Something has contaminated my camera :( ??? WTF

EdinburghGary

EdinburghGary

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Gary
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No idea what has happened, but between last night and today, something has gone very badly wrong. I have a set of pics from 4.30am with no dirt. Never used the camera all day and the protective cap has been on (except between lens changes), however tonights photos are wrecked. Here is a pic of a white wall with flash, the dirst is there irrelvent of lens :'(:'(:'(

HELP!!!

wtfmo5.jpg
 
it is on the sensor then, did you leave the lens off the camera for a while and let Cr*p get into it, those dark marks do not look good. Loks like a load of rubbish has got in.

professional sensor clean i think!
 
Looks like dust has got to the sensor when you have changed lens, a very big problem with DSLRs.

There are a few ways to get rid of it some more effective than others.

I am sure someone will be alone in a bit to explain them as I don't have much experience with cleaning the sensor on a DSLR.
 
400duser said:
it is on the sensor then, did you leave the lens off the camera for a while and let Cr*p get into it, those dark marks do not look good. Loks like a load of rubbish has got in.

professional sensor clean i think!
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If it was off, then for a maximum of ten seconds. I havent even been using the camera since this morning and all those shots are perfectly clear. The last 4.30am shot is clear as hell, and the very next shot 12 hours later is ruined with all that dirt.

Gary.
 
Don't panic :)

No exif but I'd guess you have not taken many pictures at small (f22 sort of range) aperture for a while. Looks like normal dust to me - you won't see it at f8 or wider.

Try a couple of blasts with a rocket blower* while in sensor clean mode.

*Not some old blower which may not be clean inside.
 
RobertP said:
Don't panic :)

No exif but I'd guess you have not taken many pictures at small (f22 sort of range) aperture for a while. Looks like normal dust to me - you won't see it at f8 or wider.

Try a couple of blasts with a rocket blower* while in sensor clean mode.

*Not some old blower which may not be clean inside.
Click to expand...


No idea how you worked that out but for the first time ever I was able to play with different F numbers. I tried them all of a sunset, all the way from the lowest to the highest number. How did you know and why do F numbers cause dust problems?
 
RobertP said:
Don't panic :)

No exif but I'd guess you have not taken many pictures at small (f22 sort of range) aperture for a while. Looks like normal dust to me - you won't see it at f8 or wider.

Try a couple of blasts with a rocket blower* while in sensor clean mode.

*Not some old blower which may not be clean inside.
Click to expand...


Erm, spot on! Pun Intended :D

Put F back to 5, and no dust. What gives?
 
Circle of confusion is the answer :)

When the light comes from a wide area (low f number = big hole for the light) it can get behind any dust on the sensor and the dust makes no shadow.

Small area (high f number = tiny pinhole letting light through) and the light will cause hard shadows... and you see all the crud.
 
Where did you change lenses, a dusty evironment perhaps? You could try a blower ---> http://www.jessops.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?SkuId=32860 on it first and hope you get away with it, not sure how to lockup the mirror on yours for cleaning. I've had success using this rocket blower , I guess I've just been lucky it's not been permanent. Hold camera facing down when blowing in it and don't blow air in from your mouth...fatal.
 
RobertP said:
Circle of confusion is the answer :)

When the light comes from a wide area (low f number = big hole for the light) it can get behind any dust on the sensor and the dust makes no shadow.

Small area (high f number = tiny pinhole letting light through) and the light will cause hard shadows... and you see all the crud.
Click to expand...


Am I right in thinking for a nice shot of pebbles in moving water for example, a high F number is better?

I am reading quite a bit, and trying to understand, very difficult though.
 
frank said:
Where did you change lenses, a dusty evironment perhaps? You could try a blower ---> http://www.jessops.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?SkuId=32860 on it first and hope you get away with it, not sure how to lockup the mirror on yours for cleaning. I've had success using this rocket blower , I guess I've just been lucky it's not been permanent. Hold camera facing down when blowing in it and don't blow air in from your mouth...fatal.
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Jessops open to midnight in Edinburgh tonight :D
 
EdinburghGary said:
Am I right in thinking for a nice shot of pebbles in moving water for example, a high F number is better?

I am reading quite a bit, and trying to understand, very difficult though.
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Landscape generally needs a small aperture (high f number) as this will give you good depth of field (depth of focus). The seascape with milky water type shot will have a small aperture as it is landscape but will also have a long exposure on a tripod to give time for the water motion to blend.

You still need to get the exposure right and in full daylight you can't have a long enough exposure as the picture would burn out. That means taking the shot at twilight or using ND filters (camera sunglasses :) ) to reduce the light.
 
RobertP said:
Landscape generally needs a small aperture (high f number) as this will give you good depth of field (depth of focus). The seascape with milky water type shot will have a small aperture as it is landscape but will also have a long exposure on a tripod to give time for the water motion to blend.

You still need to get the exposure right and in full daylight you can't have a long enough exposure as the picture would burn out. That means taking the shot at twilight or using ND filters (camera sunglasses :) ) to reduce the light.
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So a highish f number, ND grad and use exposure compensation to try various shots?

G.
 
ND is tinted all over. ND grad is half tinted half not - for holding back bright skies.

So yes but in full daylight you may need ND and ND grad filters combined.

I'd just set f16 or f20 in aperture priority, lowest ISO and see what shutter speeds you get. (after cleaning the sensor with a rocket blower ;))
 
Dust can accumulate from various places. The dust on the sensor may have been accumulating over weeks or months. It may not all be external dust either. It was pointed out to me at a Canon event that the camera contains moving parts which can shed fragments over time. Even dust can be transfered from the rear elements of lenses. I always give mine a blow when I'm replacing the rear cap

Try giving the sensor a good clean with a rocket blower. Don't used canned air you'll spatter propellant all over the sensor. Might be an idea to give the camera a blow out prior to cleaning the sensor. Leave the camera, lens attached face down for a while to let any dust settle away from the rear of the camera.

Dust on sensors is a fact of life with Digital cameras. Eventually you'll have to bite the bullet and get a cleaning kit. Not cheap but will save money over having the sensor cleaned professionally.

In the meantime stick to about F8 or what ever aperture minimises the problem. Plus start a routine to help stop the problem. Never change lenses in a dusty environment, goes without saying. But point the camera down when changing lenses. Plus give the inside a good clean now and again,( preferably more now than again :lol:). And check those rear lens elements.

Sensor cleaning can seem a daunting task if you've never done it before. I can remember my first attempt. But after a while it' not to daunting.
 
Small price to pay i think, imagine if you did it yourself and ****ed it up. At least by paying someone to do it you have some legs to break if it goes wrong.
 
dust is a fact of life, everytime you change lenses, air containing dust particles gets in to the camera body, gets flapped about by the mirror a few times then settles on the sensor.
it doesn't do to get wound up about it, very few togs use one lens all the time, personally I change lenses at least 28 times a minute, thus I am impervious to the stresses of the dust monster.
all you can do is clean it when the bugs are leaving footprints in it, or before you shoot a big time dof scene.
So you pay your £30 knowing its gonna cost you another £30 to change lenses..:lol:.
You just cant afford to worry about it too much...
 
EdinburghGary said:
Its £30 for a full clean of camera, sensor and all lenses at a shop close to me (so they say). While you wait service too.
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I use Green Clean to clean the sensor on my S2Pro. It is good to get lose dust off the sensor and you don't touch it.

I scratched a sensor on the camera cleaning it with a wipe. Cost £98 to get Fuji to clean it. Was still marked when I got it back but it would not take picures when I got it back. Fuji replaced the sensor free :thumbs: Taught me a valuable if not total exp-expensive lesson.

If you are in Edinburgh try Cameratiks in Morningside. They are the best for camera repairs and they clean sensors.
 
I use dust-aid to clean my sensor (around once/month), after trying all the wet cleans/brushes etc, this is the only method that works (for me)

http://www.dust-aid.com/

Not cheap-but do the job very well .
 
Les McLean said:
I use dust-aid to clean my sensor (around once/month), after trying all the wet cleans/brushes etc, this is the only method that works (for me)

http://www.dust-aid.com/

Not cheap-but do the job very well .
Click to expand...

I'm going to keep this in mind. Have never liked the wipes since I damaged the sensor. Does it use an adhesive?
 
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