Nikon D50 Sensor going bad?

Njordan

I am having a problem with my photos as of late. I am getting red, blue, or green pixels randomly scattered throughout my photos. It seems to be on longer exposures (>1/2 sec) mainly. I do see a couple of red or green ones in shorter exposures however. I just corrected it in one shot and counted 31 total pixels :scratch.

It isn't the same pixels every time.

Anyone else have this problem? Is it the fact that the D50 has a CCD instead of a CMOS?

Here is an example (the 31 pixels) photo. This is the shot SOOC.



You can see a few in the pillows and in the blanket.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

-Nick

ziggy53

Do you have long exposure noise reduction turned on?

If not, does the problem go away if you turn on the noise reduction? (Note that this will effectively double the time for exposure.)

Njordan

ziggy53 wrote:

Do you have long exposure noise reduction turned on?

If not, does the problem go away if you turn on the noise reduction? (Note that this will effectively double the time for exposure.)

Thanks for the Reply Ziggy, Yes I do. The extra time isn't an issue at all. I am noticing more "hot pixels" at higher ISOs.

ziggy53

The next thing to test is the memory card. Some cards have better shielding than others and it really can affect the image, although the exact reason is not clear and may have a couple of underlying causes.

Try a different manufacturer card.

If the card is not the problem, I'm not sure what else it could be other than random noise and yes, CCD tends to be noisier than CMOS and the Nikon D90 is an excellent example of a low noise CMOS camera. (The D3/D3S/D3X and D700 are even better examples. )

BTW, Photoshop - Dust and Scratches filter will remove random noise, but it is rather indiscriminate and will also remove true detail. Dedicated noise reduction software is better at preserving detail and might work nicely here.

Njordan

ziggy53 wrote:

The next thing to test is the memory card. Some cards have better shielding than others and it really can affect the image, although the exact reason is not clear and may have a couple of underlying causes.

Try a different manufacturer card.

If the card is not the problem, I'm not sure what else it could be other than random noise and yes, CCD tends to be noisier than CMOS and the Nikon D90 is an excellent example of a low noise CMOS camera. (The D3/D3S/D3X and D700 are even better examples. )

BTW, Photoshop - Dust and Scratches filter will remove random noise, but it is rather indiscriminate and will also remove true detail. Dedicated noise reduction software is better at preserving detail and might work nicely here.

Thanks. Not sure which card was used for these photos. I'll have to pay attention next time. I was going to give noiseninja a try soon to see how that does for my shots.

It'd be nice to have the funds for a body upgrade! Its on the list... but too far down:cry

DsrtVW

I had this on the last wedding shoot with my D50 as my second camera. I had one red that was showing up in the same spot. Noticing it on the Black background of the tuxes. Have not played with it since to see if it it is still there.
Did not have the random problem you describe but it was the first time I noticed it.

insanefred

As much as I loved my D50, the IR pollution was a pain in the arse. :cry And the highlight blooming.

pyry

Does your usual processing flow involve any software that does color noise reduction? That usually kills hot pixels easily. For example, I'm using Lightroom and the usual 25% setting usually doesn't leave any.

Hot pixels happen, I don't think your sensor is at all in a bad shape. And yes, they turn out in larger numbers with longer exposures and higher sensitivities.

Njordan

insanefred wrote:

As much as I loved my D50, the IR pollution was a pain in the arse. :cry And the highlight blooming.

I have the same issues.... Can't wait to be able to afford a better body... I'm set enough with lenses ATM.

Njordan

pyry wrote:

Does your usual processing flow involve any software that does color noise reduction? That usually kills hot pixels easily. For example, I'm using Lightroom and the usual 25% setting usually doesn't leave any.

Hot pixels happen, I don't think your sensor is at all in a bad shape. And yes, they turn out in larger numbers with longer exposures and higher sensitivities.

Yeah, I'm doing a trial of noiseware right now. That seems to help a ton.

I need to find a way to afford software too! ARG!:hack