What and how to clean...

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sanJ

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Hi,

The photos that I take on sunny days with blue sky show dark smudges on the upper part of the photo. What do I need to clean ?

I have tried cleaning the external face of the lens but no success,

Camera Nikon D3200 + nikkor 18-55 lens

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You sensor needs cleaning. It is from where the lens is changed and unfortunately dust gets in.

A shop would normally charge you around £50 or 50€ ti clean it for you.

If you feel you can do it on your own then I use one of the following:

1) Rocket blower - usually gets rid of a small hair/ fibre that has got in
2) Pentax sensor cleaning kit (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pentax-Sen...214071&sr=1-6&keywords=pentax+sensor+cleaning)
3) And if it's really dirty then I use Visible Dust swabs to remove it.

A while ago someone recommended Eclipse to me but the sensor ended up even worse than when I started!
 
I guess you were shooting f11 or higher? Looks like dust on your sensor. I will use rocket blower and suck the dust out first and see can you remove most of the dust. If still presence I will just take it for professional sensor clean if you don't know how to do it.
 
I have never cleaned a camera sensor before so I don't know how to do it but I'm willing to give it a try.

In the setup menu of my Nikon D3200 there is a "Clean image sensor" function. I tried that a few times but does not seem to really clean.

These smudges do not appear in indoor photos or in most photos. How can I replicate them ?
 
Those will only show up if you stop your aperture down i.e f8, f11, f16 etc. If you shoot wide open like 1.4, 1.8, 2.8, 4, 5.6 it probably won't show up.

The image sensor clean within the camera won't clean those stuff off. Lock the mirror up on clean mode and see is the sensor have lots of dust. If so, try use a rocket blower first to blow or suck away those dust on the sensor. If still no join, you need a sensor clean. Like above mention you can buy products to do it yourself if you know what to do, if not, take it to a camera shop and get it done professionally.
 
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sanJ said:
I have never cleaned a camera sensor before so I don't know how to do it but I'm willing to give it a try.

In the setup menu of my Nikon D3200 there is a "Clean image sensor" function. I tried that a few times but does not seem to really clean.

These smudges do not appear in indoor photos or in most photos. How can I replicate them ?
Click to expand...



be very careful how you clean a sensor and don't rush it. you might find a "Loupe" handy as well

Link

http://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/senso...dgB_lps3fJDZm_sCZfCJTTwYdXYJGXd9CgaAsbh8P8HAQ

Expensive yes but lasts a lifetime all you do is lock up the mirror and rest this in place of a lens, you can then see the sensor better. All digital cameras collect dust inside and I have found using a blower disturbs more. I prefer to use an artic butterffly for loose dust and swabs for your problem.

Do have a look on youtube there are many links on how to before you start..
 
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This is an indoor shot of a white wall at f-11. The stains are still there after blowing with a rocket-blower-similar blower. What else can I do besides taking the camera to a professional?

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Take a shot of a bright sky at F22 or whatever your lens stops down to and it will be shocking how filthy it is.
Taking it to a shop is last resort - though understandable if you had physical difficulty with a steady hand for example.
Thing is the camera interior will have an almost limitless supply of spare bits which could jump on the sensor as soon as you switch on next time.
Static is probably part of the .. attraction.
Most specks are tiny bits of human skin or sticky pollen, sometimes you see obvious fibres from somewhere.

The swabbing technique with proper kit to do it s the only way you get really sticky bits off.
 
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PitaDaVespa said:
Does this really work well?
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They work great for me. Just don't buy cheap no name brand products as they could damage your sensor.

I believe both Canon and Nikon service centres use these to clean sensors.
I use it's very gently on the sensor to pick up any dust and do it often so the sensor never gets to a point where it's too dirty that it would need a wet clean. If the rocket blower can't shift it, the eye lead usually will.
 
ecoleman said:
They work great for me. Just don't buy cheap no name brand products as they could damage your sensor.

I believe both Canon and Nikon service centres use these to clean sensors.
I use it's very gently on the sensor to pick up any dust and do it often so the sensor never gets to a point where it's too dirty that it would need a wet clean. If the rocket blower can't shift it, the eye lead usually will.
Click to expand...
cool! good to know.
did your buy the one you linked?
 
I use the visible dust swabs to clean my sensors, what I've found really helpful is to use the attachment that's available with the light (the swab kinda attaches on to it) it makes it much easier to see what you're doing.
 
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