SX50 HS. Dark smudge appearing on my pictures when in C1 and C2 modes at 50x zoom

[grubby1949]

I have owned a Canon SX50 HS for nearly a year now and have noticed a dark smudge has appeared top right on some of my photos. It only happens on C1 and C2 settings when zooming out to 50X. It has not appeared on other settings (YET). It has also seemed to get larger just recently. I am learning to work round it but as I take many bird pictures at 50X zoom an like the 'C' programming it is annoying. Any ideas folks?

[John_]

It sounds to me like dust on the sensor or a sensor issue. When the lens zooms in the light its concetrated more in the center of the lens, check that area too for dust, dirt or something. Use a magnifyting glass.

Is it only visible on the images or on the lcd and viewfinder also ?

Also if it is under a year and still in warranty do not hesitate to contact Canon because of the repair outside warranty on that is not cheap.

[grubby1949]

If it was dust on the sensor then surely it would appear on all settings at 50x zoom. It only appears on the C1 & C2 settings not AV, TV, M, P or auto at 50x zoom. That is what makes it odd. It is visible on the view finder, LCD and photo only on C1 and C2.

[John_]

Oh so it only appears on C1/2 at 50X but not on say auto or program modes etc...that is odd. Have you tried doing a reset then of the camera?

[grubby1949]

Just tried that and still have a dark smudge but the more I study it I can see a slight smudged area on all settings so it leads me to think of dust somewhere. It appears at 50X zoom and disappears at 60X.

[John_]

Well once you go beyond 50X the digital zoom kicks in right ? Yet it would seem that it should still be visible if it were dust or a sensor problem. It might have something to do with the size of the dust and when the digital zoom kicks in it corrects that defect in the image?

Maybe a blast of compressed air could dislodge it from the sensor or lens.

Is it still under warranty?

[grubby1949]

I think it is under warranty but I never registered it when I bought it. Silly really not have done that. I bought it online.

[Vetteran]

Registration is irrelevant.

If it's within the time since purchase, cantact the vendor immediately.

Sounds ominous!

Dust cannot get in.

Shoot in RAW and convert using DPP, you will get 

better detail than using the digital zoom in the camera.

Try some RAW snaps and convert them to .jpg using DPP - do you still get the smudges?

[John_]

In some instances Canon can tell by the serial number that it is less than a year old if you do not have the receipt. If you have the receipt you are all set. Stores usually have a limited return period like 7-30 days. Lens/image problems are expensive to repair do not wait contact Canon asap .