Cleaning the 10D

[WI10DUser]

I have an obvious dust spot showing up in my photos, but I can't seem to see any dust on the sensor. I do believe there are spots on top of the mirror. Can the top of the mirror be cleaned? If so, how? It obviously has to be done without locking the mirror up. I have tried blowing the particles off with no success. Any help would be appreciated!

[chris maddock]

I have an obvious dust spot showing up in my photos, but I can't seem to see any dust on the sensor. I do believe there are spots on top of the mirror. Can the top of the mirror be cleaned? If so, how? It obviously has to be done without locking the mirror up. I have tried blowing the particles off with no success. Any help would be appreciated!

If it's showing up on your photos, it is definitely not on the mirror. That flips up out of the light path when a shot is taken.
It is on the sensor or the lens - the latter is less likely since it "should" be so far from the plane of focus that it won't show up on the images.

KRs
Chris

[ssim]

You definitely have dust on your sensor. These are so minutely small they are rarely seen by the naked eye.

I have purchased pec pads (they are not cheap) and use them to clean my camera. I shoot at least a couple times a week and almost always make multiple lens changes and still only have to resort to cleaning my sensor probably once every other month. Good care in changing the lenses will minimize the chance for dust.

I would suggest that you should clean the mirror while you are at it. If it does have dust on it, it is possible for this to dislodge during the opeeration and eventually find its way to your sensor.

[WI10DUser]

Thanks for the help.

I should have known it had to be on the sensor! I've changed lenses and the problem is still there, so it's definitley not a lens issue.

Is it o.k. to clean the top of the mirror with the same equipment and technique as used on the sensor?

[defordphoto]

Hmm...I have had my 10D since May and have cleaned the sensor maybe twoce. Both with air. I had a speck on the filter on my D60 and had to get that replaced. Since then, over a year ago, I have cleaned it, again only with air, just once.

Be aware that over on Fred Miranda's BBS there is a photographer there that made the hoemmade PecPads and ended up scratching his sensor filter. People were saying it's like $400 or so to replace so think twice about getting too picky about a few dust specks.

Be very careful!

[BDM]

I have an obvious dust spot showing up in my photos, but I can't seem to see any dust on the sensor. I do believe there are spots on top of the mirror. Can the top of the mirror be cleaned? If so, how? It obviously has to be done without locking the mirror up. I have tried blowing the particles off with no success. Any help would be appreciated!

I seem to remember reading somewhere that dust on the sensor can be seen by making an exposure of a white wall without a lens on the camera. Obviously, this would have to be in manual mode and you would have to play a bit with the shutter speed (and ISO). If there is dust it should show up.

Perhaps someone else has more information sbout that.

Bruce

[defordphoto]

You shoot a clear sky (watch for birds) or plain, light colored anything at the smallest aperture your lens can go (f22-plus) and that will show if you have any particles on your sensor filter. And it's actually the sensor filter you clean and not the sensor itself. The sensor is protected by the filter.

[Jim_T]

To really see how much dust you have on your sensor, put the camera in Av mode and shoot the bright sky at something higher than f/22. (You'll have to put your lens in manual focus for this)

You will see pretty well all the dust that's on your sensor.. But don't dismay.. You'll always have some. It's normal. What you have to worry about is big dust bunnies that mess up your photos.

Best bet is to blow the sensor off gently with one of those rubber bulb blowers.. There are other methods of cleaning.. read about them here:

http://luminous-landscape.com/essays/sensor-cleaning.shtml