OT: Temperature artifact when recording? Fixes?

MTuggy wrote on 12/30/2009, 7:08 PM
I was recording out in about 20 degree F temps the other day with my Sony HDR-SR7 and had a very odd vertical green steak throughout 3 of the 7 segments I recorded - I believe there we all in succession. Then, the artifact went away with footage I captured 10 minutes later. It has since not returned even in similar temps though I have been more careful about keeping the camera closer to my body when not in use. Here is the frame capture from the MTS file.
http://home.comcast.net/~drtelemark/wsb/Artifact.jpg

1. Anyone else seen this kind of artifact when recording? (? Temp related or a glitch in the processor?)
2. Anyone have any ideas on how to hide the defect using a color corrector FX in Vegas? I tried secondary color correction and B&W to no avail.

Mike

Comments

Grazie wrote on 12/30/2009, 10:22 PM
If it was a temp thing, then, as I just downloaded the User Manual you should be getting a flashing indicator? Did you get this?

The other thing is that maybe your battery was not producing voltage at the required output 'cos of the low temp? Just read that too. Read up on the spec for temp ranges for batteries?

Now, if it went away, then maybe it WAS the cold. But only your eye on the screen looking for this icon could possibly nail-it as such?

Dunno, can't say much more . ..

Grazie
Grazie wrote on 12/30/2009, 10:42 PM
can't say much more . ..

. .yes I can . .

Does/did the green stripe move with any camera movement? Or did it remain static as the camera moved? I am just wondering whether this was a colour aberration of that "low" sun combined with the coolness of the atmosphere?

Grazie
teaktart wrote on 12/31/2009, 10:30 PM
That is a very weird stripe even more so that it stops half way down just before the white snow.
If it went away and did not return....how about trying a new tape and see if perhaps there was a bad section on that particular tape with the green stripe.

Also, could you see that in your viewfinder when you shot it and when played back in the camera?

Tim L wrote on 12/31/2009, 10:45 PM
The Sony HDR-SR7 is a hi-def, hard-disk drive camcorder -- no tape involved. Has a single, CMOS sensor.
BudWzr wrote on 1/1/2010, 2:48 AM
I'm playing with this, and right now I think an option might be to overlay a lens flare effect on it, since it's only a short duration.

Info: The problem area is on all three channels, but very strong on red, and does go down into the snow area too but not as noticeable.

Surgically removing it is simple enough, the problem is there is no picture data in the affected area. So you will have to swap in something.
farss wrote on 1/1/2010, 5:34 AM
1) Split the problem up a bit using masks. I'd hazard a good guess the artifact is static in the frame.

2) Try using the Channel Blend FX. This is not a simple problem that can be solved by moving the white point. This could be fairly messy, I could sort of get the shadows in the mountains right but that was way off in the sky. You might have to use several seconday CCs to separate out different sections within the masks based on luminance and then use the channel blend FX.

Bob.
MTuggy wrote on 1/11/2010, 12:44 PM
Thanks for ideas and channel blend suggestion. To answer the question about the artifact's behavior it was definitely fixed in the frame, didn't vary with movement, and lasted the entire clip. It occurred in 3 clips in a row, then went away in recordings done a few minutes later.

I have used the camera since with no issues but slightly warmer temps so I suspect it was a temperature induce problem with the CMOS processor. No warning light came on suggesting a cold temp problem.

BTW, I do love my Sony cameras - of every size - have had good luck with the lack of any significant technical failures.

Mike