Camera problem

**Sprucemoose** · 12-04-2009, 06:04 PM

Hello all,

My first post on this forum, and it has to be about a problem. Bummer. Anyway, my wife's 6 month old iphone 3G has developed a camera problem. There is a black line that appears in every photo taken. It is not something on the camera lens, it seems to be something internal. Here's an example. It looks like the cat is about the play with a string, but that string is the issue.

Any ideas? Is this something that can be fixed? At only 6 months old, this should be under warranty, I hope.

EDIT- vBulletin is telling my I can't post the pic because I don't have 10 posts to my name. Rather than go and make 10 useless posts, can a moderator help me out here?

**big9erfan** · 12-04-2009, 06:27 PM

Post a link to the picture somewhere. But until you have 10 posts you can't post a link either, but you can do some creative spacing to make it work and we can figure it out.

First, try restoring the phone as new. This will wipe the phone clean, and it will be the first thing Apple asks you to do anyways. Make sure all things like contacts, and apps are sync'd with iTunes ( and Outlook or Mail.app ) before you do this, as you want to lose as little information as possible.

As it's only 6 months old perhaps it's best to make an appointment with an Apple store to have a "Genius" look at the device.

**Sprucemoose** · 12-05-2009, 11:05 AM

OK, here goes trying to post a "link."

Just remove the spaces around the http part.

Thanks for the advice.

I can't even edit my signature or profile yet. Does that come after 10 posts as well?

**jglowe74** · 12-05-2009, 11:26 AM

now THAT's weird! does that appear in same place everytime? u said the lens is clean, so i'd have to agree that something inside the phone is amiss

**big9erfan** · 12-05-2009, 11:53 AM

Almost looks like someone put marker on the lens. Definitely take it to Apple.

**Sprucemoose** · 12-05-2009, 12:36 PM

Yep, same place on every pic. Thought at first that it was an issue with the iphone screen, but as you can see, it is on the actual pic. A visit to the Apple store appears to be in order.

Seven more posts before I get to learn the secret handshake.

**techshoe#WN** · 12-05-2009, 05:12 PM

Take it to Apple. Seems like there is a Sharpie mark on the lens.

**dbjaime3** · 12-06-2009, 08:35 AM

When you get some new info please post. I would be interested to find out what the cause is. I agree it looks just like a perment maker on the picture.

**Sprucemoose** · 12-07-2009, 03:16 AM

Have an appointment to take it in tomorrow, and will post the results. One interesting thing- if you zoom in on the image, you will see that the line is more in focus on one end than the other, which seems to indicate that it is not all in the plain of the lens. It looks more like a spec of dust on the sensor than a sharpie line, IMHO.

Thanks for all the help. More info to follow.

**astalavistadear** · 12-08-2009, 08:12 AM

maybe smthn got into the lens or the lens and the casing.. but thats a distant possibility

**flyingember** · 12-08-2009, 08:31 AM

there's no sharpie that can write that fine. look at the size of the lens. no imagine how small something has to be to make that line

it's a small fiber from clothing. most black clothing is a really dark purple up close. it's on the lens and not the sensor. if it was on the sensor it would be blurry

**Sprucemoose** · 12-15-2009, 02:05 AM

Thanks to all of you for the help. It turns out the it was just a little bit of fuzz on the lens. It must have been stuck on the lens somehow, because swabbing the lens with a Q-tip didn't get it off. A little percussive maintenance and some compressed air did the trick. No big thing and my faith in the iphone remains high.