Database Users

Black speck in Camera lens

Ok, I'm getting frustrated
I've somehow gotten a black speck of something inside my camera lens (not the lens cover...I've already removed that and cleaned it to no avail)
I can see it in the viewfinder, but it never moves. I've tried shooting a small amount of air into the crack above the camera and that hasn't worked either
has anyone successfully removed the camera or gotten into it?
how?
does anyone have any advice for my situation?
camera was a deciding factor for me on this phone and one little speck is messing up all my photos

also, feel free to comment on how stinkin cute my kids are

Did you point the thing at the sun? Part of the sensor could be burned out, which is kind of what that looks like to me.

sryan2k1 said:
Did you point the thing at the sun? Part of the sensor could be burned out, which is kind of what that looks like to me.
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I was afraid somebody would say that.
no I didn't...at least not consciously

Cute kids...

bilbobrian said:
Cute kids...
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yeah, they get that from their momma
anybody know how to fix my little sensor problem?

Mine too....

The camera lens cover is held on with double sided tape. You can pry it off with ease and clean the inside of the lens cover or the camera itself.
You could also access it without removing the lens cover, but that involves removing the battery tray panel thing. That requires removing the 4 torx screws at the corners, removing the void sticker on that screw, and then popping the panel off.
I've had mine off a few times to mess around with swapping the power and volume buttons from the red developer case that I nabbed off EBay. Didn't actually swap the buttons, but took a look at what was involved in the process.
Good luck!

Cute kids man.
Does it affect the quality of the pictures?

ACD168 said:
Cute kids man.
Does it affect the quality of the pictures?
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no, it just adds that stupid black blotch in the middle of all my pictures. I use the camera alot...well, I did before this issue arose.

obededom said:
no, it just adds that stupid black blotch in the middle of all my pictures. I use the camera alot...well, I did before this issue arose.
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dude sorry to hear about this, that is BS!! you should take it into Verizon or call for a refurb! they actually are nice, its like getting a brand new phone, and if it craps out, I guess its rinse and repeat.

Removing lens cover improves pics...EDIT: Cleaning works too! :)

Way back when I owned an AT&T tilt, we had to remove the plastic camera cover to improve quality. It appears the same is true of the incredible.
My cover is not very scarred. I would consider my phone in great shape overall. Still, I decided to pop off the lens cover that projects out the backside of the phone. In so doing, there is a very appreciable improvement in contrast and sharpness of my photos. Attached are some samples. Now, if only we can figure out how to remove or replace the lens cover without jeopardizing the camera itself. As of now, it's the only barrier of protection, so removing it permanantly is not really an option.
Note, the video also shows great improvement, as should be expected.

Epicardium said:
Way back when I owned an AT&T tilt, we had to remove the plastic camera cover to improve quality. It appears the same is true of the incredible.
My cover is not very scarred. I would consider my phone in great shape overall. Still, I decided to pop off the lens cover that projects out the backside of the phone. In so doing, there is a very appreciable improvement in contrast and sharpness of my photos. Attached are some samples. Now, if only we can figure out how to remove or replace the lens cover without jeopardizing the camera itself. As of now, it's the only barrier of protection, so removing it permanantly is not really an option.
Note, the video also shows great improvement, as should be expected.
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thats pretty odd, none of my photos look washed out like that with the camera lense still intact

magneticzero said:
thats pretty odd, none of my photos look washed out like that with the camera lense still intact
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THanks. So, based on your feedback I decided to go ahead and clean both sides of the lens cover and also the inner lens cover with some alcohol. Definitely improved things for me. Check out the attached. It's weird because I could not appreciate any smudges of cloudiness by visual inspection. Looks no different to me after I've cleaned it, but the picture can't lie. There may still be a difference with the cover removed.

Epicardium said:
THanks. So, based on your feedback I decided to go ahead and clean both sides of the lens cover and also the inner lens cover with some alcohol. Definitely improved things for me. Check out the attached. It's weird because I could not appreciate any smudges of cloudiness by visual inspection. Looks no different to me after I've cleaned it, but the picture can't lie. There may still be a difference with the cover removed.
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that looks wayyy better.

Isn't the lens somewhat glued onto the phone. Mine needs cleaning but I was afraid of hurting my phone.
Sent from my MIUI Incredible.

camera lens glare
Having a clean lens will help all photography. I think much of the difference in the first two photo examples is due to glare from sun position and or cloud cover. Notice the difference in the shadow from the pickup. Very pronounced with bright sun in washed out photo, and almost invisible in the 'clear' shot.
When shooting outside with SLR's I always try to use a glare shield, and when I have time to compose a shot with my phone, I do the same by just shadowing the lens with my hand. Sometimes awkward, but it does improve outdoor shots in the sun.
Ken
- also, glare is greatly amplified by a dirty lens...

could you list steps on how to remove the lens cover? I dont really wanna break anything with my camera. Thanks

Careful with the alcohol it mucks up plastik & rubber

had the same problem. resolved
whewstoosae said:
Isn't the lens somewhat glued onto the phone. Mine needs cleaning but I was afraid of hurting my phone.
Sent from my MIUI Incredible.
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I had the same concerns. In fact, returned my first two Incs because of dust buildup under the camera glass. (edit-didn't mean to offend. I know everyone is busy/has a life/doesn't check messages all of the time) I wondered if it was latched somehow, or maybe screwed on. One day, out of frustration, I took off the battery cover and just tried to take it off. Turned out it was just stuck on with some kind of soft adhesive; just two short horizontal lines of it, at the top and bottom, behind the red part. I just gently pulled, and it did unstick from the top. I left the bottom connected, but folded the cover/bezel down and cleaned the inside with a little alcohol on a q-tip. Good as new. I wish I had done this on my very first Inc. I would probably still have it, and it had the best display.

I_ronnik said:
I had the same concerns. In fact, returned my first two Incs because of dust buildup under the camera glass. I sent a PM to another member who said he simply 'popped the cover off' to clean it, to ask how. I never got an answer. I wondered if it was latched somehow, or maybe screwed on. One day, out of frustration, I took off the battery cover and just tried to take it off. Turned out it was just stuck on with some kind of soft adhesive; just two short horizontal lines of it, at the top and bottom, behind the red part. I just gently pulled, and it did unstick from the top. I left the bottom connected, but folded the cover/bezel down and cleaned the inside with a little alcohol on a q-tip. Good as new. I wish I had done this on my very first Inc. I would probably still have it, and it had the best display.
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Thanks for the info, I was too afraid to touch it without knowing if it was going to damage it or not.
Sent from my MIUI Incredible.

I_ronnik said:
One day, out of frustration, I took off the battery cover and just tried to take it off. Turned out it was just stuck on with some kind of soft adhesive; just two short horizontal lines of it, at the top and bottom, behind the red part. I just gently pulled, and it did unstick from the top.
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That's actually a little disturbing. By no means do I think the Incredible is somehow the industry standard of build quality, but the lens cover itself looks like it's made by NASA. Disappointing (but useful!).

nordr said:
That's actually a little disturbing. By no means do I think the Incredible is somehow the industry standard of build quality, but the lens cover itself looks like it's made by NASA. Disappointing (but useful!).
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I agree. This seems like a very preventable issue, from a manufacturing standpoint. The only good thing is that there is another piece of glass (square) that is over the actual camera lens, and seems to be well sealed to the camera module itself. I haven't seen any dust under there. I agree with the 'disappointing' aspect. The 8Mp camera w/flash was a big factor in deciding to buy this phone.

just did this, my pictures are coming out much better now also. Thanks for the tip, never thought of this...

Does it work the same way with Incredible S(vivo), i too have some dust under the glass.

makos101 said:
could you list steps on how to remove the lens cover? I dont really wanna break anything with my camera. Thanks
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just remove your battey cover and then you should be able to pop the cover and lense off

moondev said:
just remove your battey cover and then you should be able to pop the cover and lense off
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Thanks for your reply. I was going to ask the same question.

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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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.

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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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?
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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?
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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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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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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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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!
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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!

Camera Lens BENDED!

Beware: the camera lens on the back of our SGS II is made of cheap plastic. I learned the hard way.
Yesterday I was using the camera and all was really good. Today all photos were blurred. I checked and noticed a small bend, yes a bend, right in the middle of the camera lens. It is not a scratch, which has been my concern since buying the SGS2, it was a bend. I may be wrong, but glass should not bend, it scratches. Now I don't have a lens anymore, I have a prism.
The phone did not fall, or was treated badly. Most probably, I put it in my pants' front pockets, as I have done for years with my HTC phones (horrible cameras btw, compared to the sgs2), there may have been a contact with a harder surface (a key, maybe, but I don't suppose so), and the lens bended. It's a real pity. I'm considering now removing the "lens" as it is not the actual lens, just a cover I guess, and see if this works.
This may be the best and most expensive cell phone right now, why couldn't Samsung put a real glass (like apple does, btw) to protect the camera?
I hope this warning helps others not to get into the same problem. Maybe using a leather pouch can prevent this from happening (I was using the mesh cover case).
A previously super happy owner, now a very desolate one...

what did you do to your phone? Don't blame samsung for something you physically you did.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

thats strange? a bit of plastic with those dimensions shouldn't bend at all, unless put under direct heat and pressure? :S

can you post pictures taken and a picture of the lens?

I don't have another camera with me to photograph the lens. Besides, it is hard to see the bend, you need the correct angle for the light to hit it and be able to see. But attached is a picture I took with the cell. Kind of artsy...

I would have thought that if it did actually have a bend in it (which seems like an awfully difficult thing to have done), that it would cause a distortion and not just producing a blurry pic like that.
Looks more like something has been smeared across the lens cover.

It's not the lens that bended, it's the protective screen on top of the lense. Looks like glass to me, but it's possible to be plastic. Any way, i doubt it could bend unless you put a lot of pressure on it.

As I said, it was in the front pocket of a not so tight pants, so there might be little pressure, normal pressure as every cell phone suffers in this situation, but nothing exceptional, not much. Nobody sat on my lap as well... That would be a worthy reason at least.
I've had smartphones for the last 6 years, done the same thing since. I'm not asking for a replacement or whatever, so I have no reason to minimize my responsibility.
My point in posting is that it happened. Just trying let others know to not make the same mistake. It is not as solid a construction as, say, the HTC HD2. It needs more care.
Just beware, hope it does not happen to others.
PS: And no heat also, not a teenager anymore to have so much heat near the crotch area...
PPS: Yes, it is the protective screen. My hope is I can get rid of it, and have my camera back. Unprotected, but taking photos, with lots of care from now on...

OP, stupid question: that lens glass out of the box was protected with a transparent plastic film I think, just like the screen. Did you remove it?
Can you make a shot of the lens using a bathroom mirror perhaps, in macro mode?

mbernstein said:
I've had smartphones for the last 6 years, done the same thing since. I'm not asking for a replacement or whatever, so I have no reason to minimize my responsibility.
My point in posting is that it happened. Just trying let others know to not make the same mistake. It is not as solid a construction as, say, the HTC HD2. It needs more care.
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I agree with your here. The way Samsung designed the back of the phone makes it very easy to scratch/ even bend (like it happened to you) the protective screen. I had a HTC Touch HD before and the back of the camera could never touch the surface where the phone was put. With Samsung if you put your phone on a rugged area you might end up damaging the protective screen easily.

Have you been using the LED as a torch or anything like that? Perhaps the heat could have warped the plastic?

kreoXDA said:
OP, stupid question: that lens glass out of the box was protected with a transparent plastic film I think, just like the screen. Did you remove it?
Can you make a shot of the lens using a bathroom mirror perhaps, in macro mode?
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Sure, I took the plastic out. I saw no point in having a very good phone camera weakened by the plastic.
I tried to take the photo you asked, but was not successful. But as I said it was a very small bend, which makes the light enter the lens like a prism. Very difficult to photograph with a normal camera.
Actually, there was a power outage in the area I'm in now, but I don't recollect to use torch that much... I remember I used it for a while, the used some screen light, then on to Kindle. Id on't suppose it was torch, but could it really be so silly like this?!

mbernstein said:
Sure, I took the plastic out. I saw no point in having a very good phone camera weakened by the plastic.
I tried to take the photo you asked, but was not successful. But as I said it was a very small bend, which makes the light enter the lens like a prism. Very difficult to photograph with a normal camera.
Actually, there was a power outage in the area I'm in now, but I don't recollect to use torch that much... I remember I used it for a while, the used some screen light, then on to Kindle. Id on't suppose it was torch, but could it really be so silly like this?!
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Wow, I just tried pushing on mine with my nail, it moves a teeny tiny bit, but it springs right back up Maybe something in your pocket just happened to touch the middle of that little piece of plastic, and just managed to apply enough force to bend it beyond the recovery point, so your plastic piece did not spring back up.
I fully understand what you mean now. But not sure what your options are. It is clearly a physical damage. I would not advise trying to take that piece out and bend it straight, you will mess up the actual lens.

mbernstein said:
A previously super happy owner, now a very desolate one...
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flash back stock firmware, reset custom download counter with jig, return under warranty saying the camera takes blurry pictures

godutch said:
flash back stock firmware, reset custom download counter with jig, return under warranty saying the camera takes blurry pictures
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I believe warranty doesn't cover physical damage though.

Ingvarr said:
I believe warranty doesn't cover physical damage though.
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they wont know if you dont tell them plus they wont inspect the phone in that detail closely at the camera, worth a try. IF you bough it from a store, bring it back there and get a replacement.

Hi,
I have the same issue as yours.
Where is your SGS2 made in when you take out the battery and look at the back sticker?
Mine says "Made in China"
Wonder if yours is made in Korea or China.
Please share~

I would send it in too, your chances are good to get it repaired!

Mine is made in: Korea
I would try to replace it if I had bought it in my country. I bought it through a friend from Xpansys US (a UK phone), and I'm now in Brazil. I guess I would have so many troubles with customs here to send it out and back with no guarantee to have it replaced...
My idea is not to take the plastic out, and try to fix it. It is to just take out. I will have a hole there, but there will be nothing distorting light that comes into the lens. I will have to be extra careful, but considering how easy the plastic which was supposed to protect the camera was damaged, extra care is the name of this phone for me.
And I'm not complaining about SGS2's plastic finish as opposed to the metal/glass ones of iPhone or HTC. I actually like this, including the back cover. After you get used to it, it is kind of cool. And it is light. I just wished there was a cover or that Samsung used a hard glass on the camera, or perhaps that the plastic was so tiny and receeded that nothing could reach it. I always like the way Sony and Nokia used to put a sliding cover over the camera lens in their phones. With such a thin phone as ours, I wouldn't mind the extra thickness. Or like my HTC Kaiser, where the plastic was actually on the cover. If it was scratched or broken you could replace the back cover... Sorry, just venting my frustration.

Don't leave that hole uncovered. Your lens will get dirty in no time. Pocket lint , dust and dirt will accumulate in there and break the lens autofocus mechanism. Just don't even think about leaving that hole uncovered.