Hi techies,
My pixel 4XL has recently had a water accident, everything works perfectly now except the rear camera is cloudy and cant focus properly. I opened the phone and wiped the lens with a good amount of robbing alcohol, its even worse now. So what should i do? Do i have to open the entire camera module and wash the tiny lenses and the sensor or what? I really wanna repair it myself instead of buying a new sensor because it takes so long for me to arrive.
Thank you,
Pixel 4 XL is IP68 water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins).
Has it been opened before?
If you used isopropyl alcohol, then there should be no problem, but it should be dried for a long time after such an operation.
Well, I am not an expert on cameras but the cause of your blurry photos may be caused by:
-The motor of the camera don't work, so the lens can't move and as a consequence don't focus
-there is water inside the lens or in the sensor (which can't be seen unless the camera is disassembled.
If you have water inside, as it manage to get in it may be a way for get it out. I would suggest you to take the camera module and heat it up with a hairdryer so water can evaporate and get out. But don't heat it up too much do, it could damage the sensor.
However as you said you used alcohol, it leaves some residues which if is the case, with this method it won't be fixed.
If this doesn't help you would then I think you would need to disassemble the camera. Iwill leave a link to a video off a guy who disassemble an Iphone camera. It isn't the same, but it's similar Here
Also are you sure there isn't any software related causes?
Good luck
#mcl said:
Well, I am not an expert on cameras but the cause of your blurry photos may be caused by:
-The motor of the camera don't work, so the lens can't move and as a consequence don't focus
-there is water inside the lens or in the sensor (which can't be seen unless the camera is disassembled.
If you have water inside, as it manage to get in it may be a way for get it out. I would suggest you to take the camera module and heat it up with a hairdryer so water can evaporate and get out. But don't heat it up too much do, it could damage the sensor.
However as you said you used alcohol, it leaves some residues which if is the case, with this method it won't be fixed.
If this doesn't help you would then I think you would need to disassemble the camera. Iwill leave a link to a video off a guy who disassemble an Iphone camera. It isn't the same, but it's similar Here
Also are you sure there isn't any software related causes?
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the reply,
I'm sure the problem is the water+dirt or residue inside. Ik the water has been gone since then and alcohol is evaporated but there must be some dirt sitting in there. This phone has never had a force to get some component cracked inside.
As for the software thing, i'd say i dont think so, what software related issue it might be? Since the front facing cam works just fine, the cache has been deleted, i even downloaded open camera to take more control over the sensor manually. Its just foggy. Like some filter has been applied to it.
ze7zez said:
Pixel 4 XL is IP68 water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins).
Has it been opened before?
If you used isopropyl alcohol, then there should be no problem, but it should be dried for a long time after such an operation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Idk if it was, since i bought it in mint condition second handed. The alcohol i used was 96% Ethanol, not the same as the isopropyl, but i dont think of a major difference, but probably some dust has gone there underneath the lens.
Pixel4life said:
Idk if it was, since i bought it in mint condition second handed. The alcohol i used was 96% Ethanol, not the same as the isopropyl, but i dont think of a major difference, but probably some dust has gone there underneath the lens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do not use ethanol for electronics, because you can dissolve many components. Besides, ethanol contains water, which harms electronics. That's why isopropyl alcohol is used, because it has much lower dissolving properties, and if it is pure (99.99%) it absorbs water and causes it to evaporate faster from the cleaned items.
Show the picture you take with your camera.
ze7zez said:
Do not use ethanol for electronics, because you can dissolve many components. Besides, ethanol contains water, which harms electronics. That's why isopropyl alcohol is used, because it has much lower dissolving properties, and if it is pure (99.99%) it absorbs water and causes it to evaporate faster from the cleaned items.
Show the picture you take with your camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have marked the centric area that diffuses the light. It could be a dried-up blob of whatever you washed the lens with. The liquid could easily penetrate the camera and get under the lens or even onto the matrix if the seals were not tight.
ze7zez said:
I have marked the centric area that diffuses the light. It could be a dried-up blob of whatever you washed the lens with. The liquid could easily penetrate the camera and get under the lens or even onto the matrix if the seals were not tight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes most probably that's the case. So wha's your suggestion for me? Tear the lens down, wash the components inside it with soap and water, dry it out and reassemble? Or what to do? Im kinda disappointed now. Been shaking and tapping the lens since yesterday with no success lol.
If you still want to use this model, I advise you to replace the camera with a new one, or recovered, so that they are original.
I do not ignore your self-denial and other talents, but I think that you will not fix the camera yourself.
ze7zez said:
If you still want to use this model, I advise you to replace the camera with a new one, or recovered, so that they are original.
I do not ignore your self-denial and other talents, but I think that you will not fix the camera yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok then i have to order a camera lens then, are those sub 10 buck lenses from Aliexpress oem parts? The reviews are excellent but the prices are syspicious. Plus, i almost forgot to mention something. There werw two sponge/rubber curcles (whatever the material) arround the camera lenses, which locate between the cameras and the outer glass. (i marked them) when cleaning, they chopped off. Any chances this be a reason the light doesnt diffuse the right way?
It is for this purpose that the cover glasses are blackened or coated with other coatings so that there is no side light. Gaskets also serve this purpose. The tube of cameras and scopes has been made of blackened material since the oldest times.
ze7zez said:
It is for this purpose that the cover glasses are blackened or coated with other coatings so that there is no side light. Gaskets also serve this purpose. The tube of cameras and scopes has been made of blackened material since the oldest times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So does it affect picture quality?
Plus, I managed to diassemble the camera module, soaked it in alcohol and dried it up, its even more blury now lol
Related
hello.
I've noticed that in all my pictures (and in the camera application) I have a black dot on the low right corner (photo attached).
Did any of you had similar problems? I think something is wrong with the camera.
I've also recently got a splodge from the images from my camera...though mine looks like a glass chip...
This may seem like a silly question, but have you removed the battery cover and taken a picture to see if it's a blemish on the cover? Also, if it's still there with the cover removed, try cleaning the actual lense (delicately) and see how it looks. It's worth a shot.
yes, i've tried those. I think is something with the sensor, or under the interior lens.
after further inspection, i can see a spot on the interior lens... but i can't clean it. I think it's a scratch (might have dropped it once).
can I do something to change/clean this lens?
soxvirus said:
after further inspection, i can see a spot on the interior lens... but i can't clean it. I think it's a scratch (might have dropped it once).
can I do something to change/clean this lens?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Must be a big scratch for the spot to appear that large in the images...
I wonder if vaseline would help. I use a bit of the stuff for some scratches on my PC's LCD monitor. Works wonders. Not sure if it'll work with lens scratches though...
ohyeahar said:
Must be a big scratch for the spot to appear that large in the images...
I wonder if vaseline would help. I use a bit of the stuff for some scratches on my PC's LCD monitor. Works wonders. Not sure if it'll work with lens scratches though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering the actual size of the lens, and the fact that its seems to be on the lens itself, I don't think it would take much to cause a dot of that size.
Mine also appears to be internal. Looks like a rather large dust particle is resting on the lens under the glass. Though oddly, the focus on the splodge always appears the same, regardless of the depth of focus in the shot...
Been itching for an upgrade, seems my phone realises this....
Has anyone tried taking a can of compressed air to the back of the Nexus One in order to try to clear dust away from the screen? I just want it off the center of the LCD screen, don't need to get it out as long as it's not that visible.
What about partially disassembling the phone (like taking out everything that doesn't require you to disconnect flex cables) and then blowing it with the air?
I managed to drop my phone a couple times and that seemed to have caused dust to get under the screen, but I don't want to take it apart completely until I've exhausted all other options. Returning it is also not an option in my geographic location.
Fancy meeting you here
How would the air get into the screen from the back? Isn't it supposed to be sealed?
I wonder if you could move the dust under the screen with static electricity. Get one of those plastic rods like they use for demonstrations in chemistry class and charge it up. Then drag it across the screen over the dust. Just be careful not to discharge the rod onto the metal body of the phone...
Even if you did attempt this...
It would probably leave an unremovable sticky film. That's one of the reasons they tell you not to use it to blow off camera sensors, lenses, and CCDs (you're supposed to use a blower bulb). The compressed air isn't just pure clean air, it's got a bunch of bull**** in it. Not to mention it could quickfreeze the OLED parts and ruin the screen permanently. I would NOT try it. In fact, if you clean the back (battery, SD, SIM area) make sure you hold a piece of CLEAN 100% cotton (best if it's from a t-shirt) over the camera sensor or it will blow off the IR filter. Hope this helps.
I have done it twice. I posted pictures up on here on a different thread the first time around, which was probably 3 months ago. Send me a pm if you want the pictures. It wasn't horrible to do, but I don't know that I'd recommend it unless you're already experienced in these type of exercises. I didn't have any adverse side affects to the screen.
Here's the before and after.. I have pictures of the dis-assembly as well.
Oh yeah, I also found that a can of compressed air wasn't strong enough. I used an actual compressor set at 60-80ish psi I think.
@enisoc lol...
The teardowns online haven't said that there was anything sealing the screen and the front cover, but the cellphone shops here that I've asked have said that they would apply a sealant if I paid them to take the phone apart for me.
It looks like I can't get to the dust with anything short of a complete teardown :-(. I took the canned air to the back of the phone and it didn't do anything, but I also didn't disassemble the battery tray (no torx screwdriver).
@dhendrix11 if you took the phone apart, why did you still have to use a compressor? Couldn't you then just take something and wipe the dust off?
hgcrpd said:
@enisoc lol...
The teardowns online haven't said that there was anything sealing the screen and the front cover, but the cellphone shops here that I've asked have said that they would apply a sealant if I paid them to take the phone apart for me.
It looks like I can't get to the dust with anything short of a complete teardown :-(. I took the canned air to the back of the phone and it didn't do anything, but I also didn't disassemble the battery tray (no torx screwdriver).
@dhendrix11 if you took the phone apart, why did you still have to use a compressor? Couldn't you then just take something and wipe the dust off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used a combination of compressed air and a microfiber cloth. I found that it was impossible to find an absolutely clean spot on the cloth, so it basically just put dust back on the phone. I mostly used the cloth to wipe off smudges when I accidentally touched the back side of the lens/touchpanel, and relied on the compressed air to remove the dust. Also, I didn't detach the lens from the phone frame, so it's hard to get into the corners (where most of the dust is) with a cloth.
The second time around I had a lot less dust and tried cleaning it without fully removing the LCD. If you take the phone apart, you'll understand why you might want to leave the LCD attached and simply lean it back from the lens. However, in the end, I didn't find that to be effective, so I took the LCD out both times. I've got a small amount of dust back in there again, but may 5-10% of what I had the first time, and I really haven't noticed it at all, even out in the bright sun, which was the environment that I typically found it most offensive.
As long as you have patience, it's certainly a do-able task. The main reason I did it myself is because it was early on before anyone was reporting confirmed success of getting HTC to fix the issue free of charge with an unlocked bootloader. I didn't want to chance getting billed for it so it was a nice little project instead. Now that many people have proven that HTC will honor hardware defects regardless of unlocked bootloader, I'd go the replacement route if there's not some other reason keeping you from it.
dhendrix11 said:
I have pictures of the dis-assembly as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please could you post? Thanks
GyTe said:
Please could you post? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disassembly 1
Disassembly 2
Full breakdown and then put back together
Hi dhendrix11 thanks for the pictures... I've saved everything on my pc.
Cheers
well, I ended up taking my phone apart too, using the iFixit guide and the Youtube video. Actually not as painful as I expected it to be, but for some reason I did not have a rubber microphone channel under the bottom mainboard, and I didn't have a screw at the top left of the top mainboard.
I also didn't take the screen out completely, just pulled it up a bit and used tweezers and a cloth to wipe everything off.
Now I have a like-new screen!
Just noticed when outside (It's winter here) if I am using the camera the lens fogs on the inside. However if I am not using the camera it stays fog free!.
Anyone know what this could be?
EDIT: Could the auto focus be causing some sort of air to move between the camera and the glass? Causing the difference in temp to fog up? Or maybe the heat inside the phone when the camera is on vs the cold winter weather is causing it.
ALL INPUT IS WELCOME!
Amrut223 said:
Just noticed when outside (It's winter here) if I am using the camera the lens fogs on the inside. However if I am not using the camera it stays fog free!.
Anyone know what this could be?
EDIT: Could the auto focus be causing some sort of air to move between the camera and the glass? Causing the difference in temp to fog up? Or maybe the heat inside the phone when the camera is on vs the cold winter weather is causing it.
ALL INPUT IS WELCOME!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does anyone have this issue. Seems like the backside of the camera glass fogs up and makes all photos blurry.
Amrut223 said:
Just noticed when outside (It's winter here) if I am using the camera the lens fogs on the inside. However if I am not using the camera it stays fog free!.
Anyone know what this could be?
EDIT: Could the auto focus be causing some sort of air to move between the camera and the glass? Causing the difference in temp to fog up? Or maybe the heat inside the phone when the camera is on vs the cold winter weather is causing it.
ALL INPUT IS WELCOME!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, moisture from the warmer air inside the lens is condensing against the cold glass to cause the 'fog'. I am not sure how to prevent this though, in very cold weather.
MacHackz said:
Hi, moisture from the warmer air inside the lens is condensing against the cold glass to cause the 'fog'. I am not sure how to prevent this though, in very cold weather.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the thing is I have an S2,S3 and S4 in the house and non of them do the same. This only happens when the camera is in use. Faulty?
Amrut223 said:
Yeah the thing is I have an S2,S3 and S4 in the house and non of them do the same. This only happens when the camera is in use. Faulty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I'd say it's faulty
Could it be because the Galaxy models have a plastic lens cover where the HTC One is glass?
Amrut223 said:
Could it be because the Galaxy models have a plastic lens cover where the HTC One is glass?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point, that would be the issue because plastic doesn't get as cold as glass. Still not good though, doesn't solve the issue.
Could you test yours. Open the freezer with the camera on and let some of the cool air pass over the lens (not for long maybe 10 seconds) Do not stick it in the freezer . Does the lens fog?
Amrut223 said:
Could you test yours. Open the freezer with the camera on and let some of the cool air pass over the lens (not for long maybe 10 seconds) Do not stick it in the freezer . Does the lens fog?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It didn't fog, and I've put phones in the freezer before to combat thermal throttling on benchmarks ;D
MacHackz said:
Hi, moisture from the warmer air inside the lens is condensing against the cold glass to cause the 'fog'. I am not sure how to prevent this though, in very cold weather.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MacHackz said:
It didn't fog, and I've put phones in the freezer before to combat thermal throttling on benchmarks ;D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you make sure to have the camera app open. For me I am recording video for it to fog up. Try while recording video and report back
Cheers.
Confirmed fogginess in cold temps, design flaw?
MacHackz said:
Confirmed fogginess in cold temps, design flaw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you expect the cover to come with a little screen wiper or perhaps an integrated heater?
BenPope said:
Would you expect the cover to come with a little screen wiper or perhaps an integrated heater?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Possibly, I was more thinking it should be plastic not glass. Would surely be cheaper than integrating a 'wiper' into the design? Maybe a heater direct from the CPU would work.
BenPope said:
Would you expect the cover to come with a little screen wiper or perhaps an integrated heater?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fog inside the Camera = condensation. Pretty sure camera optics don't like that.
Hi,
Same problem here.
Yesterday I brought my new HTC One to a restaurant to test the camera. When I launch the camera app and snapped one or two pictures I found it looked as if there was some white mist in front of the object. I first thought it was some auto exposure issue and didn't take it seriously. But then the same "mist" appeared when I attempted to take some more pictures. And now the screen becomes whiter and whiter! I realized something wrong, so I looked at the back of the phone and observed some white fog on the camera cover. I tried to wipe it off but didn't work - the fog is INSIDE the camera cover!
It's around 20-23°C in the restaurant. And I suspect this is caused by the heat produced by the camera module inside the phone.
When the fog appears, you can do nothing. The fog won't go away unless you quit the camera app (theoretically it may go away when the environment gets warmer, or the humidity suddenly decreases).
But I am still confused -
1) This didn't happen to my previous phones. OK I didn't use a lot of smartphones, but I didn't experience this issue when I was using my HTC Desire and Galaxy Nexus.
2) Shouldn't there be some measure taken in the manufacturing process to prevent this from happening? For example -- take a wild guess -- shouldn't there be some anti-fog coating that can be applied to the cover?
I submerged the top half of my phone to shoot some video underwater, after having previously carefully sealed the flaps with medical tape. This was the first time I did this and and only for 3 minutes at most.
Now there is moisture around the camera lens and led flash. Is this normal? Should I be worried?
zgomot said:
I submerged the top half of my phone to shoot some video underwater, after having previously carefully sealed the flaps with medical tape. This was the first time I did this and and only for 3 minutes at most.
Now there is moisture around the camera lens and led flash. Is this normal? Should I be worried?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do not have a problem
Once you've opened the back cover
Not closed it properly Flash leaking causing a blurry picture
Look Once the cover is closed properly especially at the top where the lens is located
* Picture will be sharp
A similar thing happened to my Z1 after a full submerge. Little water droplets appeared in the lens. Eventually the camera stopped working, and so did the phone screen. I sent the phone into Sony xperia help team and they replaced the main board of the phone and told me that the case had a manufacturer defect in it which allowed water inside even when flaps were all closed. Try putting the phone in rice for a few hours, or applying gentle heat to the lens to remove the trapped water. Hope all goes well.
Again, similar thing, flaps closed but condensation on the lens, might of been from going from a warmish pool to cooler air and then the bathroom with steam, I left the charging and memory card flap open and left it upright(charging port upwards) and it cleared up after half our or so and was fine.
My camera lens looks like there are some sort of bubbles or something under the glass. It doesn't affect the camera, because they're not in the field of view of the lens, but I've noticed these spots keep appearing, so they should eventually reach the center and ruin my images. Should I get this repaired or is this normal behavior?
Image link: http://imgur.com/dpiKvJ1
seklerek said:
My camera lens looks like there are some sort of bubbles or something under the glass. It doesn't affect the camera, because they're not in the field of view of the lens, but I've noticed these spots keep appearing, so they should eventually reach the center and ruin my images. Should I get this repaired or is this normal behavior?
Image link: http://imgur.com/dpiKvJ1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if thats dust but I would get that clean before it ruins the lens
fujirio said:
I'm not sure if thats dust but I would get that clean before it ruins the lens
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not dust. I cleaned the lens before taking a picture, what you see is under the glass.
looks like condensation.
Try out the pressure test and look if your phone is still waterproof. Anyway i would send it in if you live in a country with reliable consumer protection laws and good warranty.
2mal16 said:
looks like condensation.
Try out the pressure test and look if your phone is still waterproof. Anyway i would send it in if you live in a country with reliable consumer protection laws and good warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep you have gotten water into your phone, this happened to me 3 days after purchase of my Z3C. Open up the sim card flap (bottom left) and look in the little hole in the bottom, there should be a white square, this is the water sensor. If you have gotten water in your phone that white square will be a red / pink color.
Do a pressure test like 2mal16 said.
If you do not want to send it in for warranty you can get rid of the water using rice and a hair dryer - turn off the phone, open all the flaps and bury the phone in rice, in an air tight bag or container, leave the bag / container in the sun for at least 1 day and that should clear it. (depending on where you live 2-3 days might be better)
Next you can try opening the flaps (phone off) and holding the phone so that the open flaps are facing downwards (left side of the phone is facing down) and get a blow dryer / hair dryer and wave it up and down the top of the phone, where the camera is (this will heat the water and should make it come out of the flaps)