K850i Flash Problem - dark photo

Perhaps you have to wait for the flash to be ready... When the flash is "recharging" between shots there's a little lightning icon in the top left of the screen!

... If that were the case then it would just delay the shot till the flash was charged as every other camera on earth does, doesn't it?

I'll try testing that theory though (but not tonight - i need sleep!)

Thanks for the comment! :-)

It's probably your fingers overlapping phone - keep fingers well back and see if it makes a difference - it did on mine!

When I was doing that test I did notice my fingers were creeping around a bit so moved them right up onto the edges of the phone (well off the back panel) and although this fixed it for the first photo - the next was a dark one again.

I have a FEELING it has something to do with either how dark or how reflective the target object is...

i've been getting this. tried the same picture over and over and it's been hit n miss. it almost seems like the flash is timed wrong. getting a new one tomorrow (unrelated) so i'll see how that one is. current one has 1200-4400 R1CA029 070922

I was in the 14 day guarantee with o2. So I was able to swap
my K850i, The new phone I have is exactly the same!
It's so annoying I think it's SE's fault getting the timing wrong.
I'm going to take the K850i back and replace it with the N95 :)

You are prob holding the phone wrong, make sure that your hands are no where near the flash, hold the camera right on its adges otherwise it affects the pic...

yes mine is the same with o2 got a replacement and doing exactly the same AGAIN! except the replacement doesn't even read all my simcard only letters A-K so that was another nightmare

I had the dark pictures using the flash problem even when I kept my fingers away from the sensor. Suddenly thought that it might be becasue I still had the plastic film on the back; took it off, problem solved! Such a simple thing but the dark pictures were really annoying me to the point where I was on the point of sending it back to get a K810i. Pleased I didn't though as it's a super phone.

At least with respect to the models sold in Hong Kong, it appears as if the flash goes off too early (or the camera takes too long to snap the picture). As a result, the flash basically was useless. I hope they fix this ASAP.

It's a bug. When SE releases phones, normally they release it with a not-so-good firmware. wait for the news yet for software upgrade rather than returning the phone. Who knows? SE might change the video from 320x240 to 640x480 via the next firmware upgrade.

yeah i seem to be having the same problem, pics up close are ok, but ones from a distance dont seem to light up the room always only sometimes, i tested this, and i seem to get better results when im not in the picture, if im in its dark if im not then it seems fine, and im using the self timer so im nowhere near the phone no chance of it being my hands in the way, what does everyone else think?

I have the same with my k850i, I took it back today to O2 and they swapped it... guess what... yep same problem, I am not sure what to do now because if the next firmware update does not fix it then i will be out of my 14 day return policy so not sure if to wait or to get a different phone? Surley SE should have picked this up in testing? what are they playing at?

I bought my Sony Ericsson k850i today and i was so happy with it until i tried out the camera… and guess what problem with the flash… gutted… I thought it was the perfect phone as well. When i went around the shop asking about prices i went to 3 and the guy there said something about the flash and he said they'd be fixing so… :)… but i gonna take it back and see what they gonna say about the about it… I hope they can fix it cause yo spend all that money on a phone and u should get what u pay for… I mean if they knew there was a problem with the phone why sell it to you… Wait and see what happens.

I bought my phone two days ago and i had the problem that most of you have. i then noticed a little black sensor beside the flash which was being covered by the plastic. so i took the plastic off. it now works fine.

stop trying to preserve your phone and take the plastic off the back!

It is the way you are holding it. I've just been playing around with mine and if your finger is anywhere near the flash it will block too much of the light out, even if your finger isnt directly infront of the flash, because the light has quite a wide angle of spread. The amount of people that don't realise this is amazing, I've only just discovered the finger problem myself

It's the fireware thats at fault i've tried a master reset and everytime i do it has a diffferent fault i.e flash timing wrong, no sound in earpeice, and lots more Sony Ericsson have 2 weeks to fix this else its back to nokia i go.

lol like most other people i got my k850i home da green version has the blue version is not sim free online and unbloking it voids your warrenty and the guy told me there was no differance in colours untill i asked about wat sims it will take pshhh (carphone). any way like most i get my baby home only to realize da poor picture quality i rang my couzin who works in phones4u and asked if people had brang them bak he said yes flash problem ok so i start researching only to find untold people with the same problem. i then see some people saying keep your fingers out the way blah blah blah and im laughing cause i think i know the problem i came across one post that said take the back plastic sheet off so i tried that loooool what a dummy works great just like advertise even outside in the dark take a pic auto fix it and youll have a reasonable pic please try this before continuing because you see and hear the differance in the flash its crazy any way im sure just by taking the plastic off will fix it for many of you. HAPPY PHOTO TAKING ;-D

Just got a K850i, seems nice but menus not as smooth as k800i ?

I am getting the dark picture problem. No plastic on the phone, sensors are clean, fingers out the way ect. If flash goes off the picture just seems to be very dark or black. Timing issue imo. Pictures is good light are fine.

Found a more informed post, I cut n paste for you all. Source: http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=157121

Posted: 2007-10-16 16:31
K850 Firmware Overview

Each firmware revision listed below contains the fixes listed against that revision plus the fixes of all the firmwares below that entry.

R1CA037
- Released to SE Service Centres around 25/10/07 (Not generally available)

Improvements / Changes
- The Media player speed has been increased when dealing with many entries.

Bug fixes
- Improved / fixed flash synchronization, preventing photos taken in dark conditions from coming out as very dark or black.

R1CA029
- First release

Bugs
- The flash doesn't always sync with the image capture, leaving dark or black photos in night conditions.
- Manual equaliser settings are not remembered when exiting and then returning to the media player.
- Play/Pause and FF/RW controls on HPM-82 do not work
- FF/RW controls on DS-980 skip tracks, but cannot be used to FF/RW (Note that the Play/Pause button does work with DS-980)
- Trying to continue music playback, after phoning out using the DS-980, fails.
- Phone can crash when using HPM-82
- Phone can crash whilst in standby mode, requiring a hard reboot (taking the battery out)
- Corruption of the file system can occur affecting photos, applications etc
- Alarms only produce three beeps on some phones rather than play the selected ringtone.
- Some Video playback is out of sync with the sound
- USB photo transfer can lead to duplicated pictures / removal of other pictures present on the phone
- Video is of lower quality than the K800
- Occasional second or so delay between the vibration of an incomming text/call and screen illumination.
- Audiobook functionaility cannot be accessed
- If the phone goes into standby whilst viewing photos, resuming the phone isn't possible unless you exit this mode.
- When you connect the phone via the usb cable, You cant see the ringtone folder
- Phone doesnt support some Mp4 files and doesnt support some jpeg photos.
- On some phones the shutter ocasionally fails to open when taking a photo
- Not all symbols are possible to enter in the email client settings, e.g. not allowing you from adding a : for gmail addresses.
- The zoom buttons both zoom into a picture and change the volume if you are listening to music whilst browsing pictures.
- On some phones, the volume keys do not respond, requiring a reboot to restore functionaility.
- On some phones, adding a birthday to a contact does not give you a chance to add it to the Calendar.

hi all
got my k850i 2 weeks ago now waiting for my 4th phone !
guys try turining your k850i off , went on plane abroad turned of for flight but wouldn't turn back on, so new phone, did same journey same plane with new phone arrived abroad and turned phone on , SAME faulty ! how annoyinbg. now on 3rd phone and shutter won't open, might open one in ten times if u lucky ! 02 being okay and just sending me new phones but really not happy !
and the pics are rubbish ! really might just get my k8000i back , such a shame as was looking forward to this phone and so dissapointed..
Nick

Anyone who has gotten their K850i repaired for dark pictures-problems, gotten it back and now is satisfied? Pictures turning out good with flash after repair?

Looks like there is a firmware fix in the pipeline... Just need SE to release it to the public ;-)

I have also had the sticky shutter problem although it seems to be fix by patting the back of the phone firmly.

I tried the phone at a party last night in dark conditions and took about 6 or 7 photos with the flash which all came out fine the first time. I just made VERY VERY sure to keep my fingers away from the camera side of the phone. Maybe that is part of the problem?

The other part being the firmware ;-)

Does anyone have a driver so I can ge the photos off the k800i to my PC. Windows XP.
Help Please.

I got my phone yesterday. Absolutely gutted about the flash thing.
Anyway, I read somewhere on the internet that if you put it on the TWILIGHT setting, it works fine. I've tried it... and it does seem to work.
I'm still not happy that I'd have to go and pick this every time I want to use the flash though....

yeah it happens to mine too. If you put the brightness up a bit the flash stops working. When I was mucking around I tried it(during daylight). Sometimes the pics would turn out dark as like to the point were you cant see shit but I put the brightness up and it was all good!

hope it helps

quickly skipped through all your comment's yeah there is a delay in sync, if u press the button quickly the flash and exposure meet and good pic but when left to focus camera flashes prior to taking photo trying update service now :-(

bin experemnting with taking photos, seems to flashior prior to focus lock, after focusing wait a few sec's and then take shot flash seems to work perfect now! :-) must be a bug tho want to take a pic staight away!!

Been having the same dark photo problems. I took a few shots with fingers near the flash all was dark, took a few with fingers well away from the flash, fingers on the edge of the phone and all was perfect. I dont think it a sync problem its just the way the phone is being held i hope.

I'm having different problems to what most of you guys have been getting. When I take a picture with flash, if there are any light colours in view then these tend to over-expose making the picture virtually all white. I've had the phone in at Vodafone today and tested it against a new one and the new one works perfectly. All settings on both phones were set the same, so theres nothing that I've accidently altered. Mine worked perfectly for 2 weeks then went like this. Out of my 14days now so voda saying I need to send it away for repair!! Should I deal with these clowns or deal with SE??

Loved my new 850i, thought it was brilliant spent hours putting in all me own settings ring tones display etc etc.. then I took some flash piccies of my grandson, all turned out dark.. !! made sure my fingers were well away from the light, kept trying, sometimes it worked but mostly it didnt.. piccies were well underexposed. Took the phone back to phonesforU and they swapped it for another one and would you believe it that this replacement does exactly the same, I'm so mad... not only that but when I loaded my contact list onto my memory card when it displays on the phone it shows only the first 9 characters...!! like my pal entry: Alan Pennington it now displays only Alan Penn...!! what a load of rubbish. phone going back tomorrow dunno what to say really..

Hi all,
this is not just a bug, this is a hold up.
I returned mine to o2 and for the first time after 4 years
of Sony Ericsson i consider going back to damn boring nokia.
They should have brought out some notice up to now.
Damn.

Yes.

Best, Steve

I have the same problem. Getting dark pictures when the flash is on.
So is there a solution for this problem already? definitely no plastic cover, etc.

You mentioned that there's a plastic cover at the little black sensor there. Im using a k810i. I don't see a plastic cover at the sensor and my problem still persists. Are there any solution to this flash problem?

i can't open any applications! i'm going crazy. it just said operation failed! wtf? anyone came across with this problem too?

I'm not such a computer wizz.
But would someone please explain, If they do come out with a new firmware that fixes this problem, is this something we can download onto our existing k850, or is it that phones manufactured from then on only will have the update?

If/when they release an update there should be 2 ways to get it...
1) Go to Update Service under Settings > General. This method requires no PC but will download the update over your providers network (eg GPRS or 3G... These connection types over cost over £5 per Megabyte and I have no idea how many Megabytes the update would be).

2) Using the USB cable and the Sony Ericsson Update Service you can do it all from a Windows PC.

Hope this helps :-)

Hi,

I have changed my 850i 3 times now, and all have the same problem with the flash not in time with the shuttr, they come out overexposed. I took the phone back the 3rd time and this time the manager came out to see me and told me that there was no fault. I said look at these then and he said that unless S E advise them (phone4U) of this problem then they will not recognise my problem!!!
I'm compltely stimied... and now my 3rd replacement has corrupted all the contacts on my simcard and only does A to T. I'm taking it back tomorrow, monday, the manager has already told me that I cant change the phone to the N95 cos its on a different network and that I can't upgrade cos I'm past the 28 day limit and I cant cancel the contract cos I'm past the 14 day cooling off period. I am seriously pissed off and trying not to lose my cool in the shop. The wise guy in phonesforu said run each picture thru photofix and they come out allright, but thts only with ambient background light. like I want to do that each time I take a flash pic !!!

Most of these shops dont really care about you (or phone companies for that matter). Once they have your money and have tied you to a contract then they have no incentive to keep you happy. Stupid business model in my opinion!

Hopefully the problems will be solves when SE release a Firmware update.

Hi, I encounter the same thing too but have since know what went wrong.

First thing is to wait for the flash to charge up till the red logo goes off. If not the timing of the flash and the timing of the picture taken will not be consistant. Therefore even if you see a flash, it will still be dark.
In order to take it correctly, there should be 2 flash follow by 1 strong flash.

Second point would be the lighting sensor located just below the flash. The 3 small LED lights. Due to SE trying to make it a camera for dummies, the auto sensor is very sensative. Even if nothing is blocking it, the lighting from the surrounding can affect it even if its just a 0.5sec delay difference.

hi there everyone! i had my 2nd k850i..the first one crashed so i got another one..the 2nd one seems fine at first, then after a week, the keypads are going crazy!! when i press 4, 5, 8, or the area around them (even not the buttons) the back softkey is pressed too! i think there is a problem with the wiring or alignment of the keypads? please help..thanks!

Blitz89 - I've been reading on many forums and I've never heard of that issue! Sounds like you're plain unlucky!

I just ran the firmware upgrade software and it found an update. Mine has changed from R1CA029 to R1CA037. I haven't had a chance to test the camera yet - but will do ASAP. The only other difference is that the texting mode now seems to have an interesting looking block at the top left which seems to do absolutely nothing!

The media section of the phone is also a LOT faster!

From what I've read this update is currently only approved by O2 and Virgin...

This is my source...
http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=157121&start=525#post2177756

i don't know what happened too..but i think it can be related to the problem with the touch sensitive part of the keypads. i think ive read from other forums that there's a problem coz the keys dont seem to respond..thanks for listening!:) but im actually trying to get it fixed..SE Philippines hasnt currently launched k850i so i have to wait for the release so i can get it fixed..but if you guys know of something, please share them..thanks again!:)

Im on a vodafone branded K850i and am experiencing a few problems.
Firstly the flash synchronisation is off...resulting in sometimes dark photos (what most ppl are experiencing) and a few other things bug the hell out of me.
The menu system and txting is freaking slow (especially when i have media player on at the same time, i get mass lag)!! So annoying..My phone also occasionally crashes and dies when doing various things (though not often thankfully).
Im on R1CA029 and so if i was to locate the unofficial upgrade (R1CA037) would this leave me in violation of my vodafone warranty or whatever!? as it doesnt seem to be approved by them...would really like to have the benefits of a faster menu/media player. Alternativly can i go to the sony ericcson store in london and have them do it? Is that the best way to update?
Can anyone tell me when we can expect a major firmware update?? Or provide any useful links to this question?
Thanks in advance, chris

My K850i has the latest software already insatalled (R1CA037) & still experiencing flash problems.

I can confirm that the '37' Firmware solved the flash issues with my K850i.

It has however introduced some new features... like the ability for it to randomly turn itself off when you get a text sometimes...

hello, i thought i was the only one with this problem, i am on my 8th k850i, all of them have the dark pictures, i have no plastic on the back and its phones4u AGAIN! refuse to let me swop model as over 14days. the manager of phones 4 u called me a lier and refuses to swop any more fones. i have even tried a different branch to see if it is a batch problem. All the same, is there a solution to these dark pics, cus i am really tempted to tear up my contract in the shop.

Hi all,

Have read through all your comments and I too have this flash issue but I think mine is more intermittant than always applicable.

Anyway I was just wondering if anyone has had any issues with best pic as mine does not work at all. When set in this mode, I dont even get one pic, let alone nine!! Sometimes it acts as though it is just a black pic like with the flash issue, other times its as if nothing has happened at all.

Anyone had this sort of problem or any advise on the issue that might just be me being stupid?

I had this problem, but if u actually check the box your phone came in, they have a "picture guide" showing how you should hold ur phone when taking pictures. A huge X was over a picture of fingers "hooding" the back of the phone. Keep them clear of any position BEYOND the back of your phone and the pictures will be taken all right.
What happens is, if ur fingers are over the sensor, it reflects a huge amount of light when the flash goes, and the sensor reduces its light intake and as a result, very dark pictures.
Try it, it works and it is NOT SE's fault.

I wonder how many of us here actually bothered to read the instructions ;-)

As much as I'm sure the instructions do give good advice, SE have admitted to a problem with the flash timing as there was a fix in the firmware update (from 29 to 37).

No, I don't expect to have to read instructions...
But it's obvious it's firmware, the flash goes off much too early

I used to have the same flash problems. Pictures without flashed looked way much better. To fix this problem, I had to remove the plastic protective cover. All works well now. Looks like that cover blocks the sensors and hence the dark pictures.

its when there is to much light the flash wont work good you only need flash when its dark mine works fine when its a lit up area the flash sener can see its light so wont work as good as when it dark when u can see the pic you dont need the flash when u cant u do

Remove plastic covering that blocks the light sensor and flash. (When looking at the camera, it is the black dot on left bottom side of flash). This light sensor is also on the front of phone top left side above left corner of screen. You might want to remove that also as this adjust picture if you're using front camera. If that doesn't help, then you should clean sensor with air and non abrasive swab lightly. Be sure not to use any chemicals; it may damage sensor surface and cause cloudyness in sensor. (DO NOT APPLY AIR CLOSE TO SENSOR AS IT MAY FORCE DUST ONTO LENS FROM THE INSIDE AND YOU DON'T WANT THAT IT'S ANNOYING TO GET RID OF... ALSO DON'T BLOW INTO SENSOR UNLESS YOU WANT SPIT GETTING ON IT!)

I have this same problem regardless of where my fingers are! It's made much worse if the camera isn't held 'properly'. But like another contributor pointed out, you can take the exact same shot six times over and get get six grossly different under-exposures. This problem is driving me nuts; in good light with no flash the camera really is superb - but in low light it's a disaster. I've updated to the latest operating software, made sure the sensor's clean and so on. Has anyone actually managed to get this problem fixed?

What version are you using Graham?

I'm on R1CA037 and haven't experienced the problem since the update.

To find your version, go to Menu > Settings > General > Update Service > Software Version.

Yes have this problem and loads of others. Chronically useless phone

I have this problem too had the issue with the camera cover not opening too but since having phone replaced (after 5 days) it still has the flash problems, I dont have my finger in the way and have definately removed the film. I am running firmware 37 fyi

Hi Nick
Sorry for delay in replying - All I can say on which software I'm using is that according to Sony Ericsson's Update service I'm now on the latest and most up to date version. For some strange reason my phone doesn't show an > update service > software version sub menu under Sattings > General or anywhere else I've looked. Even the Update Service programme isn't identifying the software version. On the plus side the phone doesn't freeze up anywhere near as often as it did, but a number of problems including the camera /flash issues remain.

I will try putting the phone in for a warranty repair but frankly at this point I've just about given up on it and I'm really just looking forward to replacing the phone with something more reliable when my contract ends.

I have had very similar problems with poor photos, I thought it might have been me but the fact the other people have noticed it only confirms it.

I have also had other problems, the first was not been able to hear people through the ear piece which they fixed and said it was a software fault. The second was that the diary and notes entries now wouldnt save, it has been with Vodafone and now Sony since the 7th December and I'm still waiting to hear back!!!

If anybody else has had similar problems please let me know as I'm in the process of writting to Vodafone to complain.

Not happy!!!

Hahahahaha thanks bro ... i took off the plastic cover too and my phone was working perfectly fine now with the flash .

damn i am feeling like an idiot now and was cursing the damn phone lol

mine sometimes go very dark

Mine most of times go very dark.
Mo plastic obstructing.

R1DA038
- Released on SEUS starting 21/12/07

Improvements / Changes
- SMS/MMS icon changes
- Media Player modifications and speed improvements
- Java benchmarks show significant speed improvements
- Updated Camera driver
- Updated Java engine

http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=157121

I will check.

Hiya, i know what you mean about the flash problem, i used to have it too but i've founda way to overcome it, it's kinda hard to explain ow though!! I never use the camera button on the touch coz i seem to get the problem more when i use that.

Using the button on the side, i hold it down until it's finished auto-focussing then i flick it REALLY quickly to take the actual picture. It takes a bit of practise but once you've mastered it, it never happens again, yay :D

Let me know how you do!!

well theres smething i found out myself, to begin with if youve still got the plastic on the back take it off, if your planning to take a picture close range with flash use twilight portrait but for a far range picture set the scene mode as auto & put the auto flash on. The picture should come out alot more brighter

I've just got my 850i back from Vodafone repair - they report the poor resolution photo's were due to a software fault and have done a complete software reinstall to cure it. But, OK guys wait for it, - the dark flash problem that seemed to be cured by my own previous updating the software is now back with vengence! And the resolution on the photo's is frankly still not that good. I'm now wondering if I'm not expecting too much from my 850i camera. I've scoured the web for a typical full resolution photos from 5MP phone cameras but can't find any at full resolution to compare mine to. So, if anyone could help me by emailing me a full resolution daylight image that's been taken with their 5MP phone-camera then please, please do so. Even if the image is not from a K850i - but please do let me know what phone it's taken on. It would be very interesting to see how different 5MP phones compare - but mostly I just want to know if other K850i's puts out the same kind of images as mine at full resolution. Please email photo's to
Many thanks.

This is a picture from my K850i...
http://flickr.com/photos/nicholas-thompson/2080926167/

You can view it in full by clicking the 'all sizes' button above the image.

My flash problem is way different from you guys, Well ive had this phone for about a month now and its been working fine even the flash in dark rooms worked perfectly.But now when i try to take a picture in a dark place the flash does not go off no matter what, when i get it to auto focus the flash goes off very dimly and when i make the phone take a picture no flash goes off. i wait for the flash icon to recharge and still no flash. the flash works i know it does because i use it as a flashlight, but when it comes to pictures no flash. please help!

I've had my k850i for about a month now. My flash is shit.. and the phone keeps turning on and of whenever it feels like it...especially when i'm in the middle of a phone call. A few days ago, it had its normal little panic attack whilst i was on the phone, but didnt turn back on. I took the battery and Sim out for a while..and tried again...the phone will not switch back on..it will only vibrate and then the lights on the keypad come on for a while...before turning off again!! Any ideas? I'm going to go back to the car phone warehouse but as i didn't take out insurence i guess there going to piss me off and tell me some crap ryt? xxxx

what plastic are you guys talking about? on the back?

This is so annoying me! There must be something I am doing wrong. i have followed instructions to a t and still it does not find phone?
Is there a blatant error on my part or is there a problem?

Are you plugging it into the computer itself or into a hub that is connected to the computer?

just got mine yesterday...

Flash sync is all out! thats why we are all getting dark images.

really frustrating

Listen up, I have heard all the complaints about the flash not being in sync therefore all you have to do is remove the plastic cover and change the shutter speed (ISO in camera settings to 400) this will make your distant pictures not dark. Its simple really.

And how do you do that?

What plastic cover? can you take a picture of your phone with out the plastic cover? cause i do not see any plastic cover on my phone

When your phone comes out of its nicely packaged box it usually hasa protective plastic film on the back of it to stop it getting scratched in transit.

Sorry but I don't agree. I don't have a plastic film over anything, but about every 3'rd picture comes out either black or very dark (no fingers in the way of the sensor etc, etc ...). Contacted SE and they want me to take my phone in for repairs. It's not even 2 weeks old! Downloaded and installed the latest firmware yesterday (R1DA038) - same old problem ...
The new "haptic" vibration feedback on the touch buttons is nice though! Just a pitty they now completely removed the clock from standby (can't use volumes keys for clock anymore).
I still think it's a great phone, just hope they can fix the little problems (clock, more?) ...
Camera problem is a biggie for me as I bought the phone to use as a camera (as I did with my K800i before that!)

hi i agree with every thing you put there did you get the phone fixed because i i have the same problem with the camra or is there a soft ware up grade

i bought my phone and called sony to repair it, they said i have to have a reciept and i dont have it. that freakin sucks

this HAS to be a firmware issue. there is NO other explanation that I can think of for the flash to NOT go off in a dimly lit area.
The only way I can solve this is to hold the phone focus button down for 8 seconds then pop the picture.
and FYI, the latest firmware did crap to fix this.

im getting that same problem. except my flash will not go off for anything.

its because your fingers are infront of the flash make sureall parts of hand are behind the phone so there is no obcsurity.

my fingers are away from the flash. still wont go off. the weird thing is, is when i let it auto focus a small dim of light goes out of the flash, but when i click it to shoot no flash comes out. plz help

hey does anyone know how to change the iso settings? it keeps going on auto for me and wont let me change it.

Hi all. Got k850i yesterday from Orange. First thing I noticed was the flash problem. nothing to do with plastic film. The most consisten results I have had are by keeping fingers well out of the way with any contact whatsoever of the lens-side of the handset. however i am not convinced. it is running rica037 firmware. I have this sucker on 18 month contract and I know it will do my head in and end up getting chucked out of a window if this problem persists so i am considering sending it back asap.

Wait a bit before you return or chuck it.
There is a new firmware out now (came out this weekend) but it doesn't fix the flash issue. The k850i will soon be fully hackable (IE, 3rd party better camera drivers and such). But if you only have a real limited time to send it back, do so then get another once real people fix all the firmware issues. I half think the flash light sensor on the k850 isn't sufficient for the flash and it gets confused. I can take identical pictures one right after another, in the same lighting and one will be perfect with a full flash and the other will be pitch black since the flash didn't go off. I think the auto settings mean "autosuck". I still love every other aspect of the phone, oh except one thing. No manual lens cover like the k750, k790 and k800. I don't like the idea of the plastic lens cover being scratched or hit with tons of fingerprints or dirt. This is a poor design decision in my opinion for a flagship phone.

I caant belive that this problems is 4 months old and no-one has come up with a fix yet, my girlfriend had her second one delivery today with the same problem!!

wot it is m8 is that when your taking pictures with flash on you need to hold the fone with your index finges and your phumbs,noting else an speard the rest of ya fingers outwards so they dont get in the way of the flash beam.

trust me i had that problem at the beggining thinkin the fone was broke or somthing.

I am now having this same problem. After working perfectly well when i got this phone, the flash is now not working at all, in any settings i have tried. im pretty annoyed with it right now as its a damned good phone and dont want this to spoil it. there better be a fix for it.

Got my phone yesterday

Only got my phone yesterday. No obstruction by either fingertips or plastic

The flash goes, approx. 3 seconds later the picture takes. The result is a black picture. Looked on the net and seems to be a common problem. SE say it's because your fingers get in the way of the flash, I have ensured I'm not doing this. Some people have said that updating the firmware solves it, did that, problem still there. Great for the supposed flagship camera phone that the camera doesn't work.

Went into O2 shop today, said that I had to send it back myself as I didn't buy it in the shop. An engineer in the shop also said that it was a fault in a particular batch of phones. How do I know I'm not gonna get one from that batch? Why the hell can't they change it in the shop? This is an outrage!

Called customer services who offered a door-to-door swap, then changed their minds because it wan't an internet sale. Thing is, it was originally wasn't it? The update team called me, it seems in doing this they have lessened my rights. They now want me to send it to a freepost address, yeah great idea send a £200 phone unrecorded.

wow ive had my phone half an hour, like most peeps here i was gettin dark pics but with a little practice it works fine, u gotta keep fingers totally out of the way, and if ur in a well lit room, turn the flash off, no prob since, gr8 phone!

I had the same issue with my newly purchased SE K850i.

This is something related with the handling of the phone when taking a photo.....It's totally with the way you hold the phone...Make sure none of your fingers are touched with the back surface of the phone when taking a photo. Or else the tiny sensor which placed right under the flash will grab the reflected flash light from your fingers and this will cause to stop the flash too early and result in geting a dark photo. This is called a underexposed picture.

please check these links with Sony Ericsson website.

http://www.sonyericsson.com/

http://knowledgebase.sonyericsson.com/

having that plastic film may also can affect since it can pass through light to every direction...so take it off first of all.

Happy Photo-Shooting pals.......:)

Hi!!

Does anyone have problems with there softkeys?? My k850i softkeys some time work and some times don't... it starts to get on my nerves... I've got the R1CA037 firmware... theres a new one but still can't get it on SEUS.

i'm considering to trade in mine k810i and buy k850i.
but it seems like u guys having a lot of problem with this phone..
hi Paul, do u think K810i better than k850i?
because after i bought the phone( k810i) for 2 weeks.
it starts to irritate me... because the joystick was giving me a lot of problem.. not functioning and yet the # button is not working after i press for a lot of time...
the camera button also, now it is not working anymore...
u have to try a lot of time to get it work..
i'm so sad now... and now it getting worse and worse..
what should i do...
=(

i have the same problem as u guys but thought about trying to use the keypad to take the pic instead of the push button on the side of the phone and that came out perfect,when using the button seconds earlier the image had come out black,just wondered if any of u guys have already tried that and did it make a difference??
its a pain i know and frustrating when u try n take a pic n they keep being dark

I have the same problem couple weeks ago. Firmware R1CA037....and now all three softkey is completely down. I need to send it to service center.

Hello,

yes, I received a k850i just yesterday (Tue/08/Apr/08) and am finding that when taking photos with the flash, the picture is at times almost completely dark.

I only found your comment because I was doing a search on another problem - the volume control doesn't work. It works for a while after a phone reset but then stops working again for no apparent reason.

I have talked to my phone provider CPW and will be returning the phone and having a think about my contract.

Thanks
Zish

Love the phone, was perfect until a couple of weeks ago, now it seems the flash is way to bright, all the pics trn out white.The settings are still the same all on auto, and it didnt do this before.

Whats wrong with it???

i have exactly the same problem..have you got it fixed?

I dont know what to do with mine now??

Incredible but true. Take the back plastic off and problem solved!!! Try it and see....

Great for you! Sadly, even after the latest software update, at least 3 out of 5 photo's (exactly same picture, without moving my hand, no plastic cover etc, etc ...) come out dark (black) as the flash either goes off too late or does not go off at all.
The funny thing is, it seems if you zoom in and zoom out again BEFORE taking the picture, the flash works! Weird is all I can say, and a bit sad as well?

Seems I have a sample from the broken batch ;-(

Hi, for anyone with K850/W910 etc. phones with accelerometer. You can download and try one of my new flash background images. (Download and select as background under settings)

Water.zip or Bounce.zip

I am busy trying to create a game using flash as well (Sopwith clone). Currently I have planes flying, accelerometer control etc.
Anyone welcome to have a look and maybe help me finish it?
(Also if anyone wants to have a look at the source code of any of these, contract me at - remove the underscore char before "lr")

Lol at the last line. really soem people just HAVE to keep that plastic on.

I had the same problem with the flash but I found out the exact problem in my situation. I am using a plastic capdase casing and it's blocking the flash just a little. When I took off the capdase casing it works beautifully. I am running on 1201-6847 R1DA038 SOFTWARE. Also try to take picture with all your fingers behind the phone not even on the side of it.

Hi i have had this same problem when i got mine and eventually i found what the problem was.

I had my finger just very slightly over or just infront of the sensor below the flash!

and if you take a photo holding the phone like normal your whole hand covers the flash and the sensor.

I just bought a new K850i, but the software is of version 1200-4404, R1EA031 080206. I've seen info about new version which is 037. I wanna ask whether it's a must to download the latest software(i tried to check for update service via my mobile but can't), and where to download 037 latest software? To add in more, i'm from Asia. Or anyone who can help can email to me via dennisshiusj(at)gmail(DOT).com

thanks!

dennis~~

HI All,

I''m desperate for help. Before I contact my cellphone provider, I want to know if anyone's had this problem and knows the solution.... Phone plugged into laptop the other day with wireless internet connection running, all of a sudden my phone simply died. Can't switch it on doesn't respond to anything. What's wrong? Hardware or software problem? using my trusty w800i in the meantime....

Cheers

whatever I do the" back" button activates automatically ..so I can't do anything .. writing a text becomes a nightmare . When I press menu the phone goes back immediately ,,, The phone turns "live"on constantly going onto the web whether I want to or not .I have reset as much as I can without deleting my contacts or photos ..
any ideas

Sandra, your phone needs to be sent in for service, the keypad and touch screen are broken. The same thing happened to me.
You can reset as much as you wont, it wont fix the problem.

Hello Zish. Ive had the same problem. The volum button stopped working after a while and I had to reset the phone to make it work again. Pictures with flash also turned out dark, but after a firmware update everything seems to be in working order. At least it seems like this , havent experienced anything irregular after flashing a couple of days ago.

you need to ensure that your fingers are clear of the back of the phone when you take a pic. you get best pictures when you press the shutter button half way down, let the light adjust and when the green light in the top left of the screen flashes slower or even stops flashing all together then the phone is ready to tak a good photo. it is important to make sure that your fingers are well clear of the back of the phone when taking the picture.

i just bought my new k850i last month.. i think it would grat coz it has 5.0megapixel camera. but only because the shuter wouldn't open.. my phones only become a rubbish.. i send it back 4 warranty n when i got it, it just stand 1 day n it same faulty come back.. it irritating when ur phones does th same faulty again n again.. mayb after this i just bought nokia.. at least it much better than new SE phones

My shutter often jammed shut. Simply turn the camera mode off and give the back of the phone a firm (but not aggressive!) pat. Next time you go to camera mode, the shutter should open.

I think it just sticks.

Hola la solucion para que siempre salga el flash es hacer lo siguiente:

Poner en escenario : "automatico" y "retrato a media luz" y listo saldra el flash en todo momento nada de fotos oscuras

No more dark pics k850:
In Scenes put Twilight portrait and Flash select Auto..o Red eye reduct OK

Salu2
Crlwaly
Perú

Thanks for the help, dude!

my does the same thing and im scard its broke and spend lots of money to fix it

In what way is it broken? The shutter?

Mine used to jam up a lot (I have an iPhone now). I used to firmly pat it on the back and then reopen the camera app and it usually worked fine.

I've got a problem with my K850i.... the Flash does not work. It used to work but it doesn't anymore.

I've looked into the flash and i can see a coil has burnt out. The flash looks like it has many coils... kinda like a halogen light. Anyway one of the coils are definately black and are a different colour to the rest of the coils.

The phone is already 2 months old. Sure it's under warranty. But i've already pulled my phone apart to replace the screen. Insurance is $150 excess while the screen was $50 delivered via ebay.
Is there anywhere i can get a replacement globe and are there
instructions on fixing such a thing?

Also the flash died before i smashed the screen...

Hello, as I´ve read your posts due to my inconvenience with my K850i, I tried and tested all aspects and suggestions, but come up with the same negative result.
First, I do not have a plastic cover over any part of the phone.
Second, No part of my hand(s) touch or go near the light sensor. Furthermore, I have placed my finger over the sensor and when the xenon flash works or when it is daylight, it makes no difference whatsoever (or at least my pics do not come out dark). So I discard the first 2 probabilities.

Whenever the flash is in automatic and mostlty nightime, if a picture is taken and the flash does not work, you get obviously a black picture. Why is that? I have come down to beleive that their is a hardware fault in the phone. If the flash goes off, not a problem, but I can see that sometimes the xenon flash struggles and tries to go off but doesn´t.

Can this be what most people experience? Let me know...

Besides this inconvenience it is a really good phone. I bought it for the camera specifications and performance, so if there is any suggestions, please advise.

thanks...

Otancin - Peru.

use the "twillight portrait mode"
if it works send me a message to

My K850i kept turning itself off and I was told i needed a software update. Was OK after doing this, however after about 4 days it now has the same problem as this, middle softkey keeps pressing itself anytime I go near the centre of the keypad, very wierd, I have tried restarting and also updated software again, but still have the same issue. Makes it almost impossible to use the phone, wish I had stuck with the turning off problem!!

hey friends,

i have been used so many brand of mobile phone,eventhougt sony erricson k850i launch last year,but now it's come to my hand, i bought it from the nearest mobile phone shop, it's the brand new phone k850i,after using for a week now ,for my opinion it's the best phone camera ever. After using the camera phone k850i for several time,i'm found a few tips for taking camera at night using flash for good and clearer picture.,here the tips,if you want to shoot potrait picture using flash at night,set flash on first,before your push the snap button to shoot for a picture,push the snap button slow and steady until the target at the center screen comes to green,if the target not change to the green it's mean that the flash is out of the range from the object you want to shoot..,and if you want to shoot for landscape at night,there are little lighting in the area simply turn off your flash,the k850i camera will automatically set the lens and shutter for bright and clear picture.Practice with the target change to green,you will realize and understand something about the range of flash..happy shoot for a picture at night..Sony Erricson K850i is The Best Phone Camera.

I bougth my k850 just a week ago and I have the same problem. When I set the flash in automatic, it doesn't work the most part of the times and the photos are often dark or black (no cover, last firmware, no fingers on the back). I don't want to test alternative solutions because it SHOULD work correctly no matter if you use the touch sensitive buttons, the side button, prepare autofocus first, etc, etc.

Maybe u have to clean the light sensor,that's my problem. When i clean it gently with a toothpick, it takes better pictures. Also u might want to change settings like portraits or so. This is just a suggestion. I'm not an expert so don't judge.

Thanks a lot for this forum. First i though i've bought damage handphone with bad camera. After i follow how to set taking picture in dark room, i could take great photo without dark/black screen :D

So I just bought the K850i today, and everything was great until I tried to take pictures with the flash. Like most of you, it would come out super dark, even darker than if I disabled the flash altogether. Every time.

After resisting the urge of throwing the fucking thing at the wall, I looked up this page and guess what, you guys are right. Just take off the plastic, and make sure your fingers are BEHIND the phone. You seriously have to hold it awkwardly, but the pics will come out great. There's even a picture in the manual with some guy holding the phone all weird at page 35 ; you gotta do exactly the same.

Hope this will prevent frustration to some people...

Yes !! Really I`m also having this problem when I take the photos with flash. Please answer if there is any solution for this?

Yes !! Really I`m also having this problem when I take the photos with flash. Please answer if there is any solution for this?

I agree that it is the way you hold the phone, after reading the posts here I tried holding the phone with my hand far from the lens side and so far 50 trial pic later in all sorts of light no problem.
Thanks

ok,i think the k850i is all about a camera phone that takes quality photos like a camera,BUT sadly my camera key got kind of stuck for no reason whatsoever and i do not know what to do.pleasse can someone help me!!!!!
by the way the camera key is not the one you turn the camera on and off with its the one that is the actual button you press to take photos!
thanyousooooomuch.

Guys check your light sensor which is just below flash next to LED's is free of dirt. Experienced same problem, gently dusted out clogged dirt and is performing well again

Hi,there i have a k850i aswell and i havent had any problems but i had noticed that wen my hand wason the back of the phone it would go kind of blackish but when you put ur hands on the top its a totally new picture

hey guys this is camera shutter problem... when u take photo with flash Shutter ups and down 2 tyms.. when shuter ups second tym some tym its down late and photo gong dark........
if u want to see tht at the tym of taking photo u see camera shutter.. when flash is on...