Help Camera won't focus

[REALOldNick]

I am not sure if this started with Android 4.2.2.

I tried to read a barcode that my wife's Galaxy Note 8 was OK with, in the same app I am using. I tried many distances , from near to 1+ m, but it just could not read the barcode. It was too blurry to read for sure.

Does anyone know about this and maybe hoew to fix it? (PLEEEEASE don't tell me a I need to root the machine. IT works, the instructions I saw were insufficient to my feeling, in that I was told to install and app, then go Settings ..whatever, and there _were_ no settings ----whatever on the Android. Did they mean in the installed app? etc. Quite often done by people who -really_ know what they are doing, but forget that not everybody does. This was common the several instructions I read. So if you kn ow a "rooting for dummies" (And remember the term is not mine) then I will keep looking....if necessary. I am/was pretty good at Windows, but I just want to use this machine.

Thanks for any help

Nick

 

[saptech]

I remember people was saying because of the Tab 2 camera will not auto focus. But this link talks about another app they claim should work. I haven't tried it but if you do, let us know if it works.

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-2/704332-barcode-scanner.html

 

[Rukbat]

Rooting has nothing to do with the camera (it has little to do with anything almost anyone does with a phone) so I won't tell you to do it. In fact, I discourage rooting unless you a) know how without downlading some program to do it and b) have a need for it.

Look at the camera lens under a strong light from different angles. Any greasy-looking stuff? If so, take it to a good CAMERA shop and ask if they can clean the lens for you.

If not, and the camera has been working before (if it hasn't, be sure you removed the plastic wrap from the lens), it could be the 4.2.2 update or it could be that the camera just gave out at about that time. (I can't find a reference to autofocus in any spec listing for the tab, so I assume it's not.) In any case it's not something you can fix yourself, unless you happen to be a camera repairman.

@saptech:
Some non-autofocus cameras will read QR codes with no problem but not barcodes. Some will read barcodes with the right app. But the barcode shouldn't be "too blurry" at all distances - there should be some point at which it will focus correctly (which might be about 1.3 meters or more).

 

[REALOldNick]

Hmmm...OK, thanks. That's pretty slack. Eh! the camera does not focus and we are only a billion dollar industry....

I will try the app, but the problem is the app I am using will only scan and not read from a file. If the app can control the camera at a lower level then I may be in louck

 

[REALOldNick]

Rooting has nothing to do with the camera (it has little to do with anything almost anyone does with a phone) so I won't tell you to do it. In fact, I discourage rooting unless you a) know how without downlading some program to do it and b) have a need for it.

Look at the camera lens under a strong light from different angles. Any greasy-looking stuff? If so, take it to a good CAMERA shop and ask if they can clean the lens for you.

If not, and the camera has been working before (if it hasn't, be sure you removed the plastic wrap from the lens), it could be the 4.2.2 update or it could be that the camera just gave out at about that time. (I can't find a reference to autofocus in any spec listing for the tab, so I assume it's not.) In any case it's not something you can fix yourself, unless you happen to be a camera repairman.

@saptech:
Some non-autofocus cameras will read QR codes with no problem but not barcodes. Some will read barcodes with the right app. But the barcode shouldn't be "too blurry" at all distances - there should be some point at which it will focus correctly (which might be about 1.3 meters or more).

Thankls for the reply. Looks like I am caught.

BTW. Appreciate your thoughts on rooting. It's mush what I feel: that it's a geek's domain.

I did clean the lenses (I own several "proper" cameras and I am OK with lens, sensor, viewfinder cleaning)

It is just horrid and blurry and is not focusing even up to 2 metres (at which stage the barcode is a postage stamp and maybe getting out of resolution range)

My wifde's machine is a Galaxy Note, with 3G/4G and cost about twice mine. But you would think a camera that focussed would ne a no-brainer.

Nick

 

[saptech]

I never got mine to work and I didn't know about the link I posted until now. I just use my phone's camera, it always work and I hardly ever take my tablet with me anyplace.

 

[REALOldNick]

I never got mine to work and I didn't know about the link I posted until now. I just use my phone's camera, it always work and I hardly ever take my tablet with me anyplace.

hmm..ok..whata cheapskate sucky act from Samsung. I have a lot of samsung stuff and this is the silliest thing I have seen them do. Normally I am pretty happy.

I tried the magnifying glass but no luck AFAICS it's not " fixed focus" on this camera...it's just STUFFED. .....blurry. Seriously I have seen $5 disposables with better vision. It's like they used a plain piece of plastic (clingwrap??) for the lens!

I have taken maybe 3 photos with the GII, so except for my present need it's really of no importance. I have cameras for photos But for my need it's useless to try other apps or devices, unfortunately.

Nick

 

[fredric100]

Hi,

Thanks for the tip (above) about alternative barcode scanning apps for the Galaxy Tab 2. On the page you mentioned above, I found an app called pic2shop which works extremely well on the Tab 2. I tested over 10 other scanning apps, and pic2shop was the only one which worked on this device. It's on the Android Market. I'm grateful to you.