question about sensor damage

[mullhawk]

this might sound like a dumb question, but I just don't know. This is my first camera where I have gotten away from the green box, and actually started to learn about the camera, and taking pictures.
What I want to know is
How do you know if you have a damaged sensor?
Is it possible to have a slightly damaged sensor that will maybe just not make your shots turn out great, or may make them a bit blurry?
I just want to know if there is a warning sign, or if it just goes and all of a sudden doesn't take pics at all?
Thank you

[alduin]

It sounds like you're asking about a problem you're having with your own camera. If so, post a picture or two that exhibits the problem so we can see exactly what you're asking about.

[mullhawk]

well this may sound dumb, but I have been trying all week to shoot the moon, I have tried every setting on it, an S5 is, and have seen other shots taken with an S5 without filters, or teleconverters, that just blow my shots away. I am afraid that when I was shooting sinsets at the beginning of the week that it screwed something up, and wasn't sure if it was messed up if it would just look out of focus, or it would be somthing more obvious...
one I took a couple weeks ago when I didn't really know anything about my camera or taking shots of the moon
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c135/mullhawk/IMG_2142-1.jpg

and one I took within the last couple of nights
and this is the best one I have gotten, out of probably a couple hundred shots
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c135/mullhawk/IMG_2683.jpg
and another, if I zoom, or crop either one of these they look terrible, and again I don't expect the world out of this camera, but I am comparing to shots I have seen from the same model, or the S3
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c135/mullhawk/IMG_2747.jpg

am I just being paranoid, and a stupid newb, and need to learn more about my camera, or is it possible that I screwed something up

[gjl711]

The picture looks as if it just isn't in focus. Was this handheld? Looking at your setting they look ok and I doubt that you damaged the sensor.

[mullhawk]

it was on a tripod, and every one of them look like they are out of focus, that is why I was wondering. I have tried with and without IS, manual and auto focus, digital and no digital zoom, spot metering, 2 second timer, iso 80, 100, 200, every shutter speed, and aperture on the camera. I am going to shoot some other stuff this weekend and see how they turn out, I guess then I won't be as worried, but I just don't understand what I am doing wrong, or is wrong with the camera to have every shot of the moon be so out of focus...

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Which Auto focus mode did you use?

[mullhawk]

I don't know, most of them I took on manual focus, I believe it was continuous whichever the default is. yeah it was continuous

[Yogesh Sarkar]

Try taking another photograph in Flaxizone (adjust it so that it is pointing at the moon) or in the Center AF mode. Another thing you can try to do is take the photograph in Landscape mode.

Apart from the photograph of the moon, have you taken any other photographs? If yes then was the focus ok?

[mullhawk]

I am going to be shooting later today, so I will be able to see later tonight.
I just want to know if it is possible that damage to the sensor could cause shots to be a little out of focus like this, or would it be more pronounced, or obvious then this??
Thanks for the replies so far :D

[JLukeW]

It is far more likely that you have a lens that's not focusing properly than a sensor problem. What lens are you using? And can you show us a zoomed/cropped version of one of the moon shots?

(edit) I'm an idiot, I thought I was in the SLR forum. And I completely missed the fact that you told us it's an S5 IS.

[mullhawk]

well I think it is just paranoia, I took these yesterday, not the best shots, but the focus doesn't seem to me to be all screwed up, I guess I have a little more to learn about shooting the moon.

I know the top right is blown out, but this looks to be in pretty good focus to me
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c135/mullhawk/IMG_2928.jpg

beetle pron
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c135/mullhawk/IMG_2892.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c135/mullhawk/IMG_2914.jpg

and a cicada shell, this thing was about 1 1/2 - 2 inches long
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c135/mullhawk/IMG_2902.jpg

thanks for the help anyway, and please someone with a better eye for this, let me know if these seem out of focus as well.

[JLukeW]

The second and third shots are spot on, very nicely done. I have no idea why the moon shots you took aren't great -- post one or two 100% crops of the bad ones and we can see if it's just motion blur or an autofocus problem. :)