spots on image

Discussion in 'Technical Troubleshooting' started by Jay, Sep 3, 2019.

  1. Jay

    Jay New Member

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    I bought a used Canon 1ds. I got the power adaptor so I can test it. It takes great pics but the guy had the lens off and no cover on the camera. How can i get these marks removed. I tried using a clean qtip and lightly clean everything but still there. When I look through the lens I dont see these spots.
     

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  2. GDN

    GDN Well-Known Member

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    Looks like it is time to clean the sensor. It is easy enough to do. Start with a rocket blower, and that maybe enough to get the sensor clean.

    Gary
     
  3. rayallen

    rayallen Well-Known Member Site Supporter

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    That image is very small but it sure does look like sensor dust. As Gary said, you might be able to blow it off with a rocket blower but if the camera has not had a body cap or a lens on it then you may have to resort to other measures.
    I suggest that you Google "how to clean camera sensor". I have cleaned mine for a number of years. It does require a level of care but you can "do it yourself" and save a lot of money. If you don't feel confident to tackle it yourself, you can always take it to a camera store or a camera technician. That way if anything goes wrong they have to fix it.

    P.s. I also have a 1Ds.
     
  4. Craig Sherriff

    Craig Sherriff Well-Known Member Site Supporter

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    Ray and Gary have headed you in the right direction, I do suggest you look on youtube and view
    Clean dust spots and oil spots on your camera sensor with the SensorSweep put out by PeterGregg
    This should give you some easy to understand information on how to clean the sensor.
    All the best with it.
     
  5. johnsey

    johnsey Site Moderator Staff Member Site Supporter

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    HI Jay, the guys above have already pointed you in the direction of sensor cleaning, and I totally agree that it looks like you have some big dust spots on your sensor. Can I assume you have a 1Ds? Good news with the older cameras is they had less to worry about when cleaning, bad news is they from my experience are far more dust prone.

    So here is the 411 of what to look for when researching cleaning...

    There are 2 basic methods - Dry vs Wet You can use a air blower to move dust around and get it out of the camera body, downside is it does not work on stuck dust and tends not to get everything as it only moves dust around, but a decent first pass at cleaning. ( I have never bothered with it) Wet cleaning involves getting a special fast drying sensor cleaner and a wand sealed in a dust free environment. You lightly dampen the wand and do a quick pass each direction over sensor then toss the wand as the pad now has dust on it. This is quite effective at cleaning up dust.
    If you did not have a cap on i would rocket blow first just to get the dust out of the camera then sensor swab if still dirty. The reason I say this is if there is still dust in the mirror box area it will quickly find its way to the sensor. I also don't recommend getting too worried about dust, it is a way of life with cameras, electronics draw dust, it will show up. If it gets bad clean off the sensor until then clone it out in post production. You will find that they are more noticeable when stopped down, shoot a sky at f22 and you can see where they are and how many. At f4 you probably wont see any spots. As a general rule I keep camera facing down and change lenses quickly to minimize changes for introducing dust particles. I shy away from changing them out doors, and have never changed it outdoors were its really dusty. I averaged once a year cleaning with my 20d back in the day, and have never cleaned my 5dm2 since i got it almost a decade ago.

    The only caution I would have is with newer cameras that vibrate the sensor to remove dust on power up and shut down. These aren't as likely to get dust settling on the sensor, but if they have to be cleaned they need more care when using a wand since the sensor is suspended so it can vibrate. There is less support and a small possibility of breaking if you apply too much pressure.
     
  6. rayallen

    rayallen Well-Known Member Site Supporter

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    I agree with Johnsey re using large apertures like f4 and larger. They will make the dust bunnies less noticeable.

    Re sensor cleaning: I use a three step process. First I use a rocket air blower. Then check the results with a shot or two of the sky at f22. If the spots are still there I do a dry clean with a Dust Aid Platinum Wand (do a Google search) which uses a sticky pad to try to remove the dust. Then do a check shot of the sky again. If the spots are still there then you have to do a wet clean as Johnsey described.
    You are not actually touching the sensor. You are cleaning the filter that sits above the sensor but care is still required as it is possible to cause irreparable damage.

    I have cleaned my 1Ds sensor once and I am very careful when changing lenses. Yes, there is no sensor clean function on this old camera but if you treat it properly you should be OK. It is still capable of producing great images and I have proven that.
     
  7. GDN

    GDN Well-Known Member

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    Just don't do it this way.



    Gary
     
  8. rayallen

    rayallen Well-Known Member Site Supporter

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    Why not? I'll bet that there are no spots on his sensor. :);):(:D
     
  9. GDN

    GDN Well-Known Member

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    True, but what about the soap residue?

    Gary
     
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  10. MikeM

    MikeM Member

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    He will just dremel it off, piece of cake! :)
     
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  11. rayallen

    rayallen Well-Known Member Site Supporter

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    I think that a bit of soap residue is the least of his problems.

    BTW, where is the OP? Why do people post their problems and then seem to disappear without commenting on our advice? Weird!
     
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  12. GDN

    GDN Well-Known Member

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    I'm hearing what your saying Ray.

    Gary
     
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