Canon 60D had a hot pixel, manual sensor clean seems to have fixed it? Could It return?

[mattallsop]

I got a hot pixel on my Canon 60D's sensor I had it for about a month and considered getting it checked by warrenty repair, recently I found a video where the canon camera had the problem as mine. They fixed it by using manual sensor clean for 30 seconds and it indeed fixed their problem and when I tried it, it fixed mine too. The problem affected videos shot on my 60D more than photos, especially in dim or low light conditions. I still have warrenty on the product but because there is now no hot pixel on videos or photos shot on the camera, (and if does not appear in live veiw anymore) I am not sure if they'll look at it.

My concern is that maybe the hot pixel has gone temporarily?

Could it return?

What does manual sensor cleaning actually do?

thanks in advance.

[TCampbell]

They are random -- so there's always a possibility you can get a stuck pixel (on any camera).  

When you perform a manual sensor cleaning, the camera normally flips up the mirror and opens the shutter and holds it there indefinitely so that you can inspect and use cleaning techniques (air puffers, soft brushes, or cleaning swabs) to clean the "sensor" (but that's really a "filter" -- the actual sensor is behind the filters).  

BUT... in order for a sensor to work, a charge has to be applied to it.  When you perform a sensor cleaning, the camera specifically clears the charge on the sensor (I don't know the low-level details -- perhaps they reverse the charge) and this has the effect of helping to clear "stuck" pixels.

[mattallsop]

A repair centre has quoted me £24 to preform a report to see if their are any problems, would you say that it is worth paying this to see if their is a problem still? 

[amfoto1]

My understanding is that virtually all DSLRs have a "stuck" pixel or two... It's very common and most use a process similar to Canon, to map around the "bad" pixel (after all, there are 18,000 pixel/photo sites on that sensor). Or maybe it's as Tim describes, applying a fresh charge to the site re-energizes it somehow. Heck, I'm no expert, but whatever is happening, the "fix" usually works and solves the problem.

I'd only send the camera in if the "fix" didn't work or there were a whole bunch of stuck pixels.

I guess it's possible for a bad pixel to reappear... perhaps if you reinstall the firmware or do something else that clears any mapping-around instructions stored in the camera... or for new ones to appear over time. But it's easy enough to repeat the "fix", if needed.

***********
Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM 

[mattallsop]

I took my Camera to a repair centre who have said that is a failing CCD, and that it needs to be replaced the company I bought it off is going to cover these costs.

*Just as a question; although the repair centre have claimed that it is a failure of the CCD, then how come I was still able to take photos and the red pixel dissapered?  

Thanks to everyone who contributed to help me find some answers as well!