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How do you keep your camera lens scratch-free?

I apologize if this has been covered a 1000 times, but I did a cursory search and only run into threads about the screen cover or full-body protection, i.e. the lens cover is almost always just mentioned in passing.
I'm one of the many who have discovered that the plastic lens cover integrated into the battery cover is extremely prone to scratches. I've ordered two extra covers from Expansys, but at this rate, I'll need to get a new one every 2-3 months.
On previous phones, I tried various screen covers that either came with a lense cover (Martin Fields) or cut one out myself, only to find that the clarity of the plastic screen covers causes the pictures to come out hazy or milky. This is partially due to the difficulty of removing fingerprints, but even more due to the fact that screen protectors aren't really designed to be crystal clear like a camera lens is. I invariably took them off and risked it, but on most of my other units, the only thing that was real glass was the lens cover. Not so on the Desire.
Does anyone have any advice on this front?

i use the martin fields lens cover that came with the martins fields screen cover... its very good for the price....

I had an old screen protector that I cut a rectangle to cover the lens.
Looks OK but not perfect.
I may try to cut a circle to cover it properly.

I am not sure how you damage it, i keep my phone in its pouch, when i take it out or put it back down i put the phone ontop of the pouch so the camera is not touching the surface. A cover would i assume make the picture loose quality?

I'm generally very careful with my phones, but accidents happen and I managed to get a bunch of hairline scratches on the lens cover after just 6 weeks with the phone.

hoppi05 said:
i use the martin fields lens cover that came with the martins fields screen cover... its very good for the price....
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Can you show me URL for this product?

Not saying that they haven't made progress, but I used to have a Martin Fields lens protector on my old Omnia i900 and found that the plastic of the lens protector caused hazy pictures even when clean.
I'm beginning to wonder if a liquid solution might be the way to go. Something like clear nailpolish that could be removed and reapplied if it got scratches in it. Anyone hear of something like this?

I've got the same problem, a lot of little scratches at the lens cover which make my photos not as sharp/clear as it should be. I think with the pouch I recently ordered the problem is over, but for now I must order a quite expensive new battery cover.

Quist said:
Not saying that they haven't made progress, but I used to have a Martin Fields lens protector on my old Omnia i900 and found that the plastic of the lens protector caused hazy pictures even when clean.
I'm beginning to wonder if a liquid solution might be the way to go. Something like clear nailpolish that could be removed and reapplied if it got scratches in it. Anyone hear of something like this?
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The liquid would have to be perfectly flat and of uniform thickness to prevent refraction, I doubt such an application could be achieved "at home"

I just use a thick gel skin for my phone and a padded microfibre pouch.
The thickness of the skin makes the lens very deeply recessed so it's way safer.

albert_htc said:
I had an old screen protector that I cut a rectangle to cover the lens.
Looks OK but not perfect.
I may try to cut a circle to cover it properly.
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Lol..u just give me a got idea!! Im going to try it on my sensation!!
Edit: Actualy i already try the rectangular one and its fit perfect. Tomorow i wil try to cut it in round shape one ;P
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App

take out the lens
Perhaps too obvious, but I knocked out the camera lens in the battery cover. After more than a year still no scratches on the camera itself and perfect pictures (at least, for this camera unit). Protection is sufficient with a pouch.

naimmkassim said:
Lol..u just give me a got idea!! Im going to try it on my sensation!!
Edit: Actualy i already try the rectangular one and its fit perfect. Tomorow i wil try to cut it in round shape one ;P
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App
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Crap!! It just dont work..after few days dust started to accumulate between the rectangular screen protector and the camera lens. More scratch now!! Crap..crap!! >¦c
P/s: i did try to cut the screen protector round, but the glue of the screen just come out during cutting process..not work also..
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App

just remove the scratched up bit of plastic and stop worrying, the lens is countersunk below the case anyway,
i removed the plastic lens from my battery cover after having the desire for about 2 weeks, 6-7 months later my pictures still come out as sharp and defined as when new,
if you get any dirt on the camera lens simply take off your battery cover and you can clean it easily,

braddersss said:
just remove the scratched up bit of plastic and stop worrying, the lens is countersunk below the case anyway,
i removed the plastic lens from my battery cover after having the desire for about 2 weeks, 6-7 months later my pictures still come out as sharp and defined as when new,
if you get any dirt on the camera lens simply take off your battery cover and you can clean it easily,
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The worry part is during clean up the camera lens. If i wipe it with some chemical n tissue, there is a high risk the lens get scratch ;c
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App

naimmkassim said:
The worry part is during clean up the camera lens. If i wipe it with some chemical n tissue, there is a high risk the lens get scratch ;c
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App
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well as i said mines been fine for the last 6-7 months, i just take the battery cover off and give it a wipe with my t shirt or something, no scratches so far,,

braddersss said:
well as i said mines been fine for the last 6-7 months, i just take the battery cover off and give it a wipe with my t shirt or something, no scratches so far,,
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This may not be necessary!
I've been having this issue for ages too.. i clean the plastic lens but it appears to be scratched as pics come out hazy, just like other posters above. I have just pushed out the plastic lens on the battery cover as suggested and sure enough pics are instantly clearer.. however when inspecting the plastic lens cover i realized two things
* the sticky part is very sticky!
* the inside of the plastic part (the sticky side) appears to be dirty..
i cleaned it with one of those cloths you use for specs and since it's still very sticky i put it back in.. tried a few shots with the battery cover on and off, and i' can't notice any difference.. no longer hazy!
sure though, knocking it out avoids having to clean in form the inside .. but i'm afraid of scratching the inside lens.. that one's more difficult to replace

if you REALLY want to go all out, you could take the cover to a jewler/watch repair and have them replace the glass with sapphire crystal... it's so small that it may not cost an outrageous amount, but then they would have to cut it to size...

Bought myself another battery cover from ebay, I hope this one will last, gonna have to figure out how to maintain that new one scratch-free.
The one I bought:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/130544376251?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Another option for those worried about their lens ...
Amazon ( Sorry, I only found it on the german site ) has this item listed :
http://www.amazon.de/Ersatzglas-Kam...WWGK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1320922089&sr=8-3
It's a saphire glass replacement lens cover for our beloved Desire , and apparently is very scratchproof (according to reviews) . They had a slight quality problem early in the manufacturing process, the first items came out slightly too large, but it seems that's fixed by now ...
I will order one and give it a try , as I have quite bad scratches in mine after 1.5 years of normal use and don't really want to leave the camera itself uncovered

[Q] Should I remove the plastic thing on the camera?

Should I remove the protecting thing on the camera of the nexus 5 or will the camera get scrached?

The glass underneath the plastic is recessed so should be OK. That said, you can buy screen protectors with camera covers too.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

The lens is also fairly durable and does not scratch nearly as easily as the screen.
Last, a lens needs to be very scratched up for it to have a significant impact on your pictures.
http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/1095/does-a-lens-scratch-really-impact-your-photos/

if you have no need to use the camera, you dont need to take it off. but if you do want to use the camera, take the darn thing off! it wont get scratched very easy, believe me. i probably take more photos here than anyone else, on a daily level, and not a scratch on mine. been using since new years. and those screen savers with camera covers, they reduce image quality. personally, im very anal about the quality of the images, and anytrhing that covers or "protects" the camera lens cover will reduce image quality, no matter if it says it doesnt or someone says they dont notice.

raptir said:
The lens is also fairly durable and does not scratch nearly as easily as the screen.
Last, a lens needs to be very scratched up for it to have a significant impact on your pictures.
http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/1095/does-a-lens-scratch-really-impact-your-photos/
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I imagine the lens scratches really easily but luckily its actually underneath a layer of glass.
As a keen photographer myself, I only partially agree with the link. Probably wouldn't matter on a device like this but as a general rule it would.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

I decided to remove it guys and it turned out that the plastic thing accualy doesn't cover the lense anyway it covers the HUGE camera becide it :laugh:

Mazen Amr said:
I decided to remove it guys and it turned out that the plastic thing accualy doesn't cover the lense anyway it covers the HUGE camera becide it :laugh:
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Good job. It would just fall off eventually.
Also please remove the IMEI sticker from the back. Some people think it has a purpose or isn't removable for some odd reason.

bblzd said:
Good job. It would just fall off eventually.
Also please remove the IMEI sticker from the back. Some people think it has a purpose or isn't removable for some odd reason.
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Removed it long time ago

simms22 said:
if you have no need to use the camera, you dont need to take it off. but if you do want to use the camera, take the darn thing off! it wont get scratched very easy, believe me. i probably take more photos here than anyone else, on a daily level, and not a scratch on mine. been using since new years. and those screen savers with camera covers, they reduce image quality. personally, im very anal about the quality of the images, and anytrhing that covers or "protects" the camera lens cover will reduce image quality, no matter if it says it doesnt or someone says they dont notice.
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I don't see how taking photos would scratch the lens =P I think it's more of being in your pocket or leaving it on the table with no case on. Also, as OP found out, the plastic has a center opening for the actual camera and only covers everything around it.
@ OP After I RMA'd my phone I kept the plastic on there. However, after getting a dbrand skin that came with a lens covering, I used it to replace the plastic. A lot of skins now come with them, and as @rootSU said you can order transparent ones that probably will stay on the phone better.

Bad picture quality because of camera lens!

Has anyone else seen this? My camera quality slowly got worse and worse. I went to get my phone replaced under warranty and got hassled around because of the known hairline back that happens around the microphone port so I decided to take the lens off. It takes perfect pics now. I'm very gentle with my phones. It's in perfect condition so I don't even understand how the lens got this way. Bought a new one on ebay for $4 and will replace it myself. Here's what my pics look like.. One is the front camera and the horrible looking one is the rear camera.

When you say camera lens, are you talking about the protective plastic piece? That's not a lens, it's just a piece of protection stuck on like the plastic cover found on your screen when unboxing. The actual camera lens is glass and would be tough to scratch.
Sent from my LG-D850 using XDA Free mobile app

No... I understand.... Protective plastic was removed a LONG time ago. My photos appear cloudy as well, and slowly getting worse. if I look at the lens it looks like it's got a sheen over it and no matter what I do I can't rub it off I can't clean it off. What do I want for a buck though I guess.... right? Dollar phone.

I was able to clean the sheen off with some tooth paste, q-tip then some alcohol to shine it up. Works great now, no scratches

My bro's Verizon model doesn't have the coating. Maybe it was a mistake during assembly, didn't get cleaned off at the right time.

No plastic film on camera and heart sensor lenses?

Did anyone notice that, unlike the GS6 and other Galaxies before it, the S7 and S7 Edge don't have the plastic film that covers both the camera and heart sensor lenses when you first got it? Some people take them off when they got the phone, but I left it on there on my GS6 to protect the camera lense from scratches.
Just wanted to know whether someone has noticed this on their phones as well?

U are anyways suppose to remove them.
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Dark5tar said:
Did anyone notice that, unlike the GS6 and other Galaxies before it, the S7 and S7 Edge don't have the plastic film that covers both the camera and heart sensor lenses when you first got it? Some people take them off when they got the phone, but I left it on there on my GS6 to protect the camera lense from scratches.
Just wanted to know whether someone has noticed this on their phones as well?
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That plastic makes photos you take worse because it reflects lights to the camera in a way that it is undesirable. You bought a phone with a fantastic camera. Why would you leave a thing like this attached to it?
Besides, the camera glass is Gorilla. Heart hate sensor is a cheap one. And if you use any kind of case, you can put your phone on the table and the camera glass will never touch table directly.
Enjoy your phone. I know it is not cheap, but it is just a phone.
https://youtu.be/D_bB5fnN7Jk
Sent from my SM-G930F using XDA-Developers mobile app

goTouch said:
That plastic makes photos you take worse because it reflects lights to the camera in a way that it is undesirable. You bought a phone with a fantastic camera. Why would you leave a thing like this attached to it?
Besides, the camera glass is Gorilla. Heart hate sensor is a cheap one. And if you use any kind of case, you can put your phone on the table and the camera glass will never touch table directly.
Enjoy your phone. I know it is not cheap, but it is just a phone.
https://youtu.be/D_bB5fnN7Jk
Sent from my SM-G930F using XDA-Developers mobile app
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Thanks, appreciate your feedback

Even if it did have that plastic on it and you left it on, it'd get scratched up pretty quickly. If you wanted some kind of protection though, you could try d-brand skins. They cover the glass on the camera lens, leaving only a small opening for the aperture (although I don't know how much "give" there is for the OIS function), but that could still get damaged. Personally, I just have a case, front screen protector and that's it.

Kiwi_Dude said:
Even if it did have that plastic on it and you left it on, it'd get scratched up pretty quickly. If you wanted some kind of protection though, you could try d-brand skins. They cover the glass on the camera lens, leaving only a small opening for the aperture (although I don't know how much "give" there is for the OIS function), but that could still get damaged. Personally, I just have a case, front screen protector and that's it.
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Thanks. Glad to see another NZ lad on here

Also from NZ boys, i ordered some glass protectors from ebay and they fit really well. They fit over the camera lens and on thr heartrate sensor. Check them out. Only took a couple days to get here aswell which was awesome.
tapped on #datbombv7EchoeRom

MRDOCA said:
Also from NZ boys, i ordered some glass protectors from ebay and they fit really well. They fit over the camera lens and on thr heartrate sensor. Check them out. Only took a couple days to get here aswell which was awesome.
tapped on #datbombv7EchoeRom
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Can you provide a link of the one you bought?

Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/121975555820
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Is there a plastic piece installed factory over the camera?

I can't tell.... and if there isn't I don't want to pick at it and scratch it.

Nope

I just did the exact thing. eBay has the part it's easy to fix I did it. Just don't get the acrylic one. And ask before buying even if the picture looks like the OEM glass one make sure! Unless you want the acrylic one it's less prone to cracking but will scratch.
Sent from my LG-H830 using XDA-Developers mobile app

darkpower_4 said:
I just did the exact thing. eBay has the part it's easy to fix I did it. Just don't get the acrylic one. And ask before buying even if the picture looks like the OEM glass one make sure! Unless you want the acrylic one it's less prone to cracking but will scratch.
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How did you replace it?
I did actually get the acrylic one, as it is less likely to break again

kchannel9 said:
Nope
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Ok, this not normal, how did it happened.:fingers-crossed:

kms108 said:
Ok, this not normal, how did it happened.:fingers-crossed:
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Simply being in my pocket. You'll see on the forums this is happening to a lot of people. The consensus is that LG phoned it in on the camera glass quality.

kchannel9 said:
Simply being in my pocket. You'll see on the forums this is happening to a lot of people. The consensus is that LG phoned it in on the camera glass quality.
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Yeh, I noticed all the glass problems, am I lucky or what, no problem for me with any problem mention in this forum about the glass built or any other stuff, and I had my G5 from day 1 after exchange it once, but I can remember the reason why I exchanged it.:fingers-crossed:
Just looking back at my camera len, I do have a deep scratch, but lucky I have a PET lens protector on, so it's only the protector that is scratched, at least I do have 3 spare one left.

kms108 said:
Yeh, I noticed all the glass problems, am I lucky or what, no problem for me with any problem mention in this forum about the glass built or any other stuff, and I had my G5 from day 1 after exchange it once, but I can remember the reason why I exchanged it.:fingers-crossed:
Just looking back at my camera len, I do have a deep scratch, but lucky I have a PET lens protector on, so it's only the protector that is scratched, at least I do have 3 spare one left.
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Yeah I thought the same thing before I pulled the phone out of my pocket, nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and it was mysteriously broken. It's going to be like a recall if it gets really bad...

It doesn't take much pressure to brake it but it doesn't just do it on its own. This isn't the 6p being too tight around the glass and it breaking from expansion @kchannel9 just lift off what's left of your glass and peel it off no need to open the phone up. Just make sure no glass is left in it when you put the new one on. It should come with adhesive. And don't touch the lens! Cover it up if it breaks all the way it out or tape over it if it is just cracked to protect the camera! I might get the acrylic one to put over my glass replacement one now that I see how fragile it is.
Sent from my LG-H830 using XDA-Developers mobile app

It's simple to replace. Mine cracked and I ordered 2 off eBay. I had to replace it for a warranty exchange. Just use tweezers to get under the glass in the crack and peel it out. Insert the new adhesive sticker, then lay the new glass down. Takes about 5-10 minutes.
Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

Just replaced mine, was easy. The acrylic one I got from eBay/China works fine, though there are visible lines in the acrylic, it did not seem to effect the pictures taken. If I find with more testing that it does, I will get the glass again instead, and also add a glass protector as well. But for now seems fine.

Ok nevermind, after taking some pictures in full sun it is apparent that the acrylic adds a ghostly fuzziness to the images where there once was impressively sharp clarity. Going to order the glass version and a tempered glass protector for that piece as well. Really annoying, you'd think a $700 flagship phone wouldn't have this issue.

kchannel9 said:
Ok nevermind, after taking some pictures in full sun it is apparent that the acrylic adds a ghostly fuzziness to the images where there once was impressively sharp clarity. Going to order the glass version and a tempered glass protector for that piece as well. Really annoying, you'd think a $700 flagship phone wouldn't have this issue.
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I think it's individual case, just unlucky, my unit is perfect.:fingers-crossed:

This thread's existence would suggest otherwise: http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g5/help/cracked-camera-lens-cover-t3351748/page6