Camera experts... HELP!

[April-in-NC]

I have a Minolta Maxum 5D DSLR that I love dearly. I Just download a bunch of pictures from Las Vegas and noticed some spots that appear in many of my pictures.

 

The spots are always at the top portion of the photo, somewhat in the middle. They are only visible when the spots are on a single color (blue sky, colored wall, etc.) that has no texture. (See picture below, dots circled in red)

 

I cleaned my lenses and the spot is till there, so it is probably something in the body of the camera. Is this something I can clean myself without damaging the camera? Does anyone know of a good place in Charlotte that can fix this quickly? I go on a cruise on May 11th!

 

Thanks for any help/advice anyone can give me.

[April-in-NC]

 

 

Here is a link to the picutre in case it doesn't appear in the message.

[TheRoff]

Looks to me like a bit of dust on your sensor. Not a serious problem at all; it can be cleaned fairly easily. Your owners manual should have instructions for simple cleaning with a little air blower. Just be careful not to touch your sensor.

 

I am sure the resident Minolta user and guru can chime in with some camera specific instructions. Here is a link to an article on cleaning sensors in Canon DSLRs, and I am sure Minoltas are not much different.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Photography-Tips/Sensor-Cleaning.aspx

 

Larry

[April-in-NC]

I found a place near Charlotte that does camera repair and is listed as a Minolta rep. Hopefully they can do this while I wait, if not, I will just have to use another camera for the "sky" pictures...

 

Thanks for those links! If I had the right equipment I could probably do this myself, but I don't have what I need.

[TheRoff]

Well, while you wait, pick up one of these, or something similar. Cheap insurance. :)

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sq=desc&Q=&sb=ps&pn=1&ci=0&A=search&shs=GIBA*

[Aplmac]

I'm thankful my Nikon D60 has a brief,clever sensor-vibrating routine it does

when I fire it up -and when I turn it off.

 

Bought the camera in Sept. last year, and I'm yet to have any dust-problems

like the OP.

Long may things stay that way!

 

 

I often see dust specks on the underside of the focusing screen

but have learned not to panic about them, as long as I get no spots on the images.

 

Maybe your next camera will have similar technology -it seems to work?

 

 

.

[zackiedawg]

Classic dust on sensor. Very easy to clean yourself, just for future reference. There are three simple steps you can use - often, the very first step will solve the problem.

 

Before you start the steps though, try taking a photo with your aperture as small as it will go. Small apertures will reveal ALL dust or other impediments on your sensor...even if you didn't think you had any! Then take a shot in good light of a nice, simple flat color (blank sky, white wall, etc). If you've got dust, you'll see it then. In the menu system, all cameras have a 'cleaning' mode which just flips up the mirror so you can see the sensor inside.

 

Step 1 - bulb-type blower. This will work for 85-90% of dust issues. Go into cleaning mode, take off lens, point the camera opening down, and insert the nozzle of the blower just inside the lens mount and give it a few puffs. This will blow off the sensor, and allow any loose dust to fall down or away from the sensor.

 

Step 2 - sensor brush. If you still have some dust that didn't want to come off with the blower, the sensor brush will take care of another 5-10% of all dust issues that the bulb blower couldn't. Just lightly stroke the brush over the sensor in only one direction - you don't have to touch the sensor hard, as the brush is electrostatically charged and will pick up the dust quite well.

 

Step 3 - wet swabs. This is only for that last 5% of the situations where the dust may be sticky, greasy, or persistent. A special cleaning fluid can be purchased (make sure you check what type of sensor you have, as some newer coated sensors require a different solution), and swabs which allow you to wet sweep the sensor surface to remove anything else.

 

Bulb blowers are anywhere from $12-70. You really don't need any high end one - most have a baffle to prevent reentering dust into the bulb, and even smaller ones deliver enough of a blast of air to work. Sensor brushes might be from $7-20. Swabs and fluid can run anywhere from $15-60. And you really can get by with the bulb alone most of the time.

 

If you do go to a service center, specify 'cleaning', and they shouldn't really charge much more than $40-50 - I'd be quite reluctant to pay any more than that. You could likely buy all of the materials above to clean the sensor yourself multiple times for the cost of one visit. But if you're uncomfortable with the idea, or just want to get it done fast, I'd still recommend picking up the bulb blower sometime in the future.

 

Good luck!

[April-in-NC]

Thanks! I will stop by my camera shop and pick up the materials so I can do it myself the next time.

[pierces]

Thanks! I will stop by my camera shop and pick up the materials so I can do it myself the next time.

 

Basic camera shops will not have good safe sensor cleaning material. TheRoff's link above linked to a good blower by Giottos that has an intake filter so it doesn't just blow more dust on the sensor.

 

DO NOT USED CANNED AIR! One splatter of frigid propellant will put your camera on the endangered species list in an instant!

 

A sensor cleaning brush is a delicate, specialized tool that holds a static charge and will attract any dust it touches. I use a Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly 724 for sensor dust and have had excellent results. It is designed to create it's own static charge and is built by people that make sensors and other items that work best in hyper-clean environments. They have a newer, smaller version:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/480239-REG/Visible_Dust_3226004_1_Arctic_Butterfly_SL_700_with.html

 

Finally, when zackiedawg mentioned wet cleaning, he might have added that unless you really, really know what you're doing, this step is best left to a service center that will guarantee results. Horror stories abound about people using rubbing alcohol and q-tips on their sensor. That would be like cleaning your car windows with burlap and Karo syrup.

 

With a little care, most folks can clean that first 95% of dust issues themselves.

 

Dave