Why do some RAW files show narrow black horizontal lines?
Asked 9/1/2013
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2 answers
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Some of my Nikon D800 RAW files look fine on the camera, but later on the computer I find images with thin solid black horizontal lines across parts of the frame. The lines are not always visible in thumbnails and seem to appear in different places from file to file. During a trip I was frequently copying images off cards and reusing them, so I’m wondering whether this is more likely caused by card/file-transfer problems, shooting too quickly for the card, or a camera hardware issue such as the sensor/readout electronics.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
1
A column or row of inoperative pixels will appear in the same position throughout all images.
Other than getting the camera repaired, taking several images of the same subject and shifting the camera by a few pixels between images will mask the column or row defect behind the working pixels, when the images are stacked.
Random lines are usually due to electromagnetic interference. Which may emanate from the camera but usually from an external unshielded or poorly shielded electronic source. The same technique can be applied as for row or column defects.
EDIT: But then the camera could be faulty.
PWM switching in close proximity to the camera - bias frame 1/4000sec.
Originally by user77146. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user77146
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This is more likely a camera readout/electronics problem than a copy/paste or card-speed issue. Because the sensor is read line by line, simple narrow horizontal black lines point toward a fault in the sensor readout chain or related electronics (such as the ADC), not normal shooting speed limits.
If a memory card or file transfer were corrupting RAW files, you’d usually expect broader corruption, blocky/boxed artifacts, or whole-file errors rather than clean linear defects. A permanently bad sensor row/column would also tend to appear in the same place every time; if the lines appear randomly, interference or an intermittent camera fault is more likely.
So the most likely causes are:
- intermittent sensor/readout electronics fault in the camera
- possible electromagnetic interference, though that’s less common unless there’s a nearby unshielded source
If it keeps happening, the camera should be checked/repaired. To help confirm the cause, test with a different card and shoot a series of frames under controlled conditions; if the lines still appear, that strongly points to the camera rather than the card.
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