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I've been using the Logitech C615 web cam for some time now, for timelapse photography. However I'm not perfectly happy with its focus at "infinity". It's not perfectly clear. On closer distances the image is perfectly clear. It just seems that the focusing motor or its focusing steps are tuned for closer distances.

Which is expected and perfectly normal! But I'm wondering if there is a possibility I could open up this camera and modify something to calibrate the focus to be more optimised for distance.

I've found a picture showing the inside of this cam: inside of camera

I've added these red arrows to point out to these pins which look like they are there to assist in manual turning of the lens. I did not take my camera apart yet because I'm recording a timelapse with it right now, as it is, so I would not like to take it apart if there is nothing I could do.

Here are some pictures from the camera as they are now.

Totally out of focus: focus 4 50%: focus 3 25%: focus 2 Maximum: focus max

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    "It just seems that the focusing motor or its focusing steps are tuned for closer distances." Sounds reasonable for a webcam. Infinity is irrelevant, close distances up to macro are needed, so shift the range there. What is your specific question? "Is it worth to modify a webcam mechanically to allow this?" Probably not. Take any PC controllable camera or a camera with interval settings (e.g. CHDK compatible) and you will gain better results in any regard. Even a several years old used one (again Canon because of AA batteries) will perform better. – his Mar 16 '14 at 23:49
  • Yes, that was kinda my question. I know this is far from perfect and better solutions exist. The mentioned CHDK with Canon would be great, I know. But anyhow I just thought I pop up this question here, basically out of curiosity, maybe someone did something similar already. – Ivan Kovacevic Mar 17 '14 at 9:18
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I had the same issue/idea as you and decided to see if I could alter the camera to focus father away. After taking it apart, the four spokes don't appear to allow adjustment of the focus. They don't turn. As the camera focuses the lens assembly (including this 4 spoke thing) moves closer to the sensor (for far away focus) and farther from the sensor (for close up focus). I verified by watching it work as it focused close up and far away.

I did, however, desolder the focus assembly's leads and removed the assembly. Underneath there was a clear plastic sticky pad which I removed. That moved the lenses very slightly closer to the sensor which changes the focal range to allow it to focus slightly farther away. If you do this, make sure the top part of the focus assembly doesn't separate from the bottom increasing the distance or causing it to be slanted... mine did this and I had to super glue it together after I was done working on it.

It still won't focus very far out, but it's significantly better. If you can figure out a way to shave some more distance (being literal) you should be able to extend the focus farther. I couldn't think of a way to do it without designing a new bracket, and only needed it to focus better at about 6-10 feet. It may be possible to 'lap' the bracket down if you're very careful to keep it flat.

It's still not as focused at 6' compared to 4" so even for my use I would benefit from less distance between the lens assembly and the sensor. The impact to the 'macro' performance of the camera appears minimal... I think this thing was designed to focus too close - even as a webcam...

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    Thank you for this answer! Exactly what I was looking for. Now I'm motivated to disassemble that thing :) – Ivan Kovacevic Jul 30 '14 at 2:02
  • I took my C 615 apart and turned it as described. It is much more useful now, as it does focus on further objects, at least within 10 or 20 feet or so. I think I could have turned it even further. – user68165 Sep 4 '17 at 22:42
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Just to add to this, the spokes do turn (it is set with glue, so may need a bit of persuasion to move). I've removed the metal trim just behind the spokes so that I can tighten the lens in as far as possible.

Mine seems to focus quite well at a set distance (once desoldering the auto-focus lines).

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