Sensor dust?

xQubeZx · January 13, 2017

Hello,

Well I'll have an attached image here below (I know its no good at all but it clearly shows the dots, which is the point of the image) and you will see I have highlighted an area. My question is that must be sensor dust right? I have had dots like those show up in a large amount of my recent images and they are starting to be a pain to fix in Ps as they are getting more and more. They are especially apperent in longexposures and in bright light. (I have tried with several different lenses and they still appear so there is nothing inside the lens.

And if I think right and its most likley sensor dust, what is the best method to remove it? And then is there any special trick to try avoid it. I already know the mirrorless attracts more as the sensor always is visble.

AkiraDaarkst · January 13, 2017

3 minutes ago, xQubeZx said:

If it's sensor dust, the first method to remove it would be to visit a photography store that offers a sensor cleaning service. I don't know how much they charge in Sweden.

Second you can clean it yourself, if you are willing to invest in some items and some time. I will provide the instructions in a few minutes.

There are various methods for cleaning sensors and you can buy various kits online. I've tried several of them before and the best and most reliable method (at least for myself) is the one I will describe below with the following accessories:

A sensor loupe that magnifies the dust on the sensor and that can shine light on it too, such as this item https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1275174-REG/vidpro_sl_8_professional_7x_led_sensor.html
You want an air blower designed for cameras, something like this https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/259157-REG/Giottos_AA1900_Rocket_Air_Blower.html
A bottle of alcohol, what people refer to as isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol, you can buy alcohol at a pharmacy for cleaning wounds that is roughly 95% pure
Some very clean micro fiber cloths and high quality tissues or lint free tissues
A sensor cleaning pen that is tipped with silicon gel like material. You have some choices
- Something like this https://photographylife.com/product/sensor-gel-stick
- or http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-CCD-CMOS-Sensor-Cleaning-Pen-D-SLR-Camera-Cleaner-Brush-Kit-i-/182417629518?hash=item2a78f0214e:g:DEQAAMXQDfdRvSJB

AkiraDaarkst · January 13, 2017

Here are some instructions:

First, always try the electronic dust removal system in your camera first. Manually run it a couple of times with the lens unmounted and the sensor facing downwards.
Second, with the lens unmounted, sensor chamber open (shutter kept open), sensor facing down, use the air blower and give the sensor a few strong blows of air. See if it can remove a lot of loose particles of dust.

If these methods remove all the dust, great. If there are still some dust that persist, it's time to use the gel tipped pens to clean the sensor. Go to a room that's as free of dust as possible in your home or office.

use the magnification loupe to identify where the dust is located
dab some alcohol on the tissue
use that moist part of the tissue to wipe the gel tipped sensor cleaning tool
press down that gel tip against the sensor and pull it back up away from the sensor (never wipe the gel tip across the sensor surface)
clean the gel tips, repeat process

Do it right and the sensor should be clear of dust in a matter of minutes. Also remember, the dust isn't exactly on the sensor. All modern digital cameras now should have at least one glass filter on top of the sensor (the hot mirror filter) that blocks unwanted UV and IR light and protects the sensor. This is what you will be cleaning.

xQubeZx · January 13, 2017

3 minutes ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

Here are some instructions:

First, always try the electronic dust removal system in your camera first. Manually run it a couple of times with the lens unmounted and the sensor facing downwards.

Second, with the lens unmounted, sensor chamber open (shutter kept open), sensor facing down, use the air blower and give the sensor a few strong blows of air. See if it can remove a lot of loose particles of dust.

If these methods remove all the dust, great. If there are still some dust that persist, it's time to use the gel tipped pens to clean the sensor. Go to a room that's as free of dust as possible in your home or office.

use the magnification loupe to identify where the dust is located

dab some alcohol on the tissue

use that moist part of the tissue to wipe the gel tipped sensor cleaning tool

press down that gel tip against the sensor and pull it back up away from the sensor (never wipe the gel tip across the sensor surface)

clean the gel tips, repeat process

Okey, thanks for the information. I think I will first invest in a airblower and hopefully that will remove the most of it as it looks like it can quickly add up in cost when doing the more throughout cleaning. I checked on what a sensor clean service would cost here, it seemed to range between 25-50US so that was rather expensive (at least considering I have a rather low end camera atm which I plan to upgrade so it feels stupid dumping way to much money on it)

AkiraDaarkst · January 13, 2017

1 minute ago, xQubeZx said:

Okey, thanks for the information. I think I will first invest in a airblower and hopefully that will remove the most of it as it looks like it can quickly add up in cost when doing the more throughout cleaning. I checked on what a sensor clean service would cost here, it seemed to range between 25-50US so that was rather expensive (at least considering I have a rather low end camera atm which I plan to upgrade so it feels stupid dumping way to much money on it)

If it's only those two specs of dust, as seen in your photo, I wouldn't mind it at all if it were my camera. I can always remove them in post.

25-50 USD? Sounds about right, in the UK it's roughly 25 GBP or so, and a lot cheaper than some other countries where the service costs like $150 per sensor per cleaning which is why I invested in my own kit since I own several cameras.

xQubeZx · January 13, 2017

3 minutes ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

If it's only those two specs of dust, as seen in your photo, I wouldn't mind it at all if it were my camera. I can always remove them in post.

25-50 USD? Sounds about right, in the UK it's roughly 25 GBP or so, and a lot cheaper than some other countries where the service costs like $150 per sensor per cleaning which is why I invested in my own kit since I own several cameras.

There is more in the top half when shooting stepped down to say 5.6 or in brighter light. At the start I didn't mind untill now where I feel they may come in places where they are harder to remove and also it takes a bit too long to do it on a lot of images.

AkiraDaarkst · January 14, 2017

3 hours ago, xQubeZx said:

There is more in the top half when shooting stepped down to say 5.6 or in brighter light. At the start I didn't mind untill now where I feel they may come in places where they are harder to remove and also it takes a bit too long to do it on a lot of images.

If there is so much dust, perhaps that cost of having it cleaned by an expert would be worth the cost. It takes time for dust to collect on the sensor (depend on how careful you are) and try not to change lenses in dusty places or too often.