Bad pixel on Sensor?

[MavicJunkie]

Okay I just received my replacement mavic 2 Pro. I'm going to fly it tonight to check and see.

 

[pureblur]

I have a group of about 3 hot pixels on my Mavic 2 pro as well. Not visible until 400 iso 25 FPS shutter. Lower iso/higher shutter causes the hot pixels to go away. Also they are only visible in fov video. HQ crops them out and they don’t show up in pictures even with high iso and slow shutter speed. Debating on if I should send it in for repairs...

 

[MavicJunkie]

Okay I flew it last night, everything seems to be fine. It appears that I got a good one. However, I didn't try every setting. I'm going to try a ISO of 400 + to see if I can get anything to show up. I purchased my original one through Amazon through a company called TFS. If you're looking to buy one and afraid of not being able to return it, I would suggest buying it through this company, they did an outstanding job on the return. I'm so glad I bought it through Amazon because DJI was not working with me, they even denied that the white spot existed. They are based in China which makes for a huge delay in communication. They don't speak English very well either, which makes it hard to understand what they are asking for. Good luck with yours, I would definitely send it back. If you shoot a lot of night shots you will be disappointed that you didn't. Anything labeled Pro should not have flaws.

Ed 209 were you able to send back the second one? If so, how is that going?

 

[CanadaDrone]

DJI's response and suggestions for a stuck/hot pixel are hilarious (like telling you to check for gimbal obstructions). That rep has no clue what it is.

Pretty much every sensor has them, and on almost any modern camera there are easy ways to map them out - for example on a Nikon DSLR you run sensor clean twice in quick succession and it re-maps the sensor. Sensor heat, longer exposure times, and higher ISO's will coax them out more often.

If you send it in for repair every time you see a hot/stuck pixel, you will probably be doing it many times. What you need is a way to map it out - I am not sure if DJI has that. You can also probably force a hot/stuck pixel to happen on an otherwise fine drone, so if DJI is going through the trouble of replacing/repairing for hot pixels that is ridiculous. I suspect the reps you talk to just have no clue what it is.

Sit the drone on a table inside and take a high ISO long exposure with lots of dark areas in it - I bet you will see more hot/stuck pixels. They can appear over time too. The chances of 20M pixels working flawlessly in all conditions over the life of the drone is pretty well zero, as it is with any sensor. If DJI doesn't have a way to map them out without sending it in though that really sucks.

 

[MavicJunkie]

Ridiculous?.. I don't think so, I returned mine and I am very happy now. Accepting the flaw is ridiculous? A white spot in the middle of your video is very distracting. The video coming off the Drone should be flawless, we shouldn't have to post process every video. I think the next firmware version is going to be a big one. Not only is there this video problem, there's also a big issue with the altitude metadata in the photos. I'm getting altitude readings in the millions of meters. It makes it hard to perform photogrammetry for mapping, which is the main reason of buying it.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Ridiculous?.. I don't think so, I returned mine and I am very happy now. Accepting the flaw is ridiculous? A white spot in the middle of your video is very distracting. The video coming off the Drone should be flawless, we shouldn't have to post process every video. I think the next firmware version is going to be a big one. Not only is there this video problem, there's also a big issue with the altitude metadata in the photos. I'm getting altitude readings in the millions of meters. It makes it hard to perform photogrammetry for mapping, which is the main reason of buying it.

That is not what I said - you are putting words into my mouth. Nobody is asking you to accept a flaw. DJI not having a way for users to map out hot/stuck pixels is ridiculous. If they need the drone back to do that, or if they are replacing entire drones for a single hot/stuck pixel, that is ridiculous (more so for them, plus the hassle factor for you) and not at all common in the imaging industry.

DJI's responses to you were ridiculous - as in, what they suggested you do to try and fix a hot/stuck pixel. The rep clearly had no clue what you were talking about. If DJI needs the drone back to map out a hot pixel (something a user could easily do if allowed), yes that is unusual. If DJI is replacing entire drones with hot/stuck pixels, that's great but also ridiculous (probably more so the employee handling the support ticket just doesn't know) - no other camera manufacturer does this because sensors will ALWAYS end up with hot/stuck pixels, especially over time. They can also appear sometimes and go away at a later date. Standard procedure is to map them out. It's not really a flaw if virtually every sensor has it, or will eventually have it - it's the nature of digital image sensors. Every single digital camera I have ever owned has had hot/stuck pixels - including my $4500+ digital bodies - the user can map them out in seconds with a couple button presses, which I would be shocked if DJI didn't have the ability to do.

Take your new drone, do a bunch of long, high ISO exposures of a dark scene - I bet you can coax out some hot/stuck pixels and I bet the first one you saw won't be the last over the life of this drone. If you're happy that's great, just don't be surprised if you see them again in the future, and rest assured it is not uncommon. These things are very easy to reproduce, so if DJI will give you a new drone, you could just set up a scenario that will produce a hot pixel and get a brand new drone right before warranty is up haha - that is why you would not typically see camera manufacturers replacing entire units for a hot pixel.

 

[Flyguy95r]

Just went through 3 batteries and looked at the videos. Seems like I have 2 bad pixels on the camera sensor which are constantly lit. I don't see any artifacts on still images, just video.

Edit: You can see the 2 pixels in this video at 2:10

Just received my M2P yesterday. Tonight I was trying it out in low light and BAM... Bad pixel as well . I've already contacted Amazon and they're replacing it within 4 days, no questions asked. Let's hope the replacement doesn't have one

 

[xAli3Nz]

I think my eye isn’t trained enough to check for bad pixels. Can someone check for me? I’m getting kind of scared.

 

[CanadaDrone]

I think my eye isn’t trained enough to check for bad pixels. Can someone check for me? I’m getting kind of scared.

If you go looking for one, or create a situation where they are likely to appear, you will find one. I can pretty much guarantee you will see one over the life of your drone - same with virtually every image sensor. I have owned dozens of cameras over my career and never NOT had one. If nothing is bothering you at the moment, don't go looking for it, and enjoy your drone!

If people replace their drone every time they see a hot pixel, you are going to be without a drone half the time haha.

 

[Flyguy95r]

You guys aren't going to believe this...

BAD PIXES ON THE REPLACEMENT TOO!

WTF man. This is unacceptable. Brand new Mavic 2 Pro replacement (not a refurb) and has another hot pixel. How the F(&*# do they expect us to accept this?

I just received a replacement from amazon and it too has a bad pixel. Maybe 3rd times the charm?

 

[SLVSRFR]

If you go looking for one, or create a situation where they are likely to appear, you will find one. I can pretty much guarantee you will see one over the life of your drone - same with virtually every image sensor. I have owned dozens of cameras over my career and never NOT had one. If nothing is bothering you at the moment, don't go looking for it, and enjoy your drone!

If people replace their drone every time they see a hot pixel, you are going to be without a drone half the time haha.

People seem to keep ignoring what you’re saying when you’re right. It’s just the way cameras are right now.

 

[CanadaDrone]

People seem to keep ignoring what you’re saying when you’re right. It’s just the way cameras are right now.

Haha yup - oh well. They will find out eventually

It would be nice if DJI just had a pixel mapping option in the app or something - on most cameras this can be done by the user in 10 seconds. And from DJI's point of view, imagine the money they are wasting replacing and shipping drones when they could just offer people a 10 second fix like everyone else does.

I suspect it's also a case of DJI support staff having very limited technical knowledge - their initial solutions were a clear indication they didn't have the slightest clue.

 

[Flyguy95r]

If you go looking for one, or create a situation where they are likely to appear, you will find one. I can pretty much guarantee you will see one over the life of your drone - same with virtually every image sensor. I have owned dozens of cameras over my career and never NOT had one. If nothing is bothering you at the moment, don't go looking for it, and enjoy your drone!

If people replace their drone every time they see a hot pixel, you are going to be without a drone half the time haha.

I think there’s a fine line between

Haha yup - oh well. They will find out eventually

It would be nice if DJI just had a pixel mapping option in the app or something - on most cameras this can be done by the user in 10 seconds. And from DJI's point of view, imagine the money they are wasting replacing and shipping drones when they could just offer people a 10 second fix like everyone else does.

For anyone experiencing bad pixels but not wanting to go through the hassle of return Here’s a tutorial on how to “fix” bad pixels in footage. It’s not my video but I think it could be useful

 

[Synephrine]

Just noticed I have a stuck pixel as well.
Hopefully they come up with a way to re-map the stuck pixels.

 

[Flyguy95r]

Just noticed I have a stuck pixel as well.
Hopefully they come up with a way to re-map the stuck pixels.

It’s definitely a problem. I don’t really buy into the whole “all cameras have them, you shouldn’t care” mentality. There’s too many people reporting this issue for it to not be “a thing” and that thing is.... DJI is sending out brand new camera drones with bad pixels in mass quantities

 

[DanMan32]

That or only those with M2P's noticed. Perhaps those with P4P's should check too.

 

[Flyguy95r]

That or only those with M2P's noticed. Perhaps those with P4P's should check too.

It’s not really about “checking” it’s more like “do you have a giant glowing yellow sqaure staring right at your face? If yes, that’s a problem that a brand new camera shouldn’t be having”

 

[DanMan32]

It doesn't look 'giant glowing' to me. I almost don't notice it. If it wasn't pointed out, I might have completely missed it.
So again, this could be occurring in previous models, especially the P4 with the 1" sensor.

 

[Ed209]

Anyone of you smart ***** who don’t have any bad pixels want to trade with me? [emoji12]. Seriously, you make it seem like we are prima donnas. I can’t count how many digital cameras I have or have had to include over 5 P3 variants, 2 Mavics and now 2 Mavic 2 Pro’s. The only ones that I have seen with any hot pixels is the M2P. I’m not a professional trained eye videographer/photographer but I noticed it immediately. Of course we all know you can edit it out in post or that high-end cameras can map out the pixel. What good does that do for us with DJI products that don’t have this capability? So if you don’t have a dead/hot pixel then what are you doing in here except to stir the pot?

 

[SLVSRFR]

Anyone of you smart ***** who don’t have any bad pixels want to trade with me? [emoji12]. Seriously, you make it seem like we are prima donnas. I can’t count how many digital cameras I have or have had to include over 5 P3 variants, 2 Mavics and now 2 Mavic 2 Pro’s. The only ones that I have seen with any hot pixels is the M2P. I’m not a professional trained eye videographer/photographer but I noticed it immediately. Of course we all know you can edit it out in post or that high-end cameras can map out the pixel. What good does that do for us with DJI products that don’t have this capability? So if you don’t have a dead/hot pixel then what are you doing in here except to stir the pot?

First of all, a dead pixel and a hot pixel are two different things. Don't use them as if they're the same.

Second of all, do a google search and research the topic before you cause useless banter in a thread that had no sense of a scientific basis in the first place. You created this thread so people are going to give you their opinion. Complaining isn't going to do anything, bring it up with DJI if you have an issue. It was simply stated by another member that you are simply wasting your time by returning your drone for one that doesn't initially have a HOT pixel because they can appear/disappear all the time. THAT IS A FACTUAL STATEMENT. Not all Mavic 2 Pro's have them, most people don't even notice them. ALL CAMERAS have the potential to develop them.

Dead vs Stuck vs Hot Pixels - Photography Life