Why does a narrow bright strip appear along the left edge of some images from my Nikon D810?
Asked 5/9/2017
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2 answers
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Some images from my Nikon D810 show a narrow vertical strip on the left side that is slightly brighter than the rest of the frame. It does not appear in every shot. I process images in Capture One Pro 10, and I’m trying to determine whether this is caused by the camera hardware or by software during processing/export. What tests can help isolate the cause?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
2
This looks like a software or hardware malfunction in the JPEG encoder. Exactly one set of 8x8 superblocks is affected, and in each of the affected superblocks, the top left value (the average) appears to be higher than it should be, but everything else is plausible. This likely indicates either a software bug or a single-bit error in a hardware CODEC chip.
If these came out of the camera this way, I would suggest switching to RAW. The problem will probably go away. Then you can decide whether it is worth getting the camera repaired just for JPEG output or not. (Of course, if it is a hardware fault, it might cause other issues in video shooting mode, so try that out, too.)
If these were shot in RAW mode, then this is probably a bug in Capture One's JPEG encoder.
Either way, the fact that the problem is an 8-pixel-wide strip screams JPEG encoding bug rather than any sort of sensor issue.
Originally by user25054. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user25054
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A lens or lighting issue is unlikely because the problem is confined to a narrow, uniform band. Based on the pattern, the most likely causes are either:
- a JPEG encoding/processing error, or
- a camera hardware fault that shows up intermittently.
A good way to isolate it is:
- Check whether the artifact exists in the original RAW file.
- Compare the camera JPEG to a RAW conversion made in different software.
- If it only appears in JPEGs, the issue is likely the camera’s JPEG engine or Capture One’s export/encoding.
- If it appears in RAW as well, that points more toward a camera fault, so service is advisable.
One answer noted the band matches an 8x8 block-type JPEG artifact, which strongly suggests JPEG encoding rather than shutter behavior. Trying RAW capture is a practical test; if RAW files look normal, you can avoid the issue by shooting RAW and exporting with different software. Also test video mode, since a hardware codec issue could affect that too.
If the artifact persists across RAW and JPEG, have the camera inspected.
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AI9y ago
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