RED air transport, gamma radiation, and effect on sensor?

[sbroock]

There was a fascinating 4K presentation this past week in New York City, sponsored by the Digital Cinema Society and Abel Cinetech. The main focus was the Sony SXRD.

Rob Hummel, President of DALSA, was in attendance as one of the featured speakers, and mentioned something that I was previously unaware of: Transporting a CMOS digital censor by plane will expose it each time to high altitude, pixel-killing gamma radiation. Outside of constructing a huge lead casing, this can not be avoided.

Can anyone chime in with any thoughts or experiences with this issue?

Is a dead pixel here and there just par for the course?

Extremely curious, as I plan on taking my RED back and forth between the East and West Coasts.

-Scott

[David Fairbanks]

I don't see how this can be true. Digital still cameras have CMOS chips, and I've never heard of or experienced that problem.

I've flown with the Nikon D2X without any problems. I know there are a lot of other photographers that do the same with all sorts of cameras, we'd hear about this if it was a CMOS issue.

[sbroock]

I don't see how this can be true. Digital still cameras have CMOS chips, and I've never heard of or experienced that problem.

I've flown with the Nikon D2X without any problems. I know there are a lot of other photographers that do the same with all sorts of cameras, we'd hear about this if it was a CMOS issue.

I was equally as surprised by the statement.

The most I could find on-line was this thread.

http://www.cinematography.net/Pages%20DW/PixelStillStuck.htm

At one point, someone makes the observation that CCDs are more vulnerable than CMOS, but nothing really definitive.

[Graeme Nattress]

I travel by air with my CMOS based Canon DSLR all the time. I've never had an issue. I don't know why Dalsa would suggest it be an issue when so many people travel by air with CMOS based DSLRs with no bother at all.

Graeme

[sbroock]

I travel by air with my CMOS based Canon DSLR all the time. I've never had an issue. I don't know why Dalsa would suggest it be an issue when so many people travel by air with CMOS based DSLRs with no bother at all.

Graeme

Thanks, Graeme.

I believe that the Digital Cinema Society is going to be posting a stream of the presentation in the near future.

I'll forward a link when it becomes available.

Best,
Scott

[Pol Turrents]

A few years ago, I did a movie in argentina, and we bringed all the equipment from spain. When I arrived there, the F900 had a dead pixel. Of course is a CCD, and not a CMOS, but sony said that the gamma radiaton may be the cause.
In other hand, I had many problems with a 20" HD monitor from sony because of the magnetic field of the earth... I was told that a monitor of this precision is designed for the "north" of the earth, if you use it then in the "south", you will have problems. In fact I was all day long degaussing that monitor...

[Don Woods]

Sounds like BS to me. Dalsa will deliver there camera by truck (beacuse its to big to do any other way) so it will aviod this. So don't buy a RED camera just beacuse its small dosen't mean you will be able to use it everyware. You'll get dead pixels..

Sounds like spin to me.

[Don Woods]

A few years ago, I did a movie in argentina, and we bringed all the equipment from spain. When I arrived there, the F900 had a dead pixel. Of course is a CCD, and not a CMOS, but sony said that the gamma radiaton may be the cause.
In other hand, I had many problems with a 20" HD monitor from sony because of the magnetic field of the earth... I was told that a monitor of this precision is designed for the "north" of the earth, if you use it then in the "south", you will have problems. In fact I was all day long degaussing that monitor...

Now that sounds like Sony...:D

[sbroock]

Sounds like BS to me. Dalsa will deliver there camera by truck (beacuse its to big to do any other way) so it will aviod this. So don't buy a RED camera just beacuse its small dosen't mean you will be able to use it everyware. You'll get dead pixels..

Sounds like spin to me.

I don't think Rob was taking a dig at RED -- it was a an observation made in passing during the presentation on 4k generally.

He came across as a very intelligent guy with a ton of insight and industry experience.

[Stephen Williams]

Can anyone chime in with any thoughts or experiences with this issue?

Is a dead pixel here and there just par for the course?

Extremely curious, as I plan on taking my RED back and forth between the East and West Coasts.

-Scott

Hi Scott,

It does not happen very often but can be an issue!

Stephen

[Don Woods]

I don't think Rob was taking a dig at RED -- it was a an observation made in passing during the presentation on 4k generally.

He came across as a very intelligent guy with a ton of insight and industry experience.

Oh don't get me wrong. I think he is a very smart man. And I think he looks at RED as compatition in a market that had none when they started. That said I'm not saying he is not right. But just logic would state allot of people would be very pissed off at there DSLR's espically AP photogs, and fasion photogs they fly every where.

[Andrew M.]

Outside of constructing a huge lead casing, this can not be avoided.
-Scott

I have to tell you that you don't need "huge lead casing" to begin with, even when you install CMOS on the satellite orbiting 30,000KM away from the Earth, there are much lighter materials used up there. Gamma bursts sometimes are very strong but there is not much difference in intensity of it between 10KM above the Earth or on the surface of the Earth a specially if you compare inside of the cabin with outside on the surface of the Earth.

Andrew

[Daniel Reichenbach]

There was a fascinating 4K presentation this past week in New York City, sponsored by the Digital Cinema Society and Abel Cinetech. The main focus was the Sony SXRD.

Rob Hummel, President of DALSA, was in attendance as one of the featured speakers, and mentioned something that I was previously unaware of: Transporting a CMOS digital censor by plane will expose it each time to high altitude, pixel-killing gamma radiation. Outside of constructing a huge lead casing, this can not be avoided.

Can anyone chime in with any thoughts or experiences with this issue?

Is a dead pixel here and there just par for the course?

Extremely curious, as I plan on taking my RED back and forth between the East and West Coasts.

-Scott

Hmmm, that seems to be a kind of woodooeffect :rolleyes: I travelled a lot with 35mm Film and I allways tried to be aware of radiation with less or more success. But never had problem. Same to my Canon CMOS stuff. It is hard to believe, that somebody from the airport will steel some pixels out of my sensor :eek:

[Andrew M.]

Did you hear about Sun spots increased activity?
This thing can do a lot of damage but you have to be in rigtht time in the right place to get any damage.
And I don't think it will matter if you are on the surface or 30,000' up in the air, unless your life depends of it:-)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunspot
http://www.howstuffworks.com/sun4.htm

Andrew

[Chris Gearhart]

Did you hear about Sun spots increased activity?
This thing can do a lot of damage but you have to be in rigtht time in the right place to get any damage.
And I don't think it will matter if you are on the surface or 30,000' up in the air, unless your life depends of it:-)

If you are 30,000' from the surface of the sun, dead pixels are your last concern. :D

[jbeale]

I've seen this discussion crop up several times in forums over the years but I've never seen a definitive answer. A few people claimed their betacams had new dead pixels after air travel, but hundreds of thousands of people travel with consumer cameras and camcorders, and the smaller pixels on those sensors should logically be more sensitive to radiation- yet I have never heard of it happening to those type of cameras. Ok, some people might not notice, but I'm sure I would.

It is true that you CAN get radiation damage to sensors and ICs generally, with long enough exposure to high enough energy radiation: satellites normally use "rad-hard" processors for this reason, for example, but most of those are "soft" errors- a momentary glitch from charge deposited by radiation, fixed by a reset- rather than hard errors caused by some damage to gate oxide layer.

[Evin Grant]

This is Bullshit plain and simple. The earths magnetic field is what protects us from the majority of Gamma and X-ray radiation and it extends thousands of miles into space.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Magnetosphere_rendition.jpg/300px-Magnetosphere_rendition.jpg
There is no way that 5 miles in the air adds any significant risk factor for exposure to cosmic radiation. Even the Apollo moon astronouts were safely inside the earths magnetic field!

[Andrew M.]

If you are 30,000' from the surface of the sun, dead pixels are your last concern. :D

30,000 ' from the surface of the Earth 30,000' = 10KM

[GlennChan]

Flights expose you to a little more radiation than normal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde#Increased_radiation_exposure

[RobRoySyd]

Even though the average background radiation is higher at 30,000 feet than at sea level this isn't likely to be a problem. It's bursts of very high energy radiation that's the danger, I think these correspond to periods of high sun spot activity. Also more and more parts in aircraft are being made from composites rather than metals so there's less shielding.
As someone said before it's a matter of the camera being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the risk would have to be very low. Best suggestion, use a metal flight case rather than a plastic one, perhaps a metal cap to plug the hole in front of the sensor would be an additional precaution.

[sbroock]

This is Bullshit plain and simple. The earths magnetic field is what protects us from the majority of Gamma and X-ray radiation and it extends thousands of miles into space.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Magnetosphere_rendition.jpg/300px-Magnetosphere_rendition.jpg
There is no way that 5 miles in the air adds any significant risk factor for exposure to cosmic radiation. Even the Apollo moon astronouts were safely inside the earths magnetic field!

That picture is awesome. I don't think that the original comment was meant to indicate that a normal flight would blast you with quite this much radiation. :)

Rather, he was indicating the potential for a dead pixel, which may or may not be non-trivial.

I was just curious whether this was a real or remote consideration when transporting the camera.

Best,
Scott

[Andrew M.]

There is no way that 5 miles in the air adds any significant risk factor for exposure to cosmic radiation. Even the Apollo moon astronouts were safely inside the earths magnetic field!

I agree with this that 5 miles in the airplane or outside of the building on the open surface of the Earth is no difference.
However if Gamma burst of strong intensity will happen (and it happened few times in last 20 years or so) then watch your CMOS and not only CMOS equipment. We lost few memory chips in the past in the satellites.
Recently however the new technology of radiation hardened memory chips for space application, plus proper lightweight shielding, fixes this problem.
The good news is that strong Gamma burst do not happen very often and do last for very short time and if it is night when it happen you are safe.
Hey! it is how we mutate from monkeys, cosmic radiation, remember?
What won't kill you makes you stronger.....

Andrew

[Justin Anderson]

easy fix; Mysterium can have a lead casing on five sides with lead lenscap. :D

[Steve Tammi]

I hopped a flight to New Mexico but when I got there I found my Nikon D200 sensor bursting from the camera body as a hulking 8K behemoth CMOS sensor. While the outstanding resolution and 1000 fps are nice the camera has become extremely temperamental and prone to fits of 16K and higher imagery if handled too roughly.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert Bruce Banner

[Jason Francois]

Will Kryptonite help?

[Anders Holck]

A few years ago, I did a movie in argentina, and we bringed all the equipment from spain. When I arrived there, the F900 had a dead pixel. Of course is a CCD, and not a CMOS, but sony said that the gamma radiaton may be the cause.


I think every single F900, F750 I have ever used always shoved one or two hot pixels if they arrived with a reset setup from the rental place.
You just need to do one single Black balance operation and the pixels will be mapped out. But as the mapping is saved into flashram in the camera, a reset of the settings might flush the map as well and you'll suddenly see all the hot ones.

[sbroock]

I hopped a flight to New Mexico but when I got there I found my Nikon D200 sensor bursting from the camera body as a hulking 8K behemoth CMOS sensor. While the outstanding resolution and 1000 fps are nice the camera has become extremely temperamental and prone to fits of 16K and higher imagery if handled too roughly.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert Bruce Banner

HAHAHA! You not want to make mysterium mad! You not like mysterium mad!

[Rob Lohman]

Hmmm, my little Canon digicam has suddenly developed a dead pixel after a few flights to and from the US (33000 miles up, for 10+ hours). I'm gonna compare photos I took before the first flight, in between the flights and after the last one.

[JohnF]

Radiation is a threat to all electonics not just the sensors...

You have a constant source of background radiation around you all the time. This is mostly in the form of cosmic rays (having travelled immense distances across the universe). At 30,000+ feet one is above most of the atmosphere that aborbs cosmic rays so there is a chance of recieving a higher dose esp if you fly over the poles (where Earth's magnetic field can channel the solar wind/radiation down to Earth). Some of the extra-solar system radiation is very hard indeed, recent discoveries have demonstrated that occassionally(very rare) you'll get a particle with the energy of a baseball moving at 27km/h! That'll wreck almost anything electronic.

That said the chances encountering enough "hard" radiation that'll cause dead pixels within Earth's environment are pretty slim but remember your luggage including camera will pass through an X-ray machine before flight. The close proximity and intensity of that exposure is the MOST likely source of any damage.

JohnF

[Andrew M.]

Hmmm, my little Canon digicam has suddenly developed a dead pixel after a few flights to and from the US (33000 miles up, for 10+ hours). I'm gonna compare photos I took before the first flight, in between the flights and after the last one.

Woow!! 33,000 miles up, for 10 hours !!
Rob, I didn't know that you are already flying one of these:
http://sd-mirror.dumitru.com/scaled/
Space Ship One
I guess it is good to be RED team member these days...:-)
You can try all these new things.

Andrew

[Storyline]

I remember when we bought a BVW-300 in 1990 and suddenly found dead pixels after a cross-country flight. We went to the Sony facility in New Jersey (we were shooting nearby) and this was before they had developed any policies about image block replacements nor had they developed the de-tuning abilities to map out dead pixels. At the time, their best guess was radiation, altitude, heat.....in other words, they had little idea. It could have been anything - even just plain old use. Those pixels are tricky. In general, they can come and go. I wouldn't particularly worry about it, as long as there is a way to map them out temporarily (Sony's black balance can do that).

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Hmmm, my little Canon digicam has suddenly developed a dead pixel after a few flights to and from the US (33000 miles up, for 10+ hours). I'm gonna compare photos I took before the first flight, in between the flights and after the last one.

33000 miles? That's like 1/3 the distance to the moon. What airline were you on??? :D Hehe...

I've traveled a lot with my digital cameras and haven't had any issues... Seriously, they get exposed to much more harmful and intense radiaton going through X-ray baggage scanners than any high-atmosphere radiation. Not to say that in-flight radiation isn't having an effect, but I personally haven't seen any effects that I could associate with air travel. I do have two dead pixels on 5 or 6 year old Canon G2 still camera, but it hasn't traveled with me anywhere near as much as my other cameras. Sooo... I don't know.

For in-flight concerns, I would be far more worried about how gear is treated and handled by baggage systems and employees and extreme temperature chainges than any atmospheric radiation.

[Axel]

We had a Sony 790 (just sold and bought a pana HDX900) and we were travelling the world extensivly. After two years we run into pixel problems. The internal correction had reached its capacity. Sony suggested to buy a new optical block. We got mad and finaly a technician was able to fix the memory problem somehow. We learned that the problem seemed to touch sony cameras delivered to europe via the pole. Nothing was ever documented or published by sony. Since then we wrap the camera body on each an every flight in a lead sheet. Security checks get a little bit anoyeng because trhey just don't see anything. But the chip is safe. i strongly recommend doing this with your cameras if your flying extensivly.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Since then we wrap the camera body on each an every flight in a lead sheet. Security checks get a little bit anoyeng because trhey just don't see anything. But the chip is safe. i strongly recommend doing this with your cameras if your flying extensivly.

Hmmm.... I still have a few of those lead "film bags" I used to put my rolls of film in when traveling. I suppose I could dig them up and put my digicams in them when I travel. Not sure what I'd do with something like RED... Get lead sheets/blankets I suppose -- like the ones used by x-ray technicians to sheild people or sensative materials.

...I wonder where Lex Luthor gets his lead boxes to store the Kryptonite? Ok, that wasn't really funny, but anyway. If you fly your RED all the time, it might not be a bad idea. Maybe I don't fly enough to have problems and that's why I've been OK, or maybe I'm just luckier than some.

[Rob Lohman]

Sorry about that, should read 33000 feet and not miles. If only, that would be a dream come true!

[Garrett M. Smith]

Maybe the DALSA guy was talking about this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_Security_Initiative

or something similar to it that we don't know about. Like what Homeland Security uses to screen your checked baggage behind closed doors.

In any case, the dosage of radiation that your cameras receives when it goes through the X-ray scanner for carry-ons is far higher than it would receive in the airspace that we fly - minus the chance that a nuclear weapon goes off nearby.

Nearly all the high energy EM radiation (like gamma rays) generated inside the sun that aren't absorbed by the outer layers of the sun, are absorbed by our upper layers of atmosphere.

Most cosmic rays (which is merely a general term for the particles and high-energy photons impinged on us from elsehere, mostly the sun, 99% or so comprised of alpha particles and protons) are also absorbed by our atmosphere. Although it is true a portion of them do reach our surface, the ambient background radiation we receive anyway is far higher. However, this amount does increase as you travel higher into the atmosphere as there is less air to absorb and react with the particles, but it is still relatively low.

Even so, most CCD photosite-cosmic ray interactions merely result in a hot pixel during operation (a fact which limits your exposure time for a telescope and requires the use of multiple exposures). Besides, if there was enough gamma radiation to destroy a sensor onboard a standard plane flight, everyone else on board would've probably got all kinds of cancer! (or radiation poisoning) Gamma Rays = DNA destruction which = cancer. So it's pretty ridiculous to suggest that plane flights alone would destroy a sensor, but hey, maybe DALSA's sensors = crap.

Garrett


This is Bullshit plain and simple. The earths magnetic field is what protects us from the majority of Gamma and X-ray radiation and it extends thousands of miles into space.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Magnetosphere_rendition.jpg/300px-Magnetosphere_rendition.jpg
There is no way that 5 miles in the air adds any significant risk factor for exposure to cosmic radiation. Even the Apollo moon astronouts were safely inside the earths magnetic field!

P.S. The Earth's magnetic field protects us from the barrage of the solar wind - charged electrons and protons basically - but not any type of EM radiation.

[tj williams]

So the question is still out there.... Sony/Panasonice and all I assume also the still folk have a way of hiding burnt pixels. These buffers have a certain size then it's all over.... Send the Camera to Lucke to extend it's life if he supports that model otherwise buy a chip or have a boat anchor.

Will someone from RED Talk about how they address this problem. Maybe it doesn't occur in still camera beyer sensors?

[tj williams]

Well I'm willing to talk to myself here to keep this at the top of the pile...
Hey RED TEAM!!!!

1. I've found out Sony has serious limits on the number of dead pixels they can mask. Are we going to be better off?
2. Will there be a guarantee on the camera that will include this kind of failure for some period of time?
3. If our sensor fails, from where-ever the radiation comes from, will we have to pay more than a dog house or more than a people house to get a new one?

[Finner]

TJ

Very limited testing has been done on the camera so far and much more needs to be done. Considering this, I highly doubt that high altitude pixel loss testing would be at the top of the list right now. There is so much information and testing that needs to be done and documented by independent DP's far before altitude pixel loss is done. Sure pixel loss is an issue but how about we concentrate on finding out if the camera lives up to all its claims first.

As far as cost, well we all know the camera costs $17,500 so I would say it is a safe bet that the sensor would be less then that.

[doubletap1911]

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/7523/mplayerc200702181502158ea3.th.png (http://img261.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mplayerc200702181502158ea3.png)
click for hi-res

This camera seems to have many dead pixels. The screen shot was taken from Discovery HD: Live From The International Space Station

[Miltos Pilalitos]

Maybe instead of wrapping lead inside a flight case it would be easier if RED ships with a lead-shield inside the camera body and around the CCD.

[Michael Schrengohst]

Well I'm willing to talk to myself here to keep this at the top of the pile...
Hey RED TEAM!!!!

1. I've found out Sony has serious limits on the number of dead pixels they can mask. Are we going to be better off?
2. Will there be a guarantee on the camera that will include this kind of failure for some period of time?
3. If our sensor fails, from where-ever the radiation comes from, will we have to pay more than a dog house or more than a people house to get a new one?

I think REDCINE will have the ability to map and mask dead pixels....
Since RED is just starting up it will be interesting to see how the policy
of repair-replacement pans out.

[tj williams]

Hi Red Guy
Not just interesting but a deal breaker. If the current value of my Sony Camera and the repair it needs are the same then I have a boat anchor.

If the RED camera needs a new sensor and it costs 1/2 the new selling price of the camera then it is a big issue. Even at this early time The RED team is buying sensors. They are doing whatever mods they do. They should reasonably have some idea of what they are paying what markup they need and a rough price spread.

The number of pixels masked is also critical since provenly to me anyway pixels can die.... Hey cosmic rays... sunspots... The ghost of Elvis... Bottom line is that I have had the experience of having a camera come back needing a repair which costs as much as the camera itself is worth. That for me at least has been a serious wakeup call.

[Finner]

I know of an easy pixel loss solution, I have an old mitchell body you can buy it runs high speed but is not sound friendly. Other then that it looks like dead pixels are a chance you take with sensor cameras. I think the lead bag/blanket some have mentioned may be a fairly cheap easy option if they work.

[tj williams]

Hi Finner

I appreciate your offer but my own film camera is somewhat newer and lighter. Not sound friendly? Too much fan noise I guess??

This thread has become a sort of UFO discussion. The Sony Tech we talked to at their National broadcast repair facility USA seemed to believe, although he for obvious employment reasons can not say "officially" that the Sony cameras suffer "sensitivity" to this problem. Which may be caused by cosmic rays, luggage inspection, sunspots or whatever. He also said that we could not reasonably cover the camera with enough lead to fix the problem. Now it is unknown whether the RED sensor will be sensitive to this problem or not. What is also unknown is what RED will do about the problem of dead pixels which affect all chip type cameras. First of all it is unknown if the Mysterium even has the capacity to mask dead pixels. Given that it does then There are two aspects of this problem:

1. How many pixels can be masked. This is currently known by red since they are working with an existing sensor which has specifications. A part of this question is also what will the operator have to do to mask pixels or will it be automatic.

2. How will RED treat the replacement of a sensor which fails. Will it cost as much as the camera is worth as Sony has done? I don't think so. Will it cost the price of a still camera sensor probably not? Can we replace it locally or must we lose the use of the camera for a period of time (Sony had our camera last time for 4 weeks) the turnaround time they will shot for is also unknown.

Quote Finner: "it looks like dead pixels are a chance you take with sensor cameras."
You must never have experienced this type of failure. Let me tell you some new shit that has come to light! On our last shoot with the Sony HD camera pixels died in the middle of a remote location. My partner had to have them fixed in post to keep the client. The cost was $4000 US to repair them, in an online HD post room. Now Dude maybe 4K is "just a chance you take" I however do not live in LasVegas!

[Finner]

The Mitchell is old and not a sound camera, it actually sounds like a small tractor, especially when its cold. I was just kidding about it.

I guess the main point I am trying to make is that I am cam# 993 and you are 1150, we have some time to see how the camera reacts in the field for a while before ours are ready for delivery. Thus there is a lot less of a gamble then being number 9 lets say. Every one who has reserved a camera has gambled a bit on the red camera but I feel it is a well thought out intelligent gamble from what I have learned and heard from industry friends that have high positions in reputable companys.

The biggest beauty of this camera is its upgradeable ability. I feel red will not want to take the risk of a poor lasting sensor and as problems do begin to surface with the sensor over time I feel I will be ready for the next generation sensor and just buy one to upgrade then.

I understand you got burnt by sony and that does not for a second surprise me. I think you have probably seen the lack of sony fans here. The red team knows it is already under the microscope for other companys to find problems to tear them down so they are going to do everything they can not to let customers down.

I totally feel like the gamble we all have taken will pay off big. I think give the red team the chance to bring out the camera and have it tested a little bit before they get grilled a whole bunch on things.

[Andrew M.]

Interesting article about making CMOS and other ICs to be rad-hard (radiation hardened)
http://www.aero.org/publications/crosslink/summer2003/06.html

One type of electronic component often found aboard a satellite is the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit. CMOS devices use the simultaneous flow of both electron and hole currents through transistors and logic gates. (A "hole" is a quantum mechanical concept that is generally modeled as a "missing" electron in the semiconductor lattice.) The transistors that carry these negative and positive currents need to be isolated from each other; this is where space radiation can interfere.

Misterium have to have reasonable price to be replaced or to be rad-hard,
(for space explorations:-)

Andrew

[Jarred Land]

Sounds like BS to me. Dalsa will deliver there camera by truck (beacuse its to big to do any other way) so it will aviod this. So don't buy a RED camera just beacuse its small dosen't mean you will be able to use it everyware. You'll get dead pixels..

Sounds like spin to me.

so very very funny...

[Andrew M.]

Jarred, I guess people with limited budgets are wary, what will be the price to replace CMOS.
Dead pixels will happen this way or the other and one out of 'N' Misteriums have to be replaced sooner or latter. So if CMOS replacement will be very costly, I think I should open insurance for CMOS replacement policy for $50/month:-)

[Graeme Nattress]

Andrew, I don't know why the concern - we all carry our DSLR cameras, with CMOS sensors, by air, through security xrays, in the plane, many, many times a year without issue.

We do understand the issue and the questions being asked in this thread. I'm sure they'll be answered to your satisfaction when we have the right data to do so.

Graeme

[Andrew M.]

Two months left to NAB...........
So close and so long.

[tj williams]

Finner..
So I heard that you were offered a low number in exchange for yours and turned it down?

[Finner]

Finner..
So I heard that you were offered a low number in exchange for yours and turned it down?

No. Who said that?