Camera Glossary

A type of distortion where colors appear as fringes along high-contrast edges in a photograph.

Detailed Explanation

Chromatic aberration, also known as "color fringing" or "purple fringing," is an optical problem that occurs when a lens fails to focus all colors to the same convergence point. It appears as unwanted color fringes along high-contrast edges in an image, typically purple or green in color. This distortion is more common in cheaper lenses and is most noticeable in high-contrast areas or towards the edges of the frame. Modern lenses often include special elements to minimize chromatic aberration, and it can also be corrected in post-processing software.