Although a small number of reports shortly after the iPhone 5’s launch suggested that a strange “purple haze” was appearing in certain photos taken with the rear iSight camera, we held back on running the claims because they appeared to be consistent with a well-known phenomenon known as lens flare.
Users noted that purple-tinted light rays were appearing in photos with a bright light source — such as the sun — near the edges of the frame, and now Digital Photography Review has examined the iPhone 5’s camera more closely, as shown in its photo below, ultimately attributing the issue to two common lens factors: lens flare and internal reflections.
Although the flare is a bit more noticeable on the new iPhone than on some larger cameras, DPReview notes that all lenses can suffer from lens flare, and in this case is likely “caused by a combination of different things, none of which, alone, is unique to the iPhone 5.” The site suggests that users “avoid putting bright lights near the edge of the frame when shooting.”
.
