I just took 1 photo of a bright lightbulb with canon 60d 18-135mm lens & i think camera is darker now. what?

Question

I just took one photo of a bright light-bulb with canon 60d 18-135mm lens
i think my settings were:
~ISO at 8000
~shutter speed at 1/20 or so
~build in flash did not fire
~live view mode ON
~Auto Exosure Bracketing (AEB) amount set at +/-1 or +/-2

after the photo the AEB amount was blinking on top screen
i turned camera "off" and turned it back "on" right after photo.

Now I think camera is darker than it was before.
i went to "menu" and reset setting to faculty but didn't help

now I need to put ISO to about 2000 & shutter speed to 1/20 to take normal light picture. or is that normal?

what should i do? or how do i fix it without paying?

could sensor be damaged or anything?

Answer 1

I'm willing to bet that IF you had READ & STUDIED the Owner's Manual for your camera you'd have found a warning somewhere within it cautioning you about exposing the sensor to bright light for extended lengths of time. You'd have also learned about your camera's light meter and how to use it.



I'd say there's a good possibility you damaged the sensor in your 60D. Call the nearest Canon Authorized Service Center and get an estimate for the cost of repairing your camera. While its away being repaired you'll have time to get acquainted with the Owner's Manual. HINT: There's a list of Canon service centers somewhere in the Owner's Manual. Usually towards the back.



All costs of repairing your camera will be paid by you since the damage was from abuse.



You'll also have time to learn about the Exposure Triangle.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography



I've no idea what you consider a "... normal light picture ...". Is it a picture taken on a sunny day? If so at ISO 2000 and 1/20 sec. shutter speed any f-stop you use will result in an overexposed image.



You really should take a couple of classes in photography before you do any more damage to your camera.

Answer 2

Blooming heck! If that was a close up of the bulb you couldn't have overexposed much more if you tried! That was probably several hundred times overexposed, maybe more than a thousand times overexposed.



As some answers have said, you may get the camera back to somewhere near normal by switching off for a few days and then trying to use. But don't be surprised if the only way to get back to normal is to pay quite a lot of money to have the sensor replaced - not a DIY job.



You have done to your camera's sensor the equivalent of putting yourself on a sunlounger without protective sunblocker and lying motionless all day in hot sun.

Answer 3

What happened to Auto mode? Is it at EV 0? Set ISO, white balance and AF to Auto too then never be bothered about changing settings any longer in the future until you learn photography.

Answer 4

You may have damaged the sensor..but see if it settles down after a couple of days.



Get an estimate for repair if it doesn't clear up.....ouch!