Problem with camera

[Guest Pablo87]

Ok. So after 3 days playing with my Skate I came across first major problem. it seems that I may have dust ( or something else ) on my camera sensor. It's not on backround glass that cover sensor - i checked and cleaned that glass. It's not visible when flash is off only when it's on. Camera is quite useless on this phone, but this bug piss me off even more.

Here are some pictures taken with camera: check in down right corner and you will see blur. ( first picture is with flash off )

Is there some solution for this problem or i must take phone to service ?

if I must take phone to service can someone upload stock recovery for Skate ? I have backup of stock rom but don't have stock recovery...

Edited June 4, 2012 by Pablo87

[Guest alpineca]

Do you use ICS rom?

[Guest Redstarr1]

No he obviously doesn't because he's got a working flash. I see the blur, but are you sure it's not the flash causing it? Getting dust behind the lens is possible though, I've got dust behind my screen, sending the phone in for repairs today.

[Guest Pablo87]

I see the blur, but are you sure it's not the flash causing it? Getting dust behind the lens is possible though, I've got dust behind my screen, sending the phone in for repairs today.

I don't know if the flash is causing it. Why do you think so ? Is it because when flash is off you cant see the blur ?

[Guest utternoob]

Looks flash related, not sure what else it could be. Send I back as a precaution and wait and see

[Guest Redstarr1]

Your picture without flash is in quite a dark environment. Is there a blur if you take a picture in a bright room or something?

But I think nothing's wrong. The flash just illuminates part of the sensor and that's why it gets blurry, my pictures look the same. If you had sand or dust behind the cover, you'd see dark grains, not just a blur.

[Guest Pablo87]

Your picture without flash is in quite a dark environment. Is there a blur if you take a picture in a bright room or something?

But I think nothing's wrong. The flash just illuminates part of the sensor and that's why it gets blurry, my pictures look the same. If you had sand or dust behind the cover, you'd see dark grains, not just a blur.

I think that there no blur when I take picture on daylight. Will take picture tomorow, can't today I'm at work.

But have can this be normal ? I'm sure that this isn't normal...

[Guest Pablo87]

So I finally manage to get some time for couple of photos and I tested three apps: Camera FV5, UCam and Stock and result is the same... So problem must be in hardware. And there is no blur at the day light so problem must be because of flash...

Camera FV5:

UCam:

Stock:

Edited June 14, 2012 by Pablo87

[Guest Redstarr1]

I bet every other Skate out there will show the same blur in those conditions. The problem is not in the hardware but a design flaw: the flash illuminates part of the camera sensor (instead of only the object you're trying to photograph), because the flash is right next the sensor and there's almost no fysical separation between sensor and flash. In a regular camera the flash and lens are a few centimetres apart, also because the lens on camera's is so much bigger. I just took a look at my replacement phone for the moment (a Nokia N85, my Skate is in for repairs) and that has a bar between the lens and flash, resulting in photo's with light that is spread more even (that phone also has 2 leds instead of just one).

So there's no solution for this problem, except maybe buy another phone or use a real camera. You could also try sticking a thin stretch of black tape between the flash and sensor (without covering the sensor), that might keep the light a bit away from the sensor.

[Guest mare82]

I have same problem like you. And is not any problem with rom. I photo horizontal and see shadow is on right side. Problem is in our flash, my flash is little down and when is ON for photo he trout shadow on lens. That why we got shadow when photo with flash!

If you understand me what I mean :)

Here is my photo with flash

here is without flash

one more with flash

and one more without flash

[Guest Pablo87]

I bet every other Skate out there will show the same blur in those conditions. The problem is not in the hardware but a design flaw: the flash illuminates part of the camera sensor (instead of only the object you're trying to photograph), because the flash is right next the sensor and there's almost no fysical separation between sensor and flash. In a regular camera the flash and lens are a few centimetres apart, also because the lens on camera's is so much bigger. I just took a look at my replacement phone for the moment (a Nokia N85, my Skate is in for repairs) and that has a bar between the lens and flash, resulting in photo's with light that is spread more even (that phone also has 2 leds instead of just one).

So there's no solution for this problem, except maybe buy another phone or use a real camera. You could also try sticking a thin stretch of black tape between the flash and sensor (without covering the sensor), that might keep the light a bit away from the sensor.

I don't use phone camera for taking pictures but this problem really piss me off. For taking pictures i have canon ixus 80 that you see on the table and it have way better pictures than best phone camera. I can bet that it have better photos than sgs3 or htc one x.

As for the distance between lens and flash on Skate - same distance I have on my Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1 and pictures look fine, so it must be flaw in design of skate, maybe physical separator of lens and flash inside of phone is not glued on the place where it should be ?

Edited June 17, 2012 by Pablo87

[Guest Franck Black]

I have same problem like you. And is not any problem with rom. I photo horizontal and see shadow is on right side. Problem is in our flash, my flash is little down and when is ON for photo he trout shadow on lens. That why we got shadow when photo with flash!

If you understand me what I mean :)

Here is my photo with flash

here is without flash

one more with flash

and one more without flash

using black flip cover? because the flash bounces off the cover and make the blue halo ...

regards

PD: test without the cover and see the results

Edited July 20, 2012 by Franck Black