Dead Pixel? Hyperactive Pixel? White Spot? Residual Point Noise (RPN)? CCD Defect?

Pad You have probably heard all of these "dreaded" terms. Maybe even about your camera. (I hope not) There are several theories as to why these appear. One of them is Cosmic Rays destruction of your CCD image sensors. Another one is heat deterioration of the image sensors. Or even my theory, high incidences of static electricity. There are even theories about airport X-ray machines, and just flying in an airplane. Pad

Almost all camera manufacturers have included a pixel correction circuit of some type in their cameras, including the cameras for Digital Cinematography. This means that you have a very good chance at correcting that spot you see in your viewfinder/picture. On some cameras activating the black balance will also operate the correction circuit. In Sony cameras it is known as APR or auto pixel restoration. You will need to black balance at least once, probably a few more times to correct all three channels, and it will be very likely that pixel spot will go away. On other cameras there may be menu selections that will allow you to activate the function. This may get you out of that tight spot where you saw a pixel defect and you hoped the client didn't.

Sometimes there is a defect that you just can't seem to get rid of with black balances. Many camera manufacturers now have manual pixel correction functions in their menus. This usually allows you to mark the pixel defect using some type of cursor and make the correction that way. This is a menu feature in most all of the Sony cameras currently. An example of how to use this feature with the Sony F23 or F35 camera can be found here.

Sony Regional Service Centers can help with fixing stubborn RPN defects in most all of their cameras. This does includes all of their CineAlta cameras and HD cameras/camcordersss. The cost will vary depending on what is required to correct the pixel defects and is based on their hourly rate. But with the ease of manual correction in the latest cameras, the cost is much less than it used to be. None the less, the cost of correction is far less than replacing the entire ccd block.
You can find the nearest Sony Service Center at the link below.

There you have it, some hints, suggestions and information on how to deal with pixel defects in your camera. Additional information, or comments are always welcome. I hope some of this information has been of help to you!

Copyright © 2010 Camera Dave Limited Partnership

Pad	You have probably heard all of these "dreaded" terms. Maybe even about your camera. (I hope not) There are several theories as to why these appear. One of them is Cosmic Rays destruction of your CCD image sensors. Another one is heat deterioration of the image sensors. Or even my theory, high incidences of static electricity. There are even theories about airport X-ray machines, and just flying in an airplane.	Pad
	Almost all camera manufacturers have included a pixel correction circuit of some type in their cameras, including the cameras for Digital Cinematography. This means that you have a very good chance at correcting that spot you see in your viewfinder/picture. On some cameras activating the black balance will also operate the correction circuit. In Sony cameras it is known as APR or auto pixel restoration. You will need to black balance at least once, probably a few more times to correct all three channels, and it will be very likely that pixel spot will go away. On other cameras there may be menu selections that will allow you to activate the function. This may get you out of that tight spot where you saw a pixel defect and you hoped the client didn't.
	Sometimes there is a defect that you just can't seem to get rid of with black balances. Many camera manufacturers now have manual pixel correction functions in their menus. This usually allows you to mark the pixel defect using some type of cursor and make the correction that way. This is a menu feature in most all of the Sony cameras currently. An example of how to use this feature with the Sony F23 or F35 camera can be found here.
	Sony Regional Service Centers can help with fixing stubborn RPN defects in most all of their cameras. This does includes all of their CineAlta cameras and HD cameras/camcordersss. The cost will vary depending on what is required to correct the pixel defects and is based on their hourly rate. But with the ease of manual correction in the latest cameras, the cost is much less than it used to be. None the less, the cost of correction is far less than replacing the entire ccd block. You can find the nearest Sony Service Center at the link below.

	There you have it, some hints, suggestions and information on how to deal with pixel defects in your camera. Additional information, or comments are always welcome. I hope some of this information has been of help to you!

	Copyright © 2010 Camera Dave Limited Partnership