Is this a "dead pixel" ?

[Ofer Levy]

Hi all,

Did a night shoot with my new 7D a few days ago and was very happy to see I even got a bright star shining in the dark sky. I was less happy to see this "star" tends to follow my panning movement...)-:
Another observation is that it is much more noticeable in 720 25p than in 1080 25p - which, of course, makes sense.

Is this what you call a "dead pixel" and has anyone else had this problem? Will I be covered by the manufacturer warranty?

Thanks,
Ofer
Ofer Levy Photography

[Khoi Pham]

Yes my first one had a dead pixel, showing up even at ISO 640, sent it back to where I bought and got a new one, cover up your lens with a lens cap and turn it on, the highger the ISO the more easily you could see them, my new one has no dead pixel even at ISO 6400, be sure not to confused lcd dead pixel, those won't show up on your video, and unless they are huge, Canon won't replace them.

[Mike Peterson]

I just returned my 7D for a new one this morning because of dead pixels. Wasn't obvious until shooting video over a black background

[Ofer Levy]

Thanks guys!
Took it to where I bought it. Hope they will replace the camera rather than fixing it.

Cheers,
Ofer

[Zachary Mattson]

Hey all, I just found a dead pixel on the sensor last night after reviewing my footage from the evening. Getting ready to send it in to get fixed/replaced. Curious to know what the turn-around time was for anyone who has sent it in to get fixed, and how successful it was? I've got another shoot in two weeks from today, and was wondering if I should plan on borrowing a friend's 7D for that shoot, of if they get it back quick and fixed. The guy on the phone said up to 2.5 weeks, but was curious if it went quicker than that for others.

[Joe Marques]

There is a method for getting rid of this on your own. I had a stuck/dead pixel. I went into "manual cleaning mode" (you must have the body cap on, it won't work with a lens) and ran that mode for about 1 minute. Now the dead pixel is gone. The theory is that this mode will map out dead pixels automatically which is all Canon will do if you send it for service.

[Nate Haustein]

Took mine about a week from sending to receiving, though you should remember it's Easter time. They shipped it back via 2-day. You could make it, but I'd have a backup ready just in case.

I would certainly get the camera fixed. I tried all the troubleshooting on the phone and the tricks I found in these forums and elsewhere, but the pixel just wouldn't go away. It's especially distracting in video mode as the camera seems to magnify the problem. I've always been very pleased with Canon support - knowledgeable, no long holds, US-based, and very personable as far as I've experienced.

[Zachary Mattson]

Thanks for the input. I did the manual cleaning several times before dropping $37 to ship it in for service. Hopefully they will be able to fix it or replace it quickly! I've got a backup 7D that a friend said I could borrow if mine's not back yet, so that will take care of the issue. Thanks again, and here's to hoping it gets rushed back!

Cheers,

Zach

[Carl Wiedemann]

Checking in here to get any further reports on dead pixel servicing. My 7D has a blue pixel that is clearly visible in video mode when the camera moves across a black or red background. I mailed the body to Canon repair in New Jersey nine days ago. Canon sent it back two business days after they opened the box (three days after it arrived). Dead pixel is still present. There were no service notes with the returned camera and I never received a call from a technician telling me they couldn’t find the problem. Called Canon and they can’t access any details about what happened during “servicing”. On the plus side: they are sending me a prepaid shipping label to send it back for the second time. Wondering if one dead pixel in the middle of the frame is considered acceptable by Canon, so they just ignored it? Or, if they had a backlog of repairs and simply didn’t bother to look for the problem ? I had enclosed two copies of a note explaining how to quickly located the “blue dot”, including one attached directly to the camera and a photo’ enlargement showing the location of the blue dot. This CMOS video technology is somewhat new to me, so I’m not sure what the expectations are.

[Nate Haustein]

If you can see the dot, it's not acceptable. Mine had just one dead pixel as well. Send it back, they'll probably get it right this time.

[Zachary Mattson]

Hey guys, I got my camera back today. Exactly one week after I sent it off! The dead pixel is gone! I was pretty nervous because I have heard from some people that it came back with the dead pixel still present, but mine looks good, so I am quite relieved! A suggestion to anyone sending it in for this issue; I would let them know in your notes how important getting it fixed right is to your customer satisfaction, and that getting this fixed correctly the first time will make or break you being a Canon customer for life. Not sure if that had anything to do with mine getting fixed, but I have heard stories of people who had their cam sent back 2-3 times with the same dead pixel, until they let Canon know how disappointed they are with the brand, and then it magically got fixed the next time. just my $0.02...Good luck!

[Brandon Puet]

Originally Posted by Joe Marques

There is a method for getting rid of this on your own. I had a stuck/dead pixel. I went into "manual cleaning mode" (you must have the body cap on, it won't work with a lens) and ran that mode for about 1 minute. Now the dead pixel is gone. The theory is that this mode will map out dead pixels automatically which is all Canon will do if you send it for service.

I was very skeptical about this Joe. I just tried it and what do you know, IT WORKED!! You saved me a trip to the Canon center. Kudos to you my friend!

[Joe Marques]

Originally Posted by Brandon Puet

I was very skeptical about this Joe. I just tried it and what do you know, IT WORKED!! You saved me a trip to the Canon center. Kudos to you my friend!

Glad to help Brandon! I was skeptical too, didn't really make sense to me that the camera could map out dead pixels automatically but after doing the process the 3rd time it worked for me so I felt confident to pass it along.

BTW, just a note on the concept of "repair" of a dead pixel (relating to other posts). All Canon will do when they get a camera with a dead pixel is map it out. So if the fix I posted works you are saving time/hassle - there's no benefit sending the camera to canon.

[Craig Terott]

Originally Posted by Joe Marques

There is a method for getting rid of this on your own. I had a stuck/dead pixel. I went into "manual cleaning mode" (you must have the body cap on, it won't work with a lens) and ran that mode for about 1 minute. Now the dead pixel is gone. The theory is that this mode will map out dead pixels automatically which is all Canon will do if you send it for service.

Joe, you saved me some major aggravation. i too had one dead pixel that i noticed only after shooting in very low light. With lens off, I ran the sensor cleaning, re-shot, and presto dead pixel was no longer visible.

[Zachary Mattson]

The manual cleaning is great when it works because it saves a lot of time and money. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. I tried that several times before sending mine in, always in a cool dark room, face down with camera cap on, sometimes for 30 seconds, sometimes for 2-3 minutes. None of it did anything. If this is the case with your dead pixel, you will need to have Canon fix it, and as I mentioned above, be sure to let them know it is a serious customer satisfaction issue to you so that they take you seriously, and fix it the first time. I can only imagine the disappointment of getting it back exactly the same as you sent it in (like the person above with the blue pixel). Good luck to all who experience this highly frustrating situation!