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scratchingN97lenstips

Recently there’s been a lot of talk about the N97’s sliding camera cover. Many have been reporting scratches that started appearing  on the lens cover. You can follow the discussion here and here.  It now appears that these scratches are being caused by the sliding camera design that doesn’t take into account that dust eventually finds its way into electronics.

Apparently there’s a small blue plastic part right underneath the sliding cover that holds a magnet. This magnet triggers a switch, which is what allows the slider to inform the phone that the camera application should be activated. Problem is that this blue part sits way too close to the clear lens cover. Debris that is stuck inside is the cause of these scratches.

In an article written a while back at AllAboutsymbian they did an experiment trying to find out if scratched lenses could have any effect on image quality. Their conclusion was that: “for 99.9% of ‘normal’ photos, you simply won’t notice any difference whatsoever between photos taken when your phone is new and those taken when it’s lived in your pocket for six months and has some battle scars on its (unprotected) camera glass.” From the results, it seemed that in cases where flash was involved or the sun was of at a specific angle, there were some noticeable (but not by much) differences. The results from the Nokia blog seem to support this: scratched areas on the clear lens cover are interfering with the light produced by the flash, affecting image quality. Mark did say that he wiped the lens cover clean. In some cases this can do more harm then good: there could be tiny particles on the glass surface and wiping them clean has the same effect as sandblasting glass. Remember those glass bathroom doors that have an almost foggy look to them? This is done by sandblasting, basically scratching the glass to create an effect.

So what can you do? SymbianGuru Ricky Cadden has received a few tips from Nokia Care, to prevent this from happening:

  • Keep the camera lens protection window clean. If dust or debris gets on the lens or under the lens cover, sliding of the cover may cause scratches on the camera lens protection window.
  • When sliding the lens cover, don’t press it down heavily. Slide the cover sideways without excessive downward pressure.
  • If there’s dust, sand or some other particles on the lens, clean the lens protection window before closing the lens cover.

    • All of these tips make a lot of sense, but I feel that an important one is left out: use compressed air instead of a cleaning cloth to get rid of debris. As mentioned above, cleaning the clear lens cover with a cleaning cloth with debris on the clear lens cover may have the same effect as sandblasting. Luckily N86 8MP  users don’t seem to be affected by this. Do you know any tips that might prevent this from happening?

    Image: Courtesy N97fanatics

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