How can smartphone cameras work thru scratched lenses?
 

My smartphone takes reasonably good pictures despite a smeary slightly
scratched protective lens window. (It's not actually the optical surface
of the lens).

I used to caregully clean my 35mm Nikon SLR lenses every time I took the
camera out.

What is it about the optics on a smartphone which allows it to get away
despite such neglect?

Perhaps it's to do with something like the focal length or depth of focus?

How can smartphone cameras work thru scratched lenses?
 

In article , maurice
wrote:

My smartphone takes reasonably good pictures despite a smeary slightly
scratched protective lens window. (It's not actually the optical surface
of the lens).

I used to caregully clean my 35mm Nikon SLR lenses every time I took the
camera out.

What is it about the optics on a smartphone which allows it to get away
despite such neglect?

it's built to withstand it, usually with a sapphire crystal lens cover
or similar.

Perhaps it's to do with something like the focal length or depth of focus?

mostly because digital is much better than film, particularly when it's
mixed with highly sophisticated image processing.

How can smartphone cameras work thru scratched lenses?
 

In article ,
RichA wrote:

My smartphone takes reasonably good pictures despite a smeary slightly
scratched protective lens window. (It's not actually the optical surface
of the lens).

I used to caregully clean my 35mm Nikon SLR lenses every time I took the
camera out.

What is it about the optics on a smartphone which allows it to get away
despite such neglect?

Perhaps it's to do with something like the focal length or depth of focus?

Simple, the image focal point is nowhere near the scratched area so it
behaves more or less like a very mild diffusion filter at worst.

no.

How can smartphone cameras work thru scratched lenses?
 

On 05/29/2018 09:00 PM, nospam wrote:
In article ,
RichA wrote:

My smartphone takes reasonably good pictures despite a smeary slightly
scratched protective lens window. (It's not actually the optical surface
of the lens).

I used to caregully clean my 35mm Nikon SLR lenses every time I took the
camera out.

What is it about the optics on a smartphone which allows it to get away
despite such neglect?

Perhaps it's to do with something like the focal length or depth of focus?

Simple, the image focal point is nowhere near the scratched area so it
behaves more or less like a very mild diffusion filter at worst.

no.

actually, yes.

--
Ken Hart

How can smartphone cameras work thru scratched lenses?
 

In article , Ken Hart
wrote:

My smartphone takes reasonably good pictures despite a smeary slightly
scratched protective lens window. (It's not actually the optical surface
of the lens).

I used to caregully clean my 35mm Nikon SLR lenses every time I took the
camera out.

What is it about the optics on a smartphone which allows it to get away
despite such neglect?

Perhaps it's to do with something like the focal length or depth of focus?

Simple, the image focal point is nowhere near the scratched area so it
behaves more or less like a very mild diffusion filter at worst.

no.

actually, yes.

actually no.

a scratch on a tiny lens would be much more than a 'mild diffusion
filter', and it's actually *very* difficult to scratch the lens because
it has a protective cover (usually sapphire crystal), which does not
scratch easily, even if one tries.

How can smartphone cameras work thru scratched lenses?
 

On Tue, 29 May 2018 17:50:10 -0700 (PDT), RichA wrote:

On Tuesday, 29 May 2018 19:00:50 UTC-4, maurice wrote:
My smartphone takes reasonably good pictures despite a smeary slightly
scratched protective lens window. (It's not actually the optical surface
of the lens).

I used to caregully clean my 35mm Nikon SLR lenses every time I took the
camera out.

What is it about the optics on a smartphone which allows it to get away
despite such neglect?

Perhaps it's to do with something like the focal length or depth of focus?

Simple, the image focal point is nowhere near the scratched area so it behaves more or less like a very mild diffusion filter at worst.

What about a greasy smudge from a finger print? Wouldn't that make the
clarity of the photo a great deal worse?

And yet a smartphone seems to always make a half decent photo that I rarely
bother wiping the lens window.

How can smartphone cameras work thru scratched lenses?
 

In article , maurice
wrote:



What about a greasy smudge from a finger print? Wouldn't that make the
clarity of the photo a great deal worse?

not really, unless it's coated with dirt and grime, which would be
noticeable when you tried to take a photo, at which point, you'd wipe
it clean.

And yet a smartphone seems to always make a half decent photo that I rarely
bother wiping the lens window.

modern technology is amazing.

How can smartphone cameras work thru scratched lenses?
 

On Wed, 30 May 2018 08:44:58 -0400, nospam
wrote:

In article , maurice
wrote:



What about a greasy smudge from a finger print? Wouldn't that make the
clarity of the photo a great deal worse?

not really, unless it's coated with dirt and grime, which would be
noticeable when you tried to take a photo, at which point, you'd wipe
it clean.

And yet a smartphone seems to always make a half decent photo that I rarely
bother wiping the lens window.

modern technology is amazing.

It's not the modern technology that should get the credit. It's the
ancient laws of optics. Several people have already given the correct
explanation.

I expect you to say "no". If you really believe that it is modern
technology please explain what the technology is and how it works.
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

How can smartphone cameras work thru scratched lenses?
 

In article , Eric Stevens
wrote:


What about a greasy smudge from a finger print? Wouldn't that make the
clarity of the photo a great deal worse?

not really, unless it's coated with dirt and grime, which would be
noticeable when you tried to take a photo, at which point, you'd wipe
it clean.

And yet a smartphone seems to always make a half decent photo that I rarely
bother wiping the lens window.

modern technology is amazing.

It's not the modern technology that should get the credit.

yes it most certainly is.

It's the
ancient laws of optics. Several people have already given the correct
explanation.

they might think they have, but they have not, and the 'ancient laws of
optics' actually say the *opposite* of what you think they do.

I expect you to say "no". If you really believe that it is modern
technology please explain what the technology is and how it works.

i already did.

How can smartphone cameras work thru scratched lenses?
 

On Wed, 30 May 2018 17:40:28 -0400, nospam
wrote:

In article , Eric Stevens
wrote:


What about a greasy smudge from a finger print? Wouldn't that make the
clarity of the photo a great deal worse?

not really, unless it's coated with dirt and grime, which would be
noticeable when you tried to take a photo, at which point, you'd wipe
it clean.

And yet a smartphone seems to always make a half decent photo that I rarely
bother wiping the lens window.

modern technology is amazing.

It's not the modern technology that should get the credit.

yes it most certainly is.

It's the
ancient laws of optics. Several people have already given the correct
explanation.

they might think they have, but they have not, and the 'ancient laws of
optics' actually say the *opposite* of what you think they do.

I expect you to say "no". If you really believe that it is modern
technology please explain what the technology is and how it works.

i already did.

Add one more to add to your famous list of non-existent explanations.
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens