Missing pixels in new digital camera

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I just purchased a digital camera - a Nikon 800. I see a tiny speck of white in the same place on every picture (only visible when the picture content in the area is relatively uniform and dark). I am assuming that a pixel or two is out. Is this normal in a 2 megapixel field and dealt with during image editing, or is this something to tend to during the warranty period? Tha

-- Darrell Spreen (dgspreen@aol.com), February 11, 2000

Answers

Tend to it Darrell:
A new camera should not exhibit any lost pixels.

Des

-- Dan Desjardins (dan.desjardins@avstarnews.com), February 11, 2000.

This is not entirely true. Every CCD chip is graded based on the number and types of defects it suffers. Almost every chip array experiences some sort of defect (maybe excluding those manufactured for the military at exorborant costs). Depending on the grade of chip Nikon uses (not sure which), but for a thousand dollar consumer camera, it may be as low as 3 or 4 (on scale from 1 to 6). In any event, if you can deal with it post aquisition do so, if not just send it back to Nikon.

-Jason

-- Jason Kirk (jasonkirkphoto@hotmail.com), February 15, 2000.


Some thing I forgot to mention; sometimes areas that are substantially brighter those adjacent are caused by higher-than- average dark current. Has the camera been exposed to high temperatures? The defects tend to disappear when the chip has cooled down. You may also be able to cure this with a dark-current subtraction.

-- Jason Kirk (jasonkirkphoto@hotmail.com), February 15, 2000.

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