Database Users

Camera plastic cover removal?

I have been very disappointed with the camera in my Wizard ever since I got it. Other 1.3 MPix phones I have had have been classes better at taking photos.
After a while a came to suspect the plastic cover on the back of the phone of being the problem, since as the cover grows more and more scratched the pictures are becoming more and more "Artistic" in their expression. I think it is a great pity to put such a cover in front of any camera lens.
So I am looking for a way to get rid of the cover without damaging the phone. Does anyone know how to disassemble the phone?
Regards,
Kim

Found solution
I just stumbled upon this forums excellent link to the Wizard service manual, and I'll take it from there.
Thanks,
Kim

please keep us posted on your little project...

Should have done this a long time ago!
Today I took the Giant Leap and opened the back of the phone - as it turned out it was a piece of cake and took about 5 minutes. Removed the tiny plastic cover over the camera lens, assembled the thing again.
And what a difference! The 9100 can actually take sharp pictures. No flares and blurs. The camera/sw still seems to interpret colours in a somewhat artistic way, but apart from that I can only recommend the procedure. I tried to look through the plastic cover and a guess is that it removes about 1-2 f-stops apart from adding blur. Shame on Qtek.
I may now be able to use the camera for real now. I have attached a couple of shots.
Oh, Joy!

Galaxy Vibrant camera black dots

Hi,
Yesterday I noticed that that camera as a problem with black dots in all photos and videos. Now there are no spots on the back camera glass or anything.
I am attaching photos for your viewing pleasure
Can somebody please identify the problem with it. Is the camera lens it self damaged or some particles got underneath the glass cover that I can't see or is it a software problem. Also is there a way to take off the glass cover without opening the phone so I can clean the camera lens?
Please help me out guys, this is really very disappointing.

anyone ?. .

Send it to service center.. I had this issue once and it is not dirt cause i tried too clean it out too by opening it..

I got this from abroad its warranty isn't valid where I am now. Any other solutions ?

somebody please help, This is really annoying.

I have the same problem too, mine has 2 big blurry dots It is annoying when I take pictures in high lighted places, in the low light environment it doesn't show up.
Is there any way to open the lens to clean it?

same problem here, seems like some kind of dust got in the lens part, im going to watch some videos of ffc mods to see if it is possible to clean the camera lens.
Edit:
Found the solution, seems like the lens is scratched or something, doing a ffc mod will fix it as the ffc is attached to the 5mp camera, just buy a i9k camera from ebay and mod it.

@AkiraRyu good luck and let us know what happens, Also do see if its possible to lift the glass without opening the phone. Some pictures would greatly help.
I made small dots on the the camera glass to see if they gave the same result but any thing on the glass comes up very blurry on the picture. This definitely is something on the lens it self but its also highly unlikely that its a scratch maybe dust or maybe somethings wrong with the camera.If only there was a way to lift the glass without opening the mobile phone.

I have dust in my I9000 front camera...is there a way to open the phone and clean it?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

lucbl1 said:
I have dust in my I9000 front camera...is there a way to open the phone and clean it?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
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yes, its quiet easy , i opened to try to clean it yesterday( i think vibrants and galaxy s interational are the same in the back).
First watch some front facing camera mods videos in youtube (ffc vibrant mod) to see how to open it up, you only need to get the 7 screws out and take out the plastic plate , REMEMBER to pull off the microsd card and the gsm/3g chip!.
if cleaning the lens doesn't work (like my case) you will have to buy a camera replacement, i recommend the i9000 camera so you also get a ffc. it costs in ebay 24USD (dont know the shiping to US as i live in another country) it comes with a plastic thing to remove the plastic plate easy and 2 screw drivers.

snazi said:
@AkiraRyu good luck and let us know what happens, Also do see if its possible to lift the glass without opening the phone. Some pictures would greatly help.
I made small dots on the the camera glass to see if they gave the same result but any thing on the glass comes up very blurry on the picture. This definitely is something on the lens it self but its also highly unlikely that its a scratch maybe dust or maybe somethings wrong with the camera.If only there was a way to lift the glass without opening the mobile phone.
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Click to collapse
Good and bad news:
Opening is really easy, used my fingernails to open the plastic plate, after you get the plastic plate(not the back cober) the plastic protecting the lens also comes off, i cleaned it (A LOT) and the violet dot thing was still there.
there are 2 solutions... 3, first do nothing and keep the camera as it is(no way!) , second buy a vibrant camera replacement , or third (and best) buy a i9000 camera replacement.
In the third case you also get a front facing camera because the 5mpx camera and the ffc are connected, the look petty much like this:
androidsfinest .com /wp-content/uploads/2010/09/i9000s-camera-close-up-150x150.jpg
in the vibrant the ffc camera is cut off the 5mp camera and the place where the ffc goes is painted in black. the cameras are the same, lot of users on xda have moded their vibrants, search on youtube for guides on how to do it
i recommend : FIRST make sure to pull off the gsm chip and the microsd card (if you use one), use a ordered and clean place to do it, get something where to put the screws( lost one because i chose a bad place to put them).

Still waiting for a solution :s. I don't wanna open my new phone takes away all its glory.

camera problem... please help...

guys i have a really bad problem with my camera...
since yesterday i have two big black flakes on my photos (and on viewport too!)
i reverted to jm8 using odin...
then i dissembled the device to see if the problem is on cameras cover but even without that glass part those flakes are still there...
does anybody have any idea?
i think i need to send it to service
this is how it looks like now:
http://img291.imageshack.us/i/20110321005202.jpg/

anybody.. :S

Dust specs on the camera sensor, chances are the sensor and lens autofocus assembly are a sealed unit making it hard to clean, if they are not sealed a good blow with a rocket blower would shift them.
Other wise either send it in for service or give the phone a few sort sharp knocks on the palm of your hand along the oposite edge from where the dust apears. The sensor is mirrored so what apears bottom left is actually top right.

thank you steph that makes sense...
how can i find cameras sensor to clean it?
i don't think the dust is on the len right?

The actual dust specs will probably be about .5mm in size its possible they are on the lens but i would put money on the sensor. Aim the camera at a bright suface in macro mode such as a white computer screen with a black dot to help focus. Give the phone a few knocks and see if it shifts any, repeat process a few times. If nothing moves then either dissasemble or send it in. Remember opening the unit up could introduce more dust.
The sensor is located directly behind the lens, it is would have a Glass filter over it NEVER EVER touch it with anything if you dont know exactly what you are doing. I would imagine it is about the same size as the glass cover (probably smaller) dust will be attracted to it like a magnet, you could try a rocket blower, or canned air ( no more than 2 sprays or it will ice up.
Dont get me wrong its very easy to clean but super easy to scratch with even the best cloth.

i tried to knock on it but nothing moved
i guess im gonna try a rocket blower or something like that. honestly i don't want to send it in...
btw thank you very much for your help steph.

My x10 clean and Hardware cam mod. Simple.

Recently purchased a X10 and some how dirt and muck had got under the screen, I decided to buy it as I was confidant I could take it apart and clean it.
One thing I also noticed was that the photos were not very good. Upon inspection of the camera I noticed the plastic cover over the camera lens, this was clean however my theory was any bright light sources off centre of the camera were scattering across this plastic section and making photos look a little washed out and blurry.
Anyway I took the phone apart and cleaned the muck from under the screen and now it looks brand new.
I then popped out this plastic piece from in front of the camera and put her back together.
Here are some disassembly pics.
This is the plastic part i popped out from the camera
And here are the before and after camera samples. Straight out the cam no edit. "more to come"
Before
After
More after shots.
Think you will agree MASSIVE difference. Only draw back is im not sure if the ir filter is built into this plastic bit, and now the camera has no protection from dust etc, but I always clean my gear regularly anyway.
Edit - Seems this glass protection wasnt the IR filter so all is good . I'm dumping new test pics in the following dropbox folder.
http://db.tt/OV9b9WP
Really happy with this phone now.

Wow, that's a huge difference.
3 years ago, my w810i's lens cracked. Photos weren't bad or anything but it bothered me. I bought a cheap pair of glasses online (5$ i think) with a uv film (that's the slight purple tint on the plastic cover) and tried to fashion the lens into a size that could replace the oem piece of glass. I took a few photos and it was a huge difference as well.
Unfortunately, glass from the glasses were too thick and it wouldn't fit with the backcover on. I bought a UV filter for slr cameras but those were way too thick. I thought of trying with a slide cover slip but that project ended up dying when my bro's phone died (i gave him the w810 and picked up a K790a).
Does anyone know of any glass makers/fabricators that can make an optically clear piece of glass with a coat of UV (filter)? I'll take a look online when I get home. I use the camera on my phone pretty regularly so I'd be willing to purchase a glass cover. Just something to protect the lens.

A spec of dust has still got back in today lol. Will take it apart again in the week and plug all the joints.

That is a huge difference in those comparison pictures.
But I guess that cover isn't supposed to come off right?

Damn, how did you took off that plastic camera sheild?
Imagine this with Vignette...

so i guess if i put some high quality glass instead of plastic, quality should increase

What an awesome solution. You should put a guide up on how to do this. You might have good ideas grow from that. Ask the mods if you can do this. I would love a guide to know how if my lens gets that dirty. And those before and after pics are amazing too. Great post and info owner of post.
Sent from my X10i using XDA Premium App

Thanks guys. The phones pretty simple to take apart. I had to take it all apart to clean the screen but to cam mod you don't have to remove the motherboard so its much easier. I'm adding pics into my dropbox link all the time too.

theninjagecko said:
Thanks guys. The phones pretty simple to take apart. I had to take it all apart to clean the screen but to cam mod you don't have to remove the motherboard so its much easier. I'm adding pics into my dropbox link all the time too.
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Does removing this part have any negative effects?
Like would the lens be more prone to dust & scratches without it?

I noticed on some picutures that theres a minute amount of red tint. Is that normal?

That IS a huge difference.
Do you think it would be hard to repaint the whole device from white to black?
EDIT: Done!

Night and day difference. Incredible. Please tell me this doesnt require messing around with the screen as I dont want to risk messing with the screen placement or anything.
How exactly do we remove this little piece?

clixt said:
I noticed on some picutures that theres a minute amount of red tint. Is that normal?
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Click to collapse
I think i see a red tint on photos of my chickens, maybe the colors of the chickens is messing with the auto white balance?
a1exander said:
That IS a huge difference.
Do you think it would be hard to repaint the whole device from white to black?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fairly easy i would say.
3dawg said:
Night and day difference. Incredible. Please tell me this doesnt require messing around with the screen as I dont want to risk messing with the screen placement or anything.
How exactly do we remove this little piece?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok The only reason i took the phone apart is to get to the screen I had bad dust under it and had to take the lot apart to get to the screen.
For the cam mod take you battery cover off, now inspect the plastic over the camera very closely and you will see its glued down, use a small tool to pry it off.
Lots more pics added to dropbox link.

A few edited with Picnik and put on my Flickr. Sandy girl was actually before the mod "not as sharp as it should have been" All the latest on Dropbox link on first post.
Sandy girl. by Scott..Hutchinson, on Flickr
Summer night coming. by Scott..Hutchinson, on Flickr
Long standing. by Scott..Hutchinson, on Flickr

theninjagecko said:
I think i see a red tint on photos of my chickens, maybe the colors of the chickens is messing with the auto white balance?
fairly easy i would say.
ok The only reason i took the phone apart is to get to the screen I had bad dust under it and had to take the lot apart to get to the screen.
For the cam mod take you battery cover off, now inspect the plastic over the camera very closely and you will see its glued down, use a small tool to pry it off.
Lots more pics added to dropbox link.
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Click to collapse
The plastic on my camera is pretty scratched up, so I'd like to take it out.
I tried but it seems really difficult. Can you please elaborate on how you did it?
Which tool did you use, etc?

My_Immortal said:
The plastic on my camera is pretty scratched up, so I'd like to take it out.
I tried but it seems really difficult. Can you please elaborate on how you did it?
Which tool did you use, etc?
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Click to collapse
Because i too the phone apart to clean my screen i could poke it out from the back.
if you look really closely its glued from the outside though and you should be able to get a really small flat head screwdriver "from a pc repair kit" and pry it off. It's just glued down.
If you look at this picture with my battery cover off you can see where the glass sits in the circular groove. You can even see some left over glue residue on it.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us

theninjagecko said:
Because i too the phone apart to clean my screen i could poke it out from the back.
if you look really closely its glued from the outside though and you should be able to get a really small flat head screwdriver "from a pc repair kit" and pry it off. It's just glued down.
If you look at this picture with my battery cover off you can see where the glass sits in the circular groove. You can even see some left over glue residue on it.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
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Click to collapse
It seems that it is extremely difficult to do it from the outside.
I've tried everything, it's glued very strongly, it won't come out,
I've been trying for 2 hours! Time to give up!
Thanks for the tips though!

My_Immortal said:
It seems that it is extremely difficult to do it from the outside.
I've tried everything, it's glued very strongly, it won't come out,
I've been trying for 2 hours! Time to give up!
Thanks for the tips though!
Click to expand...
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypmgeoaDURQ

theninjagecko said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypmgeoaDURQ
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Thanks man!

theninjagecko said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypmgeoaDURQ
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Awesome!
I'm kind of embarrased though, should have thought to search on YouTube myself!

Simple fix for S8+ blurry edges - a proper clean

After trying the camera straight from the box i noticed a blur on the left and right of the picture in wide modes and all the way around in 4/3 or 1/1, perfect focus in the centre and what threw me was that if you pressed the screen to focus near any edge it would focus perfectly there and have a sort of radial blur around it similar to "food" option. The lens looked pretty clean but I quickly cleaned the lense with my t-shirt anyway, nothing else to hand, and it didnt help. Looking online i saw it was a common problem, not the stuck blurry till you shake it one, but what some people were thinking was due to a low f/stop or an attempt at natural bokeh, or just bad wide angled lenses. Almost took it back to the shop when i decided to give it one last good clean using my DSLR lense cleaner (a bit of alchohol like spray and a cloth similar to what you use for glasses). Well f*&@ me it worked, perfect pictures.
Just to be sure it wasnt luck, like i pressed the lense a bit hard and adjusted it somehow, I touched the lense with my fingers like you probably would in real life and tried again, edge blur straight away. Used the t-shirt again like you would most likely do in a real situation and still blurry but less so, the lens cloth without spray was enough to clean it properly this time. So it looks like the lens really likes to cling to grease from your fingers and a T-shirt might not be enough to remove it, just smear it. So if you tried that then try again with proper stuff at least to get rid of any stuck on grease.