Hi, I have a Galaxy S Relay 4g SGH-T699 with a very scratched rear camera lens cover which makes photos blurry. I am unable to find exact model specific replacement parts. Has anyone figured out which parts are compatible with this model? Is there a source of clear polycarbonate material that would serve as a good replacement lens cover? Any help and advice would be appreciated. The technique of using good quality clear tape over the lens cover works well for a short time but it quickly gets marked up so the photos are blurry again. Please help!
Dunno.
But see:
- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2206523
- http://www.jax184.com/projects/Relay 4G/T3i_1136s.JPG
- the lead paragraph of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S_Relay_4G
Maybe you could upgrade to a newer device. If you want a keyboard, you could choose a used BlackBerry Priv. Or you could buy some random new device, plus a keyboard case or a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
Please let us know what you end up doing in the end.
Related
Is there such thing as a back cover without camera hole for the Trinity?
It would be nice to have one, specially for those like me that work on a cameraphone restricted workplace. I know there's still the front camera, but that one can easily be disguised or covered with a small sticker or something.
Any ideas?
TIA!
Rayan
http://www.krusell.se/product.php?productID=585&category=51
Very good case, covers the backside completely but is foldable to uncover the camera. Stays in place with a magnet.
i think he meant a housing without the camera hole, not a carrying case
Thanks but even though that case is nice, our guards are not that stupid and they always ask you to take the device out of the case or holster.
I think I will order a normal replacement cover and use some sort of epoxy to cover the camera hole... I'll post my results later...
So far I haven't find any battery cover without a camera hole... I think there is a potential market if someone manufactures this type of accessory don't you think?
RayanMX
Hmm, I know this may sound like a difficult approach, but if you don't find one, you might buy a normal trinity back cover, and modify it to cover the camera. It shouldn't be too difficult (if you've used similar tools before).
I'd pro'bly go with removing the original camera frame (metal) replace it with one with only the loudspeaker hole. Shouldn't be too difficult to make out of, say, sheet metal or plastic.
Rayan said:
Thanks but even though that case is nice, our guards are not that stupid and they always ask you to take the device out of the case or holster.
RayanMX
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Well, they may be.
If this was proper security, then surely the guards would realise that most phones today have a camera and would want the back taken off the phone to check?
I can't see any difference between removing the phone from a case and removing the back from the phone.
If this is the security at your company, then I would expect your competitors to have loads of pictures taken by empoyees who have got past the guards
Light hearted, slightly flippant, comment, have you ever tried to buy a phone without a camera these days?
All this so called security which we have to put up with is basically nonsense. They will confiscate a camera phone but not notice a Sony digicam hidden in your sandwich box.
Coincidently, my employer has just given me a brand new Nokia for work. I don't know what it is - it does not have a camera, and has a torch light on it instead!
LOL this may get dropped or lost in the next few days
fake sense of security people need to lighten up and notice
how poor most camphones quality is
On my note 2 I returned s cover because of how annoying it was to take pictures since you had to hold the cover half open to do so. I'm wondering since the case has the opening now if the camera lens peaks through it or not?
Sure can, shows that off here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IxYAefSP0o&list=UUO_vmeInQm5Z6dEZ6R5Kk0A&index=3
theraker007 said:
On my note 2 I returned s cover because of how annoying it was to take pictures since you had to hold the cover half open to do so. I'm wondering since the case has the opening now if the camera lens peaks through it or not?
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Was wondering this myself. Check out around 2:10 of this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IxYAefSP0o
Tested it- works.. but not the best option
I have finally got both the phone and cover today. So once i found this topic straight away tried to take a picture.
Here is my opinion: Yes, it can be done! .. but the downsides are:
1. smudges on s-cover glass
2. dust on s-cover glass
3. if photos are taken against sunlight s-covers glass shines and reduces the quality of the photo
All together i wouldn`t recommend to use camera with s-cover flipped to the back
Thanks for the info.
According to the video there is no magnet on the cover.
I thought there is a magnet.
Can anyone confirm?
If it's true then wake up on opening should work on any cover like my Note 2.
Would love if it's officially from samsung not a third party app.
I'm really interested in the Samsung Clear Cover (seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbKpzYY37kM), but I can't find any reviews that actually show the phone in the case.
Anyone seen any? I really want to see if it protects the camera and allows the phone to be laid flat on a table.
EDIT: I found this one. I really like this case
I played with an S6 in store which had the clear cover installed. The case sits nearly flush with the camera lense so the phone lays flat when you put it down. I didn't look into it with too much detail, I was more interested in the phone but I believe the camera was slightly recessed when placed inside this case.
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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 .
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where can u fing glass. iam asking at optical shop he asked cylindrical or spherical. iam confused tell me
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.
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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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Click to collapse
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
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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
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