Develop Bugs

Sun damaged camera sensor

Just an FYI not to be an idiot like me and take a picture of the sun. I now have a faint black speck on all of my pictures...
You can see it highlighted here: http://i.imgur.com/hatM0.jpg
Pretty faint in the picture, its way more obvious on my screen on the phone.

Post some pics... that sucks.

Oh man, that sucks. Might be worth trying for a warranty replacement from Samsung.

leyvatron said:
Post some pics... that sucks.
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Edited the OP with one.

Yikes, so sorry to see that.

...Really?
This works like this?
........I'm going to take some pictures of the sun tomorrow. I can't help but be skeptical. I'm pretty sure I have plenty of pictures of the sun, not that they turn out as anything more than lense flares.
OP, what were the circumstances? Did you just take one pic of the sun? Or did you take a bunch of them? An entire photo session of just the sun?
Damn, now I can't wait to try this...I wanna see HDR pix of the sun.

daneurysm said:
...Really?
This works like this?
........I'm going to take some pictures of the sun tomorrow. I can't help but be skeptical. I'm pretty sure I have plenty of pictures of the sun, not that they turn out as anything more than lense flares.
OP, what were the circumstances? Did you just take one pic of the sun? Or did you take a bunch of them? An entire photo session of just the sun?
Damn, now I can't wait to try this...I wanna see HDR pix of the sun.
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HDR pic was exactly what did this to my phone.
Since you have to hold the camera still for a few seconds, apparently thats enough to damage the sensor.
Trust me, DONT DO IT

You wouldn't do this even with a DSLR WITHOUT a special sun filter lens! Why in the world would you even attempt this?
Hey, you wanna see something really cool? Grab a magnifying glass and hold it up to the sun and check it out with your bare naked eye!

1BadHEMI said:
You wouldn't do this even with a DSLR WITHOUT a special sun filter lens! Why in the world would you even attempt this?
Hey, you wanna see something really cool? Grab a magnifying glass and hold it up to the sun and check it out with your bare naked eye!
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I lol'd for the way you laid it out in common sense...didn't think about that
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App

So what would you guys recommend?
I'm thinking I flash back to stock kernel (get rid of the yellow triangle at boot), take it back to a Sprint store and play dumb?

Absolutely play dumb, You're average Sprint tech has no idea how to fix anything more than an earpierce. You'll be fine.

WhiteZero said:
So what would you guys recommend?
I'm thinking I flash back to stock kernel (get rid of the yellow triangle at boot), take it back to a Sprint store and play dumb?
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It's kind of amazing how common this attitude of "please advise on how to commit fraud" is in this forum.

Ummmm, unless the sensor is organic, it really doesn't work like that. It's possible you damaged the microlenses around that area, but not probable. The camera lens is UV and IR blocked, so the light that actually does any damage is absorbed by those coatings on the lens. The second reason for those coatings is because UV and IR light can cause a color-shift in your images, which is generally undesirable for color-accuracy.
My bet is pure coincidence, or a dirty/scratched lens.

silversx80 said:
Ummmm, unless the sensor is organic, it really doesn't work like that. It's possible you damaged the microlenses around that area, but not probable. The camera lens is UV and IR blocked, so the light that actually does any damage is absorbed by those coatings on the lens. The second reason for those coatings is because UV and IR light can cause a color-shift in your images, which is generally undesirable for color-accuracy.
My bet is pure coincidence, or a dirty/scratched lens.
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Pure coincidence that the spot is in the same exact spot that the sun was in the HDR pic I took? I think not sir.

WhiteZero said:
Pure coincidence that the spot is in the same exact spot that the sun was in the HDR pic I took? I think not sir.
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OK then. What time was the HDR pic, and the approx location of the sun? How many exposures and the exposure times of the HDR shot? Could you post the pics to picasa and keep the EXIFs intact?
I have insurance and will perform the exact same steps (even though I hate HDR). If the camera gets damaged, then it is not performing up to spec and I am not defrauding Sprint. How many thousands of HDR sunset/rise images have you seen and the camera has performed perfectly since? I am still skeptical.
I used to work with light sensors in a research capacity, which gives my skepticism cause.

I'm not a camera expert at all, but I only recently found out that bright light sources can damage your sensor. While trying to find videos of lasers at shows damaging expensive cameras, I happened across one that deals with a Galaxy S in particular:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcKLXVTAeOA
Here's a regular DSLR camera damaged: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0TgaGePhJA
Lesson: don't take your GSII out in a light saber battle.

silversx80 said:
OK then. What time was the HDR pic, and the approx location of the sun? How many exposures and the exposure times of the HDR shot? Could you post the pics to picasa and keep the EXIFs intact?
I have insurance and will perform the exact same steps (even though I hate HDR). If the camera gets damaged, then it is not performing up to spec and I am not defrauding Sprint. How many thousands of HDR sunset/rise images have you seen and the camera has performed perfectly since? I am still skeptical.
I used to work with light sensors in a research capacity, which gives my skepticism cause.
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This was the one and only HDR shot I attempted in direct sunlight. Was not sunset/sunrise, this was closer to high-noon sun with no clouds.
The HDR app took 3 exposures over the course of about 3 seconds.

WhiteZero said:
This was the one and only HDR shot I attempted in direct sunlight. Was not sunset/sunrise, this was closer to high-noon sun with no clouds.
The HDR app took 3 exposures over the course of about 3 seconds.
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OK, I'll give it a go.
---------- Post added at 01:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:05 PM ----------
kiwiBeans said:
I'm not a camera expert at all, but I only recently found out that bright light sources can damage your sensor. While trying to find videos of lasers at shows damaging expensive cameras, I happened across one that deals with a Galaxy S in particular:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcKLXVTAeOA
Here's a regular DSLR camera damaged: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0TgaGePhJA
Lesson: don't take your GSII out in a light saber battle.
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Typical lasers at a laser-light show have about the same intensity of the sun (1mW/mm^2). These are considered "eye-safe" as blink reaction will interrupt the beam before it can cause any damage. The difference, however, is the sun's intensity is across the light spectrum, while a laser is monochromatic (one wavelength of light).
The typical sensor is a Bayer Array, detecting red, (2) green and blue light, per each sub-pixel, by filtering out everything else. The relative intensity they'll see from the sun will be vastly lower than the intensity they'll see from a laser light.
Furthermore, the "damage" in the OP's sensor is not the same kind of damage found from the lasers. The lasers will take out an entire line in the sensor, not a local area. They'll also destroy the line's ability to capture light-data, not just reduce it to a slightly darkened spot.
My vote is still dust, but I haven't taken a picture of the sun just yet.

silversx80 said:
My vote is still dust, but I haven't taken a picture of the sun just yet.
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I'll say it again: Before taking picture, no spot. After taking picture, spot in the exact same place as the sun in the picture. I don't see why you're in denial about this still.
It's possible maybe my sensor was defective and more susceptible to this damage. But I'm 99.99% sure it was the picture I took. But believe whatever you want.

https://picasaweb.google.com/105386435196828062439/September292011?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Several pics of the sun, on a sunny NC day, around 1:30pm. Pics of a white wall included. Will take pics of a white piece of paper if requested. No spots to speak of.
---------- Post added at 01:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:46 PM ----------
WhiteZero said:
I'll say it again: Before taking picture, no spot. After taking picture, spot in the exact same place as the sun in the picture. I don't see why you're in denial about this still.
It's possible maybe my sensor was defective and more susceptible to this damage. But I'm 99.99% sure it was the picture I took. But believe whatever you want.
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I'm not saying it isn't possible, but I am saying it's highly unlikely and damage to sensors from light yielded dramatically different symptoms in my experience.
The spot is there. As an avid photographer playing on my experience with light sensors in the past, I'm more inclined to believe it's dust.

new camera issue - hazy brights

Sorry to beat this dead horse but I believe this issue is new..
When taking a photo outdoors, with a bright sky and dark subject, the bright area bleeds over into the dark and causes a hazy effect. I believe this might be due to a reflection off the chrome bezel or plastic lens cover. example: http://i.imgur.com/70oG7.jpg
Has anyone else noticed this? I've spent the past few weeks in washington/oregon with this phone and sooo many shots have been ruined this way.
Edit: I believe it is a problem with reflections off the chrome bezel and the plastic lens cover, maybe along with the lens having no hood cover as the body is so thin. Using my other hand to shade the lens while taking pictures seems to fix the issue.

kertong said:
Sorry to beat this dead horse but I believe this issue is new..
When taking a photo outdoors, with a bright sky and dark subject, the bright area bleeds over into the dark and causes a hazy effect. I believe this might be due to a reflection off the chrome bezel or plastic lens cover. example: http://i.imgur.com/70oG7.jpg
Has anyone else noticed this? I've spent the past few weeks in washington/oregon with this phone and sooo many shots have been ruined this way.
Edit: I believe it is a problem with reflections off the chrome bezel and the plastic lens cover, maybe along with the lens having no hood cover as the body is so thin. Using my other hand to shade the lens while taking pictures seems to fix the issue.
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could be. i've notice this as well. a few things work for me. actually wiping the lens to make sure there are no smudges that could cause reflection. also putting the cam in macro mode.

Quick camera question

I've noticed 2 things that are a little bothersome, seeking opinions.
1)When you take a macro, there is a sever aberration on the edges, beyond just bokeh. It almost looks like a motion blur. Is this a manufacturer blemish? Or are others noticing this too?
2)Would scratches on the laser cover screw with the ability to focus? I'd think that the lasers might skew and get confused....
Thanks!

I have taken shots with the laser completely covered up and uncovered. There appeared to be no noticeable difference with the images. Wouldn't it New funny if there "laser focus" was just a gimmick, no actual functionality.

dontbeweakvato said:
I have taken shots with the laser completely covered up and uncovered. There appeared to be no noticeable difference with the images. Wouldn't it New funny if there "laser focus" was just a gimmick, no actual functionality.
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Don't think that hasn't popped into my mind

dontbeweakvato said:
I have taken shots with the laser completely covered up and uncovered. There appeared to be no noticeable difference with the images. Wouldn't it New funny if there "laser focus" was just a gimmick, no actual functionality.
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Tried to take a close up shot with laser focus covered with my finger. Couldnt focus on the object. Uncover it and voila it focuses in to time

I have guessed (!) that the laser simply provides illumination for dark scenes, so the camera can see better, letting it autofocus more accurately.
Many conventional digital cameras have autofocus illumination functions, just a source that helps light up the middle of the scene before shooting, so the AF can work properly.
My assumption is that this is basically what the laser is doing. I don't claim to understand why it would have to be a laser vs some other light source. Perhaps because a laser can light up something further away, vs a broader light beam of the same power. Or maybe because a laser can make a small dot (unlike a broader beam), which the autofocus system can assume should be crisp, and can adjust the focus so that the laser's dot looks sharp.
But I don't think it's something like a laser rangefinder. I think it just kind of flicks around and "paints" the scene with light, so the image sensor can see better.
Try the focus tests in dim/dark lighting. I'm guessing the camera will have a harder time focusing if you cover the laser when trying to focus in a dark environment.
Again, this is speculation, I haven't tried to test the focus with and without the laser. But if it's basically acting like an AF-illuminator, then I wouldn't call it a useless gimmick. Instead, it's something that should be most-helpful in poorly-lit areas. And not needed if you're outside in bright lighting.

dontbeweakvato said:
I have taken shots with the laser completely covered up and uncovered. There appeared to be no noticeable difference with the images. Wouldn't it New funny if there "laser focus" was just a gimmick, no actual functionality.
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It does have functionality but imagine you are trying to take a photo through a window of something outside. The laser would bounce off the glass and not be very useful.
in this case the G4 will fall back on contrast detection which is the std auto focus method. so covering up the laser means it uses contrast detection. might not be as quick though.
---------- Post added at 04:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:15 AM ----------
drtchocky said:
1)When you take a macro, there is a sever aberration on the edges, beyond just bokeh. It almost looks like a motion blur. Is this a manufacturer blemish? Or are others noticing this too?
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i notice the first 10% and last ten % are softer than the centre. is this what you mean ? maybe post an image.
2)Would scratches on the laser cover screw with the ability to focus? I'd think that the lasers might skew and get confused....!
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no, i doubt it would affect functionality.

Now for something colossally boring A picture of the laser's output.
This is a 15 second exposure using another camera, at ISO 800, f2.0, with the G4's camera running, and its laser aimed at a white sheet of paper maybe 10" away. An exposure like this captures a lot of light, and you can still barely see anything from the laser.
I can only assume that the output from the laser is simply very, very dim. I can see a red flicker when looking at the laser's window. But I don't see anything with it aimed at paper.
If the camera is reading something about the laser light not using the lens & image sensor (eg-, somehow using it as a range finder), that's impressive. If the image sensor can actually detect something useful from the laser by itself, that's maybe more impressive. That would mean the sensor is very, very sensitive. Or that maybe the laser light is largely outside our visible spectrum, but within a wavelength that the G4's image sensor sees (that is, the light is actually brighter than it looks to the eye).
I then tried focusing the G4 on things in the room in very, very dim lighting. It's dark out, the TV was on, and that's it. The camera claimed it was focused (green square, beep), but it wasn't. I even tried covering the lens & window with my finger (pitch black "scene"), and it claimed it focused.
I then aimed it at my laptop on the floor, which had one visible LED. With the flash off (no AF-assist light), I'd tap on the LED on the screen, to focus there. I tried it with the laser exposed, and the laser window covered. It kept claiming it focused, but it wasn't. The LED appeared as a big fuzzy blob. When I'd enable the flash, it would turn that on to help focusing, and would actually focus properly.
But in my very-limited test, in a dark room, with the flash disabled, I didn't observe a focusing improvement from having the laser in-use.

Duplicated light source / ghost lights in photos

Hello,
Today when taking photos I've noticed that light sources like lightbulbs and chandeliers appear twice in photo. It's hard to describe, but attached photos should clarify what I'm talking about.
I've checked on other phone, Honor 8X and it's same.
And here's my question to you: do you observe the same behaviour, or my device is flawed?

Shogun91 said:
Hello,
Today when taking photos I've noticed that light sources like lightbulbs and chandeliers appear twice in photo. It's hard to describe, but attached photos should clarify what I'm talking about.
I've checked on other phone, Honor 8X and it's same.
And here's my question to you: do you observe the same behaviour, or my device is flawed?
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That's odd....I have to see if my phone does the same.
Are you on Auto mode?

SantinoInc said:
That's odd....I have to see if my phone does the same.
Are you on Auto mode?
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Yes, I'm on Auto. I've gone also through pro mode settings, but none of them seem to reduce it.

Shogun91 said:
Yes, I'm on Auto. I've gone also through pro mode settings, but none of them seem to reduce it.
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And Honor 8x does the same? Thought that the camera lenses cover has some reflecting residue like oil etc...it is strange.

mzsquared said:
And Honor 8x does the same? Thought that the camera lenses cover has some reflecting residue like oil etc...it is strange.
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Yes, Honor does the same. Actually I've just checked LG V30 and Huawei P10 Lite, and it's almost the same.
I'm kinda shocked I haven't noticed it before.
Can you please check on your phones?
I don't know if it's worth using warranty with my Note 10+ if it's the general issue.

I took a direct photo of my desk lamp and there's nothing wrong, I'll try again later tonight using different angles/sources.
I googled it and this problem is widely commented on:
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=phone+camera+ghost+reflections+of+light+sources

mzsquared said:
I took a direct photo of my desk lamp and there's nothing wrong, I'll try again later tonight using different angles/sources.
I googled it and this problem is widely commented on:
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=phone+camera+ghost+reflections+of+light+sources
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Thank you for the link. So it seems like this can be considered "normal".
However I'm still curious what will be result of your tests. Please share what was the outcome, whether you were able to reproduce this.

It depends on the angle, sometimes you will see this, some times not, I have seen this in dedicated cameras as well

Thank you for your response.
As I'm testing it more, it seems very hard to take photo without ghost lights when not pointing straight into light source, attached few more sample files.
Maybe I'll get over it, if not I'll give it a go, and use warranty, they'll do something with this or not.

Hello,
That's amazing to see this post today, just the day i noticed exactely the same.
I noticed that when doing a video test, through windows stores (the room was in the dark, light going thru the little holes in the stores). I had exactely the same kind of little lights reproduced in the left quarter of the frame.
I thought it was due to the shape of the lens, some kind of light reflexion on it, but now i am wondering because that is the EXACT same thing as your description.
I would not send to warranty... since i had exactely the same 'problem'. I believe it is due to lens design.

mafy31 said:
Hello,
That's amazing to see this post today, just the day i noticed exactely the same.
I noticed that when doing a video test, through windows stores (the room was in the dark, light going thru the little holes in the stores). I had exactely the same kind of little lights reproduced in the left quarter of the frame.
I thought it was due to the shape of the lens, some kind of light reflexion on it, but now i am wondering because that is the EXACT same thing as your description.
I would not send to warranty... since i had exactely the same 'problem'. I believe it is due to lens design.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe you have the same, but don't know how often you see these lights.
I can understand this can be seen in some conditions, but as I'm testing it more, I almost can't take any photo without it.
I've looked through YouTube reviews with some night shots and can't see it there.
Attaching last two samples, to not spam this thread, as maybe I'm now oversensitive on this
I'll go to the store today, and see what they'll say.

Shogun91 said:
Thank you for the link. So it seems like this can be considered "normal".
However I'm still curious what will be result of your tests. Please share what was the outcome, whether you were able to reproduce this.
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Click to collapse
Went on tonight to my favorite night photography places and the full moon was the perfect source of light to look into the "ghosting" thing. It's really easy to see what's happening with the light when moving the camera around its axis. Note 10 has a rather thick glass covering/protecting the lenses and the light entering the camera is being distorted by the inner and outer surfaces of the glass plate depending on the angle of entry.
I was having really boring Sunday today so I'm glad I found something to do because of that, and I even made a little drawing using the S-Pen(love the s-pen!) to illustrate directional changes of light while entering/exiting a medium of different densities (air/glass)

We know that light will get reflected by a glass at certain degree because of different density between air and glass. Basic physics. Our camera is made of multiple layers of lens with variables angle. So if 99% of light goes through the lens, 1% get reflected. We won't see it for normal light. But if the light source is very bright, even 1% will be visible on photo.
That's my hypothesis.

Happens all the time when facing a lamp light directly, with wide and zoom lens. But seems to be less visible with ultra-wide.

This looks like an internal reflection within the camera it's self.
Internal reflections are common on multi-element lens.
You pay big bucks for coated elements and engineering to suppress this effect in pro lens.
Internal reflections can also happen between the cmos sensor and any of the internal optics.
In the case the cover element is a prime suspect.
Lol, you can thousands for a pro shooting system and you will still find this.

Question Photos flares.

I think Google should give a notice on foto flaring... Pixels has one of the worst flare effects...
What do you think about it?

Have you tried switching from wide angle to standard camera? (0.7x, 1, 2,4x zoom)

ocujos said:
Have you tried switching from wide angle to standard camera? (0.7x, 1, 2,4x zoom)
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Standard camera Flares

Light is reflecting off the lens. Since they probably don't make any ND filters, if you have some old sunglasses that aren't too dark, try placing the lens over the camera sensor. The lenses on my d-slr have coatings to help reduce it, along with the lens hood, but if you are shooting directly at bright light, it can still happen. When it does I just photoshop it out.
You can also try settings in manual mode (I use camera FV-5) to set the f/stop at a different setting to change the exposure.

p51d007 said:
Light is reflecting off the lens. Since they probably don't make any ND filters, if you have some old sunglasses that aren't too dark, try placing the lens over the camera sensor. The lenses on my d-slr have coatings to help reduce it, along with the lens hood, but if you are shooting directly at bright light, it can still happen. When it does I just photoshop it out.
You can also try settings in manual mode (I use camera FV-5) to set the f/stop at a different setting to change the exposure.
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Thanks for the tips... I already knew some of them... Google should do something deleting them using software... S21 ultra and s22 ultra have reflections of the lens too but don't have so annoying Flares..

It is more the light reflecting off the glass sheet that covers the whole of lens assembly than just lens flare, a cheap skin on it reduces it significantly. When using the night modes however it is difficult to stop simply because you are using multiple exposures and therefore stacking any flare on top of itself and multiplying the effect.
FWIW you cannot change the aperture, they are fixed and there is no diaphragm to open and close, hence the reason why you get really, really high shutter speeds when the light it good.
You will be able to alter the shutter speed though I'd have thought, it is an electronic shutter so it can pick any number it sees fit to limit the light coming to the sensor.