Sensor spots on brand new camera....

[JustJazzie]

My 7100 has been here for a week, I put the lens on it straight out of the box, and it hasn't come off. I was playing around with some close up stuff today, and what do I find?! Sensor spots!! I'm really irritated, but I'm not sure what the right next step is... Adorama? Nikon? Am I experiencing the oil spot problem of the d610? *sigh* I ran the sensor clean option in the menu and it isn't helping.....

 

[TheNevadanStig]

Have you tried actually cleaning the sensor yourself?

 

[table1349]

My 7100 has been here for a week, I put the lens on it straight out of the box, and it hasn't come off. I was playing around with some close up stuff today, and what do I find?! Sensor spots!! I'm really irritated, but I'm not sure what the right next step is... Adorama? Nikon? Am I experiencing the oil spot problem of the d610? *sigh* I ran the sensor clean option in the menu and it isn't helping.....

Probably oil spots, send it back to either Adorama or Nikon. No use trying to fix what they should fix since it is new.

 

[KmH]

Actually it's probably dust and not oil spots.

See the D7100 user's manual pages 312 to 317.
There is a menu to set the in-the camera image sensor cleaning function that vibrates the image sensor to shake off dust.

The camera is not assembled in a clean room, and having dust on the sensor of a new camera is more common than many maybe realize.

At any rate, sensor cleaning is routine maintenance.

 

[SCraig]

Actually it's probably dust and not oil spots.

See the D7100 user's manual pages 312 to 317.
There is a menu to set the in-the camera image sensor cleaning function that vibrates the image sensor to shake off dust.

The camera is not assembled in a clean room, and having dust on the sensor of a new camera is more common than many maybe realize.

At any rate, sensor cleaning is routine maintenance.

^ What he said.

Are you using a zoom lens? They do "Breathe".

Regardless, cleaning a sensor is easy, and as Keith mentioned, routine maintenance.

 

[TheNevadanStig]

Sending in the camera for sensor spots would be like taking a new car back after a few days because of water spots.

 

[JustJazzie]

Thanks for all the input guys! I'll consider everything said before I make a decision.

 

[Overread]

Also what aperture were you using?

Remember the smaller the aperture the sharpness will initially increase before then starting to decrease again as diffraction kicks in.

Secondly the smaller the aperture the more dust will show up.


So don't spend time cleaning the sensor if the only dust that shows up, appears at an aperture that is far smaller than any you'll use in a normal environment. That said sensor dust is just a basic part of digital photography - learning how to use the spot heal tool in photoshop or similar products to remove dust spots and also how to clean your sensor yourself are important aspects to DSLR photography.

 

[JustJazzie]

I'm not concerned just that there are spots, I am concerned at the amount of spots (at f16 ish) that are not coming off with a rocket blower, or the sensor clean function on the camera. I'm talking 15-20. I have never seen this many spots on a sensor- let alone a brand new one, that's had a lens on since I opened the box.

 

[Derrel]

At f/16, almost ANYTHING is going to show up as a sensor spot. Anything. The same,exact stuff will however, be almost invisible at f/2.8, and just a soft-edged blurry gray ghosty spot that can be cloned out with one click at f/3.5 to f/6.3. As you start to get down past f/8, and ESPECIALLY at small-sized apertures like f/13 to f/22, the spots take on a good, sharp-edged character.

What are you doing shooting at f/16 anyway? All that does is cause diffraction and mushy images.

Let me put it this way: my last really big, big, major-major glamour shoot was around New Year's, a two-person deal with a hotel suite and so on...I spent about 20 minutes and $25 in Sensor Swabs cleaning my camera's sensor. I shot the session with my 35,50,85,and 105mm primes AND my 70-200 VR zoom. I shot over 700 frames over several hours. About 300 frames in, I got three sensor dust spots. By the end of the shoot, I had seven spots. IN FOUR HOURS.

(sh) it happens Jazzie, and (sh) it happens FAST. You got a WEEK!!!!!!!! I got less than four hours.

 

[JustJazzie]

At f/16, almost ANYTHING is going to show up as a sensor spot. Anything. The same,exact stuff will however, be almost invisible at f/2.8, and just a soft-edged blurry gray ghosty spot that can be cloned out with one click at f/3.5 to f/6.3. As you start to get down past f/8, and ESPECIALLY at small-sized apertures like f/13 to f/22, the spots take on a good, sharp-edged character. What are you doing shooting at f/16 anyway? All that does is cause diffraction and mushy images. Let me put it this way: my last really big, big, major-major glamour shoot was around New Year's, a two-person deal with a hotel suite and so on...I spent about 20 minutes and $25 in Sensor Swabs cleaning my camera's sensor. I shot the session with my 35,50,85,and 105mm primes AND my 70-200 VR zoom. I shot over 700 frames over several hours. About 300 frames in, I got three sensor dust spots. By the end of the shoot, I had seven spots. IN FOUR HOURS. (sh) it happens Jazzie, and (sh) it happens FAST. You got a WEEK!!!!!!!! I got less than four hours.

How would I tell the difference between dust and oil spots?
I went back and looked at the recent pics I shot of the kids at f4-5.6....some of the spots are showing up in those too.....

The spots are showing up only across the top left corner, and left side. Wouldn't dust be random? Not clumped in one area?.....and again, these are not coming off or changing location with a rocket blower.

 

[SCraig]

How would I tell the difference between dust and oil spots?
I went back and looked at the recent pics I shot of the kids at f4-5.6....some of the spots are showing up in those too.....

The spots are showing up only across the top left corner, and left side. Wouldn't dust be random? Not clumped in one area?.....and again, these are not coming off or changing location with a rocket blower.

It's very, very unlikely that it's oil. I haven't heard one single report of anyone having oil spots on a D7xxx sensor. The only one I've heard of problems with was the D600.

Because of the current flowing through the sensor and filter array they develop a static charge that attracts dust. Sometimes it just plain will not blow off nor will the vibratory cleaning knock it off. The only thing that will get it off is a wet cleaning. It's a very simple process to clean one and takes about 10 minutes. Honestly, no big deal.

Alternatively, you can just ignore them. They will normally only show up in areas of solid color, like the sky, and even then are easily fixed in post processing with a few seconds of cloning. I'd be willing to bet that both of the bodies I use regularly have dust on them. I occasionally get dust on them WHILE cleaning other dust off! It's just part of the joy of using a DSLR.

 

[sonicbuffalo]

I posted a good video on how to wet clean a sensor even though I own the D7100 and have NOT had to wet clean my camera. I did have to use my rocket blower on it and it got the dust off. No problems with my D7100.

 

[gsgary]

Have you taken the lens off with camwra turned on ? Just get a cleaning kit and clean it I was for ever cleaning my 5D and 1D's but my Sony A7 I'm always changing lenses and never seen a sign of dust

 

[astroNikon]

I feel your pain

The worst feeling as a owner of something new is when it doesn't meet your expectations
and your not a technician.

When I bought my 35-70 lens (eBay) it was horrible photos from it. spots galore.
I thought it was my d7000 camera. wanted to just throw it in the trash and buy something else
Then I did online research ... figured it wasn't the camera - other lenses didn't show spots on the images.

then i learned more about looking at the lens itself. And I saw a layer of crude and spots on the outer lens element.
Of course, then you want to throw the lens away. lol

Then I learned how to clean the lens. And after several wet cleanings the slight layer of crude finally got completely off

It's a feeling of despair of the unknown of why it isn't working as you expect it to.
Without the experience, it's simply just not *easy* and not a *normal course* to just clean it.

It takes time to understand (reading / videos) of how to clean a sensor or a lens element before you feel comfortable even attempting it.

But once you do you then can clean anything on the camera.