Camera DIY

I used to have a Nokia N82 - a gadget with an excellent camera that I oftentimes call it  a digicam with a phone feature. :) It is suprising that most of the pictures in my earlier posts were taken using a camera phone. A couple of weeks ago - I sold my N82 and found myself looking for a decent camera to capture my projects.

We have a panasonic digicam which used to take excellent pictures. We accidentally dropped it in the beach last June and the fine sand found its way inside it causing its' mechanisms to stuck up. Realizing that I had nothing to lose, I decided to open it up and clean it with some compressed air. The camera worked but there were minor specks in the pictures that it took. I figured it might be due to some of the dust that was left behind or fingerprints on the lens that I forgot to wipe. Since the camera was nerve wracking to disassemble - I just ignored it. But after several weeks, the problem worsened. The pictures developed a dark shady spot that's very noticeable. You might have noticed this in my VWCP pictures last December (read about it here) Fearing that my previous DIY success with this camera with it was just a one off - we opted to find a professional clean it (he pays for it in case he breaks it) . But the shops we approached were asking us around 2,500 pesos to 3,000 to have it cleaned. The cheapskate in me reigned and the problem was ignored once again. After I sold my N82,  I decided that it was time to man up and fix this camera once and for all.

VWCP Carshow - see the black spot?

I took shots of my walls to show how dirty the lens are - I've tried wiping the lens from the outside but that didn't fix the problem :( Really need to open her up. Here goes nothing :)

Removed the battery and the memory card TIP: When tinkering with electronics - always make sure that  you remove the power supply. Having it power up while your tinkering with it might cause some irrepairable damage.

Removed all the screws holding the outer shell and CAREFULLY lift out the back panel. TIP: Always be gentle in doing this, like what I've discussed when I fixed our Christmas skaters (read about it here) - you might pull out some wires. 

In the camera's case - there's the danger of pulling out or tearing apart the data strip (the orange film which sends data/power to the display. Check how the strips are attached to the connectors - there might be clips that you need to pry out. In this model - you just have to pull it out carefully. TIP: I used a small screw driver to help me in pushing out the data strip.

Set the outer shells aside.

After removing the protective tins - here's what I ended up with - more orange strips :)

Removed the lens mechanism from the main body - this is what we're after.

On to more serious stuff - there's no turning back now - I removed the screws to open up the lens.

I immediately see what's causing my problem - there are specks of sand in the lens. (click on the image to enlarge it)

Here's a closer look. I tried to wipe it but it won't come off - It is on the other side of this tiny glass. After wiping down everything dusty inside the lens mechanism - I assembled it back again and proceeded with dealing with the speck stuck on the other side.

After examining how it works - I can access the other side of this tiny glass by removing the cover right here (circled in blue)

I removed the 3 screws and I came face to face with my enemy :)

To ensure that I leave no finger prints, oil residue, smudges, etc behind - I wiped it off using the anti static cloth that came free with my screen protector. Time to assemble everything back together. TIP: It is advisable that you organize your screws in separate small containers so that putting everything back together will be easy.

Here are some shots of the same walls - notice that it is now very clear and crisp!

DISCLAIMER: Opening up your cameras should only be done under extreme and desperate circumstances. :) There's always a possibility of making the problem worse or "killing" your camera.. you've been warned.

After my nerves finally calmed down and after seeing that our camera has been fixed - I said to myself.. Yes! You Can Fix your own camera! :)

P.S. If you find articles in my blog as interesting and worth your while - kindly share my blog on facebook or tweeter. I would really appreciate it. :) I'm also looking forward to your comments! :)

Thanks!