and screaming. Because the competition was lazy and stupid at the worst possible time, having also engaged in theft of intellectual property in order to attempt to make up for their deficit in innovation.
The industry at large is paying the price for their collective laziness. To the degree that every "natural event" must be spun artificially by the industry and pundits outside of Apple into an Apple-centric problem.
Of course, it's not going to work.
Some people don't need an iPhone, they need a brain transplant.
Apple is basically saying what I said last week, but in a more polite way.
The fact is that whichever retard took that photo, did so deliberately, in order to get the glare.
Just move your iPhone a half an inch and it will disappear, you retard. This is not a phenomenon that is unique to the iPhone.
Go buy a $10,000 camera, if you can afford it, and point it at the sun or a lightbulb and see what happens, you pathetic idiot.
Apple haters have got to be some of the stupidest people ever to exist on this planet.
My iPhone is actin' funny and I don't know why
Originally Posted by quinney
My iPhone is actin' funny and I don't know why
'SCUSE ME, WHILE I SUE THESE GUYS!
*bow-now-now, class-actION, class-actION*
AI staff writer,
You should write much less when you don't know what you are talking about.
This is not an example of the (axial OR transverse) chromatic aberration you reference. If you look at the hands of the sculpture in this image, you will see an example of the "purple fringing" resulting from chromatic aberration. It is nothing like what people are complaining about with the iP5:
http://www.tutorial9.net/tutorials/photography-tutorials/correcting-and-preventing-chromatic-aberration/#1
The image used in this AI story is clearly an example of lens flair. The iP5 lens is in no way shielded from off axis light. Clearly light is reflecting off surfaces and lens elements in the lens, causing this purple flair. I had a chance to play with an iP5 yesterday and I can say the camera is quite nice. There is no glaring CA issue with the lens. The lens flair in this image is very pronounced and results from a lack of flair shielding. Why? Mainly because of a design decision to sacrifice flair for a very compact camera depth. There may also have been a lack of attention paid to minimizing reflections off of areas in and around the lens barrel and internal parts of the lens and camera.
This problem arises from deliberate design compromises (which always must be made) and and probably some poor attention to the design as well. That said, I found the camera quite nice and was not able to induce the fault easily indoors. Under certain common lighting conditions though, other similar cameras would perform much better. And this problem on the iPhone could probably have been minimized greatly with a bit more attention to some details. In the mean time, some third party can probably make a buck selling a small lens shield for the camera. And frankly, it's still a great camera that produces excellent images most of the time (even without shielding.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
Purple flare around sun. | Source: weaksauce12 via Twitter
. . . further investigation revealed the problem is common with many modern digital cameras, especially miniaturized devices.
At issue is a lens array's refractive index which numerically represents the manner in which light, or more specifically wavelengths of light, moves through the optics system. Ideally, a lens will focus all colors, or wavelengths, at a single point on the focal plane, thus creating a near-perfect replication of an image. In practice, however, lenses don't allow for wavelengths to meet at a convergence point, creating what is called chromatic aberration.
Due to a number of factors, including reference tuning, architecture of digital sensors and relatively short focal lengths in smaller camera systems, chromatic aberration usually presents itself in shorter wavelengths like violet.
High-end lenses can be adjusted to deal with axial chromatic aberrations, those that cause color fringing, and are called apochromatic lenses, though these types of systems are costly and bulky as additional glass elements are added to the array. Another form of compensating for the distortion are aspherical lenses that are specially designed to reform light to achieve more accurate focus. These elements are also costly, however, as a multitude of steps are needed to manufacture the glass.
Inches aren't a measure of angles. Should you be calling people retards when you can't get that critical detail correct yourself?
Flare.
What do people exact from Apple? This is a secondary feature. Go buy a real SLR if you want to filter out the light in a sun shot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM
Flare.
Yeah I realized I miss-spelled it after I posted, but as a terminally poor speller, I decided not to correct it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM
Inches aren't a measure of angles.
I never wrote or claimed that angles were measured in inches.
Really? Sounds to me like people tried to splitting hair here. Look at the photo, delete the flare (suppose no sun there) what will you get with the black leaves and white sky? Oh, Chromatic aberration around the edge of the leaves. Now put in the sun, we have the flare and this aberration is amplified by the much higher contrast so the tint is much more pronounced and mixed with the flare but we can't call this change in color (from black leaves and white sky to purple) Chromatic aberration? Please...
You can shoot directly at the sun with no tint. Even iPhone 5 can. The appearance of the tint is what it's called CA. I'm glad I'm not academic person so I don't have to splitting hair in real life.
Then I don't believe you understand what you're talking about. To alleviate the problem, you need to change the angle (orientation), not position.