DUST SPOTS!!!

neil

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Help!
I have dust spots on all of my pictures, taken during a recent trip with my Canon 20D. The spots are visible through the viewfinder, appear on my pictures and are not lens specific (they appear in the same place no matter which lens I use)

I know this throws in the face of all logical thinking and this can't be true, i've tried to figure it out, I've cleaned the sensor, mirror, lens surfaces. I don't know what else to try!

The spots are more pronounced when taken with a smaller aperture on a solid backgound.

Any ideas?
 
The spots are on the sensor, and you have not cleaned them off, rather just moved them around. How did you clean the sensor?
 
I used a blower, then a dry swab, i haven't plucked up the courage to use a solution on it yet!
 
But if they are on the sensor how can you see them on the viewfinder?

If you can see them on the viewfinder then they will either be on the little bit of ground glass, the mirror or the prism.

But then they wouldn't appear on the sensor.

Are the spots on the viewfinder the same spots as on the images?
 
Firstly I wouldn't worry about it....it's inevitible especially if you change lenses often! Secondly, DON'T touch anything inside the camera you don't need too, you'll just make things worse! Any dust inside the view finder live with...although it can be cleaned I've heard it's a tricky little job....

Cleaning the sensor is a doddle, I use specially designed for your camera model DIGI PADS with ECLIPSE FLUID. The fluid evaporates as you are applying it and is streak free. Like you I got in a bit of a panic but it really is simple. Personally I wouldn't use a blower, as it does just that and blows the dust elsewhere, I also wouldn't use a dry swab....this is small grains of dust which you are dragging with a dry swab.....could very easily cause scratches however small.
At the end of the day, this is what works for me. I'm sure others have there own prefered methods but, whatever way you decide to go Please read all instructions, make sure you have full charge in your battery and just go canny!
Ken.
 
Daniel said:
But if they are on the sensor how can you see them on the viewfinder?

If you can see them on the viewfinder then they will either be on the little bit of ground glass, the mirror or the prism.

But then they wouldn't appear on the sensor.

Are the spots on the viewfinder the same spots as on the images?

Yes, the spots are the same on the viewfinder as in the image, I can't decipher it all! I had come to the conclusion that it must be the mirror that had specs on, but surely then it wouldn't appear on the images.

Perhaps I'll just clean everything and try again.
 
KenCo said:
Firstly I wouldn't worry about it....it's inevitible especially if you change lenses often! Secondly, DON'T touch anything inside the camera you don't need too, you'll just make things worse! Any dust inside the view finder live with...although it can be cleaned I've heard it's a tricky little job....

Cleaning the sensor is a doddle, I use specially designed for your camera model DIGI PADS with ECLIPSE FLUID. The fluid evaporates as you are applying it and is streak free. Like you I got in a bit of a panic but it really is simple. Personally I wouldn't use a blower, as it does just that and blows the dust elsewhere, I also wouldn't use a dry swab....this is small grains of dust which you are dragging with a dry swab.....could very easily cause scratches however small.
At the end of the day, this is what works for me. I'm sure others have there own prefered methods but, whatever way you decide to go Please read all instructions, make sure you have full charge in your battery and just go canny!
Ken.

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll have to take the plunge eventually, it may as well be now!
 
Daniel said:
But if they are on the sensor how can you see them on the viewfinder?

If you can see them on the viewfinder then they will either be on the little bit of ground glass, the mirror or the prism.

But then they wouldn't appear on the sensor.

Are the spots on the viewfinder the same spots as on the images?

Also, how do I go about removing them from the prism? Where is the "little bit of ground glass"? Sorry ifI sound a little naive, this is all new territory for me!
 
I had a dust problem once and I only made it worse, luckily my camera shop was cool and gave me a brand new camera, however on a recent trip to DC i was changing lenses frequently and got a serious dust spot on my sensor.. the answer to fixing this... USE PHOTOSHOP, it is much easier and safer to use the patch tool or clone tool to cover up a spot than it is to clean your sensor. By attempting to clean it yourself you may do much mor harm than good. I am planing on bring my camera in to be professionally cleaned when I have some time, I fell its worth it to pay the money to have a pro do it rather than scratch or mess up the internal mechanisms in my camera... By the way the reason you will see dust spots more at aperatures such as f22 is the small aperature does not let in a lot of light therefore the dust spot will create a dark spot, at an aperature of say 3.5 the large opening will allow light to pass around the spot and make it less noticeable... If you look close though at a pic taken at f3.5 you may be able to see some signs of the spot just not as pronounced as at f22
 

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