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Remove Red Light When Video Recording?

30 replies · 43,918 views · Started 20 July 2007

mobad 20 Jul 2007, 09:37

How do I remove that annoyeing red light when video recording?
When I was on holiday and was trying to record some clips, it would just bring unecessary attention towards me and the phone.
Any apps that can override this silly light?

Halon 20 Jul 2007, 11:41

mobad wrote:How do I remove that annoyeing red light when video recording?
When I was on holiday and was trying to record some clips, it would just bring unecessary attention towards me and the phone.
Any apps that can override this silly light?

The red light is there for just that purpose, to show people that they're being recorded in much the same way as the camera makes the shutter noise.

bartmanekul 20 Jul 2007, 12:03

Isnt it due to a change in the law (for the UK at least)?

I seem to remember an uproar about all the upskirt pictures etc that appeared with the camera phones rolling out, hence why many make a noise that cant be disabled.

A good idea if you ask me.

Paul N95 20 Jul 2007, 14:15

bartmanekul wrote:
I seem to remember an uproar about all the upskirt pictures etc that appeared with the camera phones rolling out

I would have thought the red light would have been of benefit in those situations 😉

ut666 20 Jul 2007, 15:07

gotta love how the actions of a minority of people get to influence all of us...

especially as if having a little red light is going to solve the problem and change the freaks... oh there is a little red light, i must change my ways and not be a peeping perv.. ffs...

*end of vent* 😊

I for one find the red light annoying, especially as previously noted by a forum member when u try and film through a window... a nice red glow...

ut.

bartmanekul 20 Jul 2007, 15:28

Not at all, and I fully appriciate not wanting the light and sound of the fake shutter. I myself think it sounds tacky and would rather not have it, but put up with it because I understand why its there.

Nowadays you can be shouted at just because your taking pictures on a beach. Tsk.

cah1982 20 Jul 2007, 15:33

right u dont get a digital camera which has say 6mp making a bloody shutter noise so why should a camera fone, makes no sense

as for recording yer a small led like on a camcorder would be ok but it looks massive on fone , + it aint good for catching yer mates making fools of themselfs

bartmanekul 20 Jul 2007, 15:41

Presumably its because camera phones are easy to look innocent with. You hold a phone in your hands (like on a train/bus for example) then its not such a big deal. If your holding a camera however, then its going to get noticed.

tawalker 20 Jul 2007, 15:55

By coincidence, I came to this thread wondering how to stop the shutter sound - is it really as simple as switching to the Silent profile?

Will have to try that... and no, it's not because I want to take dodgy pics 😉 I tried using the N95 camera in the middle of a friend's wedding the other week, and the phone let out a loud cod-camera noise in the middle of the ceremony - thankfully everyone saw the funny side... 😊

Ronaldo-9 20 Jul 2007, 16:14

the red light is a problem, when you record anything that reflects light it shows...

i aint too fussed but it would be better replaced by normal glow instead of red

randomfan 20 Jul 2007, 16:18

tawalker wrote:By coincidence, I came to this thread wondering how to stop the shutter sound - is it really as simple as switching to the Silent profile?

Will have to try that... and no, it's not because I want to take dodgy pics 😉 I tried using the N95 camera in the middle of a friend's wedding the other week, and the phone let out a loud cod-camera noise in the middle of the ceremony - thankfully everyone saw the funny side... 😊

Well, the shutter sound isn't strictly tied to the silent profile, but that does work.

What really dictates whether the shutter makes any sound is the Warning Tones setting in the profiles. So if you set the Warning Tones to 'off' in all your profiles, then there's no need to hear the shutter sound regardless of which one you are using.

Paul N95 20 Jul 2007, 21:50

When taking photos you still get a red light flash. It can't be for focussing as it seems to focus before that.

Paul N95 20 Jul 2007, 22:57

The red led was annoying me too, so I bit the bullet and took the phone apart. I thought at first it was a bi-colour led, but couldn't really think how a high intensity led could be red too. Anyway after closer inspection you can see the red light is offset, so it is clearly a 2nd led. It is nothing more than a tally light so its absence will do no harm.

In the photo below you can see what track to cut to inhibit the red light. It's probably not worth the effort, but I love to take things apart anyway so it was fun.

I prised the lens cover off to get a closer look at the connections. Now the whole circuit is visible and with hindsight it would have been easier to cut the track on the far left next to the surface mount capacitor.

User posted image

Ronaldo-9 21 Jul 2007, 00:51

well i'll just wait for a app, there is apps for red button to stop it from closing other apps and many more

Dan205 21 Jul 2007, 09:00

Paul N95 wrote:When taking photos you still get a red light flash. It can't be for focussing as it seems to focus before that.

It's part of the red eye reduction, it can be turned off in photos by manually turning off the flash. It flashes red for a split second to make your pupils contract prior to the bright flash. In the dark your pupils widen and the flash otherwise bounces off the back of your eye (which is red) leading to red eyes in photos.

illuster 21 Jul 2007, 10:08

Dan205 wrote:It's part of the red eye reduction, it can be turned off in photos by manually turning off the flash. It flashes red for a split second to make your pupils contract prior to the bright flash. In the dark your pupils widen and the flash otherwise bounces off the back of your eye (which is red) leading to red eyes in photos.

But red isn't the best color to do that. If you check, you will see that the red light even comes on, when you turn red light reduction off. When it is turned on AND flash is needed, the camera will flash three times with the bright white flash. The first white flash makes you pupils contract.

The red light seems to come on even when flash is not in use

For some reason the white flash seems to flash always twice even when red eye reduction is off.

Paul N95 21 Jul 2007, 16:33

I believe that the white LED is used for flash, focusing AND red eye reduction. In tests it appears to do all three jobs. The red LED has no purpose other than a tally light. It is too dim for either focusing or red eye reduction.

randomfan 23 Jul 2007, 10:25

systemx wrote:Must be the new firmware but Silent and warning tones off the shutter sound still pops up.

I'm on the latest v12 firmware and there's no sound when I'm in silent/turn warning tones off....

ffcphone 23 Jul 2007, 13:40

Just thinking out aloud but I wonder if the red LED also emits infra-red to assist in auto focus (as well as any auto focus assists from the white LED)?

F

Paul N95 23 Jul 2007, 20:27

ffcphone wrote:Just thinking out aloud but I wonder if the red LED also emits infra-red to assist in auto focus (as well as any auto focus assists from the white LED)?

F

Judging by the track width for the red LED I would doubt it was a higher power IR device. Compared to the white LED the conductors are a fraction of the size.

illuster 23 Jul 2007, 22:46

ffcphone wrote:Just thinking out aloud but I wonder if the red LED also emits infra-red to assist in auto focus (as well as any auto focus assists from the white LED)?

F

it seems that the auto focus is done before the red light comes on. So unless the led is capable of emitting infra-red while the red light is off, this seems to be unlikely.

ffcphone 24 Jul 2007, 08:33

Paul N95 wrote:Judging by the track width for the red LED I would doubt it was a higher power IR device. Compared to the white LED the conductors are a fraction of the size.

Agreed.

illuster wrote:it seems that the auto focus is done before the red light comes on. So unless the led is capable of emitting infra-red while the red light is off, this seems to be unlikely.

Coming round to the same opinion. The red LED is simply a tell-tale indication.

F

dez_borders 24 Jul 2007, 10:27

ffcphone wrote:
The red LED is simply a tell-tale indication.

I agree. Don't shoot me for asking this but what legal or moral use is there for disabling the red warning light?

Taking pictures or videos without the knowledge of the subject is at least very dodgy and sly, and at worst an illegal act for which you can be arrested.
I have read of related court-cases in the UK press, and the result was a prison sentence.

Paul N95 24 Jul 2007, 12:00

Personally I have my N95 on my dashboard recording my journey. The red light reflected in the windscreen and was distracting.

I can't see a legal reason for having to show a red light. Unless you are taking photos where you should not be.