Very Visible Uniform Grid in 7D Sky Shots

I have a situation with one of our Canon 7D. (Firmware 2.0.3)

This camera looks mint and has an extremely low shutter count; I may have found out why.

Any shot with sky in it, no matter the ISO, the sky will be all blotchy; gritty, grimy, dirty-looking: if I do anything in post to cure this blotchiness, a uniform grid pattern will emerge.

The blotchiness does not look like noise.

If I look very very closely at an unmolested shot, I can see this grid pattern just waiting to appear.

It doesn't seem to have this problem anywhere except the sky.

Our other 7D does not exhibit this problem at all. (Firmware 2.0.6)

Is there any cure for this ?

OK, I'll be the first: please post a photo so we can see what you are talking about.

Be sure to include the EXIF.

Silly question - I guess - but have you tried to update the firmware?

Lou

Interesting. I don't have the answer, but here is a link to a similar problem on a Sony.

https://www.dpreview.c​om/forums/thread/38179​69

There has been some fixes to correct image distortion in firmware upgrades for the 7D, but they were included in much earlier firmware updates. When the main version number was still 1.

Wow. Your description was good. I saw something similar in 7D images that were under exposed and Adobe camera raw automatically adjusted, resulting in the grid pattern. Similar pattern but far less defined and the grid was mainly made of colours. I think too different to be the same problem.

apersson850 wrote in post #19319029
There has been some fixes to correct image distortion in firmware upgrades for the 7D, but they were included in much earlier firmware updates. When the main version number was still 1.

Probably a dumb question ---

Does each new update include all of the previous updates ?

I about went cross-eyed --- if I count right, there are 26 full squares horizontally and 17 + ~1/3 squares vertically.

Is there a same grid/pattern to the sensor that is somehow projecting into my images ?

I use DxO for initial RAW editing and conversion; just to eliminate the possibility, I checked their grid, but it does not match what I am getting.

I did various searches for your issue and came upon an article that describes the same issue you are having. Unfortunately there is no solution but at the bottom of the post someone mentioned a 7D user sending his camera into canon to repair an unbalanced A/D channels issue. The directed link is dead but perhaps this might give you some direction as to a possible solution. Here is the link to the blog:
https://photo.stackexc​hange.com …ttern-in-my-picture/86326

BuckSkin wrote in post #19319238
Probably a dumb question ---

Does each new update include all of the previous updates ?

not dumb at all, answer is yes.

Dave3222 wrote in post #19319256
I did various searches for your issue and came upon an article that describes the same issue you are having. Unfortunately there is no solution but at the bottom of the post someone mentioned a 7D user sending his camera into canon to repair an unbalanced A/D channels issue. The directed link is dead but perhaps this might give you some direction as to a possible solution. Here is the link to the blog:
https://photo.stackexc​hange.com …ttern-in-my-picture/86326

Thanks for taking interest.

All of my searching kept pointing me toward the viewfinder grid or similar.

Try using DPP just to make sure it isn't a raw processor issues.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #19319293
Try using DPP just to make sure it isn't a raw processor issues.

I thought of that and will give it a try; however, I have been using DxO for all of our other Canon cameras, including the other 7D, without having this issue.

I do hope it is as simple as that.

That is truly odd, I have never seen anything quite like that before at least on this forum and FredMiranda. Happens with any lens I assume...?