corrupt raw files?

[dangorange]

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Apologies that this (hopefully) is not an issue with the Q, but perhaps with the SD card I'm using which has not had any issues. But this is really weird...

 

Yesterday I took around 75 photos mostly of my daughter over the course of the day. When I view them in the camera's LCD, everything looks fine. I just bought an SD card reader and used it for the first time. When I started viewing the photos, I noticed that only on the DNG files, these odd magenta bands started to populate most of the images. Some have several, some only one, but the DNG files are essentially ruined(I think)

 

When I mean populate, the photos looked ok and then it was as if they were becoming corrupt while viewing in Bridge. I was hopping it was a bad transfer with the SD reader, so I connected using the Q directly to my computer and got the same thing. It's not every photo, but the majority, and again, ONLY the DNG files, jpgs are ok, but unfortunately I have the lowest resolution set for jpgs. 

 

The photos still look ok in the Q's display, I don't know what to think. I'm going to continue to research on line but thought I'd see if anyone might have insight, this is really a bummer:(

 

[dangorange]

I'm seeing this in Lightroom as well as Bridge

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[dangorange]

Here's a crop at 200% looks like digital noise, now I'm worried about the sensor. 

 

It's very inconsistent. 

 

[mjh]

Here's a crop at 200% looks like digital noise, now I'm worried about the sensor.

Indeed you should. I guess that either the sensor (or another electronic component) or the card are at fault. You could try a different card or saving full-resolution JPEGs. If the sensor is the culprit the issue should be apparent in full-resolution JPEGs as well, and look about the same. If it is the card then there may be artefacts in JPEGs, but these would look totally different.

Edited September 24, 2015 by mjh

[dangorange]

Yes, I just took a handful of photos and transferred using the reader and everything looks fine. I'll add full size jpegs and try that too. 

 

So far what I'm seeing, there is no issue with the jpegs that correspond to the DNG files. 

I can't seem to find any clue as to whether it was a setting. Through the day I shot in and out of manual and tried various other settings. There's no consistency whether it was a setting combination, or whether it was shooting in bright light or inside. This also happened over several sessions with the camera, so it's not like the images affected were taken during one time the camera was on. 

[dangorange]

I put a file up in my dropbox with the DNG issue, the jpeg and a screen grab showing what I see on my end. If anyone wants to check it out themselves. I talked to the store I bought the Q from and sent them some images as well.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/twlne6ny9u8skcc/AABkEqaTMVX6YgVevjToLJcta?dl=0

 

Another odd thing I found was blown blue areas, there's a screen grab in the the folder demonstrating this. Not only that, when I pull saturation all the way down while processing, the blue stays. 

 

Edited September 24, 2015 by dangorange

[mjh]

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Parts of the DNG file are garbage (a hex editor shows large blocks of FFFF) but the question is why. You should try another card – if the problem persists then it’s a camera issue.

[dangorange]

Parts of the DNG file are garbage (a hex editor shows large blocks of FFFF) but the question is why. You should try another card – if the problem persists then it’s a camera issue.

 

Crap, I just tried another card and got the same issue. Tried formatting the cards between taking the same photos the same way and also using the card reader vs camera attached to computer. (to rule out the new card reader)

 

I was able to reproduce using all methods, things are looking towards it being the Q which rots as I have a big shoot I'm supposed to do this Saturday which the Q would be perfect for. 

 

Wonder if I should reset or reinstall firmware next, probably. 

Edited September 24, 2015 by dangorange

[jaapv]

I think it is better to mail these to Leica ASAP and call them for their opinion.

[dangorange]

Edit, I updated my software and that fixed the blue weirdness, but the bigger issue of pink lines(noise) remains, so now the balance is shifting to the Q being at fault, as I've ruled out the SD cards.

 

My store has sent the images I provided directly to Leica and I will await their word, will update since this may in fact be something to look out for.

 

 

 

Well here's an update, I just checked some DNG files from last week which were not doing this, and older RW2 files from my Panasonic that I know were fine, and now I'm seeing odd behavior so it must be my software, which I am running all updates. I have Camera Raw 7.0 on my main computer. 

 

I saw the same stuff on my laptop, so I'm feeling a little better. Maybe Adobe just switched something over last night?

Edited September 24, 2015 by dangorange

[CharlesL]

I downloaded your L10000359 package. The DNG when opened in Raw Therapee has the pink band. When the viewer program Fast Stone opens the DNG, it displays by default the embedded JPG - no problem. But FS can then be told to open the DNG, and the raw image has the pink band.

(You can also tell the DNG from the embedded JPG by whether or not the camera has applied distortion correction, especially at the left edge of this shot.)

I doubt that the in-camera JPG engine removes a pink band. Something corrupted the DNG after the camera made the JPG; the crux is in the history of the DNG from a moment after the camera used and stored it until...?
 

[mjh]

I have checked with both Lightroom and Iridient Developer and both show the issue (also the hex editor as mentioned before), so those files are definitely damaged.

[dangorange]

Thanks for having a look!

 

Here's my latest observation, and what I hope is going on, although I don't know it is. 

 

I one variable that changed over the last day(other than adding a half case) is I bought a cheap SD reader. Since the half case covers that port, I didn't want to take the camera out every time I transferred pictures to the computer. 

 

What I just saw was, when I take some new photos and then use the USB card reader to transfer, I've been opening bridge to view the previews first, just habit. As they show up in focus in Bridge I see the pink bands being created. In 2 instances I pulled the reader without ejecting it properly and then put the SD card in the Q and transferred from the camera. In each case, the photos that I saw the pink lines starting to show are corrupted, but the image that had not yet been affected are fine. 

 

So what seems to be happening is this piece of crap reader is corrupting the DNG files if I'm looking at the photos in Bridge from the reader and not from my computer, post transfer. 

[pico]

Send it back to Leica.

.

[jaapv]

But if it is indeed the reader + Bridge, however unlikely, Pico?

A simple test is to lock the card before inserting - something that is a good idea in general- and see what happens to the file.

 

Another thing is that these lines appear to be bent, which suggests that they are somehow related to the distortion correction, which would point at the camera software.

[jaapv]

Here's a crop at 200% looks like digital noise, now I'm worried about the sensor. 

 

It's very inconsistent. 

 

 

 

That does not really look like a sensor fault, more like a read/write error or otherwise corrupted data in the file.

[mjh]

Another thing is that these lines appear to be bent, which suggests that they are somehow related to the distortion correction, which would point at the camera software.

When the correction isn’t active those line are straight; with the correction active they are bent. The issue exists in either case.

[CharlesL]

You can test other methods of transferring files out of the camera, for example, wi-fi.

 

From all reported so far, the odds are high that any method not using that card reader should work. The only other, unlikely possibility one might consider is a defect in the camera socket for the card.

[dangorange]

So I'm almost certain it's the card reader, but check out how bizarre this is, based on a sequence of tests I just did. What I'm finding is if I transfer the photos to a folder and avoid previewing in bridge from the reader, everything works as it should. But this is crazy(to me) If I transfer the photos to a folder avoiding bridge, which seems to work fine, but then open up bridge and preview them from the card reader after the transfer is complete(this is important since it's the first time bridge has seen this set) I see corruption occur, and that also affects the duplicate photos I transferred. 

 

These were my steps...

 

1.Format SD card

- take a few photos

- put card in reader and transfer photos to a folder on desktop

- open bridge

- preview images FROM reader and watch photos become corrupt, eject card reader

- preview folder of transferred images, same corruption

 

2. Format SD card

- take pics

- transfer to folder and avoid using bridge

- check folder, all photos look ok

 

3 Take photos without formatting SD card

- photos show corruption while previewing in bridge off reader

 

4. Take photos without formatting SD card

- transfer to folder while avoiding bridge, all photos good

 

5. Repeat 1st step, same results

 

6. Take photos

- Connect from the Q(no card reader)

- View in bridge(as I always have) all good

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Hallo,

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[CharlesL]

You have workarounds, so perhaps that is the end of it.

If you want to investigate why the interaction of the card reader and Bridge corrupts the DNG, you could 1) study all your Bridge preferences and perhaps experiment with changing some of them one by one, and 2) look for similar reports of a problem, for example, put this in a search engine:
    adobe bridge camera transfer corrupts raw file