Dead Pixels?!

[ClearPropMedia]

Hey everyone,

Has anyone else noticed dead and stuck pixels in their videos and photos at low light? I bought the M3 2 weeks ago and noticed two white dots continuously in my videos. I exchanged it for a new one and this new one is even worse. It has about 5 to 6 red, white and blue dots. They aren’t noticeable in day light conditions, but at nighttime and low light they are a lot more prominent.

Any thoughts?

 

[Paradigm]

Hey everyone,

Has anyone else noticed dead and stuck pixels in their videos and photos at low light? I bought the M3 2 weeks ago and noticed two white dots continuously in my videos. I exchanged it for a new one and this new one is even worse. It has about 5 to 6 red, white and blue dots. They aren’t noticeable in day light conditions, but at nighttime and low light they are a lot more prominent.

Any thoughts?

Do you have examples?

Sounds silly, but did you try cleaning the lens?

 

[lugorenati]

Hola a todos,

¿Alguien más ha notado píxeles muertos y atascados en sus videos y fotos con poca luz? Compré el M3 hace 2 semanas y noté dos puntos blancos continuamente en mis videos. Lo cambié por uno nuevo y este nuevo es aún peor. Tiene de 5 a 6 puntos rojos, blancos y azules. No se notan en condiciones de luz diurna, pero en la noche y con poca luz son mucho más prominentes.

¿Alguna idea?

 

[lugorenati]

Tengo ese mismo problema tengo un punto rojo super molesto por la noche

 

[GIUFED]

Good morning, same problem on M3 just purchased and activated. Dead pixel visible only in optical zoom mode (digital no). I have done several tests but the problem remains. I will ask for the replacement.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Stuck and even more so hot pixels are a fact of life with virtually every modern image sensor, and will almost always be worse at higher ISOs or with longer exposures. They can also change over time. Many manufactures allow the user to map these out themselves (that's all they do at the factory), but I am not sure what DJI's process is. Most photo editing software will automatically remove them for you as well.

Dead pixels don't receive power and usually show up as a dark(er) spot - this is quite rare.

Stuck pixels won't change their color between photos.

Hot pixels are by far the most common, and show up when the sensor temperature increases (high ISO or long exposure). They come and go, and are nothing to worry about.

I will be shocked if DJI replaces your drone for that - or if they do, the support person probably doesn't know what they are. Also note that your replacement will likely have them too, and even if it doesn't have them right away, they will almost certainly pop up over time under similar circumstances.

 

[GIUFED]

Hey everyone,

Has anyone else noticed dead and stuck pixels in their videos and photos at low light? I bought the M3 2 weeks ago and noticed two white dots continuously in my videos. I exchanged it for a new one and this new one is even worse. It has about 5 to 6 red, white and blue dots. They aren’t noticeable in day light conditions, but at nighttime and low light they are a lot more prominent.

Any thoughts?

Stuck and even more so hot pixels are a fact of life with virtually every modern image sensor, and will almost always be worse at higher ISOs or with longer exposures. They can also change over time. Many manufactures allow the user to map these out themselves (that's all they do at the factory), but I am not sure what DJI's process is. Most photo editing software will automatically remove them for you as well.

Dead pixels don't receive power and usually show up as a dark(er) spot - this is quite rare.

Stuck pixels won't change their color between photos.

Hot pixels are by far the most common, and show up when the sensor temperature increases (high ISO or long exposure). They come and go, and are nothing to worry about.

I will be shocked if DJI replaces your drone for that - or if they do, the support person probably doesn't know what they are. Also note that your replacement will likely have them too, and even if it doesn't have them right away, they will almost certainly pop up over time under similar circumstances.

Thanks for the reply.
So are you telling me that it is normal to have that blue pixel and that there is nothing to be done?
Also because it is also noticeable in daylight conditions.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Thanks for the reply.
So are you telling me that it is normal to have that blue pixel and that there is nothing to be done?

Yes it is normal, but as I mentioned, it can be mapped out (that is what they do at the factory as no sensor is prefect), but I am not sure how DJI handles this specifically. Their "support" team is just there for lip service, but if you are able to make your way through to someone who isn't reading from a script, they should be able to tell you if you can map them out yourself or if you need to send it to a repair center to have them mapped out. I don't know what DJI's procedure is for this. If they want to send you a whole new drone, great I suppose, but the new one may or may not be better, and that can change over time even if it seems perfect initially. It's up to you how much effort you want to put into it based on how much it bothers you.

Also, simply opening the image file in Photoshop for example will automatically detect and remove the hot pixel, so depending on your editing procedure, you may never even see them anyway.

If it makes you feel any better, every digital camera I have ever purchased, even ones costing $7,000+, have all had hot pixels under certain shooting conditions. Depending on the brand, the user can map them out with a menu function, or you can just let editing software deal with it. Service centers will also do this for you, but again I don't know how it works specifically with DJI.

 

[GIUFED]

Yes it is normal, but as I mentioned, it can be mapped out (that is what they do at the factory as no sensor is prefect), but I am not sure how DJI handles this specifically. Their "support" team is just there for lip service, but if you are able to make your way through to someone who isn't reading from a script, they should be able to tell you if you can map them out yourself or if you need to send it to a repair center to have them mapped out. I don't know what DJI's procedure is for this. If they want to send you a whole new drone, great I suppose, but the new one may or may not be better, and that can change over time even if it seems perfect initially. It's up to you how much effort you want to put into it based on how much it bothers you.

Also, simply opening the image file in Photoshop for example will automatically detect and remove the hot pixel, so depending on your editing procedure, you may never even see them anyway.

If it makes you feel any better, every digital camera I have ever purchased, even ones costing $7,000+, have all had hot pixels under certain shooting conditions. Depending on the brand, the user can map them out with a menu function, or you can just let editing software deal with it. Service centers will also do this for you, but again I don't know how it works specifically with DJI.

Thanks for the technical and above all exhaustive answer.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Thanks for the technical and above all exhaustive answer.

You're welcome.

If they showed up at low ISOs, even in bright areas of the image, and all the time, you would have a better case for a replacement because that is not nearly as common. If they show up at high ISOs and/or long exposures (when the image sensor gets hot), then I personally wouldn't worry about it as that is very common.

Actually the OP's description of the issue is a textbook example of what usually happens - not noticeable in normal lighting conditions, and his replacement was worse rather than better (always a possibility).

If you use Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop to edit your RAW (DNG) files, you wouldn't even know they were there as they get automatically mapped out as soon as you open the image. I don't believe it does this automatically with JPEGs.

 

[GIUFED]

You're welcome.

If they showed up at low ISOs, even in bright areas of the image, and all the time, you would have a better case for a replacement because that is not nearly as common. If they show up at high ISOs and/or long exposures (when the image sensor gets hot), then I personally wouldn't worry about it as that is very common.

Actually the OP's description of the issue is a textbook example of what usually happens - not noticeable in normal lighting conditions, and his replacement was worse rather than better (always a possibility).

If you use Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop to edit your RAW (DNG) files, you wouldn't even know they were there as they get automatically mapped out as soon as you open the image. I don't believe it does this automatically with JPEGs.

You're welcome.

If they showed up at low ISOs, even in bright areas of the image, and all the time, you would have a better case for a replacement because that is not nearly as common. If they show up at high ISOs and/or long exposures (when the image sensor gets hot), then I personally wouldn't worry about it as that is very common.

Actually the OP's description of the issue is a textbook example of what usually happens - not noticeable in normal lighting conditions, and his replacement was worse rather than better (always a possibility).

If you use Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop to edit your RAW (DNG) files, you wouldn't even know they were there as they get automatically mapped out as soon as you open the image. I don't believe it does this automatically with JPEGs.

Can I take advantage of your professionalism?
How come in 4K shooting the problem is not there while in 5.1K it is!
The M3 has 2 optics (tele and wide angle). Initially I only tested the zoom in which I encountered the problem at any resolution. Tonight trying the wide angle I noticed that in 4K there is no pixel in the center while in 5.1k there is!
How is it possible?
Thanks in advance.

 

[CanadaDrone]

Can I take advantage of your professionalism?
How come in 4K shooting the problem is not there while in 5.1K it is

The M3 has 2 optics (tele and wide angle). Initially I only tested the zoom in which I encountered the problem at any resolution. Tonight trying the wide angle I noticed that in 4K there is no pixel in the center while in 5.1k there is!
How is it possible?
Thanks in advance.

It's hard to say for sure, but shooting in 5.1K generates more heat than 4K all else equal, so that might be just enough to push it over the edge. That would be my guess. You might find that certain shooting scenarios also produce the hot pixel in 4K as well, especially at the higher frame rates like 4K60P or 4K120P, and/or at higher ISOs in low light situations. Hot pixels usually show up in shadow areas but that isn't a set rule.

 

[gradur]

Hey everyone,

Has anyone else noticed dead and stuck pixels in their videos and photos at low light? I bought the M3 2 weeks ago and noticed two white dots continuously in my videos. I exchanged it for a new one and this new one is even worse. It has about 5 to 6 red, white and blue dots. They aren’t noticeable in day light conditions, but at nighttime and low light they are a lot more prominent.

Any thoughts?

I have had exactly the same problem. In low light, one or two very bright red pixel (photo), and white spots at the same spot (video).

I've returned it to DJI which agreed to replace it. I'll keep you posted with whether the new one has similar issues.

It stinks!

 

[GIUFED]

I have had exactly the same problem. In low light, one or two very bright red pixel (photo), and white spots at the same spot (video).

I've returned it to DJI which agreed to replace it. I'll keep you posted with whether the new one has similar issues.

It stinks!

Hi, do you update us as soon as the new one arrives? Thank you

 

[ClearPropMedia]

Hey everyone! I learned to live with the new ones on the drone. I reached out to DJI, who then reached out to the engineers, and I wanted to offer you guys an update. DJI offered to replace the drone for me again (I already replaced it at Best Buy and the new one was worse), but they also said that they are aware of this problem and plan to address it with an update in the near future. I am not sure how they plan on doing this, or whether they are just telling me this to get me off the phone, but ultimately they did offer me a replacement. At this time I have chosen to stick with the current one that I have, since as many of you discussed already, this issue could be worse with another drone or may just develop overtime even if it is perfect from the offset. Fingers crossed it doesn’t get worse!

Thanks for all of your help and replies.

 

[CanadaDrone]

I find it odd that DJI said they are "aware of the problem" when it is an inherit characteristic of virtually every image sensor in every camera application. Perhaps what they mean is they will have a way for users to map them out in the future - that would certainly be helpful. At any rate, glad you guys are satisfied.

 

[gradur]

I find it odd that DJI said they are "aware of the problem" when it is an inherit characteristic of virtually every image sensor in every camera application. Perhaps what they mean is they will have a way for users to map them out in the future - that would certainly be helpful. At any rate, glad you guys are satisfied.

This has to go with their 'awareness' of android 12 issues

Now, more seriously, what I genuinely wonder is the following: if these issues are normal for all sensors (including on expensive dslrs and mirrorlesses, which I have no doubt about), why didn't I encounter such an issue with the two previous DJI drones I owned? Not trying to be facicious here, just curious if this is inherent to large sensors with high sensitivity or this means that the firmware of those two previous drones did automatically map out such pixels ?

PS: previous drones i owned had much smaller sensors (dji mini and mavic 2 air).

 

[gradur]

Hi, do you update us as soon as the new one arrives? Thank you

My exchange experience with DJI greatly exceeded my expectations: I didn't need to argue anything, just explained that my sensor was probably defective as dead/stuck pixels would manifest both in video and photo mode and DJI immediately proceeded with a replacement. I printed some shipping labels, went to UPS, paid ~$13 for a proper box (and shipping, i'm not even sure whether this was subsidized/covered). The replacement drone arrived back via UPS a few days later. Stellar service honestly.

Now, as this brand new, unopened drone box was sitting on my table, ready to be unboxed again, I kind of realised that I could return it to best buy and get a full refund. In fact, contrarily to what I though (15 days return policy), best buy has a longer return period this time of the year: "Purchases made Oct. 18, 2021, through Jan. 2, 2022, have an extended return period through Jan. 16, 2022,", and it turns out that my drone qualified.

I ended up doing this because to be frank, the list of issues was a little bit too much for a $3000 drone: for the sensor issue I encountered, at this point I think the safest thing to do is to wait and see how widespread they are and how DJI can mitigate this with a firmware update (which they don't yet). The second issue I had is that I'm using a pixel 6 and found out the device was not supported the hard way.

That said, I will probably purchase this very same drone again once those issues are ironed out because the footage of this thing in low light is really something (*).

*: albeit with an OCD triggering bright red pixel in the middle of the video,

 

[Paradigm]

My exchange experience with DJI greatly exceeded my expectations: I didn't need to argue anything, just explained that my sensor was probably defective as dead/stuck pixels would manifest both in video and photo mode and DJI immediately proceeded with a replacement. I printed some shipping labels, went to UPS, paid ~$13 for a proper box (and shipping, i'm not even sure whether this was subsidized/covered). The replacement drone arrived back via UPS a few days later. Stellar service honestly.

Now, as this brand new, unopened drone box was sitting on my table, ready to be unboxed again, I kind of realised that I could return it to best buy and get a full refund. In fact, contrarily to what I though (15 days return policy), best buy has a longer return period this time of the year: "Purchases made Oct. 18, 2021, through Jan. 2, 2022, have an extended return period through Jan. 16, 2022,", and it turns out that my drone qualified.

I ended up doing this because to be frank, the list of issues was a little bit too much for a $3000 drone: for the sensor issue I encountered, at this point I think the safest thing to do is to wait and see how widespread they are and how DJI can mitigate this with a firmware update (which they don't yet). The second issue I had is that I'm using a pixel 6 and found out the device was not supported the hard way.

That said, I will probably purchase this very same drone again once those issues are ironed out because the footage of this thing in low light is really something (*).

*: albeit with an OCD triggering bright red pixel in the middle of the video,

Doing a Best Buy return if you opened the box will hit you with a 15% restocking fee, iirc. I had to sign the acknowledgement when buying it. :/