Blurry V3 camera

Take a look at the attached photograph. No its not some distant icy moon, its the lens of one of my V3 cameras taken from the inside, looking out.
No wonder the picture quality was poor.

Welcome back Jen, it’s been a few months since we’ve seen one of your cool video submissions. :slight_smile:

Looks like the lens took some physical damage at some point (I assume those are cracks and not just some kind of stain?). Has the quality always been off with this cam, or is it more recent that you started to notice something was off on this particular cam? Any idea what the cause could be? Did it fall down or something? It looks like it had a very precise impact just to the upper left of center where everything else splinters out of.

Either way, your instincts were right about needing to check out the lens in this case. :wink:

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No impact damage that I am aware of, this was my original outdoor V3 which worked fine for several months but then suffered from water ingress. I dried it out but the image remained blurry. I decided to take it apart and see if it was repairable and this is what I found.

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Interesting. Did the water damage happen in the winter time? I wonder if freezing water could contribute to something like that.

It’s hard to tell but it almost seems like there is a little bit of some kind of clear film over the lens that bubbles up in a couple of places. I wonder if there is a separate outer layer of something that could be removed to clear it up.

It’s probably better to just try to get a different lens, but I wonder if something like windshield filler would do anything. My brother-in-law used some kind of stuff on a windshield crack and it seemed to make the entire completely disappear as if there never was a crack. I would’ve never believed it. But for something like a lens, I don’t think it would work as well because the high definition up close like that would be hard to hide when magnified.

What are you plans from here? Going to look at other lenses or do you have ideas to try to clear it up?

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It did happen over the winter and it did experience some heavy rain, I can’t remember it being cold enough to freeze at the time but I may be wrong.
At the moment I have the camera free of the circuit board, now I have to unscrew the lens from the camera. It appears to be glued in place so I’m going to try some localized heat to see if I can get it to come off.
I’ll post some pictures if I find anything new.

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About half my outdoor V3 have done this over time within a year. Water gets inside the lens and will not dry and shows spots / blurry picture. Wyze just replaced the most recent.

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I probably should have done that too but curiosity got the better of me.

I realize this is an old thread (and I see a few more similar threads) but I have the same problem with one (so far) of my V3 cameras. Unfortunately, it is beyond 1-year since the displayed “device info - activation date”. Since there seem to be quite a few with this same problem, I wonder if Wyze will replace an “out-of-warranty” camera at their cost, since it does seem to be a manufacturing defect?

This unfortunately has been a very common experience for me as most of mine that are exposed to the elements have failed. Wyze says to bring it inside for a bit to dry and that helps but you then typically have a residual on the center of the lens insidethat is not quite as clear after. Eventually it is too bad. Those of mine under cover outside have not been affected. I usually have the issue when it is raining one day then quickly transitions to snow and cold soon after. The inside lens then fogs up never to be the same. Some occur in a few months after activation some have occurred after the 1 year is up. I had two recently that failed, one just before the 1 year, one just after.

Thank you for the reply. That pretty much sums up my experience. I guess these really aren’t true “outdoor cameras” with so many of them failing due to the elements. If I do replace this camera, I’m going to get one of those covers so I can also mount it with a quarter inch tripod screw, which I never understood why they don’t build into the camera.

Unfortunately you are not alone. Moisture in the lens of the v3 cams is an issue. I have had three replaced by Wyze and am about to submit my forth one. All have lasted about a year, some more, some less. To be clear I have about a dozen v3 cams and they are ALL outdoors. Only the ones that are in direct weather have the moisture problem in the lens. I like to use them for weather time lapses and as such they are exposed to get a good view of the sky. I have replaced the lenses on all of them and inspection show no signs of water intrusion in the camera, just the front element of the lens. I suspect a defect in the v3 lenses, which are different from the v2 cameras.


For the record the Wyze cams are all little heaters. I seriously doubt they would ever freeze. Mine have been exposed to freezing rain and snow and survived 15 deg without issue.

My issues started before the colder weather “blew in” but has been aggravated with the recent <10-degrees and -5-degrees wind-chill caused by the 20-30mph winds recently experienced. Earlier today when I checked it the haziness had mostly cleared but is still not as sharp/in-focus as it originally was or like the other V3 cameras I have outdoors. As it gets darker it will probably get worse. I also made sure to check the lens/clean with a Q-Tip before posting. Attaching a sample photo.

All: Make sure your camera is not pointed up, or even zero in any way. Down is best. My Outdoor Cameras often experience blurriness for a few days after any moisture if they are not pointed down.

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Thanks for the suggestion and no it isn’t pointed upwards - just straight ahead. I didn’t realize these cameras are so fragile and “not really ready for the harsh outdoors”. I have V2 cameras outside that I had bought “outdoor mounting kits” for and have run for years without issues.

For my V3 cameras that are outdoors in the open (this one is mounted on a fence), I might just get something like this for additional protection: Gcioii Mount for All-New Wyze Cam V3,Weatherproof Protective Silicone Skin Cover and 360 Degree Adjustable Wall Mount Accessories for WYZE Cam V3 Wire-Free Smart Home Camera(Black, 1 Pack)

Unfortunately after they dry inside they are not the same, as it seems residual causes the lens to cloud. Pretty much trash after that. You can really see this haze at night toward a light, the light will now look rather large instead with all the light dispersion.

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