Dust in a D-SLR..

Steve

I only have 35mm slr gear but assume the principals are similar - the shutter being located behind the mirror & covering the photo cells rather than the film?

First place to check is the lense - simplest if you have more than one is to switch them and take a shot of the same subject - is the smudge in the same place? That will establish if the problem is lense or camera related. (you can always just hold the lense up to the light and you should easily be able to see any dirt or grease smudges).

I'm hoping it is the lense in which case I recommend 1) Aerosol 'Dust-off' or equivalent compressed air - this will blow off dust particles or worse which may be abrasive from the surface of the lense. 2) Lens tissue 3) Lens cleaning solution. All available from the likes of Jessops.

The dirt could be on the outer surface - hopefully you will have fitted a protective filter (screws into the front lense thread - UV or Skylight 1A or 1B is suitable); or the inner / rear element surface. Always fit either a cap or another lense to the camera body when you remove a lense.

When using aerosol air products, always be careful to hold vertical as fluid can come out should you hold horizontally.

Dust on the mirror whilst unsightly should have no effect on the quality of the photo. Use dust-off but don't physically touch it as you could accidentally knock it out of alignment.

Hope the abaove is of some help & that I'm not telling you stuff you know already.

Peter

Have a look here. I don't touch the sensor with anything for fear of making things worse. With the mirror locked up a couple of puffs with a non aerosol blower such as 'Rocket Air' normally does the trick.

Do not use aerosols on the sensor as the squirt a bit of water as well. Use one of those hand blower thingies.

If the pictures you have taken are important then you can use the nikcon software to selectg the dust areas, correct them, then apply this to the other images.

quote:

Originally posted by Steveandkate:
I have just taken some pictures on my Canon 300d and noticed some dust marks on the images that are blurry, but on every image.
Any advice how to get rid of it ?
Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve,

There was a huge thread that covered this subject (page 4 onwards) a while back here:

http://forums.naim-audio.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/58019385/m/2042966307/p/1

Presuming it's dust on the sensor, conventional wisdom says that nothing should touch the sensor, and aerosols can also be harmful, as they contain propellant which can leave a residue.

However, I've more recently found (from a reputable dealer) a brush system with a battery powered 'spinner' which spins all dust particules out of the brush, and also statically charges the brush to remove particles. It seems to have been successful on my D200, but needs a careful hand.

Good luck,

Phil

Though it doesn't help your situation, Canon are aware of the problem as it exists, and have addressed this in the (mk III) Rebel XTi/EOS 400D.

If you had an Olympus it would clean the dirt off the sensor each time the camera was powered up.

Yes David, you tell us every time

quote:

If you had an Olympus it would clean the dirt off the sensor each time the camera was powered up.

I think that most Olympus dSLR owners have a little smile to themselves when they read of dusty sensors.

/dl
Olympus E-300 owner

keep it simple. use one of those big-arsed rocket air blowers to get rid of the offending particles. if it doesn't rid you of your unwelcome visitors, send the camera in for service.

dust is a greater issue for digital cameras - it would rarely get on to the film, as the shutter was closed when lens was off. With digital, dust entering the body when the lens is off can sit on the sensor - today's equivalent of the film plane.

once you've ridded yourself of the dust, use caution in future while changing lenses - turn away from the wind and shelter the camera with your body; try to sort out your 'lens changing workflow' such that time with body open is minimised. I've managed more than 5000 frames over six months, regular lens changes in the wild (I have four) in a very windy environment, and haven't yet had dust on the sensor - it's not for want of opportunity.

YMMV.

The trouble with just blowing the dust off the sensor is that it just puts the dust somewhere else... if it moves it at all. The next time the camera is powered up the sensor's static charge can bring the dust right back again.
I've been using Digi-pads and methanol for over a year on my 20D's high pass filter (this covers and protects the sensor) with no problems. So far. Touch wood.

In future I might try the static brush method, especially as it's easier and safer to take a brush on in aircraft luggage than a bottle of flammable liquid!

Tony

Many thanks for all the replies - I have given it a blast of air, and all seems well..!
It does give some reason to choose one of the super-zoom type cameras when next looking though - yes, ultimate quality is sacrificed, but my shots were too - given that I am no pro, and that most pictures end up either on the pc or printed at 10x8 at most, I'll certainly look at some. My house in Spain is an old farmhouse - old plaster that flakes, paint that flakes, and so much dust it seems like my wife does nothing all day (!!) so dust certainly is a major problem, as is my lazyness in keeping the camera clean...

I don't believe that ultimate quality is sacrificed by a "lesser" camera. If Ansel Adams was still around he'd be taking fantastic shots with his cellphone.

Shot in 2001 with a 1950s box camera

agreed - it's all about the person behind the camera, not the equipment.