Is this dust?

System

Are those dark spots in the sky dust on the image sensor? These were taken with a brand new lens (18-200 VR :ivar) right out of the box.

IF that is dust, how do I clean it? My Nikon owners book says not to use a brush. They say to use air only. I have tried to blow it with gentle air but the spots are still there. Some shots have the spots and some do not...Same lens same day same place whats up? HELP!!

EphTwoEight

Thats how mine looks, but after 84 spot removals (in PP), it got a little better.

gus

Certainly is sensor dust. I dont worry about mine as i am usually on a larger aperture thus i dont see them mostly.

Just type 'sensor cleaning' into the search function above...the forum is full of good advise.





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pathfinder

It is a sad fact of life, but even new cameras can occasionally have sensor dust motes. To be fair, some of them originate from the moving hardware within the camera itself, mirrors, shutters, etc.

Search here on dgrin or google "sensor cleaning" and "Copperhill cleaning" and you should find all sorts of advice.

Like Gus my first approach is to ignore it.

If I know I will be shooting lots of frames at small apertures - like f16 for landscapes - I use air from a Rocket Blower bulb first.

If that is not successful, then I use my Sensor Brush purchased from Visible Dust.

If that does not work, then, and only then, do I wet clean my sensor with a Sensor swab and Eclipse cleaning solution. Wet cleaning a sensor is always a bit anxiety provoking, because it truly holds the potential for harm by scratching your sensor, if not done with care. Yet, almost everyone ultimately learns to clean their sensor, or decides to send their camera into a local shop where it is then cleaned by someone else.

Having cleaned my sensors dozens of times in 6 or 8 different bodies over the years, I am certain the Copperhill techniques are safe if followed carefully.

Scott_Quier

Jeff - I have to say that with Pathfinder (if you hang around here long enough, you'll find a lot of people tend to agree with him - hmmm ... I wonder why that is? ).

I clean only when I need to. For example, if I'm shooting a wedding I will seldom shoot at anything smaller than f/8. So, I test at f/8. Do I see anything. No -> well, no need to clean the sensor. Oh, do you realize that one's tendency to see dust is increased as you stop down your lens?

Anyway, it appears from the various postings here (and elsewhere) that different folks have different results with the various cleaning methods. I've not had any success with anything other than the Copperhill method (maybe I just have a special gunky kind of dust-bunnies here?). For me, blowers and brushes just move the stuff around so I've pretty much given up on them and drop directly to the wet method. It takes about 10 minutes for the first camera and about 5 for each additional (takes time to set things up).

Anyway, the message here and above is that cleaning the sensor should not be something so fraught with stress that it shortens your expected lifespan. The first time or two, it may be a little nerve-wracking, but after that you learn that it's easy stuff if done with care.

Watchwords of the day: read the directions and posts indicated by Gus and PF, take your time, work in as clean an environment as possible, work with care, and RELAX.

Raphy

This is an interesting site:

http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/index.html

System

Thanks to everyone for their input. I am new to DSLR photography. Up until last November, I used point and shoot cameras. Now I have a Nikon D40X with the 18-200 VR lens.

Osprey

another hint
Once you have it clean, be sure to turn the camera off when changing lenses. The sensor caries an electric charge when on and this attracts the dust. Also hold the camera so the lens opening faces down.....I have found this helps.