Images Being Truncated in Photo Viewers: Only Happens to EOS T1i images on my Win10 Computer

[dunniteowl]

I am having an issue that I currently find myself completely at odds with.  I have two Canon Cameras, the first is my Rebel EOS T2i.  The other is a Rebel EOS T1i.

My Win10 laptop just had a crash recently, which required a Repair of Win10.  At the end of it, there was a list of all sorts of 'removed' files, many of which were MS Updates.  I Can't verify if, before the crash, everything was fine.  I just recently started using the T1i as my 'secondary' camera, meaning I'd use it with lenses I could change quickly while my T2i did the "heavy lifting" with my new Sigma 150-600 lens, so that I didn't have to keep changing the monster lens with smaller lenses while out doing my thing.

Since I just started doing this and Spring is in the air, I've been out taking wildflower photos.  So just yesterday I was loading up images from both cameras and then going through them with the included Windows Photo Viewer.  As I was going through the images, each image would load up (I am using RAW+JPG) it would take a second or three before all the RAW data was loaded.  I see the image get a bit more clear as the data fully loads. (It also doesn't allow me to go to the next image until if fully loads.)

Now, as it loads one of the T1i images, it initially shows me the entire photo.  Then as it starts to load all the RAW data, the images truncate to showing ONLY the top left 1/4 of the photo and it turns a fairly bright pink as well.  I loaded up a free photo viewer from the MS store (to see if it was the Photo Viewer itself) and get exactly the same result.  The initial full images show for about 2-5 seconds before they truncate and turn pinkish.

I then decided to check the images in RawTherapee (which is where I do my Photo Touchup Editing) to see if that would help me sort it out.  RawTherapee cannot load ANY of my T1i images, it didn't even give me what the other two did.  It just said it couldn't load those images, period.

I am pretty sure that previous versions of Windows did just fine with both cameras (I let my wife use the T1i while I used the T2i for photo walks a few years back, but she's not into the photography thing, so I took it over as my secondary as previously described,) but at the time I was using both cameras in JPG only mode.  In September of 2025 I decided to jump in and use RAW on the T2i and while the images take longer and use more memory, they loaded fine as far as that goes.  I literally JUST started using the T1i as my secondary and I think these are the first images on that camera that I set to RAW+JPG.

It just so happened that my Win10 Crash occurred before I really got a chance to look at the T1i's RAW+JPG images.  This is only mildly annoying as I can just go back to using the single camera method (saving me about six pounds of total weight in camera, batteries and two more lenses), though I have found that the two camera method is really starting to 'gel' for me for speed of using different lenses.  The Sigma is a 'monster' that requires me using my tripod and changing out that for smaller lenses is an exercise in patience and dexterity with a single camera setup.

That's the nitty gritty detailed story of what's going on.  I am pretty sure that it is the camera at this point, otherwise I feel that the RawTherapee program would have loaded them, truncated or fine.  Instead it just said, "No. I can't load that image."  While RT can work with JPGs, it takes the .cr2 RAW data when loading up the initial images.  I surmise that this boils down to an issue with the T1i's age and software compatibility as it's now considered a 'legacy' device.

I would be very interested to hear any suggestions that lead to a solution or course of action I could take to sort this out satisfactorily.  I apologize for the length, though I felt a full and as accurate a description of my issue as possible was worth it.

Thanks! dunniteowl

[stevet1]

dunniteowl,

In case no one else answers you, DPP and DPP4 are the same thing. (I think the 4 means that it is version 4) DPP stand for Digital Photo Professionsal.

It is a photo editing program from Canon and is made especially for photos taken by Canon cameras. It handles RAW and jpg files.

Here is a Canon Support page that tells you how to download it. First you tell it what kind of camera you have and then what operating system is on your computer.

https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/s/article/ART173585

Steve Thomas 

[dunniteowl]

Hey, Whiz.  I use it for longer viewing of fields of flowers.  I initially have it for wildlife photography, though have found it fairly useful for composed flower images at a distance.  Additionally as I am out and about in rural areas (I live on 16 acres with a pond and wooded areas) the bigger lens allows me to get much larger deer, cara cara, hawks, turtles, armadillos and such (I live in Central Texas) when they appear.  

Hunting flowers is pretty easy, but the big lens allows me to capture those overhead and out in the distance moments of wildlife.  Meanwhile, to make it useful, I do my best to experiment with all my lenses, filters and adapters to see what I can 'make' the lens do on the body.  I will be happy to show some of the images I have taken with it, AFTER I get this T1i issue sorted.

Today was figuring out where the clog in my kitchen sink line, which means no camera today, just crawling into the area under the sink, then under the house, then out near the septic line to finally unclog it and then have the ability to get dinner ready.  A full day, I'd say.

The Sigma allows me to do those wildlife photos, moon images and I have managed to use it for butterflies and hummingbird moths while out doing wildflowers.

Thanks for asking and great question!

dunniteowl

[LeeP]

I like the "idea" of telephotos but I've never gotten the knack of them. My thing is ultra-wide lenses which were made for me. I wish I could afford the 7-14mm RF; maybe a retirement present to myself. I did grab the 75-300 RF so I'd have a tele zoom and I have used it more--ironically--on my APSC R100 than my full-frame R8. Thanks for answering the off-topic question.

[ebiggs1]

"So DPP4 is a codex?"

No DPP4 is a photo editing app which it is free from Canon. It knows all Canon files and will display them correctly and let you edit them as you desire. Once installed and set up it is automatic u/l to your computer.

"I have not heard of this before."

You can get the free raw Image Extension from the Microsoft Store, which enables native thumbnail previews and viewing of Canon raw files in the Windows Photos app. 

[ebiggs1]

" I think it is possible to have a corrupted card,..."

If you truly have a corrupted SD switching to jpg is not the answer. A corrupted SD is a corrupted SD. It doesn't care whether you shoot jpg or raw. Such an easy fix buy a new SD!

[ebiggs1]

"...the bigger lens allows me to get much larger deer, cara cara, hawks, turtles, armadillos and such (I live in Central Texas) when they appear."

And you don't have DPP4? Camera and lens(s) are only part of the process of making a great photo. The real work and ability comes in the post editing process. All the great photos you see and love have gone through post editing. You should, too, if you don't do it you don't really want great photos. I use Photoshop and it is my top recommendation for those that want the very best but DPP4 is capable of doing most of what you need and it is free. PS is not!

[dunniteowl]

Well, folks, I'd like to thank you all for the tips, suggestions and consideration.  I reformatted the SD card.  Then I took the time to set the camera for JPG only, took a snap, changed to RAW, took another snap, then for RAW+ and took a final snap.

The results?
JPG only = photo showed up fine at 4.4 MB

RAW only = photo showed up fine at 9.6 MB

Raw+ = photo shows up in thumbnail, but truncated in Photo Viewer at 4MB.

I tried this out in all the photo viewers/editors and the results are the same, so my RAW+ data is corrupted somehow.  This included having downloaded and tested out DPP4 (thanks for that, though it seems quite powerful, it is not easy to navigate at first blush).

So now I'm wondering: Is there a firmware update/reload that I can get for this camera (I'll look on my own, just whistling in the dark here) that might solve this?  That said, I can still use the camera in RAW or JPG only and I suppose that's fine enough, ultimately.

Once again, thank you all for your responses and help.  I was really scratching my head and didn't have the mental sharpness necessary to just sit and sort it out on my own, due to the many RL things going on taking my attention.  I normally hate asking for help.  I'm that guy that won't ask for directions, I'll find a map; I won't ask for help in the store, I'll just look again, thanks; when confronted with a problem, I'll sort it out on my own, how hard can it be?

As I age (65) I have taken to asking for directions when possible, grabbing a store employee to get a point in the right part of the store and also I'm less of a 'wing it' person when it comes to issues I know others are more experienced in handling.  I'll STILL climb trees, jump fences, herd cattle on an impromptu basis (it's happened about a dozen times in the nearly 26 years living in the rural hinterlands of Central Texas) or offer a friendly hand with a car on the side of the road.  That said, I have come to appreciate the kindness of strangers, which y'all offered in spades.

So once again, I'd like to say, "Thank you for the assists.  It is much appreciated."

dunniteowl

[kvbarkley]

Someone else reported this issue and it was the card reader of all things:

https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/EOS-DSLR-Mirrorless-Cameras/I-am-having-issues-when-I-shoot-raw-j...

[dunniteowl]

Thank you.  If it was the card reader, this issue should NOT be relegated to only the one camera as both cameras go through the same exact process via my USB cable connection.  As it is DEFINITELY only the T1i and ONLY in RAW+, I'm leaning towards the camera itself.  This is an old, second hand camera that has other minor issues as well (all of which are not really affecting the use of the camera) and it could be a simple matter of a firmware update or, potentially, an electrical/microboard level issue affecting the use of RAW+.

I appreciate the suggestion.  I suppose the data stream in the combined RAW+ setting could be being partially 'cut off' in some fashion.  As an electronics tech in the USAF as well as a semiconductor tech at: Intel, AMD and Applied Materials as well as a computer tech at IBM, I feel fairly confident of my ability to determine the overall level of malfunction in general for just about anything that relates to microprocessors in conjunction with their mechanical interactions.  It was my 'bread and butter' for 24 years worth of technical proficiency.

Not that I am an 'expert' level engineer or anything, however my 'hands on' level of experience with radios, computers and the machines that make microchips of all kinds, I have a pretty diverse set of skills, all bound by the ability to troubleshoot systems effectively.  So I feel pretty confident in my 'resolution' of this issue to this point.

Once again, thanks for the suggestion.

dunniteowl

[dunniteowl]

I was debating how to respond to this.  I take exception to your comment, "...if you don't do it you don't really want great photos."  I recognize this is your point of view and you mean no insult, so I will take it as such.  That said, I completely disagree that ONLY good or great photos come from spending time editing a photo.  I will agree that many of the images we see and enjoy DO come after post processing, however, the regular photographer on a budget (such as myself, who cannot afford to buy the best stuff, hardware or software) still DO want to have great photos.  Some folks have more precious considerations, like being able to afford their homes, vehicles, utilities and such that limit what they can afford on their passions.

Again, I appreciate that you intended no insult, however it should be borne in mind HOW a message is delivered can really put a 'dent' in how it is received.  Just something to consider when offering advice.

dunniteowl