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I have a Canon XTi. On every photo I take I have a thick diagonal black line appear on the photograph. See an example picture:

example of black line

My next discovery came when I selected Sensor Cleaning: Manual in the camera options which makes the mirror move up and out of the way of the sensor. I then took a picture looking at the sensor. There is a thick plastic thing in the way of the sensor. Here is a picture:

picture of thick plastic thing in front of the sensor

Does anyone know what this plastic thing in front of the sensor is? It is still attached to the camera so I cannot pull it out.

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2 Answers 2

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From what I see this is element from the shutter. And my humble advise is to send your camera to repair shop, give it in to the hands of professional, do not try to repair it.

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    \$\begingroup\$ yep, definitely looks like one of the elements of the shutter curtain has become detached on one side \$\endgroup\$
    – laurencemadill
    Jul 18, 2018 at 17:03
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The item obstructing the sensor is a shutter blade. Your shutter has failed and needs to be replaced. There's no hack or DYI solution for this problem. This is a hardware problem and not something that can be fixed with software or some kind of hack.

You should expect repairs to be in the $200+ price range. Since you can buy a used XTi for under $150, you will most likely end up throwing your camera away at a local e-waste recycling center and buying a replacement.

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    \$\begingroup\$ There's a contradiction here: if the shutter needs to be replaced, there certainly is a DIY solution in doing exactly that. It's no doubt a very complicated repair that requires a lot of skill and which might not succeed, but it's not impossible. And before throwing it away, why not have a look inside to see what this strange plastic thing actually is? There's nothing to lose at this point and only experience and knowledge to be won. You can still throw it away after taking it apart and understanding how impossible the repair really is. \$\endgroup\$
    – null
    Jul 18, 2018 at 20:38
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    \$\begingroup\$ The estimate of repair costs seems applicable to western countries. If OP lives in India or China, his repair costs may be considerably lower. \$\endgroup\$
    – Fiksdal
    Jul 18, 2018 at 21:43
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    \$\begingroup\$ @null There's no doubt what it is. It is a blade from one of the shutter curtains. As to the other, if one needs to ask here what that is it is highly doubtful they have the knowledge required to be able to successfully replace a shutter assembly themselves, which requires pretty much total disassembly-reassembly of the camera. Good judgment is the result experience. Experience is usually the result of bad judgement. If the OP wants to try it, that's fine. But the result is almost certainly going to be experience, not a working camera. \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Jul 18, 2018 at 22:23
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    \$\begingroup\$ Don't throw it away! Sell it on a local craigslist as an item in need of repair. I'm sure someone with experience in these things will want it if that's so easy for them to fix. If you try to fix it yourself, you risk breaking it and reducing potential resale value. \$\endgroup\$
    – user1306322
    Jul 19, 2018 at 10:18
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    \$\begingroup\$ @IPhotographMaybe I suggest you do not buy anything before you haven't taken the camera apart up until the point where the new shutter assembly is actually required. If at that point you feel comfortable getting that mess back together, consider if you want to invest the money for the spare part into a still likely failing attempt to repair the camera. But again, first get a working replacement camera. That's what changes the necessity to fix your broken camera into the possiblitity of repairing it into a backup body. \$\endgroup\$
    – null
    Jul 19, 2018 at 16:43

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