Humm today i replaced cam modules of n97 n86 3110 n70 and some chineese and samgsung si*h (they are hard to find and replace) funny thing is the modules wich dont have focus mechanism are better in quality aka orignal equivalent and easy to replace withot damaging . I even attached detached the modules of 3110 and n70 several times they didnt fail heck i dropped them on the floor from a meter and still functional On the other hand the n97 n85 modules were a diffrent catch they didnt provide quality like orignal though n97 module said oem the n86 provided satisfactory results as i had one to test lowlight was better in the orignal module wheras daylight didnt had much diffrence apart from more natural colors and shadows in the orignal and better contrast in aftermarket module . I didnt dare to stress test them buttt i retached and detached the n97 module with plastic edge with great care and it was sucessful . The samgsung was a easy go and the chineese were a pain in the *** it was more about checking and checking which fits and operates as serials on the ribbons of those modules arent of much use as they are hard to find even harder to replace if the clip dosent match or hell if the ribbon is directly solderd to board in unusual places . P.s the 3310 aftermarket module was exceptionaly better took photos better then the orignal in every aspect (?) when viewed on a pc.

Post edited as i cliked reply accidently in middle So maybe the n97 etc oem module can improve the pic quality slightly or if like the 3110c gave better results as i noted there may be some better modules than the stock on the wild so i would request a procedure of trial and error with sevral modules when you guys are on looking on the camera dept.

If genuine N97 mini would pe possible or even genuine N86, that would be a major win in terms of quality. N82 gives also very nice results. Just saying what I know about picture quality, not if it fits the board. But nokia improved the n97 mini cam in regard to the "default" n97

So in hunt of better cam i tried 3 camera modules on n97 each with a diffrent catch one was exceptionaly better ie it was sharp felt more detailed shadow areas were more visible low light was better ,actualy a tad bit better . I think camera software has much to do in terms of quality as night mode and sunlight shots felt it could do more . Cheapest one was bad damm it didnt focus ?? I suspect it does not have a focus mech in it as it took pictures normaly without much blur on far objects just like non auto focus cameras not like what happens when n900 cam focus is damaged .

The last one was normal acceptable but not like oem .. Btw I dont know what i am trying to prove here ???

You're helping on evaluation for Neo900 component sourcing. It would help a lot when you would disclose where from you got those modules, which quality you found for each one, and if there are particular unique visible marks or other properties to easily tell the modules apart.
Eventually Neo900 UG will have to source hundreds of those camera modules and it will be mad useful to not have to evaluate the sources you already found are crap.

Thanks a lot for your awesome help!
jOERG

@nokiabot
Then, it seems hard to find good spare parts for the N900.
Any detailed reference and seller's link is welcome!

Have you some picture to compare results?
Have you used some particular tool to remove the camera from the smia socket?

Actuall i was repairing a n97 camera problem so i got 3 insted of 1 or 2 modules to just test dont worry if it helps i will write down every thing incribed and i get parts from wholesale shops not internet
i got my exams coming and my pea sized brain cant handle that much so no photos actualy no fine cam atm or meaningful testings but i will document them next month or earlier

I missed to point to http://neo900.org/stuff/joerg/N97-cam/ and to mention that we definitely go for this solution now.
Does anybody have the exact numbering scheme of the connector (where's pin1 and were pin2)? Would save us 30 minutes of testing for the different possible numbering schemes.

cheers
jOERG