It had to happen. It’s inevitable, actually. I’ve got dust on the sensor of my DSLR.
I’d been careful to always avoid dusty areas when changing lenses. I’d followed the advice to always hold the camera facing downwards to help stop airborne particles settling inside. I’d cleaned the lens mounts before and after use. All to no avail. Even the much-vaunted self-cleaning system in the Canon range failed to shift the little blighters.
Stubborn. That’s what they are.
Of course, at first I hoped it was just on the back of the lens, so I diligently cleaned and tried again. Nope, still there. Nothing obvious on the mirror, and I’ve given the whole inside of the camera a good blast or three from the Giottos Rocket blower.
Under normal circumstances, you never see the tiny spots in photos. Only when you stop down to ƒ/11 or smaller do they become apparent, and then only in areas with little detail—sky or model railway backdrops.
Now, using Lightroom, or in my case Aperture, once I’ve identified the spots and cloned or repaired them on one image, I can “lift” the data to other affected images.
But that’s a drag.
So, when I’m feelin brave, I’m going to clean my work area thoroughly, make sure my hair is tied back, and have a go at locking up the mirror. I’ll fire the blaster at it again, and see if it makes any difference. (Knowing my luck, the dust will dutifully fly off, and then settle back in different places when I’m not looking.)
If that doesn’t fix the problem, then it’ll be time to call in the big guns. My Amazon shopping list has a proper sensor cleaning system which has been recommended. I’ll link to it another day. It literally uses adhesive pads that pick the dust off the sensor—it’s not a wet system, so it is apparently guaranteed not to damage anything sensitive. I hope.
If that fails, then I guess it’s either live with the dust and spotting out (how retro!), or pay to have a three-year-old camera professionally cleaned.
But it’s the locked-up mirror attempt first. Remind me to dig out some unretouched images that show the little perishers in all their glory.
I’d been careful to always avoid dusty areas when changing lenses. I’d followed the advice to always hold the camera facing downwards to help stop airborne particles settling inside. I’d cleaned the lens mounts before and after use. All to no avail. Even the much-vaunted self-cleaning system in the Canon range failed to shift the little blighters.
Stubborn. That’s what they are.
Of course, at first I hoped it was just on the back of the lens, so I diligently cleaned and tried again. Nope, still there. Nothing obvious on the mirror, and I’ve given the whole inside of the camera a good blast or three from the Giottos Rocket blower.
Under normal circumstances, you never see the tiny spots in photos. Only when you stop down to ƒ/11 or smaller do they become apparent, and then only in areas with little detail—sky or model railway backdrops.
Now, using Lightroom, or in my case Aperture, once I’ve identified the spots and cloned or repaired them on one image, I can “lift” the data to other affected images.
But that’s a drag.
So, when I’m feelin brave, I’m going to clean my work area thoroughly, make sure my hair is tied back, and have a go at locking up the mirror. I’ll fire the blaster at it again, and see if it makes any difference. (Knowing my luck, the dust will dutifully fly off, and then settle back in different places when I’m not looking.)
If that doesn’t fix the problem, then it’ll be time to call in the big guns. My Amazon shopping list has a proper sensor cleaning system which has been recommended. I’ll link to it another day. It literally uses adhesive pads that pick the dust off the sensor—it’s not a wet system, so it is apparently guaranteed not to damage anything sensitive. I hope.
If that fails, then I guess it’s either live with the dust and spotting out (how retro!), or pay to have a three-year-old camera professionally cleaned.
But it’s the locked-up mirror attempt first. Remind me to dig out some unretouched images that show the little perishers in all their glory.
2 comments:
Funnily enough, Heather, I noticed dust spots on my sensor just before reading this post. Now I'm investigating a dust removal method. Any thoughts on which way to go?
This is the dry cleaning system I alluded to:
http://www.dust-aid.com/08DAplatinum.html
That's one I was recommended to. It's a dry cleaning system, and the one I shall be investing in if my adventure with the air blast doesn't work.
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