![]() It is also unlikely that you will see dust on the mirror. NOTE that you CANNOT see the dust on the Sensor by looking through the Viewfinder of the camera. In Fact, it would probably be better to Move the camera during the exposure to rule out other Objects (like Birds) Being dust. If using a photo, don't worry about camera shake, the dust will show because the dust is not moving (with respect to the sensor) during the test exposure. Taking the photo is actually better because the dust mapping functions can be fooled by camera motion, texture on the wall, etc. If you do not have a camera with a mapping function you can check by setting your lens to the smallest aperture and taking a picture of the sky, a blank wall, a blank white screen on your computer monitor (clean the screen first). Objects on the top of your photos are recorded on the bottom of the sensor due to the way our lenses work. Keep in mind here that the image you see in your photos is actually inverted from what the sensor sees. These will show where the dust lies on the sensor. The K20d, the K7, and I believe the Kx all have dust mapping functions. I cannot tell you how many times I've thought I had to clean my sensor only to discover that I need to clean my computer monitor screen instead. This is just another one admittedly but I'm writing this hopefully to put the mind of the new guy (or gal) at ease here at PF.įirst, Make sure you actually HAVE a dusty sensor (one spec is a dusty sensor). There are hundreds if not thousands of articles out there on the web about the dangers of cleaning your own sensor screen (the filter over the sensor) and how to do it. Damaging the sensor filter isn't as likely to happen as one might think. Now that I've scared you here is the good news. There are several methods of removing the dust and all have their risks with the possible exception of Pentax's dust removal shake the sensor system. Once that happens, be prepared to spend $400+ to have your camera fixed (anecdotal evidence only). The filter however is a sensitive surface and can be scratched. Cameras that flip the filter out of the way for night vision not withstanding. The sensor and anti-aliasing (and IR block) filter are a sealed unit so the likelihood of dust actually on the sensor is pretty slim. That is, No matter What we do, how careful we are, Dust is EVERYWHERE and WILL eventually end up on our sensors. There are several causes of these little black spots but mostly, we've discovered the universal truth about our DSLRs. Sometimes they show up only when we pixel peep other times we can see them on our little LCD screens on the rear of the camera. I have a Giottos Rocket Blower ($7.75 from ) that I use to blow air safely onto the sensor.Īfter blowing air onto the sensor, put your lens back on and take a new test shot of the sky.Many if not all of us have or will discover strange black spots on our photos. Do not blow into your camera with your mouth, or use a can of compressed air, etc. Use a blower tool specifically made for this purpose. Once you have your mirror out of the way, you can take your lens off the camera and attempt to blow air on your sensor to dislodge dust. Look up your camera model to see if you have something similar. This will lock the mirror up on the camera, giving me full access to the sensor. On my Canon 60D I have an option in the menu settings to “Clean Sensor Manually”. We need to remove the dust spots from the sensor, which requires access to the sensor itself. (Find a full answer to the “ why does sensor dust not show in wide apertures” question here.) Cleaning The Camera Sensor Those don’t show up in our final photo because when we open our aperture and shoot at f/7.1 or so for our interiors, the light hitting the sensor is spread out more-so than light at f/22. ![]() You’ll see plenty of lighter dust spots if you look closely. See that dust spot in the top right? That’s the spot that was causing the light circle in the interior photo at the beginning of the post. Point your camera straight up to the sky so you only see blue through the viewfinder, set your shutter speed to get a good exposure and take the shot. I use my 10-22mm lens at 10mm when doing this test, but you can probably use whatever focal length you would like. ![]() On a clear blue-sky day, head outside with your camera and set your aperture to f/22 and ISO to 100. Use a microfiber cloth and gently clean the lens glass so we know the only dust spots that show in our photos will be from the sensor. How Dirty Is It?īefore we check out dirty our sensor is, we need to be sure our lens glass is clean. You can barely see the dust spot in the photo above! But we need to make sure that when we see our sensor is dirty, we clean it as soon as possible before it creates a bigger problem. The culprit? Dust on the sensor! I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t life or death.
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