angry.. help?

[lnknprk2005]

Hi, im new to the forums, i would go out a shoot a duck but im a little frustrated right now. 2 week old rebel xti. I checked for dust on my sensor and saw a large amount. tryed cleaning using a blower and couldn't more a thing. did it about 4 times, ended up clearing a few dots and adding a few. This is the best i can do. 2 pictures, one with kit lens, and the other with my new 28-105. Both show a line, is this a SCRATCH ON THE SENSOR? i can still exchange my camera for another one. and how can i find the canon service centers? thx :oops:

[crumpler]

service center locator-thingie> http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ServiceLocatorAct&fcategoryid=215&modelid=11154

[lnknprk2005]

thanks :)

[Jonathan Consiglio]

Can you post an example? If it's only two weeks old, it should be pretty clean. I'd just take it back and get another one, if it was me..

[Mark_Cohran]

If you can't clean it yourself (but most of us use various methods), you can exchange your camera (if the retailer is willing to do so). The numbers and addresses for the Canon Service Centers can be found with the documentation that came with your camera or by searching on the web (Google, Yahoo, etc.). A couple of minutes on Google gave me this:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ServiceLocatorAct&fcategoryid=226&modelid=14256

[lnknprk2005]

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5472/dust1mb1.jpg
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/9818/dust2eu3.jpg

[LORatliff]

Probably not a scratch, just a tiny speck of fuzz or hair. Don't get too alarmed! That's a pretty dirty sensor for a two-week old camera!

[lnknprk2005]

closest service center is 400 miles away :)

[Lightstream]

Shouldn't the XTI have integrated cleaning?

[lnknprk2005]

thats what i thought too. i didnt change lenses much, and i dont know, i used the blower for like 1/2 an hour, and no results.

[sjprg]

Goggle Eclispe. Order and follow instructions. B&H also stocks these cleaning kits.
FOLLOW the instructions EXACTLY.

[Eagle]

What kind of blower did you use? Rocket Blower, bulb/brush blower?

[liza]

Read this:

www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com

Hope that helps.

[lnknprk2005]

hurricane jumbo blower

[Eagle]

Looks like a fine blower. Since it did not do the job look into one of the wet cleaning methods.

[joegolf68]

How did the OP, or any of you out there, test for dust? Looks like you took a picture of a white page or something? I'd like to check mine and see how dusty it is/isn't. Thanks in advance for advising me.

[lnknprk2005]

took a pic of a white page at f22, then put in photoshop and ran auto levels.
now you guys think that that gash looking scrach is just dust too?

[Ron Lacey]

How did the OP, or any of you out there, test for dust? Looks like you took a picture of a white page or something? I'd like to check mine and see how dusty it is/isn't. Thanks in advance for advising me.

Set the camera to AV and stop the lens down all the way then take a photo of something light coloured, don't worry about focus or a long shutter speed. Warning you may be in for a shock;)

Ron

[yoyoboy]

yup, white page/sky, close down your aperture past f/11 (I usually go out to f22 or the min) and shoot.

[Glenn NK]

took a pic of a white page at f22, then put in photoshop and ran auto levels.
now you guys think that that gash looking scrach is just dust too?

Yes.

Let me put it this way; the "scratch" is as wide as most of the dust spots. That, and you said you just blew on the sensor. That's why I really don't think the air scratched your sensor filter.

So, now you can relax and do something: There are at least six threads on this forum on sensor cleaning, or you can google for information, or I can post some links for you:

Read them all and you'll soon realise that this is a natural phenomenon, and is easy to fix:

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

http://www.tribcsp.com/~sigma2/SensorDust01.html

http://www.camerahobby.com/Digital_SensorBrush.htm

http://www.visibledust.com/products.php

http://www.copperhillimages.com/index.php?pr=Tutorials

I personally use the Visible Dust wet cleaning method (because my camera dealer stocks this stuff).

I have used isopropyl alcohol with cotton Q-tips. A camera shop will probably use methyl alcohol. The second link is by a guy that uses his breath and Q-tips. I'm not crazy about moisture inside a camera.

The alcohol method may well be as good as any - isopropyl alcohol is what is recommended for cleaning tape recorder heads, that's why I tried it. But use the high grade medical stuff that is about 99 percent pure otherwise it will have quite a bit of water in it.

[Skrim17]

i can still exchange my camera for another one. Didn't you answer your own question?

[Glenn NK]

Didn't you answer your own question?


But they all come with a free supply of special Canon spots don't they?;)

[bieber]

For the future, be sure to always turn your camera off when changing lenses. A charged sensor is more likely to attract dust, or so I'm told.

[gdl357]

hurricane jumbo blower

Be carefull with that white blower. I had it for 1 year and then it began to shoot white particles of rubber as it was deteriorating. This is probably why you didn't get anywhere after 30 min. Its shooting stuff on your sensor. Get the black rocket.

[Jon]

For the future, be sure to always turn your camera off when changing lenses. A charged sensor is more likely to attract dust, or so I'm told.
You're told wrong. The shutter's providing a barrier over the sensor when you're changing lenses unless you change lenses in mid-shot, and you wouldn't want to turn the camera off mid-shot. No need to turn off the camera; the dust will only be able to reach the sensor when it's uncovered so if you really don't want dust on your sensor just don't take pictures.

[LindaSgee]

I have a similar thread from Saturday about my absolutely filthy sensor on my new 30D. I had a question that didn't need me bumping my thread back up though. If you use a blower to knock the dust off the sensor, where does the dust go? Into the camera body behind the shutter curtain since it's wide open? Won't it just make it's way back to the sensor again? (I now realize that sensor cleaning is a fact of life for us dslr owners, but wouldn't it seem wiser to suck the dust OUT with a gizmo like a bulb syringe of some sort?)

[e r y k]

my one week old xti came with more dust than that, but the rocket blower solved everything :D

[Jon]

A good shot with the blower should stir the dust up enough to get it right out into the main mirror box.

[lnknprk2005]

nope, the blower didnt even move the dust. at all.

[lnknprk2005]

Yes.

Let me put it this way; the "scratch" is as wide as most of the dust spots. That, and you said you just blew on the sensor. That's why I really don't think the air scratched your sensor filter.

So, now you can relax and do something: There are at least six threads on this forum on sensor cleaning, or you can google for information, or I can post some links for you:

Read them all and you'll soon realise that this is a natural phenomenon, and is easy to fix:

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

http://www.tribcsp.com/~sigma2/SensorDust01.html (http://www.tribcsp.com/%7Esigma2/SensorDust01.html)

http://www.camerahobby.com/Digital_SensorBrush.htm

http://www.visibledust.com/products.php

http://www.copperhillimages.com/index.php?pr=Tutorials

I personally use the Visible Dust wet cleaning method (because my camera dealer stocks this stuff).

I have used isopropyl alcohol with cotton Q-tips. A camera shop will probably use methyl alcohol. The second link is by a guy that uses his breath and Q-tips. I'm not crazy about moisture inside a camera.

The alcohol method may well be as good as any - isopropyl alcohol is what is recommended for cleaning tape recorder heads, that's why I tried it. But use the high grade medical stuff that is about 99 percent pure otherwise it will have quite a bit of water in it.



thx, i just didnt want to resort to cleaning it myself.

[joegolf68]

Set the camera to AV and stop the lens down all the way then take a photo of something light coloured, don't worry about focus or a long shutter speed. Warning you may be in for a shock;)

Ron

Ok, I see the dust. From what I've heard, mine isn't too bad. About five tiny spots and a few more that are really very small. Today, I went to Ritz after calling them when they said they had the Lense Pen for my lens. Got there, as usually, they had no clue what I was talking about. My local Ritz sucks. Guess I will have to order online for a complete kit. Thanks for the help.

[Glenn NK]

I have a similar thread from Saturday about my absolutely filthy sensor on my new 30D. I had a question that didn't need me bumping my thread back up though. If you use a blower to knock the dust off the sensor, where does the dust go? Into the camera body behind the shutter curtain since it's wide open? Won't it just make it's way back to the sensor again? (I now realize that sensor cleaning is a fact of life for us dslr owners, but wouldn't it seem wiser to suck the dust OUT with a gizmo like a bulb syringe of some sort?)

Interesting method, and it was mentioned by someone else (using a carpet vacuum cleaner).

The problem with sucking out the dust was demonstrated very simply to me by a mechanical engineer I once worked with (he was one very smart Scot):

Light a match, hold it about four or five inches from your mouth and blow it out. It works doesn't it?

Light another one, hold it the same distance from your mouth and try sucking it out. It doesn't work does it?

When we blow, we create a stream of air that will travel some distance from the nozzle; when we suck, not much of a stream of air is created. That's why you can't suck the dust from a sensor. Not unless you use a vacuum cleaner with a brush that rubs the sensor while the vacuum is sucking. Try dusting the furniture with the brush held two inches from the table - good luck.

Where does dust go when you blow it around? Good question - you're thinking more than some of us. Has anyone tried to clean the dust off furniture by blowing on it? With dirty air? Any luck?

Sometimes when using a blower we get lucky and the dust blows around and sticks to something else (the shutter, the mirror, the mirror box), but often is just re-sticks to the sensor at another location.


Comment to OP: If you send your camera back to Canon or some other service centre whenever it has dust on the sensor, you'll not be taking too many pictures, because you'll seldom have your camera; UPS will though.;)