D40 issue, need some help!

FFemtRN5287 · Dec 8, 2011

Over the past year or so, I've noticed some of my photos from my D40 have had a very noticeable, straight red line starting about a quarter of the way down from the top of the frame straight to the bottom, just left of center. It's only noticeable in lower light settings, and occurs with both my 18-55 and 55-200 lenses. Since it looks to originate with a single pixel at the top, I'm guessing it's a sensor problem? Here are a few shots below that show it. Anyone with any thoughts/prognoses?

Kerbouchard · Dec 8, 2011

My thoughts are that your camera is about to die. Looks like the sensor is going out to me.

FFemtRN5287 · Dec 8, 2011

Hmmmm....looks like I bought that D7000 just in time??

So much for having a backup body for travel now!

Kerbouchard · Dec 8, 2011

Assuming your memory card is formatted routinely and not transfered between cameras, there isn't another cheap option. It could be the memory card writer, but it's still most likely the sensor.

Sorry about that.

FFemtRN5287 · Dec 8, 2011

Card is used only in that camera. The card is cleared by my computer every time I download the photos off of it, not sure if this counts as formatting.

Hmmmm, now to start looking for a replacement! It was planned to be both my backup as well as my girlfriend's camera when we traveled.

KmH · Dec 9, 2011

The D40 uses a CCD image sensor.

The way the image sensor reads the voltages generated by the photoreceptors (capacitors) that are the pixels, is done on a line by line basis and it looks like one of the lines in your D40 has a fault causing only part of the line to be read. The red line represents those pixels in that line that are not being read.

FFemtRN5287 · Dec 9, 2011

KmH said:
The D40 uses a CCD image sensor.

The way the image sensor reads the voltages generated by the photoreceptors (capacitors) that are the pixels, is done on a line by line basis and it looks like one of the lines in your D40 has a fault causing only part of the line to be read. The red line represents those pixels in that line that are not being read.

Thank you for the explanation. Not a repairable item I'm guessing? It's odd that it only shows on some darker images.

KmH · Dec 10, 2011

It is indeed repairable, by having the image sensor replaced.

It only shows on darker images because the pixel are very small and the red line does not contrast nearly as much with brighter images that have more red in them.

Since the camera is likely no longer under warranty it can be repaired by any qualified facility that can get the needed part(s).

fotomanjack · Dec 11, 2011

FFemtRN5287 said:
Card is used only in that camera. The card is cleared by my computer every time I download the photos off of it, not sure if this counts as formatting.

You say you clear (format) your card in the computer after you download the photos off of it? Wrong wrong wrong! You should NEVER format your card in the computer. It's right in your user manual.......format the card in camera only! i suspect that this may be part of your problem. Get yourself another card....preferably a good one...6 or better rating....and see what kind of shots you get from it. What have you got to lose?

KmH · Dec 11, 2011

I don't think 'cleared' is the same as formatted.

Many uploading applications have a box that can be checked that deletes (clears) any photos from the memory card.

But, you are correct that the memory card should be formatted only in the camera/device it will be used in.

FFemtRN5287 · Dec 11, 2011

I believe KmH best conveyed what I'm doing when downloading my images to my iPhoto. I've some photos to download tomorrow when I get home, then I'll try an on-camera format and see if it helps with anything. If the clearing of photos by my iPhoto application is not a format, then the card has never actually been formatted.

KmH · Dec 11, 2011

You should reformat the card in the camera after verifying you had an error free upload.

I never choose the clear-the-card option so if I didn't have an error free upload, I still have the images on the card so I can retry the upload.

Nothing ever actually gets deleted/cleared from a memory card. What happens is the File Allocation Table (FAT) in the card controller chip gets updated showing the previously used memory locations are again available to have new data written to them over the old data that is still there.

A format updates the entire range of memory addresses in the FAT.