What is this red streak suddenly appearing?

[redshft]

Hey guys, I just noticed a red streak showing up in some photos from my D70. This only started a couple of days ago and is consistent in the frame. Some photos are worse than others and in other photos it is barely visible. Below is an example...it is towards the left of the big branch.

Also, I'm a very amateur photographer so please take it easy on me ...I know it's a little bit grainy, I had the ISO up too much and didn't realize til later.

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

My guess is that it's a broken/stuck/burned out pixel on the sensor. Your camera has a CCD sensor, which pulls the data across the sensor as it saves it. So a bad pixel might show as a line as it's pulled off the sensor.

I'm not sure if this can be fixed or not.

 

[Garbz]

Dodgy readouts from the camera cause this. Often it's a send back to the manufacturer job to fix, though most of the time it runs the entire length of the frame.

Personally if it's under warranty and I can reproduce the issue consistently, I'd send it back.

 

[Big Mike]

I doubt that a D70 is still under warranty, unfortunately.

 

[redshft]

Thanks guys. Investigating further, I do believe it is a dead pixel. Some of the other pictures produce a bright red dot where the streak starts. It only starts about halfway up and looking closely you can see a brighter pixel where it begins.

Unfortunately I was trying to sell this camera (and actually had it sold), but now I will have to reduce my asking price. Obviously it still takes quality photos and I think it would make a great starter cam for someone wanting to get into and learn the hobby that doesn't have much of a budget.

 

[Garbz]

Dead pixels are quite different. They are isolated to pixels and will be fully on. This looks like some kind of reading error on the part of the chip that controls the sensor.

I doubt that a D70 is still under warranty, unfortunately.

good point.