sensor dust HELP!

With the d40, there's no mirror lock-up, so you need to put it into shutter priority mode, then set it to bulb.

(Not all that familiar with the D40)

No mirror lock-up? That sucks...

Does it have a cleaning mode?

I don't know if I would want to do this while the sensor is exposing...
(Would it build up a static charge - attracting dust?)

I definitely wouldn't want to a wet cleaning while it was exposing.
 
If you can invest in a $xxx camera, you should all the more invest on its protection. Better be safe than sorry, as they say. If it is still covered under warranty, have your unit serviced.

Cheers!

Captain Kimo
 
With the d40, there's no mirror lock-up, so you need to put it into shutter priority mode, then set it to bulb.
No mirror lock-up? That sucks...

Does it have a cleaning mode?

Nope, and nope (at least, not that I could figure out - if anyone knows a secret, I'd love to know). What sucks is that the manual even talks about selecting mirror lock-up from the menu. After about 5 minutes of trying to find the menu option on the camera, I gave up and did a bunch of internet searching... turns out there's no mirror lock-up in the d40 (but there is in the d40x, from what I understand). And there's no sensor cleaning mode or anything. So the bulb setting is the one commonly recommended on the interwebz.

After figuring that out, I added that to the top of my list of reasons I regret opting for the d40 ("regret" may be too strong a word - I still LOVE the camera; just wish I'd have gone just a step higher). On the bright side, I now know what features are important to me and am keeping a mental list of items to look for when I choose to upgrade - which was a big reason I started out with a "beginner" dSLR rather than going for the big gun right away and realizing I spent a ton of money on the wrong thing.
 
I looked up the manual on Nikon's website... Page 105 describes sensor cleaning.
(Maybe they only printed one manual for both the D40 and D40x, just with different covers...?)

For what they say in the manual (which, appanertly, is not actually possible), it's not clear if the sensor is 'on' during the process. The way they describe it, it sounds like "mirror lock-up" might be Nikon-speak for "cleaning mode".

Odd.

I don't know what else to say.
 
oregonamy....is that definitely the way i should be going about cleaning the sensor? i have one of those turkey baster things, which is the rocket blower but bigger, should i try that? doing this while the camera is on and actually exposing is totally fine?
 
It doesn't sound like there's really another option...

I would be hesitant to do a wet cleaning that way, but just blowing it off should be fine.

There is no risk to do physical damage - the only risk (which I'm not sure about) is that you might be attracting dust on to the sensor while it is on.

I'd wait for Amy to confirm before you do anything, since she has done it before.

You might need a third hand to help you. If you have to hold the shutter button the whole time, trying to get a makeshift blower in there and use it could be tricky with one hand. I'd get a friend or someone to hold the shutter button while you operate the blower.
 
Here are the sensor cleaning that I keep in my bag.
Wet & Dry: GREEN CLEAN for fine technics

There is also a compressed air powered "vacuum" system too available.
Suction System: Mini Vacuum: GREEN CLEAN for fine technics

If you understand Bernoulli's principle, it should work pretty decent.

The only thing "Canon" in my kit is my bulb blower. They wanted $4.95 for a "Canon" labelled blower, and $14.95 for a "generic" brand. Guess what I bought.

Do NOT use a lens brush on your sensor. If someone's been rubbing it on their fingers, your body oil will get wiped onto your sensor.
 
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I FIXED IT (i think)

i just used oregonAmys method...it was tricky, but i did manage to hold the shutter button and get enough air blown in there from my turkey baster! just so happens i physically saw the speck of dust/lint that was on there! when the sensor is exposed, at the right angle of light, i was able to see a kind of sparkle on the sensor...i squeezed a couple of shots of air in there and my sparkle was gone! i tested it out with a shot of some white paper and saw nothing....tomorrow i will try against a blue sky (if there even is one in this crappy weather we're having here in NY!)
 
Congrats!! I'd try not to do it very often, simply because (as Josh mentioned), you can attract more dust. I waited until I just couldn't stand it anymore and was getting highly annoyed by always having to crop or edit the dust out of my pictures.

I suspect you're right, Josh, that they just printed 1 manual for the 2 cameras.But then forgot to specify which model has the cleaning mode. :p
 
Just to chime in here a bit late:

- Check if there is a firmware update for the D40 if you're missing Mirror Lockup. The D40 came out long before the D40x I couldn't possibly imagine this being a miss-print in the manual. Remember it only works with a fully charged battery too.

- Mirror Lockup: Nikon speak for cleaning mode whereby the mirror is locked up and the shutter is open, and the sensor is NOT charged. The camera needs to be turned off to close the shutter again.
- Exposure Delay Mode: A feature in higher end Nikons which most people confuse with Canon's equivalent of "Mirror Lock Up". i.e. to stop vibration from mirror hitting the open position during exposure.


When in doubt trust the guys who wrote the book. The manual quite clearly states that mirror lockup is used for inspecting or cleaning the sensor. Then also the engineers would be smart enough to know that a statically charged sensor is next to impossible to clean.

BTW NOTE THIS: NEVER clean the camera by holding the shutter open in bulb mode. a) the sensor is charged statically during this process and will attract dust. b) the sensor can be damaged when excess light hits the photosites. c) there is no safeguard to your shutter closing, one slip and your lovely titanium shutter curtain will cost you $200 to repair, also the camera will prevent you from entering mirror lockup mode if the battery is low so there's no chance of the shutter closing while you are cleaning.

Consider yourself lucky that the shutter thing has worked this time. Also to double check your cleaning just set the lens to f/22 (higher apertures focus dust on the sensor) defocus and point the camera at the roof. Don't worry about camera shake or anything.
 
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there is definitely a mirror lockup mode on a D40...sorry but that was poor advice.

that was a pretty inventive way to get it done, but as garbz said, could damage the sensor.

menu...then the little wrench submenu...then mirror lockup set to on...then hit the shutter button...mirror pops up...to get the mirror back down, turn off the cam.
 
so how do i lock the mirror in my d40? the speck of dust in the middle of the picture is now gone, which i removed last night, but i just noticed another one! how should i remove this one?
 
there is no mirror lock option in that menu. ive tried it before
 
i just did it.

i wish i had 2 cams so i could get a screen shot :D

just so we're all on the same page here...lol...we're talking about a nikon D40 DSLR...? :D

i purchased mine in may of 2008...maybe i have a newer firmware?...

*EDIT*...im gonna snaps pics with my iphone and post them...standby.


*EDIT2*
3573512346_906434edb1_o.jpg
 
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Just to chime in here a bit late:

- Check if there is a firmware update for the D40 if you're missing Mirror Lockup. The D40 came out long before the D40x I couldn't possibly imagine this being a miss-print in the manual. Remember it only works with a fully charged battery too.

THANK YOU. I didn't know you could get firmware updates. I will definitely look into this, as it's possible I have old firmware.

BTW NOTE THIS: NEVER clean the camera by holding the shutter open in bulb mode. a) the sensor is charged statically during this process and will attract dust.


I was worried about that, but saw no other option. Thanks again for this note - when I get home, I am definitely looking for a firmware update.

there is definitely a mirror lockup mode on a D40...sorry but that was poor advice.

that was a pretty inventive way to get it done, but as garbz said, could damage the sensor.

menu...then the little wrench submenu...then mirror lockup set to on...then hit the shutter button...mirror pops up...to get the mirror back down, turn off the cam.

Yeah, I tried following that menu path several times and - the mirror lockup option does not exist on my camera (and my battery was fully charged - I charged it overnight to make sure). I spent quite a bit of time hunting around for it and IT IS NOT THERE. It is clearly not there for others, as well, as there are several people on the 'net who have run into the SAME thing.

I'll check again when I get home, but the last thing I wanted to do was attract more dust to my sensor. I'm not stupid. But when the menu item isn't there, it isn't there. Maybe you have to be in a different mode to get the item to appear - I didn't try anything other than A and M mode.

I didn't mean to give bad advice. :blushing:
 

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