yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[HD2 General] Hoodeddeathman:
I think the message is sinking in I got the reply:

Thank you for your enquiry about HTC HD2

Thank you for your feedback regarding the flash of the HD2 camera. There are currently no specific updates for this but if you haven't already I would suggest you download and install the latest ROM upgrade available for your HD2.

I will also pass your feedback regarding the flash onwards to our programmers for them to keep in mind with future updates and products.
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
Yup i agree, the flash dosnt seem to have the right timing.. The timing balance needs to be perfectly synchronized with the shutter to get the right exsposure..

Take a picture of yourself with a normal camera and then with the HD2, you can notice its not synchronized right..
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
hmmm

ok this is very strange..!!! so i have been taking pics of myself trying to find a fix, and i noticed something very strange, when i delete the overexposed pic of my face it becomes of normal exposure for a spilt sec. can anyone else see this??

take a pic of your face upclose, then press the delete button(bin icon) in the 10 sec preview, watch the screen/pic very closely when you press the confirm delete button("YES" to delete) it will flash up normal...

its almost as if its taking 2 pics, 1 overexposed and 1 normal..!! there must be a way to keep the normal..

can anyone explain this??
[HD2 General] josep54:
Good idea

All these people complaining... I was wondering just how many had contacted HTC when I realised I was in the silent minority too.

So I contacted HTC.

Takes about 2 minutes - get your SN from All Settings -> System -> Device Information -> Phone Identity and fill out the url above
[HD2 General] DMAND:
Same reply I got,

Serriously people, dont just moan on here and moan to htc too
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
Heres how HTC responded to me...

MY E-mail,

Technical Support, Inquiry Description HD2-Overexposed closeup pictures

I'm using 1.43 Rom with cam hotfix installed. Pics taken within a meter with flash on are overexposed..

Common problem - http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=590916

-------------------------------Additional info:---------------------------when taking overexposed pics i have noticed something very strange. when i delete the overexposed pic, it becomes of normal exposure for a spilt sec in the preview screen. i take a pic upclose which shows as overexposed in preview, then i press the delete button(bin icon) in the 10 sec preview and then confirm delete button("YES" to delete), it will then flash up with normal exposure for a split sec before it disappears(deletes). its almost as if its taking 2 pics, 1 overexposed and 1 normal..!!

can anyone explain this?? Should i return the phone to vodaphone..?????

HTC reply,

Please attempt a hard reset of your device and see if that solves the problem. If it does not, then the device will need to be returned to Vodafone. Below are the instructions for performing a hard reset :-

1. With the phone turned off, press and hold the VOLUME UP and VOLUME DOWN buttons, then press the END/POWER button shortly and release it. You will then see a message on the screen that warns you your personal data will be deleted.

2. Release the VOLUME UP and VOLUME DOWN buttons.

3. Press the VOLUME UP button to perform the hard reset, or press any other button to cancel the reset.

So they're telling me to do a hard reset and if it dont work send it back..!!! dont look like they are working on fix for this problem..
[HD2 General] DMAND:
^ Bit of a rubbish response seeing as that's what happens on my phone too, and I'm guessing every other HD2 out there!
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
Ok so more strange stuff. I did a hard reset and the first thing i did was take some pics, i tried to take the same kind of pics, my face, laptop and laptop mouse etc. i must say that the exposure was definately improved..!! Now this is the strange bit. so i reinstalled the the camera hotfix, boom, pics back to being way too overexposed...!!!

so its half decent exposure with pink splodge or overexposed pic, no pink sploge..!!

Might be thinking of returning it :(
[HD2 General] XTREEM|RAGE:
Contact HTC about this and put your pictures with the mail! And tell them what you did :)
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
Did that first :p
[HD2 General] Shasarak:
Request to any passing moderator: could you possibly change the title of this thread to something like "HD2 pictures badly over-exposed when using flash"? The current title suggests a "solution" which is completely inappropriate and will tend to make people who actually know what they are talking about avoid the thread. :)

Can I also ask that anyone contacting HTC about this does NOT describe the flash as "too bright" - if you do that they will write you off as an ignorant fool and ignore you. :eek: The problem is that pictures taken with the flash are severely over-exposed - which is an HTC issue and something they should be able to do something about.
[HD2 General] Minister:
I just tried to take a photo tonight in a dark place and man the flash is way too bright. What the... The only thing I could do was to reduce the brightness session all the way to -2 and take the shot again. It was improved but I shouldn't have to manually do that..
[HD2 General] freyberry:
Second that.
[HD2 General] avathar behemoth:
i mailed cust service as well. theyre probably working on it.
[HD2 General] DiemetriX:
Hope they fix this. This is the only problem I have with the HD2 Cam.
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
3rd it......
[HD2 General] leobox1:
i think the flash is too bright or perhaps too long.. cause after taking pics, my subjects always complain of eye "blindness"
[HD2 General] avathar behemoth:
i was contacted by a cust service rep. and he told me to down the

Update for HTC HD2 – Digital Picture Enhancement

Datum : 2009-12-10

so i did, a bit sceptical. but it seems te be better. i will do some testing.

but the pics i tool arent as overexposed as the pics i mad before

hmmm i still look like a ghost when taking a pic of myself, back to the drawing board!
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
OK, so decided to see make a comparison with my Sony walkman phone(3mp), with dual LED flash..

HTC have allready told me to return it VF, and i'm really thinking of doing so.. Its ridiculous having a camera you cant use in low light.
[HD2 General] DMAND:
Have you sent that comparison the htc? Someone needs to change the title of this thread and maybe collect a whole bunch of HD2 photos taken by everyone in one place (as with the pink blob issue)
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
NEW RESPONSE FROM HTC

Dear Richard, HTC are currently working on further updates for the issues you have mentioned. Before returning your phone, you would be best advised to wait a few weeks and regularly check the support section of our website for further updates. Kind Regards, HTC Europe
[HD2 General] DMAND:
At least that's some form of acknowledgement that they might be working on a fix!
[HD2 General] Shasarak:
Emphasis on "might". :rolleyes:
[HD2 General] shagster69:
I may very well wish i had kept my mouth shut but...

Earlier in this thread i explained that i had somehow fixed this on my HD2.

i don't know how, but for what ever reason, mine now takes perfectly exposed photos even at 2-3 inch distances.

Anyway, just before Christmas i had crashed HTC sense and need to do a Hard-reset.

after that it was as new of course, so i added the Camera hot-fix, and again my shots were over exposed as described by others.

So tried to find the solution again, and after messing with all the settings and then doing a soft reset (via red-button)... bang, its is fixed again!

I still don't know what fixed it exactly, but it is fixable with what we have.

Ultimately it might be just a reg value that has somehow been restored, but as I'm not familiar with the registry on the HD2, i don't know where to look.

If there is someone who is familiar with the HD2 registry and still has the problem, please lets compare some of the values and see if we can figure out whats going on here.

i'm on the original O2 Rom 1.43.
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
There must be a fix..

CAN ANYONE ELSE CONFIRM THIS HAPPENS ON THEIR HD2

Take a pic upclose(flash on), which shows as overexposed in preview, then press the delete button(bin icon) in the 10 sec preview and then confirm delete button("YES" to delete, grey screen etc), it will then flash up with normal exposure for a split sec before it disappears(deletes).

its almost as if its taking 2 pics, 1 overexposed and 1 normal..!!
[HD2 General] shagster69:
Yes, this was exactly the behavior of mine before it became fixed.
[HD2 General] freyberry:
Can you remember what exactly you have done?
[HD2 General] Maeffjus:
This is also my problem, as already told several posts before.

But whats with the partially wrong hue and saturation in the pictures?

Take a look at the attached file, this is also what I sent to HTC togheter with my service request.

What you see is the back and side of a head of a drunken boy:)

But what you also will see is, that the ear has the right colour, but the rest of the skin is nearly whit or grey.

So why the cam codes such a terrible picture? These one is only a example, everytime I shoot a picture of a face in the dark, the skin is partially grey/whith and partially with normal colour. I would understand if all of the picture would be grey/white or normal but that????

So, look by yourself.

Does anyone else have a problem like this?

Greetz...
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
Nope, nothing like that with mine.. mines too over-exposed to see anything..!!
[HD2 General] tonarm:
Overexposure fixed?

to me it seems that since the radio update the extreme overexposure of pictures is fixed. Can anybody confirm that?
[HD2 General] optiknerv:
I'm was running the 1.61 ROM ages ago which had the 2.06 radio in it and i didn't see any improvement.
[HD2 General] shagster69:
I have not put the radio/SIM contact patch on yet and mine is fixed, so I'm guessing that's not it... glad yours is working too though :D:)
[HD2 General] Roguexmg:
Takes about 2 minutes - get your SN from All Settings -> System -> Device Information -> Phone Identity and fill out the url above

BUMPING this, People Submit your Complaint, IN fact this should be on the home page for any issues.
[HD2 General] pigglett:
Hello

radio/SIM contact patch didnt fix my over brightness :(
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
*NEW* Reply from HTC

Dear Richard,

Thank you for your reply. To the best of our knowledge, this issue is software related. If you believe your device is damaged at a hardware level, please call our Technical Support line, whereby one of our agents will be pleased to arrange a repair.

Kind Regards,

HTC Europe
[HD2 General] murks_muell:
Good answer - and now?

It is caused by their crappy camera software for sure.
[HD2 General] DMAND:
Your reply should be if its software related when can we expect to see a fix??
[HD2 General] GeitjeG:
Enough people on this forume to write something to fix this I guess. Hope someone is willing....
[HD2 General] Roguexmg:
I was playing around last night with the camera and the flash and I did a little test which gave me slightly different results.

Basicaly i tried to free the processor as much as possible by going into airplane mode and making sure all apps are closed.

Then i compared different pictures with 3mpix and 5mpix.

I got some very mixed results, also i angled some of the shots like probably 5 degrees to the left and the photos exposure was different. They all came out overexposed but some shots was different from others and quite noticably different in degree.

some more experimenting to be done.
[HD2 General] TheDynamo:
Yes - but you shouldnt really have to go through all of that to get a decent picture - should just work. End of.
[HD2 General] jarosPL:
i have also complained to HTC
[HD2 General] Thuggie:
Hi,

Thank you for contacting our Customer Support Center. You recently wrote us about an issue that you have encountered with your device. HTC has received reports that under certain lighting conditions, images taken with camera HD2 Although this seems to be limited to a small number of phones, we are investigating these reports and will work to develop a solution for those affected. But i cannot give you any exact date when its going to released. But it will be soon. Thanks for your patience. If the above steps do not resolve your issue, we invite you to visit the support area on our Web site. Please go to: http://www.htc.com/www/support.aspx You can also call our Call Center at: 800-11576 if you have further questions. Best Regards Premnath HTC

"HTC has received reports that under certain lighting conditions, images taken with camera HD2 Although this seems to be limited to a small number of phones,"

huh?
[HD2 General] Shasarak:
(rotfl)

Looks like he did a copy and paste of a standard response and forgot to fill in the details! :)
[HD2 General] jonathan_314:
here it works more or less

I noticed that with my camera it works if don't put the flash already on.

I mean if I put the flash in automatic mode and then it works, the picture is not over exposed.

When I turn the flash on before taking a picture, then the picture is over exposed.

The nice part is, that I can use this "brighter mode" to take pictures in nearly totaly dark rooms, then everything is still very visible!

Does anyone has the same effect?
[HD2 General] murks_muell:
On my device I *sometimes* encountered the opposite. There is no method behind this problem. Sometimes it occurs, sometimes not.

Anyhow the response "thuggie" got is a step in the right direction. Until now they ignored the issue.

Soon it will be the time to move to the next bug and write the support. I reported already some more. And there are big amounts of them...
[HD2 General] padlad:
Could someone who has complained to HTC about this problem please copy/paste what they have sent to them so i can quickly send a complaint as well, i know its lazy but its hard to find time to go through it all. Many thanks.
[HD2 General] DMAND:
It took you more time to write here than it would to make your own complaint :rolleyes:
[HD2 General] mbhmirc:
I fixed this flashing to 1.48.405.2/2.05.51.05_2 camera was loads better.
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
page 9..:eek:
[HD2 General] fuzzifikation:
Solution! Just look at the settings!

Hi all,

maybe it's just me and my phone.. but the solution is right there!

As I have the GER version, here's my attempt at translating the sttings:

Camera -> Settings -> Extended -> Page 2/5 -> Keep Lighting -> SWITCH OFF

Done.

Did it for me.
[HD2 General] Shasarak:
In English that would be "Advanced" rather than "Extended" and "Keep Back Light".

Haven't had a chance to test this, yet.
[HD2 General] Karlos G:
It just turns off the screen backlight after a set period, nothing to do with the overexposure at all!! lol :D
[HD2 General] shagster69:
i would love to think that's it, but my back light is on and mine is already fixed too.

But while i'm here i have another twist to this. The main photo function works fine, but when i go to take a shoot with Footprints with the flash on, its over exposed again.

I am now being to think there might be 2 different Camera.exe being used, or something.

What results do you get with footprints?
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
No difference..

The cam does seem to take 2 pics at the same time. when i delete an overexposed pic in the preview it will flash up with normal exposure before it disappears..!!!
[HD2 General] ToddeSwe:
Hi!

I wrote about this problem the day after i got my HD2 but no one answered so i was glad to see that i'm not alone.

I did write to HTC support about this and let's see what they are telling me to do :)
[HD2 General] ToddeSwe:
As i have understand this the autofocus is there to handle the distance, right? So another option to do this must be the wrong way?!
[HD2 General] mbhmirc:
Hve you tried flashing the current shipped rom like i suggested? I had this issue and it was fixed by the rom upgrade as per my previous post.
[HD2 General] ToddeSwe:
Yes i have just upgraded from 1.43 with the same problem, and now 1.48 has the same problem, even with the cam hotfix or without the cam hotfix.

Nothing helps!

BUT!!! :) I did get an answer from HTC support today saying that they have gotten a number of complaints of this matter and that they are working on it.

Not in the exact words because i was writing in Swedish so the i got an Swedish answer. :)

SO, it looks like they are at least trying to fix it and that i can live with for now :) Pitty though that they did not TEST the phone more before releasing it. But i did not buy this phone because of the cam. So... :)
[HD2 General] ragelord:
Well ... It seems that no fix is coming and foolish "find a 3rd party app to solve" explanation ... ;)
[HD2 General] ring-bearer:
Y'all. I don't even have an HD2, but...

This definitely sounds like a problem with the post-image processing algorithm.

Basically, it seems that a "brightening" algorithm - which is only supposed to be applied to photos with no flash in dim light - is being applied to dim light photos WITH the flash.

The photos aren't actually overexposed; the software processing just makes it look that way.

As for a solution, you'd have to either (1) try to "unprocess" the picture or (2) somehow trick the phone into thinking it's not a dim light photo.
[HD2 General] ToddeSwe:
It's very strange that two different support places gives different answers. :)

And WHAT AN ANSWER then :) It sounds like a joke when you think of the amount of money this device cost.
[HD2 General] mbhmirc:
Which rom did you goto?
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
Thats some bullshizzo there from HTC, seeing as some people dont have the problem..!!
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
That could support why it will flash up normal when you delete in the preview.
[HD2 General] ToddeSwe:
I was upgrading from 1.43 to 1.48
[HD2 General] Dingadogg:
Blinding

I must say it find it quiet commical really. I took this phone out on a night out, all the shots were of people cowering in the blinding light of the flash, ghost like and completely over-exposed.

Someone else has left a comment about not being able to photograph their children becasue the flash is so bright it makes them cry!

Before I bought the HD2 I watched the video review on the CNet UK site, they mentioned the blinding flash there.

My thoughts are that HTC were undoubtedly well aware of the problem. I assume it was too much like hard work to fix it otherwise they would have done so already.

BTW. I do appreciate the whole; it's not the brightness but the exposure that's the real problem.

I've only had the phone a short while, aside from this problem it seems great.
[HD2 General] Archer:
This really ain't rocket science, and I've not spent weeks developing a piece of software or anything. I just had an idea, and as crazy as it sounds, it works.

Take a piece of clear tape and cover the flash. Then, take a black marker and colour over the tape. The flash still works, but it is dimmed very nicely.

Take a look at the 2 pics (the 1st is normal and the 2nd is with tape coloured over the flash). There's not a massive difference, but you'll see that the 2nd shot looks a lot more even than the 1st. The colour just seems a lot more balanced.

I know people have suggested a piece of tape over the flash before now, but this worked so well that I had to share.

:)
[HD2 General] firstandlast:
could you not just use a piece of black insulation tape to cover it up and save all the colouring in bit.

Unless it's a project you set for the kids:)
[HD2 General] Archer:
Heh - if you can get the LEDs to flash through black insulation tape then go for it mate! lol
[HD2 General] Shasarak:
How does the quality compare to using TorchButton to put the flash in half-lit mode before taking the picture (with "flash disabled" from the camera's perspective)?
[HD2 General] Archer:
Using TorchButton and using a bit of coloured in tape gets a similar picture. I think I'm gonna have a bit of coloured in tape stuck to my phone till a real solution for this appears! Even a close shot of my face looks a lot better with the tape.

Edit:

This only works in low light. If it's proper dark then it only captures things close-up. Things in the distance just disappear.

Forget this method for real dark places. :(
[HD2 General] beermonster65:
All these taken from around 1metre away, cant see any problems really other than slightly off WB

iso 400 Auto flash very dark room

iso 400 room lit with fluorescent energy bulb flash set to forced on

iso 400 same lighting as above no flash
[HD2 General] beermonster65:
About 2 weeks ago on Virgin Uk.

ROM 1.48.405.2 (71294) WWE

I figured setting iso to 400 would give a shorter shutter speed, but it is a little grainy, I do get the whiteout flash with iso set auto and auto flash, it seem forced flash is slightly better than auto flash.
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
By the looks of it your HD2 cam is fine. That just makes my mind up now, if they dont put a fix on the website soon, i'm sending mine back!!! :(
[HD2 General] hargibi:
I must say that now that ive flashed duttys new SWE multilang rom i got no problems at all with camera flash, no ghost pictures or anything.

Ive had theese problems with stock rom tho :O
[HD2 General] dannykap:
I emailed HTC about this and was told:

Thank you for your email, I can suggest that you now download onto your PC the latest ROM update released on our website - released 25.01.10 then do a hard reset of your device. This will fix this issue you are having with your camera. Make sure you active sync your contacts accross before you do this as it will wipe everything from your device.

Unfortunately, I am on O2 on the 1.43 ROM, and don't want to invalidate my warranty. I suppose I will have to chase O2 to issue an update:( I would be interested in feedback, though, if this update does fix the issue.
[HD2 General] richardirv:
I may be wrong on this but if HTC's web site validates your serial number then I don't see why this would invalidate your warrenty. I may be wrong though if o2 decide to be tossers about it.
[HD2 General] dannykap:
The problem is that that the HTC site does not validate my serial number, and I am concerned that using a different method to upgrade my rom will invalidate my warranty.
[HD2 General] firstandlast:
I thought maybe you could just cover up one of the LEDs and thus halve the brightness of the flash that way. That's what I've done and it works for me.
[HD2 General] Thuggie:
flash seems to be better after updating to the new rom...
[HD2 General] poingdk:
Where the heck did that ROM go ?

I started downloading it before going to bed. During the night it has stopped before time, and now it's gone from the site ??? (Danish version)

What happend - anyone ?

edit.. Well now it's back again! Server crash perhaps! =)
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
Hotfookup

Well i did another hard reset today and thought i would test the cam out again. it seems the (well for me anyway) problem is to do with the cam Hotfix!! i have taken a pic straight after reset and then again after i installed the hotfix. both pics are with flash ON.
[HD2 General] shagster69:
but...

i thought we already knew that?
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
Probably did say it before, just thought i'd show pics.
[HD2 General] kevinrirvine:
People were getting off topic here.

I am not judging or being critical of anyone here, but the past 4 pages of my thread have been about the silly camera issue which is not the point of this thread. There is a thread 8 miles long CAMERA RELATED in the GENERAL SECTION FOR YOUR COMMENTS, BUT NOT HERE PLEASE.

IF YOU ALL CONTINUE ON WITH THIS TOPIC A MOD WILL INTERVENE AND HAVE ALL YOUR COMMENTS REMOVED. PLEASE BE ADVISED. KEVIN
[HD2 General] shagster69:
what are you talking about? what sort of a threat is that?
[HD2 General] beyondthought:
What the fudge are you on about!!!!! did you even start this thread???