Scratches On My N97 Camera Lens; I Sent It For Repairs

by Mike Macias on July 20, 2009

During the week that this site was down I started noticing small scratches on my camera lens but my picture quality looked fine so I thought nothing of it. Then after a few more days went by the scratches got deeper and my photos  began looking washed out or too bright when the flash was on in low light conditions. Needless to say I was bothered by this since the 5mp camera is one of the major selling points. I had no problems like this on my Nokia N95 or N82, only this N97 was giving me these problems. I decided to check out a few Nokia forums around the web and people are having the same problems as me. Sure enough…  a scratched N97 camera lens is a widespread problem.

N97 Camera Lens Scratched

That image was posted by a member over at NokiaUsers.net. It’s pretty much what’s happening to mine, except mine had a few more nasty scratches on the lens.

I decided to call Nokia Care to see what they’d say since the phone is obviously still under warranty. I described to them my problem and they put me on hold. A few minutes later I was told they wanted to look at it so send it in for repairs. They paid for 2 day air shipping and I sent it on Friday. It’s Monday now so they should have received it.

Is this happening to your Nokia N97? If so leave a comment below and then click here to add your vote to the NokiaUsers.net poll they have going on.

In the meantime I’ll keep everyone updated with the repair status of my Nokia N97.

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About: Mike is the editor-in-chief of N97fanatics.com and a huge mobile fanatic. He also runs MaemoFanatics.com and the popular E71fanatics.com. Contact him via email at contact@n97fanatics.com or at his Twitter page.

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  • quantafire

    My lens is scratched but I can still see it properly. If only they'd have put as much thought into that as they did the N82. Tut tut!

  • http://www.n97fanatics.com Mike Macias

    Well, they would have had to put ANY thought into it. Just copy the design!

  • celios

    Hi Mike, I an many other N97 owners with the same problem will be very interested to hear how / if this problem is fixed on your N97. IMHO, Nokia have a huge problem on their hands here and are in denial about it. People do not may $700, etc. for a smartphone and then ignore the fact it has scratched it's own lens within 2 weeks.

  • http://www.n97fanatics.com/the-n97-needs-screen-protector/ N97 Screen Protector: Which Is The Best? | Nokia N97 Fanatics

    [...] of this right now but I’ll add them to this article as soon as my N97 gets back to me. I sent it to Nokia Care for repairs on a different [...]

  • noobie83

    i think the picture washed out problem is more likely due to the flash is actually located inward from the lens surface, and surrounded with shard edge around the flash.. this caused light dispersion….

    scratch is another issue that NOKIA should address…

  • http://www.n97fanatics.com Mike Macias

    Update:

    Nokia is sending me a brand new device. I'm pretty sure this will not fix the camera lens issue though.

  • celios

    Lucky you Mike, I guess being a Symbian (and specifically N97) based blogger has worked to your advantage.

    But what about the rest of us?

  • http://mostlythis.com Mac Morrison

    i returned mine in the 7 day period from nokia store, regent street – mainly because of the lens scratches. though i had many issues with the phone.

    http://hellon97.tumblr.com
    &
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmmorrison/3757367…

  • LessThanDoug

    Just got mine back today! They sent me a letter with my “new” device saying how repair for the device was not possible. I'm pretty ticked off. The one they sent me is refurbished and I could tell because upon close inspection I could see small scuff marks on the top of the chrome rim around the face. Yeah, I don't miss a thing. I give up my perfect looking phone for somebody elses mess? Let's see how long this one lasts before the lens goes. I still have to check everything out to make sure all is well and working properly still.

  • http://www.n97fanatics.com/photos-n86-camera-lens-protector-was-done-right-why-did-n97-fail/ Photos: N86 Camera Lens Protector Was Done Right – Why Did N97 Fail? | Nokia N97 Fanatics

    [...] isn’t going to be another huge and long post about the horrible N97 camera lens protector problem and the nasty scratches it’s creating.  Instead I’ll keep it simple and short. The [...]

  • http://photo-gear.com/blog/40287/scratched-n97-camera-lens-nokia-n97-fanatics/ Scratched N97 Camera Lens | Nokia N97 Fanatics

    [...] Read the original here: Scratched N97 Camera Lens | Nokia N97 Fanatics [...]

  • http://www.n97fanatics.com Mike Macias

    I wish it did help, but the folks at Nokia Care don't keep track of Nokia bloggers.

  • http://www.n97fanatics.com/nokia-addresses-n97-scratched-camera-lens-issue/ Nokia Addresses N97 Scratched Camera Lens Issue | Nokia N97 Fanatics

    [...] cases causes deep scratches that affect the picture quality. I had this exact problem and ended up sending mine in for repairs. This was back in July and within 10 days they replaced the phone (I had other problems besides the [...]

  • hridheek

    happened to my n97 also…lots of scratches

  • http://www.bebo.com/martin577 Martin

    yup, same here, over in australia. plus my camera now wont even turn on using the slide, i have to use the camera application – which is now my right selector key. off to nokia i go..seems every mobile since 6600 needs repaired in first year. But, i always get great service, so im sticking with nokia

  • bozza86

    Happened to mine, thankfully, the phone was within Nokia's ELF period, auto replacement ^_^

  • bozza86

    Happened to mine, thankfully, the phone was within Nokia's ELF period, auto replacement ^_^

  • http://maemofanatics.com/where-is-the-ovi-maps-free-navigation-for-the-n900/ Where Is The Ovi Maps Free Navigation For The N900?

    [...] comes to a release of a flagship smartphone? While I’m not as pissed as I was about the whole N97 camera lens & crappy firmware debacle, I’m disappointed that Nokia would not include the N900 in [...]

  • Dev

    I've just sent mine off with the exact same problem, is it likley i'll get a replacement phone then?

  • hridheek

    no they will change the panel on the back.. which comprises of the lens the gps antenna the unlock toggle ….. i just got mine from nokia.. u can see the new lens cover has been raised by some mm from the surface to prevent scratches.. this defect was also prevalent on the n86…..

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