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Worried about scratching the camera lens...??

My lens scratched, and then broke.... I ended up having it replaced by my local Sprint store under warranty. I have no idea how it actually broke since I'm not really hard on the phone. I don't have a case on it, but I keep it in a front pocket with nothing else in there (no keys, change, etc). This is how I've carried my smart phones for years without issue... including other HTC phones - however this is the first phone with a protruding camera lens....
 
I use the otter case, and it works great! Keeps the camera from touching surfaces, and it keeps the screen also from touching flat surfaces. Plus it gives me comfort incase I drop it :x

Its slightly more bulky then I would like, but I'm getting used to it!
 
sitlet said:
Technically that's just a glass cover, the actual lens is under that.
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thank God someone isn't a moron!!!

Do people these days not know what a camera lens is? A lens is the actual curved piece that refracts the light into the apature. The lens of a camera IS NEVER EXTERNAL. It is moved in and out to focus therefore it is housed in a cylinder with a glass cover placed over the end to keep dirt and dust from entering the lens aparatus.

The thing you can touch with your finger is just a glass covering, not even CLOSE to a lens. :rolleyes:
 
binder said:
thank God someone isn't a moron!!!

Do people these days not know what a camera lens is? A lens is the actual curved piece that refracts the light into the apature. The lens of a camera IS NEVER EXTERNAL. It is moved in and out to focus therefore it is housed in a cylinder with a glass cover placed over the end to keep dirt and dust from entering the lens aparatus.

The thing you can touch with your finger is just a glass covering, not even CLOSE to a lens. :rolleyes:
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So what? If that lens cover gets all scratched up it still hurts your picture quality. That is the point.

My lens cover has been all scratched up since about a week after I got my Evo on launch day.

What they are saying, is there should be a removable cover that takes the scratches (which pretty much every camera not mounted on a cell phone has). So when you snap a picture or video, there aren't a bunch of scratches in front of the lens. The cover could be attached to the phone, but make it slide open when you go to use the camera.

The semantics of "my lens is all scratched up" and "my permanently mounted, non removable lens cover is all scratched up" really make no difference as far as us end users are concerned. In the end, it's the same exact symptom.
 
BlackDynamite said:
So what? If that lens cover gets all scratched up it still hurts your picture quality. That is the point.

My lens cover has been all scratched up since about a week after I got my Evo on launch day.

What they are saying, is there should be a removable cover that takes the scratches (which pretty much every camera not mounted on a cell phone has). So when you snap a picture or video, there aren't a bunch of scratches in front of the lens. The cover could be attached to the phone, but make it slide open when you go to use the camera.

The semantics of "my lens is all scratched up" and "my permanently mounted, non removable lens cover is all scratched up" really make no difference as far as us end users are concerned. In the end, it's the same exact symptom.
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i see your point but your idea of the cover being scratched will lower picture quality isn't correct.

If that was the case then every professional photographer would have to replace their lens cover after every basketball or football event. They set those large lenses face down on the ground and they get scratched. The point of the lens is to focus, if the focus is not so close as to focus on the lens cover then the scratches will be virtually non-existent. If you think i'm wrong after all the photography i've taken as well as having friends that are professional photographers then post up a picture where you can visibly point out the scratches on the lens cover and i'll delete my posts.
 
binder said:
thank God someone isn't a moron!!!

Do people these days not know what a camera lens is? A lens is the actual curved piece that refracts the light into the apature. The lens of a camera IS NEVER EXTERNAL. It is moved in and out to focus therefore it is housed in a cylinder with a glass cover placed over the end to keep dirt and dust from entering the lens aparatus.

The thing you can touch with your finger is just a glass covering, not even CLOSE to a lens. :rolleyes:
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I think most people actually understand that is just an outer protective cover. its just easier to say lens and everyone with a little common sense understands what they are referring too.

its like a jet ski, many people refer to all personal water craft brands as a jet ski yet only kawasaki makes jet ski's.




BlackDynamite said:
So what? If that lens cover gets all scratched up it still hurts your picture quality. That is the point.

My lens cover has been all scratched up since about a week after I got my Evo on launch day.

What they are saying, is there should be a removable cover that takes the scratches (which pretty much every camera not mounted on a cell phone has). So when you snap a picture or video, there aren't a bunch of scratches in front of the lens. The cover could be attached to the phone, but make it slide open when you go to use the camera.

The semantics of "my lens is all scratched up" and "my permanently mounted, non removable lens cover is all scratched up" really make no difference as far as us end users are concerned. In the end, it's the same exact symptom.
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it is removable and replaceable, that's how sprint can repair them. want to buy one and do it yourself - HTC EVO 4G A9292 CAMERA FRAME HOLDER SURROUNDING + LENS - eBay (item 120690671195 end time Mar-29-11 04:07:23 PDT)

plus like you said it is a cell phone not a camera, a cover would just drive cost up and make replacements even harder.

binder said:
i see your point but your idea of the cover being scratched will lower picture quality isn't correct.

If that was the case then every professional photographer would have to replace their lens cover after every basketball or football event. They set those large lenses face down on the ground and they get scratched. The point of the lens is to focus, if the focus is not so close as to focus on the lens cover then the scratches will be virtually non-existent. If you think i'm wrong after all the photography i've taken as well as having friends that are professional photographers then post up a picture where you can visibly point out the scratches on the lens cover and i'll delete my posts.
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correct and this is why people really shouldn't worry about their camera "lens". just be cautious not to slam the thing down.


having said that I have a release day evo. no scratches on that outer lens that I can see. I have no case on it and never have. I pay no special attention to the camera. I do have a zagg screen protector on it and usually set it screen down when not in use.

not a fan of cases at all. unless you buy a big soft type case they don't really do anything except protect from a scratch. I've seen so many of my friends wreck their phones with just a simple hard case on, and not just screens. yet they put their replacement phone right back in the same hard case as if it actually protected their old broken phone.

to each his own though I guess.
 
Why not use the kickstand instead of placing the phone on it's backside? If you are placing the phone on a soft surface, the kickstand won't work but this shouldn't matter since the surface is soft.
 
binder said:
i see your point but your idea of the cover being scratched will lower picture quality isn't correct.

If that was the case then every professional photographer would have to replace their lens cover after every basketball or football event. They set those large lenses face down on the ground and they get scratched. The point of the lens is to focus, if the focus is not so close as to focus on the lens cover then the scratches will be virtually non-existent. If you think i'm wrong after all the photography i've taken as well as having friends that are professional photographers then post up a picture where you can visibly point out the scratches on the lens cover and i'll delete my posts.
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There is no possible way for me to post a picture that points it out. I would need to take the exact same picture; one with the scratched up lens cover and one with a clear lens cover. You'd see a difference in picture quality, for sure.

Having a scratched up lens cover absolutely hurts picture quality. I don't even see how anyone can claim otherwise.
 
BlackDynamite said:
Having a scratched up lens cover absolutely hurts picture quality. I don't even see how anyone can claim otherwise.
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it doesn't because the focus isn't .3" in front of the lens where the scratch is. If you saw the lens covers on professional cameras that take pictures of professional sports you would understand. If scratches on a lens cover affected it then those pictures would never turn out. Those lens covers are scratched all to hell and produce incredible picture quality.
 
binder said:
it doesn't because the focus isn't .3" in front of the lens where the scratch is. If you saw the lens covers on professional cameras that take pictures of professional sports you would understand. If scratches on a lens cover affected it then those pictures would never turn out. Those lens covers are scratched all to hell and produce incredible picture quality.
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So then I could just paint my lens cover and the picture would still look the same?

Give me a break. Anything that impedes or distorts the light entering the lens in any way will affect picture quality. And scratches most certainly do that.

yes you will probably still be able to take a picture. No, it won't have the same quality as it would with a scratch free lens cover.
 
BlackDynamite said:
Anything that impedes or distorts the light entering the lens in any way will affect picture quality.
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exactly my point. If you think that you can't visibly tell the quality on a professional camera do you think it will make a visible change on a piddly cell phone camera? not to a human eye therefore it won't matter.
 
binder said:
exactly my point. If you think that you can't visibly tell the quality on a professional camera do you think it will make a visible change on a piddly cell phone camera? not to a human eye therefore it won't matter.
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Yes, you absolutely would have a decrease in quality on a professional camera too. Just because they might still take good pictures doesn't mean the quality is as good as it would have been with a scratch free lens cover.

By the way, I have never seen a totally scratched up camera being used to film a pro sporting event. I have no idea where you got that from but I am pretty sure it isn't true. At least it isn't true for the hundreds of sporting events I have been to in my life.
 
I think the point is, the quality in reduction is (generally) negligible. That said, are we using that as an excuse or ?????
 
lordofthereef said:
I think the point is, the quality in reduction is (generally) negligible. That said, are we using that as an excuse or ?????
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Well the only way to know how much of a difference it makes is to take the exact same picture with a scratched up lens and with a clear lens. I'm positive you would see a difference, others disagree.

I can tell you this; my zagg invisible shield was coming off a while back. I took it back to the mall kiosk where I got it (lifetime guarantee). They put a new one on. When they installed it, it was not on totally straight. The cutout for the front camera was not entirely lined up. So about half the front camera was under the invisible shield, and the other half was not. And I absolutely noticed a difference in the quality of the front camera. I use the front camera as a mirror when I am at work, pretty much several times every day. So I noticed this without any debate/questions/etc.

I took it back and they fixed it, and I of course noticed the quality go back to what I was used to it being.

Now I know the invisible shield isn't exactly a bunch of scratches, but the principle is the same. And if any of you don't think you'll notice a difference, that is pretty easy to duplicate. Just get a screen protector, put it partially over your front camera, and see if the quality is different when you try to use it as a mirror.
 
rilla said:
For what it is worth, my lens cover is cracked like a spider web and there is absolutely no reduction in picture quality. Those concerned about scratching it are worrying for nothing.
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You're spinning your wheels. They'll just tell you that you are an inferior person and can't tell the difference in quality because your vision sucks even though the resolution on these pocket cameras isn't enough to magnify the quality related problems with a lens scratching issue. :rolleyes:
 
binder said:
You're spinning your wheels. They'll just tell you that you are an inferior person and can't tell the difference in quality because your vision sucks even though the resolution on these pocket cameras isn't enough to magnify the quality related problems with a lens scratching issue. :rolleyes:
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Is that any different than you telling us all we're idiots and any visual obstructions on the lens cover that we notice affecting our picture are just figments of our imaginations?
 
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