It has been reported that the new iPhone 5 camera take photos with a purple haze, especially when taken in direct light. Gizmodo reported that one of their reader apparently contacted Apple about this issue and was told not to take pictures in front of a bright light source. Of course, this did not go down well with a lot of readers here and here.
Here is Apple’s response to user according to the Gizmodo report:
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Dear Matt,
Our engineering team just gave me this information and we recommend that you angle the camera away from the bright light source when taking pictures. The purple flare in the image provided is considered normal behavior for iPhone 5’s camera. If you wish to reach me regarding this case number *********, please contact me at 1-877-***-**** ext. *******. I currently work Thursday-Monday: 7:00am – 3:30pm Mountain Time. If you reach my voicemail, please leave your name, phone number, case number and the best time to reach you. Email is ***********@apple.com.
Sincerely,
Debby
AppleCare Support
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This sort of response obviously brought back memories of the antenna-gate issue, which irritated a lot of people. It wasn’t Apple’s greatest hour and the jury is still out on how well Steve Jobs handled the situation in the end. However, I have proof that Apple’s response is correct on this occasion.
I have posted pictures I have taken on my iPhone 4S earlier this year (this can be confirmed by look at the metadata of the photos). And surprise, surprise- the purple haze is clearly evident in these photos. Therefore, it’s a bit silly trying to make this out as if this issue is a dealbreaker for those wishing to buy an iPhone 5. I have been using my iPhone 4S for over a year and I can honestly say this had no impact on my photo taking experience. As a matter of fact, I didn’t think this was an issue until now. I thought it was one of those cool camera tricks.
At the end of he day this is a non-issue. For individuals who are buying a new iPhone 5 this may be of some concern and it will be wise to follow Apple’s instruction and do not take photos in front of direct light sources. If this is an unsatisfactory response to your concern, prehaps you should get another smartphone.
For individuals who owned an iPhone 4/4S in the past and are upgrading to an iPhone 5, there is nothing to see here. Move along quickly.
