From Exultation to Horror: Defective Nikon D200 Sensor

[Jason Dunn]

On Saturday <a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,10122">I posted about finally getting my Nikon D200</a> - to say I was thrilled would be an understatement. So my mood swing was equally strong the opposite way when I was looking through my first batch of photos and I started noticing a bright green pixel in all of them:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/nikin-d200-hotpixels.jpg" /><br /><br />I'm not an expert on camera sensors, but I do know that if I see a bright pixel in the same spot on every image I take...then there's something defective with that sensor. :( The bright green pixel on the upper left of the image is the one that keeps showing up in every image, though on lighter exposures it's more white and less green. And for the skeptical, I'm not "pixel peeping" - the pixel is very obvious when viewing images in full-screen mode at 1600 x 1200. I'm not zooming in at 200% and scanning the image looking for problems. It's just too obvious not to notice. And as you can imagine, I'm not going to accept anything less than perfection on a camera costing this much!<br /><br />This morning I called <a href="http://www.henrys.ca">Henry's</a> and they were both shocked and very sorry to hear that the camera I had waited five weeks for was defective. I was prepared to have to email them photos and prove that the sensor was defective, but thankfully they took my word for it. Given how hard it is to get a D200, I was pleased to hear that they were going to try and source a new one for me ASAP rather than putting me on the bottom of the waiting list again. And they're also allowing me to keep this D200 until the replacement arrives, so I can continue to learn how to use the camera until the next one arrives. <br /><br />So while I can't say that I'm pleased with Nikon's quality control (you'd think they'd test cameras at this level quite vigorously), I'm very pleased with how Henry's is going to handle this. Let's hope I don't have to wait long!

[marlof]

It sounds like a dead pixel. That's not really unusual in sensors. Usually, a service centre can remap this pixel, so it adjusts to the color of the neighbouring pixel. And if you have another brand like Olympus it has pixel mapping functionality in camera. I've had one appear on all my shots from Botswana since I didn't notice it from the in camera image view. After Botswana, I've run pixelmapping, and now all is fine.

[Vincent Ferrari]

Oh man that really sucks...

On the bright side, at least you can clone out / healing brush the pixels until the new one arrives so it isn't really a total loss.

Aside from the obvious, how do you like it compared to your Rebel?

[Chris Gohlke]

From the pic it looks like there are 3 pixels stuck on blue in the lower right corner (on the neck near the collar line).

[Darius Wey]

I had this same problem with my EX-P700 once. Took it away to the Casio service centre, and a week later, the problem was fixed. :)

[Jason Dunn]

From the pic it looks like there are 3 pixels stuck on blue in the lower right corner (on the neck near the collar line).

Yeah, those weren't in all the images, only a few, so I took them as being random noise whereas the green pixels were ALWAYS there.

[Jason Dunn]

And if you have another brand like Olympus it has pixel mapping functionality in camera.

That is indeed a very cool feature! It's not going to make me switch to Olympus though. ;-)

[Jason Dunn]

Aside from the obvious, how do you like it compared to your Rebel?

It's AWESOME. There's still so much to learn about it, I've only shot inside my house, I really want to get out into the sunlight and take some outdoors photos. All in all, I'm very happy with the purchase, but boy do I need to learn more about manual controls! I was a "green box shooter" (full auto) with my Canon Rebel, and there 'aint no green box on this camera.... ;-)

[marlof]

That is indeed a very cool feature! It's not going to make me switch to Olympus though. ;-)

And rightfully so. That D200 is a mean machine. Have fun exploring it!

[Vincent Ferrari]

When I first got my Rebel, I was all about the green box, but now I find myself going for a specific look and I know how to get it.

You're gonna learn a LOT. Can't wait to see more images :-)

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Set the camera to P, AF to dynamic wide, ISO to Auto, and WB to Auto. There's your green box. :P

[Jason Dunn]

Set the camera to P, AF to dynamic wide, ISO to Auto, and WB to Auto. There's your green box. :P

Heh...yeah, I'm mostly there - except for ISO to auto. Auto doesn't come up on the ISO dial...I'm still reading through the manual. ;-)

[Vincent Ferrari]

If you understand other things, ISO is the easiest. Here are some general guidelines (of course, these change depending on shutter speed and aperture):

50: Bright sunlight
100: Daylight
200: Hazy / Cloudy
400: Dark
800: Night shots and low light.
1600 and above: Really low light shots.

Not necessarily hard and fast rules, and you can shoot ISO 100 at midnight with the right shutter speed... Just some guidelines that I found helpful when I was getting started.

[Deemo]

The Canon Gods hath struck you down Mr Dunn :twisted:

[dustindw]

Jason,

My D200 just arrived yesterday, and I feel the same way - I am almost overwhelmed at the extensive manual control options. I was fairly comfortable with "green box" shooting on the D100 (borrowed my mom's for a few trips to Hawaii and got some awesome shots), but I never jumped in and learned the manual controls on it.

As the battery charged last night, I looked through the manual and gave up since I wasn't able to have the camera in front of me powered up.

I am SO excited to start using it outdoors though - I don't have anything super cool in my house to take pictures of. I look forward to hearing your comments on your D200, as I feel like I am in the same boat as you, floating at the same level.

Also, I haven't noticed any stuck/bright pixels on my sensor yet - but I've only taken about 16 or so indoor shots. I'll have to give it a better run to see how it does. My Nikon Coolpix 4500 had some stuck pixels at slower shutter speeds and higher ISOs, so it is nothing new to me if I do have a few here and there.

Dustin

[Jason Dunn]

The Canon Gods hath struck you down Mr Dunn :twisted:

I defy them! I shake my fists at them! I....oh, my chest just started to hurt.... 8O :lol:

[Jason Dunn]

My D200 just arrived yesterday, and I feel the same way - I am almost overwhelmed at the extensive manual control options.

Indeed, there's a lot to learn! But I've also managed to get it set up to do pretty much everything automatically, so that gives me a good comfort level to start getting to know the equipment.

I'll see you in the digital photography hardware forum (http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=54). :D