Red Line on Sensor at High ISO

[DavidJ1609]

Hello,

I have what appears to be a faulty sensor. I regret I have deleted the previous photos, or edited them out. These are from last night.

It was worse, but multi-pixel mapping has reduced it somewhat. It was showing at ISO400, but now ISO 800 and above.

http://e-group.uk.net/gallery/data/755/RedLine2.jpg (http://e-group.uk.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/14081)

The black lines are to frame it.

http://e-group.uk.net/gallery/data/755/RedLine.jpg (http://e-group.uk.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/14080)

It can be tricky to remove on a darker shot with lot's of detail that needs to be retained.

I can live with it for now, as I rarely shoot at high ISO, but I was in a dark tomb recently and had to post-fix in photoshop.

I shoot in RAW, btw. Strangely, nothing at lower ISO settings, even on long exposures.

DavidJ.

[crimbo]

Yep... I have one of those on mine
I have found that using Capture One 4 as the initial operator on the raw file gets rid of most of the line to the point where I do not think about it any more
the other thing about the E400 with longer exposures is a pink glow at the left hand side which I think is amplifier noise and that I have yet to find a solution for...
If your camera is in warranty (mine isnt) then contact Oly repair with sample files and see what they say

[DavidJ1609]

Yep... I have one of those on mine
<snip>
the other thing about the E400 with longer exposures is a pink glow at the left hand side which I think is amplifier noise and that I have yet to find a solution for...
If your camera is in warranty (mine isnt) then contact Oly repair with sample files and see what they say

I have the glow on the L/H/S as well. Hmmmmm.

I feel an email to Oly coming on. I will report back.

DavidJ.

[Maczero]

Hi

I had also a problem with my E-400 with a single red line at high ISOs, or occasionally in dark areas at lower ISOs, which developed about 15 months in.

I have seen posts on other forums about this. I have seen it attrubted to a dead pixel knocking out a whole line of them. Some people manage to reduce/eliminate it through repetitive pixel mapping. Others didn't. My camera was in warranty (just) and so I sent it back for repair without a problem (apart from not having the camera to hand).

Maczero

[DavidJ1609]

Hi

I had also a problem with my E-400 with a single red line at high ISOs, or occasionally in dark areas at lower ISOs, which developed about 15 months in.

I have seen posts on other forums about this. I have seen it attrubted to a dead pixel knocking out a whole line of them. Some people manage to reduce/eliminate it through repetitive pixel mapping. Others didn't. My camera was in warranty (just) and so I sent it back for repair without a problem (apart from not having the camera to hand).

Maczero

Thanks for the replies. Maczero, how long did it take to get your camera back?

DavidJ.

[Maczero]

David

Two to three weeks, from memory.

Maczero

[DavidJ1609]

Well, it was sent Tuesday from here in China to the UK. I will let you know. I am going to miss it.

[DavidJ1609]

They've had it since 18th, and it has not even been given a service number yet.

Not encouraging! They say it will be given a number in "A few days".

So, I will call them Monday, when they've had it two weeks and see what they tell me.

DavidJ.

[DavidJ1609]

Amazingly, it arrived back with my parents on Saturday. I hope not too quick to do a good job.

They said they've "repaired" the ccd, and checked/serviced all parts to give a 6-month guarantee! So, here's waiting for the trip back to me in China.

DavidJ.

[DavidJ1609]

Sorry. Double post.

[DavidJ1609]

Amazingly, it arrived back with my parents on Saturday. I hope not too quick to do a good job.

They said they've "repaired" the ccd, and checked/serviced all parts to give a 6-month guarantee! So, here's waiting for the trip back to me in China.

DavidJ.

Well, they returned it with 3 hot pixels and, after pixel remapping, their is a red line on the RHS of the sensor - even at ISO 200. :mad:

So, an epic fail from Olympus. Over £100 in courier costs and it's worse than when I sent it.

I can't see me buying the E620. I can't trust them to repair properly. How the hell does a camera get returned with 3 *very obvious* hot pixels!

DavidJ.
(Glad I held off buying the FL36 to cure the AF hunt at low light - minimising my investment; after being shafted on V1.0 firmware as well.)

[crimbo]

David. The 400 is a lovely camera.
download a trial copy of Capture One 4
Try that on your raw files.

also the 620 is a different sensor and a technologically more mature camera so dont assume it will be bad and need repairing

the red line...was it there prior to pixel remapping or after?

[DavidJ1609]

David. The 400 is a lovely camera.
download a trial copy of Capture One 4
Try that on your raw files.

also the 620 is a different sensor and a technologically more mature camera so dont assume it will be bad and need repairing

the red line...was it there prior to pixel remapping or after?

Hi Crimbo,

Yes, My first pictures show the red line, but after pixel remapping it is appearing in shadows as low as ISO 200 - before it was 800+.

Before sending tha camera back, it was almost only ever 400+.

I know what you mean regards new technology, but after being left without simple firmware updates on the E-400, I'm wary.

I do love the size of the camera, and of course have the lenses. I guess I'm worried about forking over £500 for a China-only 1-yr guarantee, when I may leave China in 5 months.

Especially as they have failed to fix it. It is simply uneconomical to spend over £100 to return it again. Why couldn't they simply test it! :mad:

DavidJ.

[crimbo]

contact them and ask them
show them the before and after images

as for the 620...if you are leaving china in 5 or so months then hold on to your money

[DavidJ1609]

contact them and ask them
show them the before and after images

as for the 620...if you are leaving china in 5 or so months then hold on to your money

I have sent them an email.

I'm not returning to the UK for a while, so will be in Asia. I need to find a route back to Indonesia (home now) that will take me to a retailer with an international warranty - preferrably two years!

DavidJ.

[DavidJ1609]

Well, I contacted the UK, they put me in touch with Japan, who put me in touch with Beijing.

When I asked who would pay for shipping, they wouldn't cooment and referred me back to the UK.

I am very unhappy. I don't want to have to pay to send it back!!!!!!!!!!
If it was working, I wouldn't be complaining, I'd be taking photos!

DavidJ.

[Maczero]

I am very sorry to read of the problems that you have had. My experience, through a dealer and then on to Olympus Europe for repair was absolutely fine, apart from having to wait for the camera to come back. I don't blame you for being frustrated.

[DavidJ1609]

Hi,

Just to update.

I contacted the UK, who gave me an email address for Japan, following which Beijing took over and repaired the camera free of charge and courier costs.

It is now back in my possession and working as good as new!

[Edit] The delay from June was my doing. They had it in repair less than a week.

While not happy with the UK repair centre, Olympus never left me high and dry by kicking me back to the UK. I'm only a lowly consumer with an entry-level kit. They still wanted to look after me. :)

So, overall I am happy. Now I am torn between a 9-18 or a 620 body. I only have the kit lenses. I'm thinking go with the lens; wait for the new processor on a future 620. Though the low ISO performance on the E-400 is sometimes a bind. Then again, most of my shots are outdoors. Or is that because of the low-light! Aargh! :eek: Decisions decisions!

DavidJ.

[stevet781]

Has anyone seen this, I have an E-400 with sensor problems. Please follow the link for examples.

http://gallery.me.com/stevet781/100212 shots taken at 1600 ASA 1sec f5.6 with lens cap on and
http://gallery.me.com/stevet781/100219 10 second exposure same settings.

[Nick Temple-Fry]

Steve

Not sure from these I see a 'problem', the e-400 is a (in digital terms) old camera with a sensor prone to noise, in both sets it seems relatively free of noise upto iso400. The fact that noise starts as more pronounced on one side is just a reflection of local heating due to chip layout and proximity to other devices.

It could well be that I'm missing the point.

Nick

[stevet781]

Nick

thanks for the reply, I've not gone above 400 iso but someone wanted to buy the kit and did some "playing" which hi-lighted this apparent problem. No sale afraid to say.

Cheers

Steve:mad:

[photo_owl]

yep this is standard E400 output from that type of test - they all do it to a greater or lesser degree.

It's believed to be a case of electronic components close to the lower left of the sensor heating up in certain circumstances.

I have never seen any issue in normal shooting - but if you are looking for a high ISO camera, or long exposure with dark backgrounds, then it's not the camera for you (or in this case them)

[crimbo]

http://e-group.uk.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7154
the E400 is 3+years old and is noisy
sometimes at ISO 800 and up I have seen the 'red noise' as a faint overlay on the image...
I am keeping my 400..the colours are different than the 620