HTC One (M8): Camera Lens Issue

[replica9000]

Wish I hadn't read this topic now I have noticed small marks on the lense, hopefully I can forget I noticed and ignore the issue.

Sent from my HTC One_M8

Good luck with that

 

[jayelem]

Just saw this issue on my Daughter's M8. As a materials scientist of some decades, I have some experience in similar failures, and I hope these comments will help. I looked under my microscope, and it's clear the "scratches" are actually like tiny tracks of bubble-like defects. These are 100% certainly in the coating on the lens cover and ARE a manufacturing defect. I'm not sure how these coatings (maybe magnesium fluoride or similar?) are applied, but CVD/PVD (chemical or physical vapour deposition, in a vacuum chamber) are typical treatments. If the glass/plastic isn't microscopically-clean, or if the coating or application voltages aren't correct, the coating will be the wrong density/composition, so will either be weak, or poorly-adhered. It could even be that moisture in the air or skin acids will cause it to fail. The degree of failure will vary, and that explains why removal may take just a wipe, or something much more aggressive. The very bad news, is that being a vacuum process, the coating is applied to both surfaces, and by focussing through the glass, I can see defects on both sides of the glass, and of course, you can't get to the inner surface. Don't let anyone tell you this is abuse, or lack of care...it is definitely a manufacturing process defect. Maybe someone should start a class action with HTC? If all else fails, I may take some metal polish or similar to my daughter's phone, but this won't cure the inside, and as others have said, this is a well-specced expensive bit of kit that certainly shouldn't fail in this way. Our first stop will be back to the supplier.

 

[replica9000]

I hope the inside of the lens isn't affected by this.

 

[jayelem]

On the phone I looked at microscopically, the lens wasn't affected at all, only the lens cover. As I said above, the lens cover is affected both sides, inside and out. As an update to my post above, we talked to the phone provider, who put us in touch with HTC. They seemed very familiar with the problem, and I have no doubt they know exactly what caused it. Probably fixed now, but with many many phones affected.

 

[CHILLYWILL_95831]

On the phone I looked at microscopically, the lens wasn't affected at all, only the lens cover. As I said above, the lens cover is affected both sides, inside and out. As an update to my post above, we talked to the phone provider, who put us in touch with HTC. They seemed very familiar with the problem, and I have no doubt they know exactly what caused it. Probably fixed now, but with many many phones affected.

Well damn! I'm so done with HTC and their camera defect related issues!

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[B0WIE]

MEGIAR'S PLAST-X!
The "creep" came over my camera a month ago and I was just about done with HTC. I do so much photography with this phone and now everything was hazy. I had tried 93% alcohol, LCD cleaner, 2 brands of toothpaste, 2 types of automotive polish. No improvement at all. As a last-ditch effort I rubbed a little PlastX with a Q-tip. Didn't expect anything but, miraculously, it cleared away the etching!! Not a single scratch on the lens.

 

[CHILLYWILL_95831]

MEGIAR'S PLAST-X!
The "creep" came over my camera a month ago and I was just about done with HTC. I do so much photography with this phone and now everything was hazy. I had tried 93% alcohol, LCD cleaner, 2 brands of toothpaste, 2 types of automotive polish. No improvement at all. As a last-ditch effort I rubbed a little PlastX with a Q-tip. Didn't expect anything but, miraculously, it cleared away the etching!! Not a single scratch on the lens.

Do you have any after pictures of the lens and the pictures that it has taken since the repair?

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[BruceCk]

Mine got bad quite quickly after around 4 months of careful use, giving results that looked like they were taken through a Vaseline filter! I emailed HTC UK via the website, and though quick and helpful, they said the replacement was unlikely to be better than the original. Rather than do it again in another 4 months, and encouraged by good samples here taken after removal of the coating, I bit the bullet. I had some silver polish, so put a small amount on the end of a cotton bud, and worked around in circles on the main lens cover. The central part came off easily, but there was some left round the edges. I refreshed the polish as it dried out, and followed the recess round carefully. It's not essential to clean right to the edge, but I didn't want it looking half-finished. I also did the duo lens cover and front cover too. The latter had almost all come off centrally already, and was a stronger green colour. It now all looks as good as new, apart from a small scratch on the edge of the main rear camera, but that won't affect images. The cameras perform as well as I remember as new, even into bright light, so no regrets.

Here are a couple of before shots of the main and front covers:


The same after:


And before and after shots with a glary, cloudy sky:


If you do this, I would contact HTC first, so they know the scale of the problem. If you just bodge it, they won't know.

 

[B0WIE]

Do you have any after pictures of the lens and the pictures that it has taken since the repair?
Posted via the Android Central App

No, I didn't see any reason to and honestly didn't even expect it to work. It basically went exactly like the pics above. Total spider web, then crystal clear. Important thing to note, the factory coating is a grease magnet and I was constantly wiping the lens. Without the coating it stays cleaner and when I wipe, the grease comes off instantly, which it never did before.

 

[x3ash]

Hello guys

Just signed up to tell how grateful I am for the solution . Thanks a lot to the people who suggested the cleanup .
I used a drop of toothpaste on the lens and rubbed it slanting with a toothpick for sometime. Make sure u do the edges too .then had a drop of aftershave on it and den rubbed a bit more wid the toothpick. Finally wiped it all of to get a brand new looking lens .

Gracias to all

 

[NastyNeil]

Magic Eraser all the way. As good as new and looks absolutely perfect as new.

 

[Jesse Roberts1]

I noticed very cloudy photos on my HTC m8 as well. I had some lacquer thinner in the house and use that with a q-tip and buffed the lenses with a microfiber cloth and now they are crystal clear.

 

[CHILLYWILL_95831]

Well, here I am in the third month since getting my phone replaced by HTC for this issue and my lens is still looking scratch free. So, maybe HTC did upgrade the camera lens coating!

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[HNNNNNGHHH]

Welp, look what I just woke up to.



Just one week with my M8, which has been in a Bodyglove Satin case, babying the phone to the point where I don't let others even try to hold the phone and this happens (might be user error on my part as nearly an hour of Asphalt 8 and Five Nights At Freddys 2 heats up this bad boy quick)

Getting the layer off only took 10 minutes of light scrubbing with a q-tip and toothpaste, though I did press down too hard on one area and the lens itself has sunken in a bit deeper. (Will upload image of lens once I get back from work) Went to my local T-Mobile earlier this morning and showed the rep and he said even though user error was present, it can be still be replaced as the defect was widespread and most, if not all M8's are still affected.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[mfreeland]

Well, here I am in the third month since getting my phone replaced by HTC for this issue and my lens is still looking scratch free. So, maybe HTC did upgrade the camera lens coating!

Posted via the Android Central App

I've never had this issue on my HK edition, so I'm thinking they must have fixed it before I bought mine...

 

[dave gale]

Has anyone thought of a screen protector just to cover the camera lens. I believe in plastic screen protectors for the back, as I have a minimal case for my Galaxy s3, with glass on the screen but as I said between the case is a plastic shield covering the camera lens. Just sayin'

 

[jayelem]

Wouldn't work, Dave. The problem is poor adhesion between coating and lens. See my post above.

 

[BruceCk]

Has anyone thought of a screen protector just to cover the camera lens. I believe in plastic screen protectors for the back, as I have a minimal case for my Galaxy s3, with glass on the screen but as I said between the case is a plastic shield covering the camera lens. Just sayin'

Screen protectors are probably not very optically perfect in photographic terms, and could introduce distortion and flare. Worth a try though, except the coating is so badly attached, that removing the protector could well take some of the coating with it!

 

[jupede]

Hey Guys,
I have on my HTC One M8 display strip from top to bottom.
Under normal conditions, you dont even see it, because it's not noticeable (visible), but eg. In larger differences of temperature or humidity rapid transformation or simply if you breath on display, when the glass fogs up, it is obvious and appears there is a clear streak.
Glass of display ofcourse I tried to clean with alcohol, toothpaste,...., but it does not disappear.
Have you ever seen it?

I had all of my Camera lens dirty too, so that I cleaned with toothpaste and water and credit card... good instructions in this forum.

Sorry for my english...

 

[mindfulness]

How long will HTC offer to fix this defect for free? Is it only for the first 6 months since you bought it? What if it's over? Would I only be responsible for the cost to ship my phone to them? I'd like to know as in case the listed DIY fixes here don't work, I want to know I have a backup plan.

BTW as a new M8 owner, this thread scares the heck out of me, I'm surprised it's the first I heard of it. If such a widespread problem affected an Apple or Samsung phone, the media would have been all over it, there'd be a class action lawsuit, etc. With HTC, it's try q-tip and toothpaste? I'm shocked to see this from a flagship phone. Apple would be the but of every joke if you had to do that to fix their cameras.

This combined with the difficult to replace battery has made me consider returning the M8 and getting a LG G3 instead as the M8 just doesn't seem like it stands the test of time and will work as good as new in 2-3 years unless you do some work, a lot in the case of replacing the battery. I hate the back speaker and button on the back of the G3, but I'm due for an upgrade and the G3 would only cost me a one cent. I could get a S5 for free as well but have had enough of Samsung with my S3. Decisions decisions...