Dirt on the lens??

[Geddes]

See that black dot on the picture, think it's dirt and i want to get rid of it. can i do it myself or do i take it to a specialist?

 

[dunganick]

Its dirt on the sensor. It looks fairly big so might come off if you clean manually (lock mirror up) and give it a blow with a rocket blower (or an equivalent) Don't use anything with a propellant as it might damage your sensor.

To do it properly you need sensor swabs, pretty easy to do yourself - but needs to be done right or you could damage your sensor permanently.

 

[Geddes]

thanks for the advice, at least i know what it is. Bit too complicated for me i'll get someone i know to get it sorted for me

 

[Aaron..]

I've got the same problem. I took mine to my local camera shop to do it last time and they charged £35 and took 4 days. I got myself a rocket blower and will attempt this myself when I get 5 minutes. I'd do it in work but there's too much shite around to risk it. I manage to get my sensor dirty quite often, I suppose its due to constantly changing lenses outdoors

At the moment i'm getting rid of the specks in lightroom but its a ball ache!

 

[Geddes]

Could I first detatch the lens and give it a blow inside first? Or would ths do damage? Had a look on amazon for that rocket not bad priced I could get one of those to add to my kit

 

[capturedbyjames]

What camera is it on? There's sometimes a function to clean the sensor, which just gives it a little shake to get rid of some loose dust...

 

[Geddes]

It's on a Canon 500D. When I turn it off it does a sensor cleaning automatically

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Defo not on the lens (either end) ?!

When you change lenses, try and do it quickly and cleanly, and ideally have the body facing the floor so no dust can easily fall in.. also make sure your lenses are clean and dust free, obviously !

 

[Geddes]

i've only got the one lens, also just did a manual lens cleaning in the options and took some quick pictures and had a look on my pc and the mark is still there, it's more on the landscape you more notice it

 

[Geddes]

my dad has some cleaning products for his camcorder can i use these like the swabs and so on, or are they specific ones?

 

[dunganick]

Cameras with the clean feature do so on startup and shutdown, so prompting it to do this probably wouldnt make any difference.

Bare in mind that when you blow it with a rocket blower you need to (as suggested above) have the camera facing down (for the dirt to fall out, and no more to fall in) You also need to use manual clean (this is a feature in the cleaning menu) to flip the mirror up to reveal the sensor otherwise your only blowing dust off the mirror.

A proper clean is the best solution. Find a friend that can do it if you want to save cash.

One note, its important to have a well charged battery in the camera if your going to manually clean or get anything inside the camera. If the mirror flips down as the battery has run out it will knacker your camera. Modern Canon's wont actually allow you to clean if the battery is much below 50%, but i have no idea if this is the same for Nikon.

The swab size depends on the sensor size - e.g 1.5x 1.6 etc.. Ideally the swab is the exact height of the sensor.

 

[Geddes]

Awesome thanks, I'll see if I can get a mate to do it or myself, I'll have to look on the net for one.

 

[Geddes]

just had a go and hasnt worked out well, used some alcohol whisky and a ear bud it got rid of the dust and dirt but left dried smudges on the sensor. I'll ring my local photography place tomorrow and ask them how much they can do it for

 

[Brazo]

Lol you used whisky?

 

[bully]

I thought the same Brazo, lol.

 

[Geddes]

just what my dad said :dapprove:, regret doing it now

edit, just hope i havent damaged the sensor

 

[RyanD]

just had a go and hasnt worked out well, used some alcohol whisky and a ear bud it got rid of the dust and dirt but left dried smudges on the sensor. I'll ring my local photography place tomorrow and ask them how much they can do it for

What posessed you to do this?

You shouldnt just use any random stuff on a sensor.

 

[Geddes]

i was hesitant on doing it but my dad said just use the whisky, f**ken hell man :banghead:

would the pictures come out bad and loose the quality over time?

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Whuuuuuuuuups...!!!

Cheap Vodka as a solvent, maaaaaaybe... but not on a camera, especially not on the sensor. Good grief.

Looks like your Dad owes you a camera. There's a 50D body on the board at work for £450... shall I get you the phone number ? :rasp:

 

[Geddes]

what's going to happen to the sensor now on what i done? providing there's no scratches on it

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

I would hope nothing at all once it's cleaned properly.. but sensors are sensitive things, and I believe have coatings on them. Hopefully it'll be ok, but if it's damaged, it's not THE most expensive thing in the world to replace (or is that the mirror?).

Someone who knows what they are talking about will be along shortly.

 

[Brazo]

Get it cleaned properly, cross fingers.

 

[Geddes]

i presume the sensor is the mirror aye?

my heart is pumping here and so it should be. fingers crossed aye it's fine.

I do know that there is a fine coat of grease or something that runs round and not to touch that and i didn't

 

[Brazo]

No the sensor is behind the mirror

 

[Geddes]

ah, this will explain things all i cleaned was the mirror

 

[Geddes]

so if i cleaned the mirror, it's still all good aye? still need to get the mirror cleaned properly like of course

 

[JamesBryan]

You're lucky it's only the mirror you have attempted to clean tbh.

To clean the actual sensor you have to go in to the settings and do a manual sensor clean which will lock the mirror up, revealing the sensor.

I would advise that you take it to your nearest Canon authorised specialist and get it done though.

 

[unofficialPete]

flol, quite possible near escape, you've smudged the mirror! No wonder any attempts to clear the dust with a rocket blower have failed [assuming you tried this first].

I'd strongly suggest you cough up for a proper clean.

 

[SamP]

Tbh ruining the sensor is harder than you think. Theres an IR filter infront if it which takes the beating when it comes to cleaning etc thats relatively cheap to replace.

 

[Geddes]

Thanks again people for your help, feel better now. Have to man up and get it done by a pro

 

[Geddes]

A_Cro mentioned it costed £35 to get it cleaned, is that the average price to get it sorted? Just I don't want to get ripped off plus does it have to be canon specialist? I know you don't want a cowboy like myself lol to handle it. Is it due to warranty and that?

 

[RyanD]

£35ish is average. it depends on sensor size.

See fixations website for canon approve prices.

 

[Ray Gin]

It's a UFO imo.

 

[JamesBryan]

A_Cro mentioned it costed £35 to get it cleaned, is that the average price to get it sorted? Just I don't want to get ripped off plus does it have to be canon specialist? I know you don't want a cowboy like myself lol to handle it. Is it due to warranty and that?

I paid £35 at a Canon place in Stoke. I think some places can do a before/after dust comparison as well, to prove that it has been done (might be extra though)

 

[Geddes]

Is is just the sensor they clean or the whole camera?

 

[JamesBryan]

Is is just the sensor they clean or the whole camera?

That's just the sensor i think. I'm sure they can do full cleans as well though.

 

[Geddes]

Just phoned a local photographer they wanted £70, not going for that one. So I rang two more place and it came up wrong number and doesn't exist any more. There is a Jessops in Durham what about them?

 

[Geddes]

had a look at the Canon's website for a Authorised dealer and there's 4 of them http://www.canon.co.uk/Support/Consumer_Products/services_locator/index.aspx

they must be more than that in the UK, no where near me in NE

 

[Tigger]

Try Luton Camera Repair mate?

 

[Geddes]

nee good, no where near me. Need some one in the North East