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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

Wow! Camera glass scratches super easy.

I was putting my battery cover back on today and the battery cover touched the camera lens pretty lightly and left a scratch! I don't think this cam will last with daily pocket carrying.

the back casing is made of metal you know....
that kinda sucks. does it show up in pictures?
You might just luck out.

That's the exact reason i went out and got the body glove case. I noticed the camara lens wash just about flush with phone and wanted some thing that was raised away from it. Mine hasent scratched and glad.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Mine looks slightly scratched under the light :S (I was using the phone for a few weeks before i got a silicon case). Fortunately I can't notice it in photos

Yeah I can't see it on pics. But it is no where near as scratch resistant as the screen. I would guess keys would do a number to t his screen.

Why don't they make a cover for the lens? I truly don't need a cover for the usb, never had it for previous phones and their usb ports still work. Gimmick.

The whole industrial design on the captivate is so whack. I hope ATT guys are reading this thread but that's probably not going to happen.
I wonder how many ATT guys wish they had the Tmobile version with the nice ridge on the back at the bottom that actually let you grip the phone properly when you press the softkeys.

Dust on ffc

Does anybody else have dust between the glass and their ffc? The image the camera produces doesn't appear to be affected but I can clearly see the dust and its only a matter of time before some is in the way of the lens.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Really nobody? What should I do?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Nope, there's no dust on my ffc. Maybe take it back for an exchange?

Nope. I use a TPU case. May have came that way from the factory. REPLACE!

JRG1392 said:
Does anybody else have dust between the glass and their ffc? The image the camera produces doesn't appear to be affected but I can clearly see the dust and its only a matter of time before some is in the way of the lens.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Yes, after two months of use, mine has dust under the glass in front of the ffc. Haven't find a way to clean it.

Cleaned mine, don't think it's a case issue as the dust is probably coming in through the earpiece.
Ifixit has a good teardown: six screws in back, then 3 screws to remove the sim module. Don't bend the ffc back, that ribbon cable is weak and breaks easily. Clean with a screwdriver with the tip covered with a thick microfiber cloth.
Problem is that I've been repeating this once every two months. Today I took some yellow tack (for sticking posters to walls, just a tiny strip) and sealed the ffc. You can see the strip from the front, but hopefully I wont have to attempt the cleaning again! And I can't see any negative results in the camera app.
You may have more success with something like superglue, but I wanted something a little less permanent.
EDIT: I'm from Prairie Village if you want me to show you in person sometime

yes i am reviving this. how the hell do i get the dust out lol. ive even tried spraying a keyboard dust can into the damn earpiece.

[Q] Loose Battery Cover?

My battery cover is a little loose all of a sudden. at the bottom it now moves a little. When I squeeze (lightly, normal use amount) the phone at the bottom kinda clicks. Anyone else have this issue?

Yes. I called HTC and they're replacing it. But for now what you can do is put paper inside the case
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App

Yeah, several other people reported this problem on a Dutch forum. People should not open the backcover unless they really have to. After opening the cover a few times the cover is getting loose and starts to crack when you press it.

okay so I have the same problem, should I be worried or is it just the case with all sensation handsets ?

Take the cover off and press the battery. I think that's what it is...or maybe both.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App

secano said:
Take the cover off and press the battery. I think that's what it is...or maybe both.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App
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I don't think that's it, the battery is fitted normally, and I've just tested it with battery removed, it does the same thing, I should mention that it isn't really that obvious, but it's an annoyance nonetheless, such an expensive phone to have a glitch like that.

can anybody confirm that it does loosen after some time of usage, I mean did it came like that out of the box or was it getting loose with time?

I just noticed this on mine this morning , will steal a new cover soon

****ttttt let me check mine lol

...same here, at the right bottom corner!!!!
...and I agree, tooooo expensive phone for such a glitch!

Spekko said:
I just noticed this on mine this morning , will steal a new cover soon
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I went to a tmobile store to see if they'll let me switch. The rep told me thy they can't switch cuz its an htc problem. Then he got curious and pulled out his sensation to see if his had it...
He looked so sad lol I just got off the phone with htc and my replacement cover is shipping soon and if the second one is defective then I have to send in my whole phone so they can check it out. You guys should call htc I'd you already haven't

I fixed mine by adding some paper to the back.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1215096

Hey first post here! Signed up just to have my say on this issue, just as i did with the android central forum.
Also posted this on the android central forums...
Got the creaking here also, definitely a design flaw. Being obsessive with my devices i couldnt live with it!
I do not recommend putting paper in the cover to fill the gap, as this is just expanding the cover further making it even MORE loose when the paper is not in there. Also i wouldn't recommend it because the paper pushes the back cover out a little more, you may loose a connection for the ground. Which is the little metal springy thing, half way up the right hand side. Obviously its not a good idea to 'push' the cover further away from this ground spot. I have heard that people have had issues with screen responsiveness due to a static build up from not grounding properly.
What i did to fix this problem was a bit of a kitbash of sorts.
Mine was creaking on the bottom right area, like most. The problem is there is too much play between the little black catches on the battery cover and the latch on the handset. Instead of filling up the gap between the phone and the cover (Ala paper, card in the cover) I closed it!
What you need to do is get some very thin plastic film. Like that on kids toy packaging etc. Not the thicker stuff though. This stuff would be under 1mm thick. It came as a viewing window in the box my new wallet came in. So you can sorta imagine what im talking about.
I cut a piece about 10mm long and as wide as one of the two little black catches. I applied a VERY thin coat of super glue to one end of the film. Just enough to cover the area under the catch. Then i carefully placed the film with the superglue on it under the catch, and then quickly applied some pressure to it with some tweezers. Then i carefully cut the excess off with a pair of finely tipped nail scissors.
The result is that it now PULLS the screen/phone INTO the cover more by making the little black catch thicker. Not the opposite (paper method), which pushes the cover out, creating a further problem of adding more paper under the cover over time as the cover expands/loosens to compensate. Not to mention a possible grounding loss and resulting damage.
Hope this helps some people that have had multiple replacements or could not be bothered replacing for such a cosmetic issue. (Like me). It definitely works, just got to get your surgeon on and be accurate with your placement of the film.
Apply this to what ever side creaks the most, and bam its gone. Nice. Solid phone... again.
If anyone wants more specific details etc, im all ears.
Regards,
Matt.

MrSoulSOng A video explaining this fix would be appreciated ^_^ cuz I didnt buy my phone from here and I still gotta wait for about a month to send it to the shop to fix or get a replacement

...just an update...after buying new back cover from no1tech (that was month and a half ago...) there's no loose spots, no creacking...!
Very satisfied now I am. Finally phone feels and looks like it should be - beast in compact housing!

I have the very same problem too. VERY annoying

well I had the same problem however what i did was that on the back cover inside of it I put some black electric tape on to the sides that creak (next to the sides and the clips) and when I put the cover back on there was no creaking at all. figured it wont interfere with the single because people put cases on the back all the time plus its electric tape meaning it'll prevent from short circuits and I don't think there should be any overheating issue as its a very small quantity.

Cheap Screen,is it good?

Guys i just scratched my screen.I found some cheap replacements for 25eur.
Did someone try them already ?
I think someone asked this question already but i can't find that topic.Thanks.
Sent from my LG-P920 using xda app-developers app

yes i asked that very question , the counterparts are okay didn't have a problem with them.
but buy them with front casing , it's hard to glue them back together , sometimes they don't fit completely due to the residue you probably missed on the front casing some parts of it become higher than the other parts which really bothered me.
If you're going to buy it glass only , be really careful.
Counterparts are not so scratch resistant as the originals.
One wrong move with the razor blade and it's scratched for good.
You would need a heatgun or blowdryer. I used blowdryer.
After heat treatment the original digitizer stops working for some reason.
So you're stuck with the replacement.
Don't ever remove the front screen protector layer before finishing up the work.
If you don't have double sided tape then use a flexible adhesive like shoe glue but i highly recommend double sided tape. I didn't have beautiful results with shoe glue... It bonded allright but i screwed up the casing with the excess glue i tried to remove.
Also , dust is a real problem. Everytime i did it there was some dust in it. I hated it.
You need an air compressor pistol to work it out.
Blowdryer always leaves some in.
And there's the issue of 4 capacitive keys and their backlight.
If you kill the ribbon that's blocking the light out of the screen , the screen is going to be lit up like christmas and you won't be able to see anything.
If you kill that tape , be sure to replace it with a reflective tape.
Take it from someone who knows , don't lose the crystal things that focus the light to the keys. Otherwise you won't be able to even look at the screen. those leds are really bright...
All in all i did it , but wasn't satisfied with the results went to ebay and bought it with frame.
Now , i'm quite happy...
Hope , i helped.
Cheers!

Thank you for your post, it's great!I will order one with frame then.It's too risky to try to replace it with one without frame because if I don't do it right, i will need to wait a lot for another one (Serbia sucks when it comes to buying stuff online ) .Once again thank you so much for your info.
Sent from my LG-P920 using xda app-developers app

No problem at all.
If you have a problem changing it , i can always guide you through it.
Though it's fairly simple with a frame.
Don't order them seperate.
Just don't apply force and you should be fine.