On Sun, 22 Jun 2014 16:47:52 +0100, N_Cook wrote:

On 22/06/2014 15:08, Pat wrote:
I have had a Panasonic BL-C131A IP Camera a long time ago. For a
while, it was on a window sill aiming outside. It worked like that
for years. However, one day I noticed that it appeared to be slightly
out of focus. It took a while to figure out, but the lens appears to
have been damaged. I used a microscope to look at it and am surprised
it works at all since there are areas that are clearly pitted. I will
guess that something reflected direct sunlight into it and caused the
plastic lens to melt. The camera works perfectly except for the lens
damage. (ie, ethernet, wi-fi, internal processor, pan, tilt,
microphone, etc. all work). I hate to throw away things that still
have value, but repair parts don't seem to be available anymore. If
only I could somehow replace the lens, I would still have a good
camera. But, the lens in tiny - approx 1 mm in diameter and buried
inside layers of boards and plastic parts. Unless anyone has any good
ideas, I guess I will just throw the whole thing in the trash.

Pat



Could it be just an anti-reflection or whatever coating that has
partially flaked off and perhaps you "only" need to ablate the rest of
that coating to go back to a smooth surface .

FYI. Here are two pictures of the lens. Like I said in my original
post, I am amazed that the only symptom is a little fuzziness.

http://tinypic.com/r/2wm17nq/8
http://tinypic.com/r/2ngstv8/8

I hope the links work. I never tried posting pictures this way
before.
Pat