Database Info

Wide Angle/Macro Lens

Anyone ever use one of these?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Wide-Angle-Macr...590532?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item3cae04d704
I was thinking about maybe checking it out. Looks pretty promising, but so do a lot of things you see online lol.
Curious to hear from someone who's used it.

its like those adapters for lenses of DSLRs or whatever. it pretty much puts a lens that gives you a magnifying effect like a magnifying glass or curved more for a more wide shot.. its a cheap piece of glass in that thing.. yah gives u the shot but most likely drops your quality down considerably

I have a cheap one (16USD) bought from dealextreme.com I use it with a kodak zi8 flip camera and my nexus one. on the zi8 it works great, on the nexus you can see vignetting from the lens.
there are several different lenses, and some are VERY low quality, blurred edges, etc. be sure to read reviews and view sample images of the specific lens you want to buy, if you can
it's a fun accesory to have when used with a photo app (picplz, photoshop express, etc)
mine is only a wide angle/fisheye lens, no macro.

Whats the best car vent holder for vertical vents?- Nexus 4 overheating

So i have signed up for Googles new music service "All Access". I love it, however, I have noticed one thing about it. It puts one hell of a strain on my Nexus 4s modem when streaming in high quality.
I found out that if I run a GPS app such as ingress or Waze while streaming hi quality audio from All Access that eventually my phone will get so hot that my internet connection pretty much stops working all together. I like to run Waze every morning for my commute because the police alerts are sweet and i also like to stream music.
I have tried every software tweak i can think of to help with this issue including underclocking, unvolting, underclock GPU, screen brightness ECT....but it doesn't prevent it. My only idea left if to have the phone held by a vent mounted clip and expose the area around the camera (where it is very very hot) to the flow of cool air while i drive. Hopefully the phones back doesn't get that hot if the phone is exposed to the air from the start.
Does anyone have experience with a vent clip that works well with vertical vents?

I have horizontal vents but I was able to use this mount I got on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380541142201&ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123
The vent clip is rotatable so it can be use on either horizontal or vertical vents. It technically didn't fit my N4 but after some bic lighter manipulations my phone fits pretty snug with it's Ringke Fusion case. I heated up the 2 corner clips and used a pair of pliers to bend out the hooks at the ends. I also stretched out the center holding clip so it would fit my phone better. The whole thing is not super locked into place since it can still wiggle but I am sure that is isn't going to fall off since the hooking mechanism is pretty well done.

You can use a binder clip car dock.
http://lifehacker.com/5747897/how-to-build-a-car-mount-for-your-cellphone-from-office-supplies

Just had this happen to me today. I'm streaming all access while charging and my phone got so hot that it stopped charging. My fix is the mount that goes in the CD tray. I just aim one of my vents toward the phone and it can't possibly overheat.

I just shove it into one of the vents and crank up the ac Lol two mins its cool Lol. Short term solution
Sent from my blazing fast nexus 4 o yeah baby this phone is awesome

You can also block the vent in behind the holder. That's what I did. By totally fluke the dark grey plastic that DVD movie cases are made of match the color of my dash.
So I cut up an old DVD cass the right size and stuck it in between the vent grills and the vent housing. Then made holes for the arms of the phone holder.
Here's a pic.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

Focusing problems with your Lumia 1020? Try this crazy stunt..

I've noticed some people have encountered this problem. Simply put, the camera can't focus properly at objects situated at about 2-3meters or further. Autofocus can succesfully occur only at macro shots. Sometimes this is coupled with that infamous camera scratching sound, the one that sounds like a dying penguin or whatever.
Well, my phone does all of this and since it's a second hand unit without any warrany, why the hell not, let's fix it. A new sensor is expensive so i had to find other ways to fix the one i have.
After some investigation is seems that the internal construction of these sensors includes a mobile assembly containing the OIS and autofocus mechanical and optical modules. When you focus - relative to the sensor underneath, the lens have about 1.5-2mm travel space, again, relative to the sensor (that's fixed in the frame). When you focus the camera to an object far away, the lens assembly must travel inwards, closer to the sensor. Viceversa, when you focus for a macro shot, the lens travel further appart from the sensor. Pretty simple.
However, all but one of the lens are made from polycarbonate (plastic) like most of the sensor module's guts. This is not a bad thing actually. The choice was made because the optical assembly must be as light as possible and glass+metal would have weighted a lot more. But using plastic has some other problems.
When i disassembled the phone, i extracted the sensor module and activated it outside of the phone casing to make some tests. What i first noticed is that as soon as i enable the camera app, the sensor will get hot. Real hot. You can't touch it after some 2-3 minutes of it running. Most of the heat is generated by the photo sensor itself. It's how these things work. However the heat output from such a huge sensor is more disturbing then the situations found with other phone's small camera sensors. Even so, for example, it is known that HTC One M7 had a failure mode involving it's camera, due to the high heat output, the sensor would burn itself resulting in a pink/purple cast over the image you try to capture. Over time those sensors will fail, HTC replaced them with a different design.
In lumia 1020's case the huge heat output results in a another failure mode. Since the module uses gyroscopes and moving parts (bearings, actuators etc) in plastic rail, the plastic becomes brittle with an increase in temperature so the rails change their position relative to the sensor. So it's mechanical wear amplified by overtemperature.
The aufocus lens subassembly will actually swing out of the correct focusing distance. The 1.5-2mm distance will thus increase over time. Since it's a closed space, there's not enough space to accomodate the new lens position, so at some focal lenghts the mobile assembly will bash against the sensor casing resulting the dead penguin sound.
SO..... HOW TO FIX THIS?
If your phone's camera does the penguin sound all the time, then it's done. It's past feasable repair solutions. If it's only seldom happening or only at specific focus distances, you could still be good to go. Also, no penguin sound but only focus problems is the ideal case.
So, what to do. It could come as a surprise but if it were a human, your phone would have a typical case of short-sightedness or myopia. So... let's treat this condition like we would do with a human.
First step: find some glasses. From some experiments i've determined that my phone has a -2 to -3 myopia. So i found some corresponding glasses, placed one lens over the sensor area and voila : the phone now focuses properly. I can take a landscape photo.
So, with that in mind, find some lenses, specified for -2 to -3 myopia and check them with your phone. Try taking photos without using the flash at both landscapes and macro things. A good lens is one that enables the phone to focus at both macro and landscape. Larger negative value lens (-4 -5 etc) could correct landscape focus but prevent the sensor module to lock a macro focus. So.. experiment.
Second step, the ideal lens should be made from polycarbonate, not glass. You will need to cut the center of the lens itself. You can't cut glass with regular tools. If you find the right lens, proceed to disassembe the phone. Once you remove the sensor, you will see a glass lens glued to the back of the phone's casing (on that round black circle on the back). You will need to find a way to replace that lens with your new found one. Ideally, the piece of lens you cut should be as flat and thin as possible in order to make a flush fit inside the casing. Before glueing anything test the lens at the distance it will be mounted over the sensor. If everything is right, remove the original lens using some hot air (it's glued) and replace it with your custom one.
Third step. Improve the sensor's cooling. Some cooper pads should be already placed there by the manufacturer. Use the back of the screen as a cooling surface. Place cpu thermal compound (arctic silver, any good brand) over those copper pads and check to see if they make contact with the back of the display. If not insert some aditional copper pads. This will prevent further heat related problems and further sensor module damage.
Also... NEVER USE FLASHLIGHT APPS FOR TOO LONG WITH THIS PHONE!. When you use them, you are actually powering up the whole sensor not just the led. This can result in overheating and premature damage to the sensor itself.
I have completed my preliminary tests so i'm now searching for a good lens to place inside the phone, once i find one i'll update this post and ad a picture tutorial.
Meanwhile, feel free to experiment by placing different glasses in front of your phone's camera ( 1cm or closer) and check to see what works for you.
Hope it helps :good:

Thanks for explaining this issue. I was wondering is this software or hardware bug but clear now

ok so i found a pair of used glasses. They have heliomate lenses, ie. they darken by themselves when exposed to sunlight but, i got them for free and figured out it's worth a try.
Also in Romania, you can go to a store specialized in manufacturing seeing glasses and buy lens separately. For example a single -2.5 glass lens will cost about 3 euro here and the polycarbonate ones (needed for this project) about 8-10 euros.
But since i have this glasses i used one of their lenses.
First of all, the lenses are too thick to simply place inside the phone. Therefore some DIY action is required.
Here's what i did:
1. First - removing the original lens over the black cap on the back of the phone. I used hot air, that thing is really stuck in there with some nasty glue stuff. Here's how it looks when removed:
2. I then made a drawing of what i must do with my lens to fit inside the casing.
Click on the image to see the full drawing. The first picture shows the new diy lens as viewed from the top, while the second one shows the profile of the lens. This thing is made using a single lens.
3. I removed one of the glasses lens and started cutting a triangle shape on the center of it. You must use the center portion because the thickness of the lens varies and if it's not constant in the center of your lens you will get a lot of barrel lens distorsion when taking photos. Also, you should use plastic lens, since cutting glass lens is impossible with DIY tools.
I cut the lens using a fine saw using a blade made for cutting metals, or you can use a bread knife, the ones that have jagged blades. It's a slow process, it toked 30 minutes to cut that triangle.
4. Now, I've begun grinding the edges of the triangle with a file, in order to begin forming the upper circle that must be inserted to the back of the phone's camera ring. Here's how it looks after the first try.
5. The hexagon shaped part now must have it's corners grinded. Some care must be taken not to scratch the upper and lower part of the lens. Using a spare casing (silver color one in the photos) i checked to see how much to grind in order to fit the part inside. After all of this is done, here's the end result.
6. I've then inserted the new lens inside my phone casing. A little more grinding is needed to align the lens with the case and the sensor. In order to adjust that - we have those 3 blunt triangle edges. I grinded those to make them sit flush inside the casing with the lens being parallel to the sensor itself.
Once the lens was inside, i temporarely placed the sensor over it and tested how some sample photos look. I took some pictures of far away objects looking for edge to edge sharpness or barrel distorsions. Once I found the optimum position i place a little bit of glue on the edges of the triangle to secure the lens inside.
7. Once that is done, i reassembled the phone. Here how the new lens look, as seen from the back.
.
It's a bit yellowish because of that heliomate coating but it doesn't seem to affect the pictures taken.
How this works? Well, i can now focus at things further apart then 2 meters from the camera. I can do landscape photos (that was totally impossible before). Also the new lens doesn't prevent macro focus.
After all of this I've also learned that a -2 lens would have been ideal, because before of this modification i was able to macro focus at about 15-16cm and now i can only focus at about 18-20cm minimum. The lower you go with these lens (-3, -4 etc) the further you increase the minimum focus distance. I don't care much of the lost 2-3cm but if anyone should try this --- try testing with -2 lens first.
Also, some optics stores (in my country at least) can grind the lens for you (i found this ...of course... after i finished all of this) . You give them the old lens you removed and they will measure it and make one from the new lens.
All in all, it took me about 2 hours since the plastic lens are really easy to grind, it's a pretty soft material.
I didn't post photos taken, just imagine a good working sensor, it simply works. They are not that valuable for other people. It's better to make your own tests, at first by just placing a -2 pair of glasses 1cm in front of your camera and try to focus. If it improves your focus, you may want to read this "tutorial" again and maybe give it a go.

thx so much , am having the same problem and i tried an old pair of glasses in front of my lens and it worked , I'll file it and install it as in this tutorial .

Great DIY tutorial,i dont have problems with my Lumia but is good to know .

Specs of the finished product (DIY)
Hello can I know the ff: specs please.
What is the thickness of the glass?
Diameter of the Circle?
I need to do this..
I am asking a company to do this for me so they want some info..

So the only fix for this problem is to.
Change the Camera Module? or Change the Lens with a grade of -2?
Am I correct?
Please response.
Thank you!

thank u for telling. my Nokia 1020 not focusing far objects, so where can i buy lenses type of glass either cylindrical or spherical glass please tell me
---------- Post added at 08:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:37 AM ----------
meawmnj said:
thx so much , am having the same problem and i tried an old pair of glasses in front of my lens and it worked , I'll file it and install it as in this tutorial .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
where can u fing glass. iam asking at optical shop he asked cylindrical or spherical. iam confused tell me

Dark blobs in camera?

Sometimes in low indoor lighting I noticed some dark blobs that appear on the camera. They look like rather large particles scattered throughout the frame. I was suspecting maybe dust in the lens but I've seen a similar thing with my friend's Nexus 4 when is directly cast in sunlight - similar to when you look under a microscope and your hair eyelashes are in the way. Another thing I suspect it could be is some interference from the shiny black plastic ring within the camera lens (not the silver ring outside), as it appears to be made of a rough plastic-like material.
Sample (there are many more depending what angle the light is shining): https://www.dropbox.com/s/zm8h9jp3jhdy726/DSC_0476.JPG?dl=0
Has anyone experienced this as well?
Note that the lens/camera module that was replaced by Sony in Taiwan due to the left blur problem. They assured me that the phone was still waterproof. Unfortunately I am no longer in Taiwan so I can't get it repaired. In most situations the blobs are not visible but I do notice them when I'm filming in my room and the camera appears to be trying to pick up more light.

hmm, now that i look at my lens, i it appears there is a spot on the actual camera lens behind the main lens cover. Either dust got in during the lens replacement process, or it somehow got in later. So much for IP68 =/

Can you send it back and get a new device?

Lambo16 said:
Can you send it back and get a new device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, I bought it in Taiwan, and am studying overseas now. Perhaps next time I go to Taiwan I will turn it in. It's not a huge problem as none of my outdoor photos seem to have this problem - I only noticed it in videos I filmed in my room indoors with a certain lighting or flare (if you cover the light a bit it's gone, like you have a lens hood). It's not as obvious as previous reports of dust in the Xperia Z lens etc.
I looked into it with a magnifying glass and it does seem like there is at least one speck behind the lens cover.
Maybe there was some dust or paper in my pocket that somehow got in, but I had the phone in a case, and there's a rear protector film I applied that goes around the lens

[SPAM] Blitzwolf VR headset (with actual pics)

I received this item for free in exchange for an honest review.
Before I begin, I'd like for everyone reading to know that this item is basically the EXACT same item I reviewed a short while ago (the ShineCon). You can find that review in my sig. That being said, The functionality and quality of the two VR headsets are identical. Nothing seems any different from one another, except the brand printed on the front. FOV, clarity of lenses, softness of pads, feel of adjustment knobs, strength of magnet, etc. all feel the same. This is also the reason why I essentially just copy and pasted my review over from the the other thread.
<MODERATOR EDITED - SPAM REFERRAL LINKS DELETED>
Phone tested with headset: Nexus 6P (no case, just a vinyl skin)
Pros:
- clarity is awesome
- comfort with the soft pads is great
- easy to adjust focal length as well as space between eyes
- easy to adjust headstrap
- can use the phone's USB and AUX ports while in use
- front plate is removable for ventilation
Cons:
- no magnet for Google Cardboard support
- cumbersome to mount our sizable phone (even without case)
- can be a bit heavy if used to watch anything for extended periods of time
- a little bit of light can leak into the viewing cavity from the nose area
Comfort:
In comparison to the original Google Cardboard, it's obviously more luxurious and comfortable. The Blitzwolf has faux leather all around the areas that contact your face, except for the nose. The nose area is where a bit of light leaks in, but can easily be remedied with a bit of foam. However, I decided to leave this open as a port for ventilation because the phone can get warm depending on what type of VR content you're consuming.
The head straps are also made of good quality Velcro, so it's easily adjustable. The placement of the straps also seem pretty ideal, as the headset doesn't seem to be torquing my head downwards too much while in use.
Features:
The Blitzwolf has a few knobs to tweak the lens' position. There is a single knob on top that adjusts the distance between the lens. There's also knobs on either side of the headset that adjusts the fore/aft of the entire phone to bring the display into focus.
The phone loads into the headset with a spring/clamp mechanism. However, I found it difficult to load/unload my N6P mostly because the phone itself is pretty large for the mount. I wouldn't recommend any phone larger than the N6P for the Blitzwolf, but there's a tiny bit of wiggle room if you insist. The clamping mechanism also seems rather fragile, as the plastic bends pretty easily. The tabs for the clamp are also rather thin. If it does break, the clamp/tray can be removed with a few screws, and you could load the phone into the headset with some foam. Once the phone is loaded into the tray, all you do is fold the front "door" back into position and a magnet keeps things closed. The magnet seems sufficiently strong to hold my N6P without any problems. There is also an extra backplate that can be removed (attached via magnet) to allow better ventilation of your device, as well as exposing the camera for augmented reality, etc.
The front door also has a gap on either side of the headset, allowing for easy access to any ports on the phone that are on the top or bottom of the phone's edges. I could easily charge my N6P and use headphones while using the Shinecon.
Viewing Content:
Since this headset does not include any of its own software, I can only talk about the experience provided by 3rd party apps. I used Cardboard Theater to view my own content, and tested other VR videos with VRSE and Youtube. Everything was very simple to use, and the lens were of great quality. Picture was very clear, and the FOV was fantastic. Using Cardboard Theater, I was able to adjust "how far I am to the screen." In other words, it felt like I was on the front row of the theater with very good immersion. Not much black space on the edges of the field, which was a problem on the original Google Cardboard headset. I don't know the FOV values, but I'm pretty satisfied with what I'm seeing.
Build Quality:
Overall build quality was better than expected. Everything fit together very nicely. Nothing was squeaky. There were no loose threads on the leather. The hinges did not creak. The lenses weren't scratched or warped. I basically had no complaints. Especially given the very cheap price, I would definitely buy it again. This headset was slightly more pricey than a few other Chinese brand headsets, but the quality and FOV/immersion seemed to justify the slightly higher price tag.
TLDR:
I liked it. I would buy it again.
If you liked the review, a simple press of the "thanks" button will do! If you have questions, you can ask here.