dust

[xenocide72]

I guess this is a simple question. Are dark spots that occur on a shot (usually in the sky) always the result of sensor dust or can dust inside the lens be responsible? I ask this because I wonder if purchasing a weather and dust resistant sealed lens is worth the extra cost?

 

[Buckster]

Nearly always sensor dust. Dust in or on a lens rarely shows up, and especially not as dark spots.

That said, you get sensor dust mostly from changing lenses. Do you have more than one lens? If you do, do you get the spots in the same place with both lenses (shoot them both at the smallest aperture to check)? If you do, that's a confirmation that it's on the sensor.

 

[imagemaker46]

Dust or moisture on the sensor is more visable at high f-stops, don't often see it at 2.8 or shooting dark objects. I used to check how clean the sensor was by shooting at the sky, or a whte wall at f11-22, didn't really matter. I was shocked a few times. If the sensor has anything stuck to it, don't try and clean it, have it done by someone that really knows what they are doing. I'v always avoided trying to clean a sensor myself, paranoid I'd scratch it.

 

[AaronLLockhart]

Is it occuring more on the right side of the frame and not the left? What kind of camera is it? I'm going somewhere with this, by the way.

 

[imagemaker46]

Well for me, cleaning the sensor of an $8000 camera body, I'd rather have someone else do it..