Poll: Camera Rattle

[wynand32]

Try this: gently shake your Photon frontwards to backwards (i.e., with the screen facing you, not side to side). Is there a rattle (note: not creaking, but a rattle as if something is moving inside the phone)?

Now try this: turn the camera on. Do you hear an audible click? Now try shaking the phone the same way as before. Is there a rattle?

Then try this: turn the camera off (close the app). Now try shaking again. Did the rattle return?

Mine does this, and I'm 99.9% sure it's the autofocus mechanism on the camera. My question is: is this common to all Photons, or is something overly loose on mine?

Edit: It was suggested on another forum that it's actually a lens cover that's pulled away when the camera app turns on. I tend to think it's the autofocus mechanism, but this other suggestion is plausible.

 

[jbuggydroid]

Interesting

 

[wynand32]

Please excuse the bump, but I really want to see how prevalent this is. If you don't mind running the test, please do so and answer the poll. Thanks!

 

[YBCold]

No rattle but i do hear the shutter when I turn on the camera

 

[fortemusic]

I hear a faint rattle, no worries though as I think you're right about the autofocus.

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

 

[andoman]

Power button cover makes a little noise but nothing major or of any concern.

 

[wynand32]

Power button cover makes a little noise but nothing major or of any concern.

I'd put down good money that any sound you hear is coming from the camera. But yes, it's looking like it's common enough that it's likely the camera design, so not a problem.

 

[vintagetechtm]

I do have a rattle on the first instance you asked one to test. I didn't notice a rattle in the second test instance.

 

[andoman]

I'd put down good money that any sound you hear is coming from the camera. But yes, it's looking like it's common enough that it's likely the camera design, so not a problem.

Its not because if i simply rest my finger (with very little pressure )on the button it stops completely.

 

[wynand32]

Its not because if i simply rest my finger (with very little pressure )on the button it stops completely.

Gotcha. There are always outliers...

 

[skld]

I just picked up my Photon yesterday and I noticed a faint rattle. Tried taking out the battery, sim and microsd cards, holding down all the buttons still noticed it. Then inoticed I could hear a click when I started the camera. So I tried shaking it, no rattle when the camera was on. I also have a flashlight app widget, and when it triggers the LEDs, no rattle. I've been driving my wife crazy shaking the phone trying to figure it out.

 

[wynand32]

I just picked up my Photon yesterday and I noticed a faint rattle. Tried taking out the battery, sim and microsd cards, holding down all the buttons still noticed it. Then inoticed I could hear a click when I started the camera. So I tried shaking it, no rattle when the camera was on. I also have a flashlight app widget, and when it triggers the LEDs, no rattle. I've been driving my wife crazy shaking the phone trying to figure it out.

Huh, didn't notice that turning on the LED also engages whatever it is that stops the rattling. I can definitely here the click when I turn the LED on, so it must use the same code that turns the camera on. From the results of the poll so far, this is looking like a common thing but not necessarily something that every Photon does. I'm wondering if maybe there's not a degree of loudness here that some notice and others don't (kind of like the screen with the "screen door" effect).

Mine's loud enough to hear at arm's length and in a non-quiet room. I'm kind of OCD about such things with my gadgets--usually, I like them to be perfect. However, the Photon is such a good phone in every other way that I might have to let this one go.

 

[skld]

Mine's loud enough to hear at arm's length and in a non-quiet room. I'm kind of OCD about such things with my gadgets--usually, I like them to be perfect. However, the Photon is such a good phone in every other way that I might have to let this one go.

I'm the same way. Comforting to know other phones have the same issue, so I guess I don't need to return it.

 

[MacBook]

wow thats so weird!! it does stop when the camera is on.. I wonder why that is? my rattle is barely noticeable though its very faint and doesn't bother me at all.

 

[wynand32]

wow thats so weird!! it does stop when the camera is on.. I wonder why that is? my rattle is barely noticeable though its very faint and doesn't bother me at all.

The rattle is coming from a mechanism in camera that is loose until the camera app is engaged. Two theories: 1) it's the autofocus mechanism that's loose until the camera app (or LED) is started, which engages it and locks it in place. This is what Moto is saying on their forum. 2) it's the lens cover that hangs loosely over the retina when the camera is off, then is pulled aside when the camera is engaged. This comes from a guy on XDA who did a tear-down of the phone.

Seems to be a design thing for sure and not a defect that's likely to cause problems. I do believe it's louder for some people than others, with my own being on the loud side. It's a bother, but for me doesn't undue how good the phone is otherwise.

 

[kusanagi-sama]

Not only that, but if you have a finger near the camera assembly, you can feel the vibration from the camera auto focusing before taking the picture. I find it pretty cool that phones focus for pictures now, when they didn't used to do that.

 

[lapk78]

I have a flashlight app that uses the led flash. When I activate this app, I hear is a click from inside of the phone as if the camera has been started.

 

[Phoenix_NSD]

Just checked it on my Photon, and yup.. I hear the rattle... it's not a rattle as just a single click, but yes, it definitely goes away when is switch on the camera.
Interesting... Although, me being as nit picky as I am probably will realize this every time I see the phone...

 

[treotraveler]

yeah, I have a rattle when I shake the crap outa the MoPho. But, I never hear the rattle, because I don't shake the crap outa my MoPho constantly.....

 

[vee]

yeah, I have a rattle when I shake the crap outa the MoPho. But, I never hear the rattle, because I don't shake the crap outa my MoPho constantly.....

+1