Consumer Reports: 'Purple haze' not limited to iPhone 5, Android cameras also have flare

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 83


    Tomorrow I receive my third iPhone 5. The first had a dodgy touchscreen, the second a chamfer chip. I took a number of photos on holiday and notice a few have the purple "flare".


     


     



     


     


    Personally never had this with my iPhone 4. TBH Im less than impressed. With Mountain Lion causing my iMac to crash daily until 10.8.2 came out and now this, Im less than impressed. Apple need to get its act together

  • Reply 22 of 83
    irelandireland Posts: 17,799member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





    Easy. I'm for CR when they actually do a reasonable test and reach a scientifically supportable conclusion. I'm against CR when they editorialize and make pronouncements based on nothing but unfounded opinions. So what part of that don't you understand?


     


    Hey. Cheeky. Even if you think I am wrong there's no need to turn into a jerk like John Gruber.


     


    Look, I know from personal experience that depending on the specific batch of iPhone 4's you got, and the location of your person, you could get noticeable antenna issues. Considering I followed CR closely around the time and looked into the legitimacy of their claims, it did seem that they tested quite a few phones to compare the 4 to others, and used some especially, sophisticated equipment. They did report what they found. Now... it is possible that perhaps the location of their facility was in one of these antenna locations, but the issue existed. In the end, to me, it seemed it was the media that blew the issue out of all proportion, not necessarily CR, like JG would lead one to believe.


     


    So what part of that don't you understand?

  • Reply 23 of 83
    irelandireland Posts: 17,799member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by morgajx View Post


    Tomorrow I receive my third iPhone 5. The first had a dodgy touchscreen, the second a chamfer chip. I took a number of photos on holiday and notice a few have the purple "flare".


     


     



     


     


    Personally never had this with my iPhone 4. TBH Im less than impressed. With Mountain Lion causing my iMac to crash daily until 10.8.2 came out and now this, Im less than impressed. Apple need to get its act together



     


    Don't be honest around here, you'll be burned at the stake.

  • Reply 24 of 83
    Just to weigh in on this and other issues, as to my personal experience:

    I have had the iPhone 5 for 2 weeks now, and I absolutely love it. The larger screen is wonderful, LTE in my area (AT&T) is lightning fast - often faster than my wi-fi, and it is super quick on tasks within the phone. Couldn't be happier.

    About these "issues" people are complaining about:

    1. Purple Haze: I have compared to my old 4S in comparable pictures, and haze can be recreated in both. To be honest, it does seem a little more pronounced (the purplish tone) with the iPhone 5, but really a non-issue with me and the way I take photos.

    2. Scratches: I had a small edge scuff on my black iPhone 5 upon opening the box, but it was really barely noticeable. I bet the only reason I did notice it was I looked for it once I heard others talking about it. I keep my phone in a case so it didn't bother me anyway.

    3. Maps: I have experienced zero problems so far. Maps look great, turn-by-turn is fantastic and I never had much use for Google's Streetview anyway. Just to see, I used Flyover to locate an address in New York I stayed at last year and was able to get a semi-low "treetop" view of the same building I saw with Streetview - and without a bright sun washing out half the scene as with the Streetview picture. In this instance, Flyover was better than Streetview.

    Bottom line: best iPhone yet, can't wait to see what they'll come up with next year.
  • Reply 25 of 83

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Maestro64 View Post



    Stop taking picture into the light. This is what happen when you let people who have no clue about how to take pictures use a cheap camera and expect perfection.

    The fact that people are complaining about this show how many clueless people are allow to buy things which they do not know how to use.

    If you do not what this kind of problem go buy a $1000 SLA with some good lens and 3 ccd and take a photo class or two any maybe the purple haze can be a photo shop exercise.


    Answer me this then. Why did it not happen on my 4s? Not once!!!

  • Reply 26 of 83
    irelandireland Posts: 17,799member


    These are from my iPhone 4. One good, one not as good.


     


    Sun just off camera here. To me, it seems that this one, the least affected image (no purple haze) should be the worse one because of the hard, hard sun just off camera. I'd be interested to know how this exact same shot: location, light, position, etc. might look from an iPhone 5.


     



     


     


    Same here, sun off camera, but interestingly the sun was actually low in the sky behind me here, and behind trees, But, it is at least some proof the iPhone 4 is also capable of this so-called purple haze.


     


  • Reply 27 of 83

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    So are we supposed to be for or against CR, then?


     


    LOL



     


    I don't have a problem with CR rating toaster ovens.


    But when it comes to smartphones, some are just not Android enough for them.

  • Reply 28 of 83
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,122member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by tazzuk View Post


    Answer me this then. Why did it not happen on my 4s? Not once!!!



    I'll answer you.  Return your damn phone and move on with your life.  Send a statement to Apple that you are unsatisfied with your phone camera and be done with it.



    "But, but, but... <wutever>"



    Jeez, the amount of whining about this is unbelievable.

  • Reply 29 of 83
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Maestro64 View Post



    Stop taking picture into the light. This is what happen when you let people who have no clue about how to take pictures use a cheap camera and expect perfection.

    The fact that people are complaining about this show how many clueless people are allow to buy things which they do not know how to use.

    If you do not what this kind of problem go buy a $1000 SLA with some good lens and 3 ccd and take a photo class or two any maybe the purple haze can be a photo shop exercise.


     


    Unfortunately or not, this also happens to people who know how to take pictures, use expensive camera and expect perfection.


     


    Certainly a better understanding of the physics behind the issue would be appropriate. And equally sound, would be to destroy, remove and/or keep to oneself those photos one takes and finds objectionable.


     


    As the attached article states,  "It [flare] can lower the overall contrast of a photograph significantly and is often an undesired artifact, however some types of flare may actually enhance the artistic meaning of a photo. Understanding lens flare can help you use it — or avoid it — in a way which best suits how you wish to portray the final image." 


     


    Hav'n taken literally thousands of photos on my Canon F1, most of my 'flared' prints were accidental. However, many of those were quite salvageable with a simple crop. In fact, these so-called mistakes were often declared by my audiences as being quite artistic to which I admit was highly unwarranted, but neither denied by oneself.
  • Reply 30 of 83
    irelandireland Posts: 17,799member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


     


    I don't have a problem with CR rating toaster ovens.


    But when it comes to smartphones, some are just not Android enough for them.



     


    Actually that is a good point, because after using a Samsung SIII recently I ain't worried too much about my AAPL stock. The thing, in practice, was slower than my friggin' iPhone 4. And what makes this even more comical is the reason I am getting a 5 is because the iPhone 4 was too slow for me. I'm really impatient when it comes to devices I use every day.


     


    What I am saying is, if they list as a negative on any phone the fact that it doesn't have a micro SD slot, as you see on a lot of pro-Android sites when they review devices such as the iPhone I would easily discount everything they say for this reason alone. Meaning, from here on out I'd form an immediate conclusion they do not have a clue what it a good technology device make. Yoda, or something.

  • Reply 31 of 83

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by matrix07 View Post



    This is weird. CR is behaving strange lately.


     


    So true. They failed to blame lens flare on iOS. They said it had something to do with "scattered reflections inside of lenses"? WTF? No, it's clearly iOS' fault. Even the lens flare on the Galaxy S3, Razr Maxx, and expensive SLR cameras is iOS' fault. 

  • Reply 32 of 83

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


     


    Actually that is a good point, because after using a Samsung SIII recently I ain't worried too much about my AAPL stock. The thing, in practice, was slower than my friggin' iPhone 4. And what makes this even more comical is the reason I am getting a 5 is because the iPhone 4 was too slow for me. I'm really impatient when it comes to devices I use every day.



     


    Well Android lets you customize the color of your lens flare, unlike Apple who locks users into a single shade of purple. I don't want Apple deciding for me which wavelength of light will reflect off the internal lens elements inside the camera. I want choices, dammit.

  • Reply 33 of 83
    irelandireland Posts: 17,799member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


     


    Well Android lets you customize the color of your lens flare, unlike Apple who locks users into a single shade of purple. I don't want Apple deciding for me which wavelength of light will reflect off the internal lens elements inside the camera. I want choices, dammit.



     


    That would have been much funnier without the final sentence. Leave the reader get the joke themselves. This is what I'm learning from writing a script.

  • Reply 34 of 83


    All this sound and fury leads to the following burning question: What is the correct color of a lens flare?


     


    Is it the visual equivalent of one hand clapping or the tree falling in an empty forest?


     


    Remember, we do not look at things so much as we overlook them, and the reverse side also has a reverse side.

     

  • Reply 35 of 83
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,122member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Quiet_Desperation View Post


    All this sound and fury leads to the following burning question: What is the correct color of a lens flare?


     


    Is it the visual equivalent of one hand clapping or the tree falling in an empty forest?


     


    Remember, we do not look at things so much as we overlook them, and the reverse side also has a reverse side.

     



    To be or not to be.  That is the question?

  • Reply 36 of 83

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


     


    Hey. Cheeky. Even if you think I am wrong there's no need to turn into a jerk like John Gruber.


    .............


    So what part of that don't you understand?



    Hmm....


     


    Sauce. Goose. Gander. Etc.

  • Reply 37 of 83

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


     


    That would have been much funnier without the final sentence. Leave the reader get the joke themselves. This is what I'm learning from writing a script.



     


    Really? I thought that was the punchline. Well, that's what I'm not learning from not writing a script.

  • Reply 38 of 83
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member


    First CR said that Maps turn-by-turn tests out just as good as Google (which of course was never error-free) and now this.


     


    Someone’s going to get fired at CR.

  • Reply 40 of 83


    What?  Wait, now I'll have to return my Android device and then re-re-re-order another iPhone 5!  \s

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