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DNG Processing Problem


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Please excuse me if this is a known issue but I've been unable to find any prior reference to what I'm seeing.

 

I took the attachments are of a photograph taken on a recent visit to the Summer Isles in Scotland. The first attachment is as exported directly out of Lightroom. The second is after black and white conversion and extreme contrast adjustment in Photoshop. Notice the vertical line? This is exactly half way across the image. I have several other photographs where this has occurred. The extreme contrast adjustment had been made only to clearly illustrate the problem. Unfortunately, even with less heavy handed manipulation, the line can be seen with my final image.

 

It's almost as if the file is being processed in 2 halves or the CCD is made in 2 parts. I'm not sure at what stage the problem arises - in the camera or in Lightroom.

 

Has anyone seen this before? Any known solutions?

 

Cheers,

 

John

 

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John--

Welcome to the forum!

 

You are exactly correct when you say it's as if the image were being processed in two halves. The sensor has two parts, whose outputs are processed separately. Reason is to speed the processing by doubling the number of pipelines to the processor. This split is a known possibility, but shouldn't be noticeable, and certainly not frequently.

 

Is your camera by any chance one of the early ones that has not yet gone back to Solms for adjustment?

 

Since I didn't see the problem at first even on the b/w example, and only then could find it on the top image, the problem doesn't seem that bad to me----but you're the one whose opinion matters, of course. :)

 

I'd call Leica customer service and see what they advise. Your camera may need to revisit the homeland. :(

 

--HC

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Thanks guys.

 

Howard, it's interesting that you can only see it in the top image. I can't see it there at all but very clearly in the bottom image. It is a later model M8 so came out of the factory correctly adjusted. However, I will call Leica and see what they have to say. Hopefully, this is something that will be fixed in a firmware upgrade and won't require a hardware fix.

 

BTW Excuse the poor english in my original message. That will teach me to read before hitting the post button!

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  • 2 months later...

I just spoke with Leica (US technical support) and they told me that the problem is a mismatch between the sensor and the electronics, presumably the a/d converters. I will need to send my camera to them to have the sensor and electronics replaced.

 

Obviously, I'm not too happy with this. Should I expect to have the camera replaced or just go with the fix?

 

Thanks

 

John

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I just spoke with Leica (US technical support) and they told me that the problem is a mismatch between the sensor and the electronics, presumably the a/d converters. I will need to send my camera to them to have the sensor and electronics replaced.

 

Obviously, I'm not too happy with this. Should I expect to have the camera replaced or just go with the fix?

 

Thanks

 

John

 

How long have you had it? With most problems like this Leica USA HAS BEEN, not that they still are, replacing cameras. If it's new I'd contact the place you purchased it from and have them call Leica to see if they can get it replaced.

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I have had the camera since March. Also, just spoke with Robert at the Leica service center. Both he, and Mark (I spoke to earlier), have been extremely helpful. Robert has committed to sending me a new camera as replacement. Too bad that I need a replacement but excellent service from Leica nonetheless.

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I have had the camera since March. Also, just spoke with Robert at the Leica service center. Both he, and Mark (I spoke to earlier), have been extremely helpful. Robert has committed to sending me a new camera as replacement. Too bad that I need a replacement but excellent service from Leica nonetheless.

 

Glad to hear that. This line propblem is well known and has turned up many times in this forum.

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Hi Simon...yes, a very dirty sensor! That's how it came out the box. I rectified that some time ago.

 

I searched on this forum and couldn't find the issue any where. It's not the same as the banding problem or line of dead pixels, which are the only significant ones I could find.

 

Anyhow, it's on it's way to New Jersey now and, hopefully, I'll have a new unit in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, time to get out my Contax RX and G2!

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Hi Simon...yes, a very dirty sensor! That's how it came out the box. I rectified that some time ago.

 

I searched on this forum and couldn't find the issue any where. It's not the same as the banding problem or line of dead pixels, which are the only significant ones I could find.

 

Anyhow, it's on it's way to New Jersey now and, hopefully, I'll have a new unit in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, time to get out my Contax RX and G2!

 

Invest in a sensor swap, PEC-PADS and Eclipse E2 Sensor cleaning solution.

I can't count how many times I have had to clean the sensor on all the M8's I've had. It's starts to clear up after about 1000+ shots. But even then sensor cleaning is part of owning a interchangeable Lens digital camera of any make, model or type.

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Guest sirvine

I'm sort of amazed they replaced it for that. I've seen the same artifact in my photos when I push them hard in post. Maybe I should take it a little more seriously, but it never bothered me since it wasn't visible at normal exposure/contrast.

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They haven't replaced it yet but I'm hoping they will!

 

At first, I noticed it only once I pushed it in post processing and was prepared to live with it. I'm now noticing it in previews on the M8 LCD panel so think it's more serious than I first suspected.

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Guest sirvine

Ah, well that's certainly a problem then. I've never noticed it except where I've brought a massively underexposed shot out of the shadows.

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Sol

 

I was test driving an M8 a few weeks ago and was easily able to induce

the centerfold issue without going to extremes in post processing.

 

Simple black and white conversions of landscape images aimed at replicating

the the dark sky look achieved by using a red filter with black and white film

easily brought out the defect.

 

The problem is not unique to Leica,though,as I have files from 2 differnt

35 and 39 megapixel digital backs that have the same issue.

 

Mark

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Ed--

You're not using PEC*PADS for sensor cleaning, are you? Photographic Solutions, Inc. - Digital & Photographic Cleaning Solutions recommends against using the product for that purpose.

 

--HC

 

Yes so they can sell you sensor swaps at $4+ each. Yes I have followed the CopperHill Images tutorial and use there swap with PEC-PAD around it.

Been working on a Nikon D200 for over a year and 3 different M8's.

At the rate I've had to clean the sensors on the M8's I would need to take out another loan to afford the PSI sensor swaps.

 

Let me add that if they recommend PEC-PADS for lens cleaning, where the coating could be on the front of the glass, then they are fine for sensor swipes.

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Ed--

Thanks for the response!

 

You've always seemed to me pretty much on top of things, and your reasoning sounds well-considered here as well.

 

Glad to get a point of view different from that of the company!

 

--HC

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