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spots on images d80


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6 replies to this topic

#1
karenchristine552

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I think that the spots I'm getting are becaues my sensor is dirty. What is the best way to clean it. Can I safely do it myself or should I seek professional help?



#2
morticiaskeeper

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Firstly, be sure they're on the sensor.

Take a shot of something white, I use the front of the tumble dryer, switch to manual focus and use the flash if you have to to get a bright shot. Use a small aperture (say f22). The small aperture will show up any sensor dust.

If it obviously is sensor dust, firstly try blowing the dust off with a rocket blower. To do this, select mirror lock up in the menu, take the lens off and hold the body face down. Press the shutter and the mirror will lock out of the way, exposing the sensor. Give a few puffs of the rocket blower, the. Turn the camera off to drop the mirror back into place.

Take some test shots to see if the problem is fixed. If they are still there, you're going to have to either use a soft brush, I use a lens pen which has a brush on one end and a pad on the other. Otherwise, you will need to use a wet cleaning kit.

Some people are wary of doing anything that involves touching the sensor. I've done it myself a couple of times, but for a really good clean, I take mine to a specialist camera repair company in Bristol.

#3
Adam

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I think that the spots I'm getting are becaues my sensor is dirty. What is the best way to clean it. Can I safely do it myself or should I seek professional help?

 

The rocket blower suggestion is a good one.  Here's the accessory I recommend:

http://www.bhphotovi...=5981

 

If this doesn't help clear the dust to your satisfaction, I'd recommend getting the sensor professionally cleaned.  You can get a cleaning kit and do the cleaning at home if you'd like, but I steer clear of this myself.



#4
Adamwesleyo

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I had a buddy help me with mine as he has more exp. with it. Rocket blower wouldn't do it. He used a magnifying light to check it first and I did have a few good stuck spots on the sensor. He then tried a mini vacuum with a brush on the end to no avail. It got a little of it but there were two really stubborn spots that we had to clean wet. If you're going to do it be VERY careful. Pretend you are trying to clean something that's really expensive and sensitive. Oh wait you are.



#5
BonOlgirl

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Firstly, be sure they're on the sensor.

Take a shot of something white, I use the front of the tumble dryer, switch to manual focus and use the flash if you have to to get a bright shot. Use a small aperture (say f22). The small aperture will show up any sensor dust.

If it obviously is sensor dust, firstly try blowing the dust off with a rocket blower. To do this, select mirror lock up in the menu, take the lens off and hold the body face down. Press the shutter and the mirror will lock out of the way, exposing the sensor. Give a few puffs of the rocket blower, the. Turn the camera off to drop the mirror back into place.

Take some test shots to see if the problem is fixed. If they are still there, you're going to have to either use a soft brush, I use a lens pen which has a brush on one end and a pad on the other. Otherwise, you will need to use a wet cleaning kit.

Some people are wary of doing anything that involves touching the sensor. I've done it myself a couple of times, but for a really good clean, I take mine to a specialist camera repair company in Bristol.

Having difficulty in this area, I checked to see if anyone has any advice....I followed these steps by morticaaskeeper and discovered I do, in fact, have some solid spots on my sensor. Now what?? I'm afraid to do a wet cleaning myself. Is there an inexpensive way to do this or do I need to package up my camera and send it to Nikon and be without it for a couple weeks or so. I really don't like the sound of that.



#6
morticiaskeeper

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I've still got a couple of spots on mine, but avoiding small apertures helps.

See if you can find a specialist repair shop that will do it while you wait.

This side of the pond, there is a place in Bristol that did my D40 while I wandered to the local mall, as soon as I sat down for food, I got a text telling me it was ready.

If you can't find a specialist, contact a local pro photographer and see if they'll do it for you.

#7
Chrisf

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I realize it is too late,but I would suggest in the future after you are done using the camera to remove the lens and use a blower to get the dust out of the area before it can become an issue.