"Black dot" bug hits Canon D-SLR

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 19 Dec 2008 at 17:09

Canon has admitted a problem with black dots appearing on images taken with its newly-launched EOS 5D Mark II camera.

The unusual problem occurs when shooting photos at night, with tiny black pixels appearing to the right-hand side of any sources of light, such as street lamps.

The black dots are impossible to spot from the camera's viewfinder, but become apparent when the image is enlarged to 100% or printed.

The camera also has problems with vertical banding when images are taken in the camera's sRAW1 mode, which compresses file sizes compared to regular RAW mode.

Canon says the banding problem can be sidestepped by shooting in either standard RAW mode or JPEG.

A notice on Canon's support site says that the company is "currently investigating and analysing the causes, and examining measures to reduce or eliminate these phenomena by providing corrective firmware."

"An announcement will be made on the Canon website when such measures have been determined," it adds.