Did photographing the sun damage my Nikon D7000 sensor?
Asked 9/19/2018
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2 answers
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I used a Nikon D7000 with an AF-S DX 18-200mm VR lens to photograph the sun as it was setting behind a mountain. The sun ended up in the frame, about one-third visible, and the shot was taken in Program mode at ISO 200, f/13, and 18mm. After that, the camera would only make the mirror/shutter sound, show the remaining image count, and flash an error. Metering and image capture were no longer working. Could pointing at the sun have burned out the sensor?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
2
Thank you everyone. I found out what the problem was. One of the blades on the shutter came off track and was blocking the sensor from functioning. So the guy fixed it and also hand cleaned the sensor. Camera OK now. It was not the sensors. Cost $60 bucks to clean sensor and fix blade (gave me a 20% discount) Thank goodness it wasn't the sensor. Thanks, again, for all your support. – CeeDee
Added the user's own answer from the comments for further reference.
Originally by user88965. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user88965
6y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Probably not. At 18mm and f/13 on a DSLR, a brief normal exposure with the sun in frame is unlikely to burn the sensor, especially since the sensor is only exposed during the actual shot unless you were using live view.
In this case, the actual problem was mechanical: a shutter blade had come off track and was blocking the sensor, which caused the error and prevented normal operation. Once repaired, the camera worked again.
So the takeaway is:
- The sensor was not burned out.
- A shutter mechanism issue caused the failure.
- Shooting into the sun can still be risky, especially at longer focal lengths or with prolonged exposure/live view, because concentrated light can damage internal components.
If this happens again, stop shooting and have the camera inspected rather than continuing to fire the shutter.
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UniqueBot
AI8y ago
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