Hi Guys,
The pictures and videos from the rear camera of my 6045K were getting increasingly muddy and lacking in contrast This is a picture taken with the rear camera and this is the same scene taken with the front camera. This is just another example of how bad things got at some point. It turns out there is some kind of dust accumulated on the inside of the protective glass in front of the lens - it may be seen against bright light falling on the lens at certain angle. Since there is no way to open the rear of thee phone and clean I had it clean by a service but it seems that dust is starting to accumulate once again - just a few days after it has been cleaned up. Few days is also how long it took after dust to appear when I first purchased the phone.
My question is - is it just bad design (have you noticed anything like it on your phones) or just a single case and a bad luck? Also, do you know how difficult it is to open the back cover as I am not willing to send my phone to a service for a week every few weeks.
Thank you,
Peter
Related
After trying to clean the dust gathered in the camera (Thanks HTC for not covering it) my lens got scratched somehow. I can take pictures and haven't noticed any flaws or bad photos but the focus seems a little bit weird now. Close things to the camera don't focus very well and I think it's the scratches fault.
Did anyone here replace their Sensation camera some time? Was it easy? They are cheap at eBay, and I replaced some iPhone cameras before. Or is there some DIY to remove lens scratches? Please let me know what can be done. :banghead:
The sensations camera does not focus well with near objects. So changing the lens may not help.
My nexus 5 was in my pocket and I must've hit the corner of a table perfectly at some point during the day because when I took my phone out I noticed the glass covering the camera was completely smashed. I turned on the camera and the image looked foggy. Some of the glass broke off in the centre to give the camera a clear view so the camera itself seems to be working fine now except that it doesn't autofocus. I also can't tap to focus. When I tap, it just adjusts the exposure but doesn't focus. The focus is fine for subjects that are at a fair distance but useless for anything within arm's length.
I've found this part to replace the glass ( http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LG-Google...K_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item233e4ea84c ). But given the focusing issues, do you think I would also have to replace the camera itself?
Thanks
I'd just do the glass, unless you can afford a possible redundant camera..
Solved!
Just to update anyone that comes across this in the future: Camera glass changed and focusing issue resolved!
I bought the motherboard securing plate (linked above) and replaced it in my phone. The process was simple enough. The glass must've been preventing the camera from focusing as I used a compressed air can to clear any small particles from the lens, replaced the lens cover (attached to motherboard plate) and now my camera is as good as new.
Thanks
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
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
I was worried about possible dust inside top corner left main camera sensor (as you can see here https://youtu.be/2KfBsb_qEeE)
Seems to be fixed by nice redpoint73 answer, and after checking again, this isn't a piece of dust (maybe part of OIS mecanism).
Thanks again.
I'm a photography enthusiast (DSLRs, and now moved to a full frame mirrorless camera), and what I can tell you is NOT to be concerned about a single speck (or even several) of dust, if that is even what it is. A single speck of dust (or a few) will never show up on photos or video.
Here are a couple interesting articles from a popular website for renting camera lenses (Lensrentals.com):
First article is about the effect of dusk or scratches on a lens. When you look at the example photos taken with a "fairly bad" lens, they do seem pretty soft/blurry. Then you scroll down to see a picture of what the lens actually looks like, and it's pretty funny. I won't give it a away, it's better viewed yourself. But the point is that a lens can be in really rough shape, and still take decent photos. And even the lens in question, they had to try very hard (very specific circumstances) to get the "scratches" to show up in the photos:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2008/10/front-element-scratches/
Another article, they found an entire house fly inside a lens, and it didn't even affect the photos except when stopped down to f13 (which isn't common to stop down that far) and even then, it was just a shadow, barely visible.
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2019/04/removing-fly-from-weather-sealed-canon-70-200mm/
Now, this is a big DSLR lens. And something as big as a house fly would have a much larger effect on a tiny phone lens. But the point being, a speck of dust is not even going to be visible under any conditions on your phone's camera.
Another good example, you can actually take photos through a chain link fence; or fabric mesh such as at a baseball field or other sports. If you get the lens up close to the fence or mesh, and take a photo of a subject far away, you will see that the mesh practically disappears. This also works taking photographs through some very dirty or scratched glass, such as exhibits at a zoo. If you can get the lens close up to the glass, even really dirty/scratched glass becomes nearly invisible. Same exact principle for dust on the lens. Since it is so "close" to the lens, it is not going to be visible. And anything on the lens has to get pretty bad, before it has any effect on the pictures. Really dirty/greasy glass on the camera phone's lens does make a difference - but you practically have to have a layer of dirt or grease.
I do have an old HTC One (M8) that has quite a few specks of dust on the inside of the back camera lens. Don't know if dust was getting inside somehow (that seemed to be the case). It looked pretty bad (looking at the lens) after using the phone a couple years - usually carrying it in my pocket. Maybe dozens of specks of dust on the inside of the lens - not just one or a few. But I can still not see any affect on the pictures.
Thanks for your long answer.
I'm not worried about it anymore, thanks to your thoughts, but also after that I'm pratically sure that it's not a small piece of dust.
Thanks again
basongwe said:
Thanks for your long answer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome. Although there is a button for that (thanks).
Also, please don't change the thread title like you did to "Solved" and delete the original content. This is really bad forum etiquette. It may be "solved" for you. But others may have a similar question or issue. A thread is never truly "solved" or "closed" (for everyone) in my opinion, as others may have additional information, questions, opinions, etc. And having a descriptive title (and keeping the original post) helps others find the info, know what the thread is about, etc.
If everyone did this, the forum would be full of empty threads, and the whole forum would be useless.
Please change the thread title and top post back to what you originally posted (as best you can remember, doesn't need to be perfect).
^agree, keep original title intact! Cheers
@basongwe I hope you don't mind as suggested by @redpoint73 and @galaxys but I've re-established the title of this thread as it was provided by you the last time.
I've done it too but thanks
redpoint73 said:
I'm a photography enthusiast (DSLRs, and now moved to a full frame mirrorless camera), and what I can tell you is NOT to be concerned about a single speck (or even several) of dust, if that is even what it is. A single speck of dust (or a few) will never show up on photos or video.
Here are a couple interesting articles from a popular website for renting camera lenses (Lensrentals.com):
First article is about the effect of dusk or scratches on a lens. When you look at the example photos taken with a "fairly bad" lens, they do seem pretty soft/blurry. Then you scroll down to see a picture of what the lens actually looks like, and it's pretty funny. I won't give it a away, it's better viewed yourself. But the point is that a lens can be in really rough shape, and still take decent photos. And even the lens in question, they had to try very hard (very specific circumstances) to get the "scratches" to show up in the photos:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2008/10/front-element-scratches/
Another article, they found an entire house fly inside a lens, and it didn't even affect the photos except when stopped down to f13 (which isn't common to stop down that far) and even then, it was just a shadow, barely visible.
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2019/04/removing-fly-from-weather-sealed-canon-70-200mm/
Now, this is a big DSLR lens. And something as big as a house fly would have a much larger effect on a tiny phone lens. But the point being, a speck of dust is not even going to be visible under any conditions on your phone's camera.
Another good example, you can actually take photos through a chain link fence; or fabric mesh such as at a baseball field or other sports. If you get the lens up close to the fence or mesh, and take a photo of a subject far away, you will see that the mesh practically disappears. This also works taking photographs through some very dirty or scratched glass, such as exhibits at a zoo. If you can get the lens close up to the glass, even really dirty/scratched glass becomes nearly invisible. Same exact principle for dust on the lens. Since it is so "close" to the lens, it is not going to be visible. And anything on the lens has to get pretty bad, before it has any effect on the pictures. Really dirty/greasy glass on the camera phone's lens does make a difference - but you practically have to have a layer of dirt or grease.
I do have an old HTC One (M8) that has quite a few specks of dust on the inside of the back camera lens. Don't know if dust was getting inside somehow (that seemed to be the case). It looked pretty bad (looking at the lens) after using the phone a couple years - usually carrying it in my pocket. Maybe dozens of specks of dust on the inside of the lens - not just one or a few. But I can still not see any affect on the pictures.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting but I clearly had a speck of dirt that showed up in photos on my OP6. I could see it in the lens and was very visible in photos.