Camera focusing problem. Camera Focus: Using Manual and Auto Mode
When choosing a smartphone or tablet, many buyers pay special attention to the camera capabilities. It is difficult to imagine a modern person who would not want to take high-quality and clear photographs or record family videos. However, like any other component of a complex device, cameras are characterized by certain problems. Next, we will talk about why the camera on the phone stopped focusing and what can be done in this case.
How can you tell if you have problems focusing?
First, we need to explain that a modern camera module has mechanical and electronic adjustments. To adjust the focus, the device analyzes the image (distance, illumination, dynamics) and, based on the calculations made, adjusts the lens. It follows from this that failures can occur at both the software and hardware levels. Moreover, such failures are also typical for cheap models and lines from Samsung and iPhone.
The phone lens does not focus - what to do?
There are several ways to check. As a rule, professionals use special tools, prepared pictures and much more. The simplest test can be done at home. To do this, you only need a white A4 sheet.
Instructions for checking and setting up focus at home:
- Lock the device. For these purposes, use a flat, non-vibrating surface or a tripod.
- Take the sheet in your hands and hold it at a distance of 2-3 meters, so that the person standing with the sheet fits to waist or knee level.
- Walk away, holding the sheet in your hands, at a distance of 5-6 meters to fit into the frame at full height. It is important that the camera does not capture other moving objects.
This procedure is suitable for manually adjusting focus distance and color balance. Ideally, the device should easily capture the focal length and concentrate on it. This check also helps to determine approximately where there is mechanical damage and the movement of the lens is jammed.
How to fix a software crash
Launching the camera module activates a significant amount of computation that takes place in real time. It is quite logical that a lack of phone resources may cause the device simply not to have time to process and adjust the image efficiently.
In addition, reasons for losing focus are:
- operating system failures;
- presence of errors in running processes and the Camera application;
- changing the phone settings, and, in particular, the camera itself;
- switching to manual mode;
- using incompatible applications.
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What you need to do to fix the problem:
If nothing from the list helped and the phone’s camera does not focus, then the reason is clearly not the software.
The camera does not focus due to hardware
If you decide to try to repair the device yourself, then the maximum that can be done without a specialist diagnosis is to check the connection of the cable and lightly twist the lens (no more than 10º-15º). But do not forget that without checking the device and module by a technician, you risk damaging the camera, but this may not be the reason. Here is a visual video instruction where the camera worked normally only in macro mode.
Conclusion
If the camera on your Android or iPhone starts to malfunction and stops focusing, follow the tips described above - they should help. Do not go further, especially if the device is dear to you. This is exactly how I once ruined the lens of my Lenovo - the focusing mechanism turned out to be very delicate. Better contact the experts. Depending on the model, the price of replacing a camera module will cost $10-50, and if the technician has the required module, the replacement time is only a few hours. If you fall under a warranty case, it’s even better, because no one has canceled the defect.
iPhone is one of the most branded and sought-after smartphones all over the world. The combination of quality and style helped to achieve such popularity. But owners of this gadget periodically encounter problems during operation. The iPhone doesn't focus is one of them.
Looking for a reason
Before moving on to the breakdown, you should find out what caused it. Common reasons include:
- damage to the camera when dropped;
- water or moisture entering the phone body;
- system failure;
- lack of RAM for the operation of the application associated with the camera;
- problem with the firmware;
- others.
Attention, there is a reboot in progress!
The most basic way to deal with the iPhone camera not focusing is to restart the gadget. This method works with almost all mobile devices and computers. The fact is that when you reboot, the system restarts all the services necessary for the smooth functioning of the phone.
It is possible that one of the services associated with the camera was faulty or closed as a result of a failure. There is nothing critical about this, and the gadget will not require repairs.
Phone is rebooted, free up some space
Physical damage is not always the reason why the iPhone 5 camera won't focus. When you have multiple apps running on your phone at the same time, one of them may crash. This is not necessarily camera software, but any other software as well.
The lack of normal functioning is explained by the filling of RAM. Although the iPhone is a powerful gadget, it cannot work simultaneously with several intensive applications at once. Try to disable unnecessary programs. To do this, double-click the "Home" button and pull up the window with the application that is no longer required.
Recovery
Still having a problem with the camera? Well, let's try another way. Connect your phone to your PC and use iTunes. Reset your phone to factory settings to return your device to its original appearance. The data will be saved, but the settings will be lost. There is nothing critical about this, the main thing is that the system will return to normal and the camera will begin to function normally.
Nothing helped?
If the camera, as before, refuses to work normally, then the problem is not in the system, but in damage to the device itself. In this case, you should not do anything yourself, but rather contact the Apple customer service center, where they will diagnose and repair the camera, if necessary.
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Users often encounter the problem of the camera being out of focus. Often such cases are isolated in nature and it is enough to simply “direct the focus.” But sometimes this develops into a permanent problem.
The problem can affect both the main and front cameras. However, the worst thing is when the focus is lost on both cameras. But even in this case there is no need to worry. There is a simple solution to this problem.
Often the camera goes out of focus at the most inopportune moment. One of the users of the phoneArena resource had a similar incident on a Samsung Galaxy S10. And yet, not only users of Android devices, but also iOS ones encounter such a breakdown.
It is often mentioned on the Internet that restarting the smartphone or clearing the cache will help fix the problem. But often this problem is related to the device’s hardware and the above methods will not help.
How to fix camera defocus
One of the functions of the lens is focusing - changing the distance between the lens and the sensor. The phone's camera has a set of small lenses that move back and forth. They change their location so that the light penetrating through the lens hits the sensor, which determines which objects are in focus and which are not. But these lenses can get stuck.
What are the main ways to eliminate defocus?
- forced closing of the “Camera” and unloading the program from the phone’s memory;
- clear cache;
- restarting the smartphone.
If none of these methods helped, it is time for the simplest, but at the same time effective method. You just need to turn your smartphone over and tap the lens with your finger. After that, check the focus. If the problem persists, try shaking the device or gently tapping it on your palm.
Often, after this mechanical action, the lenses will snap into place and your camera will be able to focus again.
Causes of the problem and should you worry?
The problem can be caused by completely different factors. Most often due to small lenses that are located in the smartphone camera getting stuck. The problem also occurs when small particles or moisture get into the smartphone.
Ultimately, it all depends on how carefully you handle your gadget. If you have taken good care of your smartphone, but cannot understand the reason for the out-of-focus of your photo lens, then you should contact a service center. Specialists will disassemble your smartphone and find the cause of the problem.
Received higher education in fundamental computer science and information technology at Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov. After that, he became an expert in a well-known online publication. After a while, I decided to try writing articles on my own. He runs a popular blog on YouTube and shares interesting information from the world of technology.
Photos taken with a smartphone camera can be beautiful. We understand this by looking at the beautiful images posted online by our comrades. And only they themselves always end up with something wrong: sometimes the lighting is bad, sometimes the shutter speed is “let us down,” sometimes the picture is overshadowed by the overlay of all sorts of shades. Then we try to correct the situation with the help of filters, but we only make it worse. So how should you take photos so that your Android smartphone camera works at the most opportune moment?
First of all, it is worth noting that until a person learns to take photographs, even with a professional camera the quality will be terrible, while beautiful pictures can be obtained even with the simplest camera, regardless of the bells and whistles and the number of megapixels.
The best photos are taken in natural lighting conditions. This is how you can achieve maximum expressiveness of the object and minimal overlap of extraneous shades.
The light should hit the subject, not the lens.
Exposure affects the brightness and clarity of an image. However, it does not allow you to configure it manually in the factory Android software. Special applications provide access to wide settings and allow you to set the required camera sensitivity.
White balance allows you to adjust the color scheme of the future photo. You can also adjust this parameter and change automatically set values using various applications.
Focus. Android smartphones focus automatically, but you need to ensure that the camera remains still at the time of shooting and make sure that the focus is on the object you want to focus on.
Composition. The golden rule of any photographer who respects his work is to divide the space into 9 equal parts, and place the subject or subjects at the intersection of the lines, or along them. At the same time, in the camera settings of an Android smartphone there is definitely an opportunity to show these lines on the screen, so it’s a small matter.
Special photography apps
To make the final result pleasing to your eye, let's look at software for shooting from an Android phone.
Google Camera is one of the most suitable applications for the average user. Provides access to many useful parameters, while featuring a clear and simple interface.
There are no filters or photo editing capabilities here, but when combined with other software like Photoshop Express, for example, Google Camera performs just fine. In its arsenal: the bokeh effect, or the “Lens Blur” mode, the ability to adjust the exposure, and the HDR mode is activated in low light.
This application has the following advantages:
Grids for framing and composition (several options).
Manual focus and exposure adjustment.
Lock white balance before shooting.
Independent adjustment of shadows, brightness, color temperature.
Wide variety of filters.
Our whole life consists of memories. We carefully store them in memory, periodically fishing out the most pleasant and positive moments. For a long time now, cameras have been helping us in this matter. A well-taken photograph can convey to us a variety of sensations: subtle human emotions, the beauty of nature or the violence of the elements. An important help in this matter is the ability of photographic equipment to focus, i.e. to highlight the sharpness of a certain zone or object. But what to do if your camera suddenly stops “catching focus” and the whole image looks cloudy and blurry?
What are the signs of camera focusing problems?
The symptoms associated with this are known to any amateur photographer. This failure is accompanied by:
- Lack of sharpness in pictures;
- The inability to “catch focus” both in automatic and manual mode;
- In some cases, the lens does not retract completely when the device is turned off.
Any of the above signs is a reason to sound the alarm. This function is the most important attribute of any camera; without it it is impossible to get a high-quality photo.
Main causes of failure
This function can fail for two main reasons: software and hardware. The first involves changing the device settings, and the second involves violating the integrity or performance of individual parts of the camera. First of all, make sure that you have not accidentally switched to manual focus setting mode and that all device settings correspond to those before the breakdown. Another reason why focusing does not work is that various parts of the device are damaged. The main ones include:
- Sand or other small particles getting into the lens;
- Focusing motor failure (lubricant thickening, water ingress, etc.);
- The focusing lens position sensor or the lens position sensor does not work.
Eliminating these breakdowns is more labor-intensive and requires special specialist training. The focusing motor and focusing lens are part of one complex system. They are extremely small, and it is very difficult to fix such a breakdown on your own, without the help of a professional. The principle of their operation is as follows: the lens is located on a rotating shaft, which is adjusted using gears connected to a motor. Depending on the position of these components, the focal distance to the object also changes.
Troubleshooting
What to do in this situation? If we talk about software violations, then all you need to do is take a good look at the focus settings and bring them back to normal. Troubleshooting hardware problems requires a lot of effort. If the focusing motor malfunctions, you need to completely disassemble the mechanism, wash it and change the oil. Inoperative focusing lens and lens position sensors must be replaced. If sand gets under the lens, you will need to sort out the mechanism and then clean it.
All these manipulations cannot be carried out at home - they require the intervention of a specialist. We employ highly qualified specialists who will quickly repair your device.