Rear Lens Cover Affecting Picture Quality

Since I bought my M8, I had noticed a steady decline in picture quality. I took a close look at the plastic lens cover and noticed an iridescent sheen and numerous scratches. My old G2 had the same kind of issue, and I remembered being able to fix it with toothpaste.

What a difference.

All I used was some Arm & Hammer baking soda toothpaste, a nice circular rubbing motion with my finger, and a soft microfiber towel to clean everything up.

Here are some before and after pictures, taken with identical settings in manual shooting mode (no editing, of course) -





So as you can see, it's a pretty huge difference. I'm not sure what kind of coating they put on the lens, but it horrifically degrades photo quality over time. I've had a case over the phone the whole time I've owned it, and the only glass/plastic that's scratched has been this back lens cover.

I saw another thread that suggested removing the lens - I don't think that's necessary. I'm back to stock-looking photos with just a little bit of polishing. Time will tell if it remains this way, though. If the coating was some sort of anti-scratch layer, it may get worse.

HD Case said:

Thanks for this. I have the same problem and was wondering if there wasn't some way to rub out the scratches. You say you used just a little toothpase and rubbed lightly with your fingertip?

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Yes, all I did was apply a very small amount of toothpaste (plain, white toothpaste - like Colgate or Arm & Hammer - no fancy gels or anything) directly to the lens, and rub with my fingertip in tiny circles. It took a few minutes, but the coating was able to be removed completely. I was careful to use a damp cloth to clean the toothpaste off rather than just throwing some water on it, just in case all the rubbing loosened a seal on the cover or something.