Hot Pixel on UMPro

I recently had a scene where one side is pretty dark for a few second and while editing I noticed a red pixel. So put the lens/cap on and noticed that this red pixel is always there... DAMMIT : ) even at ISO 200 you can see it. When the scene is well exposed the color still has this red-ish tint--- went back and looks like the red pixel was always there.

tried to calibrate sensor - with no luck.

Is there any way to fix this in camera? I don't feel like going through an RMA request right now, but I guess this WOULD lower my resale value.

I zoomed in so it's better visible and started at iso 200, then 400, then 800 and then 1600

Edit: I DID update from 4.5 or 4.4 to 4.9.

Update: I tried to downgrade to 4.7.1 where they fixed some hot pixel issues, but that DIDN'T do the trick. So I upgraded to 5.0. --- with no luck.

However, after updating with 4.7.1, the updater said 4.5 installed.
Should I also try to install 4.5 or 4.4?

Edit 1: Found 2 more looking closely.
Edit 2: I noticed that when I keep the camera on a little longer, there is only ONE that's really noticable and one more that's half the strength. Can't this just be mapped out somehow! and still looking...

Is it possible that the rainbow flare mask is causing this? I looked at it with a loupe and it looks like there is like a TINY ding in the surface right around that area... and it looks a bit silver-ish from the outside.

I will NOT try to clean or touch it until i hear back from support.
The camera came with the flare mask. I didn't install it myself.

Flare Mask: Or whatever the glass in front of the nd filter is?

I had two hot pixels on the UM 4.6K last year. Contacted support, sent it in for RMA, it came back fixed - no more hot pixels

Gr8 to hear. Im in touch with support right not, they asked for DNGS and are looking into it.

Hi.

Pixels and noise are all about temperature. Most of these notes can be applied to any camera, not just BMD cameras.

It's normal that over time sensors develop dead, lit or inactive pixels. I remember it used to be that Sony wouldn't do an RMA on a brand new broadcast camera unless you had more than 6 dead pixels.

Even when brand new from the sensor fab they typically have many many dead pixels you never see because they're mapped out. BUT...

Sometimes if the temperature is high on the sensor, these mapped pixels begin to show up again.

It also CHANGES over time. Sensors don't say perfect forever. They degrade. New dead pixels develop.

The things that reveal dead pixels are hot operating temperatures. So if you're in a hot environment and the cooling is struggling to keep up then the sensor temp rises and more dead pixels will reveal themselves.

Or if you obstruct the cooling air flow of the camera this can also cause the internal temperature to rise. I sometimes leave my camera on a cinesaddle that perfectly seals the two air intakes on the camera and 10 mins later I pick up the camera and realise it's become very hot !

This is why many cameras "overheat", especially DSLR's. It's not really that you'll literally melt anything, they shut off the camera because the noise floor and previously mapped dead pixels become visible again. They don't want your video noise and pixel performance exceeding spec. They can't keep the sensor in a consistent enough temperature zone to keep the dead pixels and noise away.

Some cameras (like RED) have multiple black shading temperatures that you can store in memory for different operating temperatures.

Manufactures like Arri and BMD use solid state cooling system that is generally better at maintaining a very consistent temperature internally. So + or - 0.5Deg C is what Arri aim for. I think RED just use a combination of black shading memories for different operating temperatures and a fan that speeds up and down.

As far as I understand, BMD do have their own masking system in place that isn't user activated. It's automatic. But I do know that when some users have had particularly stubborn pixels they can sometimes get help if they go through BMD support. (as mentioned here by other users)

JB

Thanx John for pointing this out. I thought that there should always be some dead pixels and really don't want to send the camera back. Its just the re-sale value and when i send it back, it costs me around 1000$ extra.

...because I live in Bolivia most of the year and travel to the U.S. a year. If i have to go through an RMA, I have to extend my stay and pay a lot more for accomodation and food. I asked support if maybe they can just mask it out or somehow fix it with a special firmware upgrade. It's ONE very strong red pixel you can even see in bright light and when well exposed at iso 400 and 800. Even at iso 200 you can see a little red shimmer.

If the problem can be fixed with a firmware update, i can actually sell the UMP for 7K over here - and then put the money towards the next high-end BMD camera. RMA would be a lot of trouble.

About temperature and usage on the other hand; The camera has only been used 15 days since purchase and im using it in an EXTREMELY dry place where temperature is between 15-25 degrees C all year round. I did one shoot in a desert, but that place was a nice, dry 20degrees as well.

I gave them the exact coordinates of the hot pixel:
3061 from the left
1206 from the top
I am also afraid that if i send it back, the return a new camera with another problem instead.
The camera works SOOOOO good part from this little issue.

Just saw this today.

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread ... pic-Dragon

jb

I'm officially an idiot
I installed different firmware versions and tried black shading at least 10-20 times, but what I never did was keep the camera on long enough so the sensor gets warm before black-shading.

So I DID THAT! (kept it on 15 minutes before calibration) and did calibration at iso 800. Now there is not a single hot pixel. Before, at least one very strong red pixel always showed up at the exact same coordinates. After doing the calibration properly, I can even start up the camera cold and there are ZERO hot pixels.

With cold I mean in a 10 degree C environment.

Furthermore, fixed pattern noise is pretty much GONE NOW. I have never seen the image that clean.
WOW - i can't even see much fixed pattern noise at ISO 1600 when the lens cap is on now.

Thanx for the input Jamie and John!

I'm officially an idiot
but what I never did was keep the camera on long enough so the sensor gets warm before black-shading.

Yeah what you want is to do the black shade process once the camera has been on a while and is warmed up and thermally stable.

Many will ALSO tell you to do this in big temperature changes like going from AC to outside.

This doesn't SO MUCH apply to the Ursa Mini Pro because once it's warmed up, it will stay pretty stable unless you have maybe very very extreme weather / climate differences.

The trick is more leaving it on and keeping it warm or at it's constant temperature. In hotter conditions all that happens is that the sensor generally stays the same temperature but the cooling works harder and draws more current from the battery.

Also, when you first turn on the camera, it might take a couple of mins to warm up to it's operating temperature from a cold start as well.

JB