Will replacing the camera module fix this?

Hey all,

Hope this finds you well in these insane times.

Problem:
Waves of rippling, black lines that appear in photos sometimes!

I’ve had my 3+ for a good while now, and it’s been through a lot. :star_struck: :woozy_face:
Do any of you clever folks know if replacing the camera module would fix this irregular issue?

Best wishes,
Hoots

Is this the back/main camera.

What OS and camera app are you using.

If the default camera have you tried the pro mode RAW as the general jpg translation may be faulty.

It does like a software issue but the camera does have but the camera does have inbuilt processes as it converts 48MPs to 12MPx

Also has this bee a sudden or gradual change?

As far as replacing, you may find a #fairphoneangels near you that can lend you one to try, even the older module would give you some diagnostic idea.

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Back main camera.
Latest OS and default app.
Raw could help in future but the issue is currently not present.
It comes along suddenly and disappears just as fast.

#fairphoneangels seems really cool. Need more branches for the future <3

You think it looks like a software issue?
I know that the conversion process is present, yet how could this send black stripes to the camera viewfinder?

Thank you for your time! :slight_smile:

Hi. Have you tried a certified service center?

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I don’t know that’s why I wondered if you had tried the RAW as all processing is done on the camera chip, and whereas the jpg may be processed it would be different.

The problem is that if it comes and goes it would be hard to track, so yes even the old 12MPx camera could help isolate the problem to the camera.

If you can’t find a fairphoneangel near you you may like to ask for a camera in the [Market] category.

I recently sent one free and postage free to someone in France from the UK, but don’t have a spare at hand, so you may be lucky if you just ask. You can always offer to send it back if it isolates the issue and you do buy a new 48/12 module.

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What is a certified service center? Such dont exist for Fairphones.

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Just to make sure this is actually the phone: does this ever happen in sunlight, or only with artificial light, and particularly, only with LEDs with low-quality drivers? If the latter, it’s quite possible that what you’re seeing is actual variation in the light as the camera scans lines over time.

If I recall correctly, some phone camera software actually tries to correct for that artifact, to varying levels of success. But if that’s the problem, it’s more of a problem with the lighting than the camera (and I say this as someone who thinks Fairphone makes terrible cameras).

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I don’t think Fairphone make the cameras, I think the ones in the FP3 are made by Samsung

@Hoots

I agree with @const, it looks like banding:

So it’s probably a question of the type of light. Can you record a short video to see if it corresponds to banding? Does it happen with other phones?

I didn’t test it, but the camera app (and other apps) has an anti-banding option: if you want to try it in the default camera app, first you would have to activate the “Developer options”. To do that, go to “settings” and tap several times quickly on the last available entry, “Version info”. Once you have done that, it will indicate that you have enabled the developer options and you will be able to access the anti-banding settings under: “Settings” → “Anti Banding level”. There you can choose between “Off”, “50HZ”, “60HZ” and “Auto”.

Try different values to see if any of these settings solve the problem.

I hope it helps. Good luck!

I seem to recall, and several websites say so, that the FP3’s camera sensor is a Sony IMX 363.

In any case, I think what @const is referring to is that he doesn’t think Fairphone phones stand out for the quality of their camera photos and videos.

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Yes. In writing something that sounds rather like “it’s not the camera, it’s your lamp!”, I wanted to make clear that I’m not just trying to find some excuse for the camera or blame some other company.

Fairphone’s sensors are, of course, not made by them. Even Nikon’s flagship mirrorless camera has a sensor that isn’t made by Nikon (also Sony). The lens, the overall construction of the camera, the firmware and driver support, and the software also all have significant influences on the camera, as do choices made when having a manufacturer produce a camera module for you, even if you outsource the entire technical process.

The severity of banding problems is also affected by processing, and perhaps it could be handled better on the FP3. But that processing can only try to correct for something external that will unavoidably appear with most camera designs at reasonable capture speeds—even most film cameras to some extent, as even though all parts of of the film could be exposed simultaneously, a focal-plane shutter will move light across the film surface.

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@Mixigodo Hi.

The Sony was in the FP3, whereas the FP3+ has the 48 MP (1/2.25” Samsung S5KGM1SP03-FGX9 sensor)

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