Randomly over-exposed images (NX1100)

I have a new NX1100, and about one out of every 40-50 photos is over-exposed -- yet the EXIF information is precisely the same as photos that are not over-exposed. For example, yesterday I took two photos in succession of the same parked cars. One photo came out over-exposed (with a white sky) and the other photo came out darker (with a blue sky), yet the EXIF information was precisely the same for both photos. Also, the over-exposed photos have a light-colored band across the bottom.

I took the photos in Smart mode, and it occurred to me that perhaps the camera changed the metering type from one shot to the next, but the EXIF information gives the metering type as "pattern" for both (whatever that means). (The metering choices are "Multi", "Center-Weighted" and "Spot".)

Any ideas about what's going on? Could this be fixed by shooting in a different mode than Smart?

Also, should I return the camera? One dud photo out of 40 isn't so bad, but it's still a defect.

If the EXIF info is the same, but the shots appear to be exposed differently, there is a problem and I'd recommend returning the camera. Same with the light band at the bottom of the images. It does not sound like a metering issue, since the EXIF is not changing. I shoot with spot metering, and can probably badly under/over expose a photo in any given scene, depending on where I meter. If I do, though, the change in shutter speed will show up in the EXIF. Send it back.

sixfootzero said:

If the EXIF info is the same, but the shots appear to be exposed differently, there is a problem and I'd recommend returning the camera. Same with the light band at the bottom of the images. It does not sound like a metering issue, since the EXIF is not changing. I shoot with spot metering, and can probably badly under/over expose a photo in any given scene, depending on where I meter. If I do, though, the change in shutter speed will show up in the EXIF. Send it back.

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Thanks for your advice.

Sending it back is a difficult decision because the Amazon supplier doesn't answer its phone or return messages (and you have to talk to them to get an RMA number), and they also charge a restocking fee. Also, in a separate thread which I posted just about the light-colored band, someone said that it happened to him but then stopped on its own (he had an NX200). In addition, 90% of the images I'll be taking will be product images, and it won't matter if it happens 5% of the time with those images. To save myself the trouble, I may just keep it. Also, if it was happening in the NX200, then that means Samsung hasn't fixed the problem, and I could end up with an NX3000 with the same problem. Samsung cameras are clearly buggy (that has become clear not just from this forum but others), so perhaps I should count myself as fortunate that this is the only problem.

I've just looked over the 124 photos I've taken, and the problem is happening more often than I just said. Perhaps 8 photos are over-exposed. If I take 3 photos of the same scene, the metering of each one will be different.

I'll think about what to do in the next couple days. I'll try Program mode (instead of Smart) and see what happens. I hate calling technical support because it is based in the Caribbean, and the reps are all working from scripts.

Was this with JPEG or RAW formats? There could be a different interpretation of a JPEG from RAW if there's some movement from one shot to another, where in one image highlights are preserved better, and in the other, the shadowed areas. I find spot metering a LOT more accurate in all the cameras I've used so far. For my previous Nikon, I had to swap from matrix to spot metering all the time when outdoors with slanted sunlight.

If you want great consistency, you really should use full manual mode on any camera.

OrdinarilyInordinate said:

Was this with JPEG or RAW formats? There could be a different interpretation of a JPEG from RAW if there's some movement from one shot to another, where in one image highlights are preserved better, and in the other, the shadowed areas. I find spot metering a LOT more accurate in all the cameras I've used so far. For my previous Nikon, I had to swap from matrix to spot metering all the time when outdoors with slanted sunlight.

If you want great consistency, you really should use full manual mode on any camera.

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Regarding the difference between matrix metering (or what Samsung called "multi") and spot metering, shouldn't matrix metering be better? I thought that spot metering just evaluated the light at the very center of the camera, a little like center metering. Or does the photographer determine the spot?

Manual is out for me. All my photographs would come out blurry. However, shutter-priority or aperture-priority are modes that I could try. Generally speaking, I want everything to be in focus. In order to make that happen, what is the best mode?

My NX1000 had a similar issue - please see here. If some of your pictures have similar artifacts, your shutter is unstable. I had the faulty shutter in my NX1000 replaced by Samsung cost-free under warranty.

vatazhka said:

My NX1000 had a similar issue - please see here. If some of your pictures have similar artifacts, your shutter is unstable. I had the faulty shutter in my NX1000 replaced by Samsung cost-free under warranty.

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Yes, you've precisely identified the problem. However, it is happening only about once out of 30 shots. Should I send it in for fixing? Will the problem get worse?

CMurdock said:

vatazhka said:

My NX1000 had a similar issue - please see here. If some of your pictures have similar artifacts, your shutter is unstable. I had the faulty shutter in my NX1000 replaced by Samsung cost-free under warranty.

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Yes, you've precisely identified the problem. However, it is happening only about once out of 30 shots. Should I send it in for fixing? Will the problem get worse?

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If yours is covered by warranty still, I would before that runs out, just in case it does get worse. I've had a great RMA experience with them very recently (in the U.S.)

OrdinarilyInordinate said:

If yours is covered by warranty still, I would before that runs out, just in case it does get worse. I've had a great RMA experience with them very recently (in the U.S.)

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Thanks.

I think I'll wait a few months to see if it gets worse. I assume the camera is under warranty for a year.

CMurdock said:

vatazhka said:

My NX1000 had a similar issue - please see here. If some of your pictures have similar artifacts, your shutter is unstable. I had the faulty shutter in my NX1000 replaced by Samsung cost-free under warranty.

Click to expand...

Yes, you've precisely identified the problem. However, it is happening only about once out of 30 shots. Should I send it in for fixing? Will the problem get worse?

Click to expand...

In my case, I perceive that the issue got worse over time and in a year it ended up in a 3rd of all shots being damaged, but it might have been due to different lighting conditions over the year. I reckon that it was worst when I was shooting outdoors in extreme sunshine (a sandy beach during sunny summer day), when shutter times were fairly short (below 1/400 sec) - this is a different use case than yours.

vatazhka said:

CMurdock said:

vatazhka said:

My NX1000 had a similar issue - please see here. If some of your pictures have similar artifacts, your shutter is unstable. I had the faulty shutter in my NX1000 replaced by Samsung cost-free under warranty.

Click to expand...

Yes, you've precisely identified the problem. However, it is happening only about once out of 30 shots. Should I send it in for fixing? Will the problem get worse?

Click to expand...

In my case, I perceive that the issue got worse over time and in a year it ended up in a 3rd of all shots being damaged, but it might have been due to different lighting conditions over the year. I reckon that it was worst when I was shooting outdoors in extreme sunshine (a sandy beach during sunny summer day), when shutter times were fairly short (below 1/400 sec) - this is a different use case than yours.

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When I first got the camera, I ran outside to snap some photos, and the very first image I took had the problem. I could still return the camera to the seller, but I don't think they would like it. I think their policy is that I have to return it for repair if it is defective, and they'll take it back only if it is dead on arrival.

CMurdock said:

When I first got the camera, I ran outside to snap some photos, and the very first image I took had the problem. I could still return the camera to the seller, but I don't think they would like it. I think their policy is that I have to return it for repair if it is defective, and they'll take it back only if it is dead on arrival.

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Is that return policy legal? In the UK we're typically able to return anything no questions asked. If they've sent you a defective product (defective out of the box) isn't that a breach of their contract?

Have you spoken to Amazon directly? I've used their online chat function several times in the past and returned products through it very efficiently, even when not sold by Amazon themselves.

I really think you should get a replacement or repair. Using a defective product is just going to tarnish your view of it and you can never quite rely on it. Samsung cameras do have some bugs, but then every brand do (Nikon and the infamous gunk on the sensor, Olympus and shuttershock, overheating Sonys, dodgy buttons on Fuji, Canon L lenses that aren't up to spec), I don't think Samsung are particularly bad. Of course, you could first try making sure the firmware on the camera is fully up to date.

CMurdock said:

OrdinarilyInordinate said:

If yours is covered by warranty still, I would before that runs out, just in case it does get worse. I've had a great RMA experience with them very recently (in the U.S.)

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Thanks.

I think I'll wait a few months to see if it gets worse. I assume the camera is under warranty for a year.

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I would send it sooner rather than later, the symptoms you describe are a faulty shutter mechanism.

I have taken 4000 exposures or so with my NX30 and never seen something like that. Shutter problems usually get worse with time.

Eric

viking79 said:

CMurdock said:

OrdinarilyInordinate said:

If yours is covered by warranty still, I would before that runs out, just in case it does get worse. I've had a great RMA experience with them very recently (in the U.S.)

Click to expand...

Thanks.

I think I'll wait a few months to see if it gets worse. I assume the camera is under warranty for a year.

Click to expand...

I would send it sooner rather than later, the symptoms you describe are a faulty shutter mechanism.

I have taken 4000 exposures or so with my NX30 and never seen something like that. Shutter problems usually get worse with time.

Eric

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Thanks for your thoughts. See my reply to Monkeybrain at the bottom.

monkeybrain said:

CMurdock said:

When I first got the camera, I ran outside to snap some photos, and the very first image I took had the problem. I could still return the camera to the seller, but I don't think they would like it. I think their policy is that I have to return it for repair if it is defective, and they'll take it back only if it is dead on arrival.

Click to expand...

Is that return policy legal? In the UK we're typically able to return anything no questions asked. If they've sent you a defective product (defective out of the box) isn't that a breach of their contract?

Have you spoken to Amazon directly? I've used their online chat function several times in the past and returned products through it very efficiently, even when not sold by Amazon themselves.

I really think you should get a replacement or repair. Using a defective product is just going to tarnish your view of it and you can never quite rely on it. Samsung cameras do have some bugs, but then every brand do (Nikon and the infamous gunk on the sensor, Olympus and shuttershock, overheating Sonys, dodgy buttons on Fuji, Canon L lenses that aren't up to spec), I don't think Samsung are particularly bad. Of course, you could first try making sure the firmware on the camera is fully up to date.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beneva/

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There are a couple problems with returning it. First, the seller isn't being cooperative. Because it is a camera at the end of its cycle, they were the only ones selling it at a reasonable price. I tried to reach them with pre-sales questions, but they never answered their phone or returned my messages. Yet in order to return it, I have to have an RMA number. If they won't communicate with me, how can I get the number? I don't want to send it back without a number, only to have them refuse it.

Also, Samsung's technical support number was crossed off on the box, which made me wonder if I had bought a gray-market item. In order to establish that it wasn't gray-market, I registered it, so anyone else that the seller sends it to will discover that.

As for the legalities of the situation, I can't speak to that. Every item you buy comes with an informal "warranty of merchantability", but the camera is working about 95% of the time.

As for sending it to Samsung to be repaired, I hesitate to do that because manufacturers often don't repair your new product. What they do is they send you someone else's second-hand refurbished product in its place.

I'll try to reach the seller again tomorrow.