Sensor cleaning question

shoutinhalls · Mar 1, 2016

Greetings all!

I am a very new photographer and think I may have gotten something on my sensor. I called a local place that cleans them but they gave me contradicting information:

First he said that the spots in my photos should not change size regardless of the zoom on the lens, then he said that it could change when I was just going to try and clean the lens again.

I am just trying to find out if the spots could be on the sensor and not the lens, even though they change size when zoomed in or out. Want to get that cleared up before spending $50 on something that may not resolve the issue, I already have checked the lens and see nothing wrong on either side.

These are two photos where you can see the difference of the spot in the top right corner

thanks!

Didereaux · Mar 1, 2016

It's on the sensor. Just get a good bulb blower. Take off the lens. Lock the mirror up (or put it in live mode(which lifts the mirror, and give the sensor a VERY hearty blowing. That will take care of 99.9% of the dust issues. NEVER use your own breath, it has moisture and that will adhere and collect the dust, then you have to use more aggressive measures which can cause problems if you are not very careful. The other NEVER is canned air, like they sell to blow out your computer and such. These contain chemicals (in the propellant) which CAN damage the coatings on the sensors. And give your lens a good blowing out as well front and back.
Here's a link to a good one
Sensei Bulb Air-Blower (Medium, Black) BL-012 B&H Photo Video

shoutinhalls · Mar 1, 2016

Awesome, thanks for the quick reply!

petrochemist · Mar 1, 2016

Sensor muck doesn't change size with focal length, but it does change with aperture. Smaller apertures make the spots smaller & higher contrast just as seen here, where the top image was taken at f/25 & the lower one at f/10.

shoutinhalls · Mar 1, 2016

Hi all,

I ended up taking this to a shop in town and they showed me on the sensor where two small pieces of dust were, very clear with a loupe. I decided to have it cleaned professionally because I tend to be clumsy, they were great and the guy said he would clean again for free if anything popped up within the next 7 days. Thanks for everyone’s help!

Stradawhovious · Mar 2, 2016

Make sure the innards of your camera body don't get exposed unless absolutely necessary. Here are the steps I took to avoid dust.

1. always have a lens or body cap on the body.
2. if changing lenses I make sure the camera is OFF to avoid any static attraction and pointed down to avoid gravity.
3. I only change lenses when absolutely necessary.

I still got dust.

Worse yet, I shoot I Nikon D7000. I get oil spots on the sensor from the mirror assembly.

Let's just say I got REALLY good at cleaning the sensor. It's not that bad once you do it. It's quite simple really. it's intimidating as all get out the first time because you think you're going to ruin your camera, but chances are if you take your time use the right tools and are careful, you won't.

Good news is a sensor cleaning kit good for several cleanings costs less than 1 professional cleaning at my local shop.

Trever1t · Mar 2, 2016

I don't stress on the little dust. I change lenses all the time and I rarely blow off my sensor. I used to tweak on things like that.

TCampbell · Mar 2, 2016

Dust spots are always on the sensor. It's not possible to see a dust spot if it's on the lens. If you have any doubt... make a tiny post-it note just a few millimeters square and stick it on the front of your lens to simulate a dirty lens. Go shoot a photo of a plain white wall and try to find that "dirt" in your image... you won't see it.

In order for something to show up in an image it has to be at or very close to a plane of focus. Once things get within the minimum focusing distance for the lens, they start to blur out completely and don't become visible again until they're practically sitting right on the sensor surface.