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Vertical line problem


jrovner

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For the first time yesterday, I noticed a vertical orange line appearing on some photos, starting at the bottom of the image a bit left of center. I was using the new 21mm Super Elmar at ISO 800. I exposed the images for the sunny outdoor scene through a window, so I had to bump up the exposure in Lightroom 4 to brighten the indoor space. That's when the line became noticeable. It seems to be in the same spot in several images from this series. Because I'm only seeing this in some images, and only with this lens, and only when I've boosted exposure in processing, I'm inclined to think it's not a sensor issue. Any ideas? I've attached an example. The only processing done to this image was to boost exposure and export as a small jpg. Thanks very much.

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It definitely looks like a bad pixel issue to me. It may not show at certain ISOs (low ISOs) and not in DNGs (since the software to process them can map it out.) If you can live with it and fix it in post (I lived with it for a while), then you'll be fine. Otherwise you'll have to send it to Leica to get remapped. In the meantime take an image in total darkness to see it clearly.

 

This seems to be somewhat common with this sensor. although it happens with all sensors. It would have been nice if they had remapping available through firmware. There are other manufacturers that have remapping in firmware.

 

EDIT: just so you know, the one bad pixel will turn off the ones below and form the column line of bad pixels as you can see in your image........

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Darn. I see you're right. The black image shows it clearly once exposure is boosted. I'm surprised I hadn't noticed this before. I'm in California. Any idea how long it is likely to take Leica US to return the camera? Thanks again!

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I sent mine to Leica NJ. It took 10 working days. Fixed under warranty and also fixed the peeling vulcanite cover. It's easy to fix in Photoshop, so I waited for a while until the covering was peeling off a lot.

 

Also processing the DNG in LR/ACR should map it out. Try a DNG and see if it shows after processing.

 

It's just more of just a 'frustrating niggle' than anything else.

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I guess I'm not sure what you mean. The images I've attached were DNGs brought into Lightroom. The line shows in the DNG, but also in the exported JPG from Lightroom. I'm not sure how to use Lightroom to remove the line.

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ACR should detect the pixels and map them out. It does so automatically. There's a lot of discussion on the Adobe forums on Adobe's website. Or click on this: lightroom remaps dead pixels - Google-Suche

 

Here's a summary on the pixel issue which affects all sensors:

 

"Now when it comes to the camera sensor, the situation is a little different, because dead/stuck/hot pixels will show up in your images. The probability of having defective pixels on a digital camera sensor is even higher – if you have 920,000 pixels on the camera LCD, you probably have 12+ million pixels on the camera sensor. Dead and stuck pixels are the most annoying ones, because they show up in every single picture. I personally do not care about those, because Lightroom and Photoshop Camera RAW automatically map those out when I import RAW images. If you only shoot JPEG, then it will take a little more time to map those pixels in post-processing, since you have to touch every image. There are some programs out there that will look for pixel patterns and fix JPEG images in batches, so you can more or less automate the process as well. If you see stuck pixels at low ISOs like ISO 100 and 200 and you exclusively shoot in JPEG, then you can send your camera for service to get those pixels remapped. As for hot pixels that show up only at high ISOs and longer exposures – those are very normal to have. Don’t send your camera to manufacturer to remap those, since they will come back in different spots later for sure. Again, if you shoot in RAW, Lightroom/Camera RAW will take care of those."

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I think there must be some types of dead pixels that are automatically corrected by Lightroom upon import, and others that are not. Mine must be in the second group. I've now researched this issue in Google, and there are others, like me, who aren't getting the benefit of auto-correction. I'll have to send back to Leica for service.

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  • 2 months later...

I have exactly the same problem with my M9P. Already contacted the Leica service center in Lisbon.

 

I like a lot one of the impacted photos. How can I recover it in post production?

 

Thanks, Pedro

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In my Olympus E1 which had a Kodak CCD sensor there was a pixel mapping option in the menu.

Could Leica have implemented such an in camera option.

Having to send in a camera to Solms or other service center isn't very convenient, and involves at least some expense, especially out of warranty.

Anybody know why that wasn't possible.

maurice

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For the first time yesterday, I noticed a vertical orange line appearing on some photos,....

 

One key point here is that pixels can "go bad" after leaving the factory. I'm sure Leica maps out bad pixels in new cameras, but many things, from cosmic rays during jet flights to simple overheating can create new bad pixels.

 

I had a new one turn up after leaving an M9 in a hot (>150°F) car last summer. Bought my second body so that I could get it mapped out by Leica without "M withdrawal." Took about 10 days, Denver to NJ and back.

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