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[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.

Scratches in camera glass

Just changed to the z3 from my iphone 5s. After one week of use I see that I have alot of tiny scratches on the glass that covers the camera. On my Iphone 5s i have not a single scratch after a year of usage.
Anyone else having the same? I dont want to use a large case covering my phone, but the quality of my pictures matters a lot. Tips to preventing this to happen? Why is it happening?
Edit: Sorry, wrong part of forum. Please move.

Info
kicker86 said:
Just changed to the z3 from my iphone 5s. After one week of use I see that I have alot of tiny scratches on the glass that covers the camera. On my Iphone 5s i have not a single scratch after a year of usage.
Anyone else having the same? I dont want to use a large case covering my phone, but the quality of my pictures matters a lot. Tips to preventing this to happen? Why is it happening?
Edit: Sorry, wrong part of forum. Please move.
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Click to collapse
It s simple Smartphone cannot take care of itself you should be careful where to put it
iPhone 5s also have these kindda problem cause I experience it myself (lots of scratch on camera, back and front
there is small circle protector to just put on camera to prevent scratches (it doesn't effect on pic quality cause it s completely visible) and usually these protectors ships with screen protectors
:good:

Geeks Empire said:
It s simple Smartphone cannot take care of itself you should be careful where to put it
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Not really true as it deeply depends of the glass quality...
I've got a Samsung S4, took it with me on my Asia trips. Water, sand, rough handling, carrying it with lots of other stuff in the backpack.
NO (!) scratches on the camera lens.
Z3: Scratches on the glass backplane after one day of cautious use, crack in the display glass after listening to loud music for some time, rendering the touchscreen defective. Crack starting at the upper speaker which causes strong vibrations of the phone.
So it seems Sony doesn't care much about using quality glass; might be the same with the camera lens.

same problem with z3 camera scrathes.
Chefproll said:
Not really true as it deeply depends of the glass quality...
I've got a Samsung S4, took it with me on my Asia trips. Water, sand, rough handling, carrying it with lots of other stuff in the backpack.
NO (!) scratches on the camera lens.
Z3: Scratches on the glass backplane after one day of cautious use, crack in the display glass after listening to loud music for some time, rendering the touchscreen defective. Crack starting at the upper speaker which causes strong vibrations of the phone.
So it seems Sony doesn't care much about using quality glass; might be the same with the camera lens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
me and my brother have the same problem, after only 2 weeks of use, both phones have the same problem, the camera glass looks very bad! so for me it's clear a material problem. Too bad, becuase the z3 it's really nice!

Chefproll said:
Not really true as it deeply depends of the glass quality...
I've got a Samsung S4, took it with me on my Asia trips. Water, sand, rough handling, carrying it with lots of other stuff in the backpack.
NO (!) scratches on the camera lens.
Z3: Scratches on the glass backplane after one day of cautious use, crack in the display glass after listening to loud music for some time, rendering the touchscreen defective. Crack starting at the upper speaker which causes strong vibrations of the phone.
So it seems Sony doesn't care much about using quality glass; might be the same with the camera lens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't and I bet the majority of people also don't have these problems. I don't look after my phones either.
The things you describe do not "just happen" as a result of "one day of cautious use" and screens do not crack from listening to music on the pathetic quiet speakers.

Might just be the oleo-phobic layer, which got damaged. Some LG G2s also had that. Rare though.

Try taking a qtip and rub toothpaste on it, it will buffout the scratchesand look brand new, happened to my htc m8

Herei would like to share my experience, i noticed the same problem while agi, normally don'tuse fone camera alot, but noticed lately that it has gone rubbish, search on youtube and different forums everyone refer that toothpaste thing and some even told me about nail polish remover, before starting with the cure it came to my mimd why need clean my hands first before i start cleaning my camera lens,while i was usinghand wipes bought from local shop i attempt ti clean my phone too, accidently i rubbed it on lens too and i noticed they weregoing smoothly i rubbed it gently and yaayyy its gone without doing anything else,
So basically only need a hand wipe to remove those smooth stains from lens,only precaution be gentle to your device.
Sent from my 831C using XDA Free mobile app

I have recently got a little scratch on my camera lens as well, i have look up on the internet and people say use toothpaste to remove the coating that is easily scratched. But I don't think i want to remove that layer of coating (if Z3 D6603 has that coating). Then I found the displex scratch remover, i wonder if this will work on the scratched Z3 camera lens. The scratch is very minor and does not affect the photo quality, but I just want it to be fixed.

Chefproll said:
Not really true as it deeply depends of the glass quality...
I've got a Samsung S4, took it with me on my Asia trips. Water, sand, rough handling, carrying it with lots of other stuff in the backpack.
NO (!) scratches on the camera lens.
Z3: Scratches on the glass backplane after one day of cautious use, crack in the display glass after listening to loud music for some time, rendering the touchscreen defective. Crack starting at the upper speaker which causes strong vibrations of the phone.
So it seems Sony doesn't care much about using quality glass; might be the same with the camera lens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sand and no scratch?!?!?!
https://youtu.be/u-qYMl9T9wQ?t=49

It may also be the anti-reflective coating.
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-166.html
The LG G2 also for some people had issues where it came off.

look up devil case the company got a lens product to keep the lens safe
Sent from my SGH-T999 using XDA Free mobile app

nedooo said:
Sand and no scratch?!?!?!
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Indeed. It's still like new.
But if it comes to the Z3, any scratches of the camera lens might improve the picture quality as the Z3 has the worst camera I ever experienced over the last few years.
It's nothing but a shame.
Have a look at the attachment - that's NO JOKE; it's bitter reality.

Chefproll said:
Indeed. It's still like new.
But if it comes to the Z3, any scratches of the camera lens might improve the picture quality as the Z3 has the worst camera I ever experienced over the last few years.
It's nothing but a shame.
Have a look at the attachment - that's NO JOKE; it's bitter reality.
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Click to collapse
Indeed...

Haze on camera lens and photos.

Over the past few days my pictures have started looking like they were all taken in a 1920s jazz club.
I took a photo on the 9th of my living room setup that came out perfectly clear. The next day I noticed that pictures were coming out a little fuzzy, having a hard time focusing, and there appeared to be a slight film on the lens cover. The picture I post below is from today and the haze seems to cover almost the entire lens cover.
I removed the film the day I purchased the phone and haven't made any changes to my daily routine that may have brought this about.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this? Hair dryer on medium for a minute or so? Should I RMA? Anyone else having this problem?

Is there any kind of condensation under the lens?

igothacked1 said:
Is there any kind of condensation under the lens?
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I can't tell what it is but there is definitely something under the lens. However, I checked the water indicator in the sim tray and it seems to still be white.
Edit: I know you can't really tell anything from those photos. In the first one, even though it is out of focus, you can tell there is definitely something on the lens.

I can't tell much by the photos, but the camera and finger sensor ship with protective vinyl covers. The one on my finger sensor was particularly hard to remove because it was cut and aligned so perfectly, there was no lip to grab. I had to use tweezers to remove it.

sublimaze said:
...The one on my finger sensor was particularly hard to remove because it was cut and aligned so perfectly, there was no lip to grab. I had to use tweezers to remove it.
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Yeah, I distinctly remember the fingerprint protector being a pain to remove. That's why I know there isn't a protector on the lens...

hiko36 said:
Yeah, I distinctly remember the fingerprint protector being a pain to remove. That's why I know there isn't a protector on the lens...
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Click to collapse
Ah, I completely missed that in your OP. My S6 takes the best photos of any phone I've ever owned, I have zero complaints about that. Your photo is definitely hazy. I have never taken a photo like that. If you are still in your return period, you should exchange it.
Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk

There is definitely something wrong there. Return the device while you can.
Can't really tell from the pics, but you might have condensation in the inner elements of the compound lens.
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Thanks, gents. Looks like I'll be filing a warranty replacement on Monday.
The only thing I can think is that when I went for a run with it in an armband the morning it started and somehow sweat got in there. I guess they weren't kidding when they removed the water proof rating from the s5.
I attached a couple pictures from before it started. This camera seriously is phenomenal.

[SOLVED] Rear main camera : something weird under glass ?

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.
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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.
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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.

Question How many have Lens Flare issue?

The more I read, the more it seems that P7P users have got a bad Lens Flare issue on the X1 Lens.
Out of curiosity, how many users here have the issue themselves?
I used to have the Mate 20 Pro for 4 years and the Lens Flare wasn't that bad in comparison to the P7P.
I'll add that I don't have a lens cover over my cameras and the glass is clean.

Everyone, that's just the nature of the beast.

1gavinr said:
The more I read, the more it seems that P7P users have got a bad Lens Flare issue on the X1 Lens.
Out of curiosity, how many users here have the issue themselves?
I used to have the Mate 20 Pro for 4 years and the Lens Flare wasn't that bad in comparison to the P7P.
I'll add that I don't have a lens cover over my cameras and the glass is clean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not an "issue", everyone has the lens flare. It only depends on the light angle and how it hits the lens.

It's pretty bad. I took some comparison photos with my S21 before I sent it in for trade and the flare was awful. And non-existent on the Samsung photos.

This was taken with a Canon DSLR and a £2000 Canon L lens, there are always circumstances where it is going to happen.

issasaurus said:
It's pretty bad. I took some comparison photos with my S21 before I sent it in for trade and the flare was awful. And non-existent on the Samsung photos. View attachment 5762543View attachment 5762541
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Different focal lengths though so not a fair comparison.

MrBelter said:
This was taken with a Canon DSLR and a £2000 Canon L lens, there are always circumstances where it is going to happen.
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Click to collapse
If it happens in some circumstances and only once in a while, its OK. But I think p7p has a permanent problem.
One request for folks who experience it: can you try a case (or any other way) which covers most of the aluminum? I think the reflections off the aluminum are adding to the flare phenomenon.
IMO, going with shiny metal around the lens was not a smart choice by google. Get the wrong curves on that part and it can mess with the light that goes into the lens.

devsk said:
If it happens in some circumstances and only once in a while, its OK. But I think p7p has a permanent problem.
One request for folks who experience it: can you try a case (or any other way) which covers most of the aluminum? I think the reflections off the aluminum are adding to the flare phenomenon.
IMO, going with shiny metal around the lens was not a smart choice by google. Get the wrong curves on that part and it can mess with the light that goes into the lens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does only happen in some circumstances though and only once in a while on the Pixel 7 Pro to be fair and those circumstances are using the 1X lens while it pointing it at something very bright and this is when lens flare is always a risk.
The problem is a lack of any anti reflection coating on the glass covering the lens, it is just plain glass sadly. I have wondered if we could use something as a lens hood which should help dramatically with the issue as it stops light from falling across the lens.
FWIW i have a black skin over my camera bar, it certainly made a difference one the P6P but it makes no difference whatsoever on the P7P
Using a different focal length other than 1X the problem is much, much less noticeable.

I see the issue across all lenses. That's why I think its the metal, not the lenses or the glass covering the lenses!
Any kind of coating will reduce the amount of light that the lens can capture. Is anti-reflective coating an industry standard across lenses?

hmm....quick google suggests that lack of anti reflective coatings on lenses may be the reason for this unusual issue. Which means that we are stuck with it...
And it does look like that anti reflective coating is the norm and it actually increases the light that reaches the sensor....Why would google hardware not do this? go figure!

devsk said:
I see the issue across all lenses. That's why I think its the metal, not the lenses or the glass covering the lenses!
Any kind of coating will reduce the amount of light that the lens can capture. Is anti-reflective coating an industry standard across lenses?
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Click to collapse
As i said, i have a black skin on my camera bar, there is no metal showing.
Any lens worth its salt be it camera or glasses will have an anti-reflective coating.
Why Lens Coatings Are So Important in Photography
A look at the science of camera lens coatings and how they improve optics while reducing things like lens flares in photographs.
petapixel.com

devsk said:
hmm....quick google suggests that lack of anti reflective coatings on lenses may be the reason for this unusual issue. Which means that we are stuck with it...
And it does look like that anti reflective coating is the norm and it actually increases the light that reaches the sensor....Why would google hardware not do this? go figure!
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Click to collapse
They have on the lenses, they just didn't bother on the class covering them.

MrBelter said:
They have on the lenses, they just didn't bother on the class covering them.
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Click to collapse
Any idea if it can be applied after the fact from the outside? Or is it something that has to be cured into the glass before putting it on the frame?

devsk said:
Any idea if it can be applied after the fact from the outside? Or is it something that has to be cured into the glass before putting it on the frame?
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That i don't know, i wouldn't want to risk buggering the whole thing up myself as any coating has to bond to the glass and getting it back off could be difficult.
The fix may be as simple as holding your hand above the lens like a simple lens hood to prevent light scatter.

I went to a Christmas light switch on last night and the lens flare and the simple reflections you get from the plain glass doesn't half make you study the scene to try to get around it, that in its self makes spontaneous street photography at night difficult.