F5: stuck pixels on Fs7 LCD VF

JPNola

JPNola

Veteran
I noticed a greenish dot on my Fs7 LCD viewfinder. Not sure if it's a "stuck pixel" or a "hot pixel". At first I was concerned that it was on the images my Fs7 was recording but it is not. It's only on the LCD VF.

Now the single green dot has turned into several. They are not obvious at first. I had to tell my Sound Op where to look on the screen when I was showing the bad pixels to him. They are more obvious when looking through the loupe.

Again, not in the recorded video, just on the LCD. I confirmed this by examining the footage as well as by engaging the "mirror" function on the LCD. The lil' dots remained in place even when I flipped the video image so that told me they were only on the LCD.

I was told that a dead pixel is blackish, a hot pixel is whitish in color, and a stuck pixel is either green, red, or blue. These invaders are green. The curious thing is that they are difficult to see when the screen is black, when the lens cap is on. They become more visible when there is an image on the screen.

As one would expect I am not happy about this happening on a camera that has only been in use for about 10 hours. Am I the only one experiencing this? Am I an anomaly or just the first of many to come? I tried to get rid of the problem by re-installing the software update. I also tried flashing color bars repeatedly in an attempt to "un-stick" the pixels. I even tried the screen tapping "fix" to no avail. "APR" has nothing to do with the LCD so that didn't solve anything for me.

I am hearing my Father's mantra of "never buy a new car model when it first comes out. Wait until they have all the kinks worked out.".
 
JPNola said:
I am hearing my Father's mantra of "never buy a new car model when it first comes out. Wait until they have all the kinks worked out.".
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isn't that become the next year model? and the whole circle repeat? Your FS7 has warranty right? send it in to fix it. It seem like you're the only at time point have that issue. I haven't see it on my unit.
 
JPNola said:
The curious thing is that they are difficult to see when the screen is black, when the lens cap is on. They become more visible when there is an image on the screen.
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Speaking of the LCD panel only - the LCD combines red/blue green source pixels to make up each dot of color. If the red and blue portions have failed, you will only see green - but it will still vary in brightness based on the source input. So, if the lens cap is cover, it makes sense that the pixel would not be as bright.

Sounds like a 100% physical panel issue. If there is only one or two of them, Sony may refuse a warranty request, but you can certainly try. Given that the LCD on this camera is a complete detachable unit, switching it out is at least a possibility. Later, if not now.
 
Bubble said:
isn't that become the next year model? and the whole circle repeat?
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No, the next year it's the second year of a new model. The Sony F5's produced in 2014 were still an F5. Likewise, each production year of a vehicle is not a new model year. The current model of Chevy Camaro ( the 5th generation ) came out in 2010. The 2011, 2012, 2013, & 2014 Camaros were new vehicles but not new vehicle models. Car makers, makers of anything in general, refine a new product model as production continues. For instance, the first year of the Porsche Boxster had all sorts of issues that were sorted out by the third year of production. The thought is that waiting a bit to purchase allows time for any issues to be sorted out, issues that are only revealed in real-world use, revealed in feedback from owners. Those who purchased an F5 later as opposed to early never had to deal with issues such as the F5's freezing up issue or it's SDI-outs going dead. Sony addressed the issues by the time the later purchasers acquired their F5. The mantra of "never buy a model when it first comes out" is in reference to the risk of having to deal with unforeseen problems with new products, risk that is increased with a product model's first year production.

Bubble said:
Your FS7 has warranty right? send it in to fix it. It seem like you're the only at time point have that issue. I haven't see it on my unit.
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My dilemma there is all the jobs with the Fs7 that I have lined up over the next week. Considering how difficult it was to obtain the Fs7, and in light of the demand for the camera, I doubt that a replacement or free loaner is anything but extremely difficult to obtain. I'm sorta like those pixels- stuck for the time being.

I am completely open to the possibility that it's only my camera having the issue. However, the phenomena I am experiencing is very, very subtle. There are conditions where it is barely perceptible and I have to hunt with my eye to relocate the problematic pixels. So it is possible that others have it on their LCD's as well but have yet to notice it. Again, when I showed the issue to others I had to guide them to the problematic area of the screen and even then it took them a while to see it. Sort of like pointing out a faint star in the night sky to someone else. "Oh....NOW I see it!".

btw- I have 35 hrs of use on my Fs7 ( 35 hrs of record time ). The hours of use of my LCD are likely up around 100 hrs. It's possible that my Fs7's LCD display has been in use far more than most.
 
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J ...I am completely open to the possibility that it's only my camera having the issue. However said:
Yes, I have 3 or 4 stuck, dead or whatever green pixels on my EVF too. I didn't see them at first.
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What are you going to do in regard to the issue?

I just decided to live with it since it's not that distracting. I have a feeling we are not the only ones.

If you have the opportunity to frame up green screen with your Fs7, see if you find that there are more dead pixels than you realize. When I framed up a well lit green screen the problematic pixels became more apparent. My Sound Op and I started looking closely and we could see at least 10 pixels that were bright spots when framing up green screen. The weird thing is that when I put the lens cap on and the screen is black I can't see any of the "stuck" pixels. When shooting a scene only one really stands out...when shooting the green screen many more become visible.

If it is indeed a "stuck" pixel it seems that it would be visible when no light is entering the lens.

Did you find that the stuck pixel is only on the LCD and not in the recored images?
 
Hi all, I have this exact issue with my FS7 viewfinder.. Small stuck pixels (around 6+ of them) only noticeable when viewing through the loupe. It's VERY annoying as now I know where they are, my eye is drawn to them straight away! Not sure I can live with them, I'm going to try to get it changed as the camera is 4 months old.

Did you have luck getting the viewfinder swapped out by Sony? Or was there another solution to "un-stick" them!?

Cheers
Dan
 
Just a silly idea: If you're using a LUT, is it possible the LUT is causing the green pixels?

And excuse a dumb question, but you have tried Auto Pixel Restore, Black Balance, and White Balance ... right? :)
 
Not using a lut, and yeah I've tried all of the above! Green pixels are only on the viewfinder, not on the sensor (they don't appear on the recorded image).. So I guess this is why APR etc won't help at all :(
 
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