Has anyone had this happen to them? The crack is in the upper left corner.
About a week an half ago I had to shoot a women's lacrosse game in a snow storm. The temp was 28F and windy which made it feel like the mid teens. The 10 to 15 frames I shot with this camera were fine.(This camera is my #2 body) So I bring the body into a warm building in a plastic bag minus the battery. Two days latter I have a real simple photo shoot with a Cornell lax player that's when I notice the crack.
By the way the camera was not dropped or banged against anything. I also used my D3s for this game.
I've used this body and a lot of others in colder weather than this without a problem.
Are you sure it's a physical crack in the sensor? Did you inspect it under magnification or attempt to brush it away with a sensor brush?
If it is a crack, I doubt it would have been caused by the temperature variation. It would've been due to mechanical stress or shock.
I should add, though, that such a crack could have happened because the sensor assembled or mounted correctly in the body. When the manufacturer mounts the sensor, they adjust it to be perpendicular to the optical axis. Incorrect adjustment could be the cause of this problem, and the temperature change could have induced one of the glass layers on top of it to crack.
Are you sure it's a crack, and not a piece of hair on the filter? Eithere way, I don't think a cracked sensor would look like that. Most likely a cracked AA filter, if anything.
That is very unfortunate. Can you actually see the line on the sensor? Can you determine if it is just the AA filter in front of the sensor or does it go all the way through to the sensor? Have not seen that before but obviously the cracked AA is a better situation than a cracked sensor.
MagicNikon wrote:
Are you sure it's a crack, and not a piece of hair on the filter? Eithere way, I don't think a cracked sensor would look like that. Most likely a cracked AA filter, if anything.
What I've done in fired a frame for five seconds to pop the mirror up and noticed a crack or what I think is a crack on the sensor.
Please forgive my lack of technical expertise. What I'll do is take a photo of it and post it here.
MagicNikon wrote:
Are you sure it's a crack, and not a piece of hair on the filter? Eithere way, I don't think a cracked sensor would look like that. Most likely a cracked AA filter, if anything.
I agree that it is not a cracked sensor as there would be more than just a line of black.
It's a cracked cover glass/AA filter. There was a whole batch of sensors used in the Leica M9 that had this problem. Kodak/Leica never explained what was wrong, but they did indicate it was a manufacturing flaw (probably too much stress on the cover glass). It would spontaneously crack, like yours did. Probably a similar problem.
It could be a manufacturing defect which was exacerbated by a rapid and uneven temperature fluctuation, sort of like what happens if you try to put a ceramic plate on a stove--it breaks from thermal shock due to uneven heating. If it was already under mechanical stress because of incorrect assembly, then the change in temperature might have been just enough to get it to crack.
Or it could just be that the sensor itself had a manufacturing defect, and you got a bad batch.
I would try to get Nikon to repair this for free, because this really does seem like a manufacturing defect. Many people have recounted stories of how their cameras take very serious hits and spills, and yet the sensor doesn't crack.
I would try to get Nikon into a conversation about splitting the cost. The sensor clearly has a problem, but on the other hand, the camera is most likely out of warranty.
This is actually pretty easy of a repair, just take off the back, a few more screws for the PCB under that, and then theres a sensor board. Very, very simple, I can do it in about 30 minutes max. But I know for sure Nikon will charge like 400 for it.
jhinkey wrote:
What are those other marks on the sensor? Nikon may have issues with that other large mark - or that's one of the dirtiest sensors I've ever seen!
John
John,
That's actually a reflection from the lens mount. When I saw the photo I took a second look just to make sure.
