File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Can I get dust on my sensor if I haven't removed the lens at all (except the first time I set my camera up)? The thing is I started to see that one black dot in all of my images as well as some black line. Might be the lens, but with unarmed eye I can't see anything...

So, how do I clean my sensor? I know most of you will say just don't but I really don't have Nikon support near by... Also, what about lens cleaning?

Picture slightly related, once I get home I'll post the one with black dot.
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
Yep. I'm guessing that lens you've never removed is a zoom? The air that the zooming displaces has gotta go/come from somewhere, so zoom lenses can be a point of entry for dust.

Best way to clean your sensor would be to take it to a shop that specializes in that sort of thing and will give you some sort of "If we fuck up your camera, we'll pay for it" warranty. You can seriously screw things up trying to clean your own sensor.

I've got a bunch of dust on mine, but it doesn't show up in pictures until about f/16 or f/22 on my camera, so I generally just ignore it. I tend to be a wide-apertures sort of guy.
>> Anonymous
Try this first. Remove the lens, set your camera to cleaning mode, and try to shake it out. That is, turn the camera upside down (as if you were going to take a picture of the floor) and shake it a bit. If that doesn't work, use a manual blower (NO COMPRESSED AIR!!) and see if you can't blow on it a bit to clean the sensor off.

This has worked for me many times when there was a particularly large spec on my CMOS. It's also very time consuming and difficult (work with plenty of bright light) and a bit nerve wracking. However, I still suspect small bits of dreck on my sensor, and would like to have to cleaned properly. If you've had your camera for over a year, it's probably worth doing it by a professional.
>> Anonymous
Thanks for the fast and honest replay, guys.

The feeling I have right now (just discovered the dust today) isn't very pleasant, to say for truth.

>>55000
Yes, it is zoom. BTW isn't this some kind of GET or something :)

Anyway, when I'll be later today at home, going to try that cleaning mode.
>> Anonymous
>>54999
It'll buff out.
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>55020
Steel wool followed by fine-grit sandpaper ftw.
>> Learn to Google Anonymous
>>54999
> how do I clean my sensor?

Like this:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Nikon+Sensor+Cleaning
>> Anonymous
>>55022
Don't forget to power-wash out the residue

But seriously,
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/sensor-cleaning.shtml
is a good place to start out.

To really see if there's dust, take a picture of a cloudless sky or a bright-lit sheet of clean paper at the smallest aperture your lens will go to (f/22 or higher if you can)

Now, take the image and import it into photoshop or similar.

In photoshop, auto-level the image (shift-ctrl-L). In corel photo-paint it's image->adjust->auto equalize.

This will show you dust (if any) and more importantly, where it is so you can clean.

Take a manual blower (I heard somewhere a foot-operated bellows pump like the kind you inflate rafts, etc with works well too, but I haven't tried it yet) and blow out the box first (where the mirror, viewfinder, etc is. Make sure you do that first (don't forget about the mount, someone said the brass shavings that scrape off the mount can make a sensor dirty again very quickly) or else all your cleaning will be worthless the next time you put your lens back on. Put your camera into mirror-lockup mode (in the menu as "clean ccd" or "clean cmos" or "cleaning mode"). Try to blow off the dust in the areas you saw in the picture.

Put the lens back on, take another test shot, level it, repeat if necessary. IF you can't get all the dust in say 3 tries, take it somewhere.

The best hint, and once I found this online I have not had to clean my sensor yet, is to NEVER change your lenses with the camera body facing upwards. Always point your camera to the ground and minimize the time the lens is off (always have a body cap or lens to go on the SECOND the lens is off).
>> Anonymous
>>55029
Oh yeah, make sure you have a fresh charge or plug it into the AC adapter while you're doing this. Some cameras use power to hold the mirror open and you _could_ damage something if the mirror were to slap closed while you're cleaning.
>> Anonymous
>>55029
As a matter of curiosity, I keep it face up on purpose, as I want to avoid dust getting into my lens. (Lens is worth much more than camera body.) Am I being silly here? Am I being impractical? I suppose dust in the lens would be a lesser issue than dust on the sensor.
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>55043
Cleaning dust off a lens requires a lint-free cloth or a piece of lens tissue.

Cleaning dust off a sensor requires a bigass long thread like this.

Better to have dust on your lens.
>> Anonymous
>>55043
I always keep the body facing down when a lens is off of it because dust settles towards the earth (it drifts down). In theory, the dust would be settling on the back of the camera (screen, buttons, viewfinder) and not inside the mirror housing.
>> Anonymous
OP here, managed to clean the dust off my sensor, as well as leave some stain on it...

Well, it doesn't show up on images at least, as dust did. I hate when stuff like this happens.
>> Anonymous
what about dust which shows up when lookin' through viewfinder but doesn't on actual images ?

kind of weird, ne ?
>> Anonymous
>>55095
thats probably dust on the mirror, or up in the viewfinder. not really weird at all.
>> Anonymous
compressed air is fine as long as you dont use it from up close. the "manual" blowers you pump by hand just add more dust into the body.
>> Anonymous
>>55002
I've been advised NOT to blow on the sensor because of moisture from breath. Anyone?
>> Anonymous
>>55159

yup dont blow in the camera or ever touch the mirror. use a good brand of compressed air. dont put it close to the camera when you blow the air in it as they are very strong jets and can damage the sensor.

as someone said have the camera pointed lens mount towards the floor so crap will falll out and not just be pushed somewhere inside.

NEVER touch the mirror in the camera with ANYTHING. it will scratch it. the scratches may be mircroscopic bu they can built up.
>> Anonymous
>>55160
>compressed air

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO; NO, NO!

Compressed air is NEVER to be used on a camera sensor. It's better for it and your image quality to leave the dust on there than use compressed air.
>> Anonymous
Compressed air is risky since sometimes the cannisters have a tendency to expel the cold propellant liquid which will crack your camera sensor.
>> Anonymous
Forgot to mention that you should just buy a decent sized blower bulb to use to clean your camera sensor.
>> Anonymous
>>55167

explain please. i would love to know how much experience you have cleaming sensors. you give no reasons.

>>55169
no. not if you use a good brand and not the cheapest can you can find.

>>55170

>>decent sized blower bulb

where the hell do you guys think the air in the bulb comes from? jesus youll blow more crap into the body!!
>> Anonymous
>>55171

>>55167here.

See>>55169,>>55002, and http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/sensor-cleaning.shtml.
>> Anonymous
>>55172

right, first quote a site that works.

lol youve got to be kidding right? blow on your sensor with your mouth? or a blower bulb? a blower bulb will pick dust up out of the air and blow it onto the sensor. your mouth will add moisture. do it that way if you want.
>> Anonymous
>>55192
You hold the camera upside down while using the blower bulb. The blower bulb generates a fast jet stream of air that dislodges particles stuck to the sensor, and because everything is upside down, the dust falls off the sensor. I know this is 4chan, but Christ in a hand basket you're a moron.
>> Anonymous
>>55192
it does work. make sure you dont include the period at the end.
>> iProd !8x7lXo9zIQ
op's pic makes me sick
>> Anonymous
>>55193

sorry kid your wrong. blower bulbs add dust. you can buy compressed air specifically for the job.

the same ppl that are telling ppl not to use speciffically made compressed corbon dioxide blowers tell others to blow the sensor with their mouth.

blow away idiots.
>> bw !ef8V18P/FY
>>55198
Normally I'd ignore a post like yours, but your "advice" is deeply, deeply stupid and can cause damage (requiring MONEY for REPAIRS) if someone were as dumb as you and followed your idiotic instructions.

Folks, never, never, never, never, NEVER use compressed gas on the innards of a SLR. One little spray of moisture will, AT BEST, smear gunk all over the antialiasing filter. At worst, it'll get between the filter and sensor. Both take money and time to fix. The latter takes a LOT of money and time and a non-warranty trip to the factory to fix.

I hope you're trolling, because if you really believe what you're saying you don't deserve to handle any camera more expensive and complex than a cardboard box with a pinhole.
>> Anonymous
>>55197

I teared up a bit too.
>> Anonymous
>>55198
I can certainly see how using a bulb blower could add dust, but this is the way I've been cleaning my sensor, and frankly, it works. At worst, I'm ending up with a lot of smaller, less detectable dust than the big dust that I could actually see. Best is to pay somebody to clean it professionally, but in between, I think a good blow bulb and some careful work will get the job done.

I'm sure there are cans of air for CMOS or CCD cleaning, but for what they cost, I think I may as well just take it in to a pro anyway. If nothing else, if the blow bulb really does add more dust, you can always go out and buy the expensive air cleaner next.
>> Anonymous
>>55219

um you do know that you can buy cans of compressed carbon dioxide dont you?

they contain no moisture or grease or liquid or anything that would do as you describe.

just beacuse you do know of its existance doesnt mean that its not there to buy. that or you cant actually read, i stated carbondioxide befor.
>> Anonymous
>>55320
You don't quite understand the physics of the process.
ANY compressed gas, including CO2, becomes colder when it is let out of the can and expands. This leads to the cooling of the sensor, so when you put the can away, moisture begins to condense on the sensor.
>> Anonymous
>>55322

i have family in Anchorage and i wanted to travel up north way past Fairbanks when i next visit to take landscape photos. im on a d200 at the moment will the cold affect my sensor the same way yo described if i change lenses. could i do it in a car or something?
>> Anonymous
>>55330
The COLD doesn't affect your sensor, unless you freeze it hard.
The MOISTURE does.
>> Anonymous
>>55331

where does the moisture come from ...in the air?
>> Anonymous
>>55334
Air generally contains a fraction of water vapor. The amount of vapor that can be dissolved in the air without it condensing depends on temperature: the higher the temperature, the more vapor can be dissolved.

For more info gb2/school/ or at least look up "humidity" in wikipedia.
>> Anonymous
>>55335

so matter what method you use to blow the sensor it will add an amount of moisture into the body?

so does my blow bulb do this also?
>> Anonymous
>>55349
By the way, I'm talking about removing light dust. Blower bulbs won't solve everything, but they work just as well as compressed air, with zero risk. For heavier dust you WILL need a liquid cleaning kit.
>> Anonymous
>>55350
Chemistry covers gases, both ideal and non-ideal, vapor pressures, etc. I know because I fucking TA a general chemistry course.
>> Anonymous
>>55349

nah youve got it wrong the dust is already in the camera. it will ship with it in there. you cant get it all out as its too small for you too see.

blower bulbs can blow more dust in then out with a . tests have conclusively proven this.

you need swabs and some kind of 110% cleaining alcohol. never had to do it so in not sure what kind.
>> Anonymous
There will always be dust on the sensor, and most of the time it's not important to get it off. It's only when it starts to show on your photos that you should do anything to remove it. Towards that end, blower bulbs are fine as they redistribute the spread of dust.
>> Anonymous
>>55354

angry anon is angry. boo hoo.
>> Anonymous
>>55355

Oh wow, /p/ has a new troll and idiot.