A couple S3 IS shots, and sensor dust

Rotareneg · May 4, 2006

Got my S3 yesterday afternoon at Circuit City here in Wichita and have been enjoying it so far. Only problem I've found is that it's got some dust on the sensor apparently. It doesn't show up with normal pictures (although I haven't taken any shots of the clear blue sky yet as the weather's been cloudy and grey) but it's a tad annoying considering the camera cost $500.

Also noticed something interesting: chromatic aberation and corner softness is influced by image stabilization. If you think about how IS works, it makes perfect sense: IS is achieved by moving a lens element side to size (and/or up and down.) When the IS element is off-center to correct for camera shake, the light is no longer going through the middle of the element and thus you end up with uncentered CA and/or corner sharpness. Not that it's a problem, just more of an observation.

jamiller34 · May 4, 2006

Is that first picture with the globs taken with the flash? I have a similar issue with my S70, but it only seems to happen with the flash, or at least that is the only time I notice it.

Rotareneg · May 4, 2006

I just used the flash 'cause it was handy for that shot. Here's another example using a monitor:

Just for reference, it's zoomed in all the way, focused to infinity, and the aperture is closed down to f8.

If you get spots when using a flash it's probably just dust floating in the air, and they should be bright spots, not dark ones.

jamiller34 · May 4, 2006

If it is dust in the air, I must be in a lot of dusty environments because it happens alot, especially when indoors.

Montana500 · May 4, 2006

Nice shots, but they don't look like "Canon" shots.
--
2005 Canon S2 photo gallery:
http://www.wilderness-sportsman.com/hits/hits.html

Srf_Cast · May 4, 2006

It doesn’t look like dust to me. More like some kind of dried liquid as the shape is far too regular (lubricant?). I’d get the camera replaced or cleaned under warranty.

As for your theory about the IS and CA, I seriously doubt it. Even the smallest movement of the glass element causes great shifts when the light hits the sensor so in fact your picture is focused through the same part of the lens with the IS switched On or Off. Unless you can produce 2 controlled samples with IS On and Off showing vastly different amounts of CA my guess is that you just jumped into conclusions way too soon.

--
http://www.pbase.com/mikez

Rotareneg · May 4, 2006

Well, it was a rather dreary and overcast day...

Monicakm · May 4, 2006

What kind of shots do they "look like"?

--
Monica (UZi x2)
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pbase supporter

Rotareneg · May 4, 2006

Srf_Cast said:
It doesn’t look like dust to me. More like some kind of dried
liquid as the shape is far too regular (lubricant?). I’d get the
camera replaced or cleaned under warranty.

As for your theory about the IS and CA, I seriously doubt it. Even
the smallest movement of the glass element causes great shifts when
the light hits the sensor so in fact your picture is focused
through the same part of the lens with the IS switched On or Off.
Unless you can produce 2 controlled samples with IS On and Off
showing vastly different amounts of CA my guess is that you just
jumped into conclusions way too soon.

I'll try testing with and without IS tomorrow.

gail · May 5, 2006

I am crazy about the photo of the turtle. Nice shot!
--
gail ~ http://www.pbase.com/gailb
My digital camera BLOGGs: Canon SD700, S2 & A510; Panasonic FZ3, Nikon 5400
http://www.digicamhelp.com/digital-camera-blogs/index.htm

Greg Gebhardt · May 5, 2006

--
Greg Gebhardt in
Jacksonville, Florida
D Two X and a spare.
Leica Dee-Lux 2
Leica Digilux 2
& Sony R-One

jamiller34 · May 5, 2006

http://www.pbase.com/image/42994460/original

Here is an example of the globs I get on my S70. Look just like what you are getting.

bdery · May 5, 2006

first, it seems the S3 overexposes slightly, in bright light, just as my S2 does. Using the histogram will help with that, though.

About IS, since the movements are so minimal, I doubt it really affects CA and corner sharpness. I'm not saying it does not, but I have some doubts. I'll try to run tests later today if the sun is bright enough.

Thanks for sharing! I love the turtle pic.
--
bdery

Québec city, Canada
C A N O N S 2
C O O L P I X S Q
http://www.aperturehead.com/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=54

Rotareneg · May 5, 2006

My fault, I was comparing pictures taken with different apertures without realizing it, that was why some had noticibly different CA. Doh...

Rotareneg · May 5, 2006

Here's a 100% crop with no PP of the turtle:

I was experimenting with different settings, that was with contrast, saturation, and sharpening set to minimum.

scudderbug · May 5, 2006

Your splotches (of varying size and lighter than the peripheral area) and Rotareneg's (of relatively uniform size and darker than the peripheral area) seem dissimilar.

Still, I wouldn't come to me with any dermatological concerns.

jamiller34 said:
http://www.pbase.com/image/42994460/original

Here is an example of the globs I get on my S70. Look just like
what you are getting.

Rotareneg · May 7, 2006

Exchanged it today without any hassle, and also got a refund from the price drop mentioned in this thread: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1010&thread=18342361

The new camera doesn't have any dust on the sensor, but it does have a couple larger pieces of dust on a couple lens elements which thankfully appear to have no visible effect on actual pictures. Looks like Canon needs to take the class "Clean rooms 101" again.

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A couple S3 IS shots, and sensor dust

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