A tiny, tiny hair at the bottom right corner of my lens...

Axel · Oct 15, 2004

I have tried to blow-brush (one of those brushes that you squeeze and it blows) it away, but there is no way to get rid of it! I have taken the lens off and done it at the body, at the back of the lens... It's still there! How do you get rid of it? It's a Sigma 35-70 AF on a Nikon N50. I only see it thru the camera. If I look at it from the "outside" I can't see it, but I know it will show up at the prints....

Thank you.

JonMikal · Oct 15, 2004

Actually, it may not show up in your prints. Years ago I had a Minolta lens and a spider somehow found its way in the optics. It lodged itself just a hair off center fo the split focus and NEVER caused any problems with images. It was just annoying seeing it there. :?

Have you taken any pics to see? Are you sure it's not on the mirror or up in the prism area?

j_mcquillen · Oct 15, 2004

Firstly, are you sure its a hair, and not a scratch on the lens?

If as you say, you only see it when looking through the camera, then there's a possiblity that its not actually on the lens, but somewhere on the mirror, prism, or eyepiece, in which case, it won't have any effect on your pictures.

One way to find out is to shoot a roll of film(preferably something cheap...) then get the results blown up, and see if it shows up there.

Corry · Oct 15, 2004

Yeah, my old camera, when you look through the eyepiece you can see dust and hairs (it was like that when I got it.) It drives me insane, but doesn't effect the pictures at all. I thought it was the lenses at first, too, but it's not.

ksmattfish · Oct 15, 2004

If you only see it through the viewfinder then it's probably on the mirror or in the viewfinder. These cannot show up in photos as the mirro and the viewfinder are not in the light path when the photo is taken.

Small hairs and dust inside, or even on the lens, usually will not show up in photos. Think about it, you lens has a minimum focusing distance of say 2' maybe, and where is that hair? It's at 0'; the lens cannot focus on it even if you tried. You can use this to your advantage when shooting through wire fence or glass with wire in it. Put the lens right up against the wire, and even though it is going across the lens, it will not show up in the image. The lens can't focus on it.

If the hair/dust is at the edges of the lens, then that part of the lens isn't even used unless you have the aperture wide open.

The worst I've even seen is large bits of black paint flecks scattered all through out the inside of a lens, and even that didn't show up in the photos, although it did cause a lowering of contrast in small areas of the image.

BernieSC · Oct 15, 2004

if you see it through the view finder then it is on the mirror or focusing screen. I was showed a demo years ago about worring about dust on a lens effecting your photos. Take a rubber band and put it around the camera so that the rubber band is right in the middle of the lens and then look through the view finder. You can not see the rubber band going through the middle of the lens and that proves that dust and a hair would never show up in a photo if it is on the lens element. I have heard of photographers having a crack on the front element and still able to use the lens because it past its focal range right in front of the lens.

Corry · Oct 15, 2004

ksmattfish said:
If you only see it through the viewfinder then it's probably on the mirror or in the viewfinder. These cannot show up in photos as the mirro and the viewfinder are not in the light path when the photo is taken.

Small hairs and dust inside, or even on the lens, usually will not show up in photos. Think about it, you lens has a minimum focusing distance of say 2' maybe, and where is that hair? It's at 0'; the lens cannot focus on it even if you tried. You can use this to your advantage when shooting through wire fence or glass with wire in it. Put the lens right up against the wire, and even though it is going across the lens, it will not show up in the image. The lens can't focus on it.

If the hair/dust is at the edges of the lens, then that part of the lens isn't even used unless you have the aperture wide open.

The worst I've even seen is large bits of black paint flecks scattered all through out the inside of a lens, and even that didn't show up in the photos, although it did cause a lowering of contrast in small areas of the image.

He's so smart!

Axel · Oct 16, 2004

Thank you all for your help!!! It seems as if it is not the lens which is affected so it may not be a big deal. But it is irritating when you know it is there... Somewhat the eye goes to that part of the lens...

I know it is a hair and not a scratch. It is not a straight line by any means, but curly. I should also say that it is thin as the two lines on an aperture grill monitor.

Once again thank you all!

ksmattfish · Oct 16, 2004

Axel said:
it is irritating when you know it is there

I'd wait for more dust/dirt to build up (it always does :roll: ) until you absolutely can't stand it, and then send it off for a good cleaning.

AIRIC · Oct 16, 2004

Dust in the eye piece has never annoyed me but working in a photo store I always saw lots of people complaining about it. When ever you take the lens on and off you are going to get dust and stuff enter the camera. Wait tilll you start shooting with a DSLR :?

Eric