Cleaning Dust on my CCD and other inner parts

[LSyd]

i've got a problem: there's a piece of dust on my CCD that's showing up on my pics. one piece that's annoying the hell out of me, but it's not entirely huge, but it's really annoying to see in my pics.

there's also a larger piece of dust showing up on my viewfinder which is annoying, but it's not showing up in pics.

so, should i clean it myself with canned air? send it to Nikon? some other camera shop?

the camera is a D70s.

thanks for any advice,

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[Don B.]

I bring my Canon 5D to Tempe Camera about once every three months for a good cleaning that does not void my warranty or risk me clumsily scratching the imager. It runs about $45, which is a small price to pay for piece of mind. If they screw it up, I have someplace to go for recourse. If I do it myself and screw it up, I just created a $3,300 doorstop. That risk isn't worth it trying to clean it myself, and horror stories abound on the net. Their service is fast, with a 24-hour turnaround time.

You can scratch or otherwise damage the sensor if you press too hard or use the wrong type of solvent (cleaner) or swab/cleaning device. If the shutter inadvertantly closes on you while cleaning, you can damage the shutter mechanism. There is a reason why the camera manufacturers tell you to bring it to a professional. They will not warrant or even recommend a good technique or proper materials for sensor cleaning.

In between cleanings, I try not to change lenses as much, and I clone out any spots that do appear in Photoshop. Of course, if it gets really dirty, you can always try this:


Um...


--don

[flar]

I had a little dust on my sensor once. There should be a setting called mirror lock up. Set that, it'll flip up the mirror so you can see the sensor. I used a little squeeze blower thingy to blow away the piece of dust. I wouldn't use something as powerful as a can of air, and of course don't actually touch the sensor.

[Upward]

I have a blower (the kind that you squeeze-- like a turkey baster) that I use to clean my lenses and my sensor. I've been successful in cleaning off the bad dust spots with it, but it does leave some tiny ones that will show up in clear blue sky at tiny apertures (like f/16 and smaller, which I rarely use).

Make sure to get the terms right: I'm sure you don't actually mean mirror lock-up. That's a different mode, where it takes two presses of the shutter button to take a picture (the first flips up the mirror, and the second activates the shutter). Using this for sensor cleaning would be a very bad idea! The shutter would only be open for the length of an exposure, and the sensor would also be electrically charged and recording an image during the process. My camera (20D) has that, but also a mode specifically called "sensor clean". This opens the shutter specifically for the purpose of cleaning the sensor.

I've heard that it's a bad idea to use canned air on the sensor. The air pressure is too much (and I read about one guy who shattered his sensor when the tube popped off the can of air and rammed into it).

On the subject of how the dust gets in to the sensor, I'm in the camp that says it has more to do with the design of the lenses than with how often they're changed. Of course, if you take off the lens when there's a lot of wind, it can blow stuff into the camera. But aside from that, I think most of the dust problem comes from lenses with a moving rear element. These actually suck some air into the camera. The Canon 100-400 L is notorious for this, while some lenses like the 70-200 f/4 L (which I have) have a rear element that does not move when the lens zooms (that lens is actually one of the few that has an exclusively internal movement for the zooming). I seem to recall from using one once that the 85mm f/1.2 L also has a fixed rear element (which is, rather disturbingly, pretty much flush with the lens mount!)

[flar]

On the Nikon D50 at least, mirror lock up flips up the mirror when you press the shutter button, but it doesn't flip down again until the camera is turned off, regardless of whether the shutter button is pressed again. It is specifically meant for cleaning and inspection, and not like in some other cameras where the setting functions to reduce vibration while taking pictures. So definitely consult the D70 manual on this to be sure.

[SomeFormOFhuman]

Originally Posted by Upward

These actually suck some air into the camera. The Canon 100-400 L is notorious for this

Really? I have been using this lens for 5 years since its release, so far I don't see any dust sucking in or anything, my images were fine; my sensor was also clean without any trace of dust and there wasn't any spot. But the thing is, I maintain all my arsenal at a twice a year basis at the Canon agents centers.

[Tony]

I just use a medium sized blower, it does the job ok for me so far. Just make sure you're holding the camera downwards so that any dust that you loosen does fall out. Additionally, as a sort of preventative measure, when switching lenses, try to have the camera facing downwards as much as possible.

[LSyd]

i think i'll try the hand blower/turkey baster thingy today. wish me luck.

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[plinko]

Good luck! I've got one with compressed air and still can't seem to get the damn thing clean (spots are faint, but irritating and noticeable at full res). Time for a professional cleaning I suppose.

[Upward]

I should have cleaned my sensor before I went out to take photos on Saturday. I had to edit dust spots out of quite a few of the pictures (at least they show up in the same places every time, so they get easier to find each time).

[LSyd]

thanks for the advice. when i got back to civilization last week (heh) i went by my usual photo store to get some film developed, and asked for more cleaning advice, and decided to go with a hand blower, which worked well. when i went back today to pick up my prints, i saw a dslr getting cleaned there. oh the irony.

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[Tony]

Originally Posted by plinko

Good luck! I've got one with compressed air and still can't seem to get the damn thing clean (spots are faint, but irritating and noticeable at full res). Time for a professional cleaning I suppose.

umm.. I don't think you're supposed to use a canister of compressed air on your CCD.