7D Weird Problem With My 7D

Jordan Scott Price

Jordan Scott Price

Veteran
So I was shooting stills last week for kicks and noticed there is a weird "muddy" film (for lack of a better term) in the shot when looking through the viewfinder. I thought it was the viewfinder, so I cleaned it, but it didn't go away. Then I noticed it was in all of my shots from that day!

I thought it was the lens, so I changed lenses (28-135mm kit to an FD prime). It was still there. I thought it was FD-EOS adapters, so I changed those. Still there. I thought it was the adapters OR the FD lenses, so I switched to my parents' 18-55mm EF, and it was still there!

I tried looking through the viewfinder while there was no lens on...and I couldn't see it. But then again, the light is unfocused and just bouncing off the mirror box, so I really don't know if I would be able to see it that way...whatever IT is.

I will post some pictures here in a minute. It's not clear what I'm talking about until you zoom in on the pictures, but there is definitely something going on. I can see it in stills but not yet in my videos. This is a relatively new development here, as I noticed it right away while looking through the viewfinder just a week ago.

Could it be that something is wrong with the mirror box? It looks clean, but this film is so intricate - to visualize it, think of germs multiplying under a microscope, around a million or so copies, it looks like that...a brown, static "mud..." If that were the problem, though, it wouldn't affect video, right, since the mirror box is locked up when in Live View mode?

My lenses look spotless, especially the kit lens, but I'm wondering if there's some weird tiny fungus going on...but on all my lenses?

Lastly, I wonder if there is a setting on the camera that I adjusted incorrectly - which would be odd for a lot of reasons - that would cause this muddy film.

Lemme post some pictures. I'm stumped!


Edit: Tried it on my Nikon, too. Still there!


Mud001-Crop-RedPeppers-5009-1.png
 
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There.

There is this weird film over the whole image.

If you look in the shadow from the rightmost red pepper packet and then look at the whites, you see that same muddy stuff is in the whole thing. It's not noise. That is what I'm seeing through the viewfinder...and it's obviously infecting the images.
 
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Not really sure what it is you're describing but it sounds like you may need to adjust your white balance setting. It's too warm.
 
I knew this would be hard to explain. It's such a thin layer of crap that you really can't see it in a cropped image blown up 5x - you have to look through the viewfinder. It's there.

Ignore the WB.
 
Here. Maybe this one will be clearer.

Mud001-Crop-RedPeppers-5009-1.png


Do you see how dirty the counter looks, but that dirt is also present in the rest of the image...it's like muddy water dried on the lens or something, but like I said before, I've shot with all of my lenses to rule them out, but they all come out this way. This dirt is present when looking through the viewfinder and then here in the stills.
 
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OK, I believe you when you say it's visible through the viewfinder. Maybe you've got dust there. But that doesn't explain why it's showing up in the photos. Frankly, I don't see anything wrong with the photo you posted, other than the fact that the WB is off and there's noise visible when viewed at 100%. My only other suggestion is to reset your camera's settings.
 
Jordan_S said:
OK, I believe you when you say it's visible through the viewfinder. Maybe you've got dust there. But that doesn't explain why it's showing up in the photos. Frankly, I don't see anything wrong with the photo you posted, other than the fact that the WB is off and there's noise visible when viewed at 100%. My only other suggestion is to reset your camera's settings.
Click to expand...

Yea. There's digital noise there for sure. But there's a very subtle brown film in there, too, but unless you know what it looks like on a quarter-inch viewfinder - where it's unmistakable - then you probably won't see it. That's what I feared.

IF this muddy stuff is so subtle that no one can see it, maybe it's not really a problem? Especially for video?

Maybe it's not even there, but I'm looking for it, so I'm seeing what I want to see. But what will keep me up at night is the question what is it? I hate not knowing, especially if it's some degenerative problem. Call me paranoid, but it's too expensive and too important a tool to shrug off an obvious abnormality.

If it is dust on the viewfinder, how would I clean it? I've already scrubbed down the external side of the VF.

Thanks.
 
I don't notice any "mud" or brown either, to be perfectly honest. 7Ds are known (or were known) for shipping with a color bias. Mine was yellow, regardless of the WB. It was very subtle, but it was noticeable.

I fixed it using this method here:

http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2010/03/30/color-correction-put-your-best-foot-forward/

This may not be what you're referring to, but perhaps its something you could look into if you're noticing a colour bias.

Kegan
 
I don't think there is a color bias with my 7D; it's just a bad picture. I took it because the brown film seems obvious to me, so I didn't bother composing the shot properly. Maybe I'll take another shot today under tungsten (this was fluorescent). It's raining here.
 
Hi jscott
I have found the exact same proble with my new 7D - I immediately got onto forums to see if any one has had the same problem.
Mine is as you describe yours. I saw it immidiately through the view finder. It is more "muddy" towards the edge of the view and very noticable when pointed at a blue sky.
Have you taken yours back to a dealer / expert or have you fixed the problem?
I have not noticed the muddy effect coming out on my pictures though - at least they seem okay?
I am so angry to have this problem with a new camera!
 
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