sensor dust after 400 shots

Ok - I guess that it really doesn't matter how many shots the camera has taken but I'm really careful and have only changed lenses about 30 times but there are dust specks - about 6 - varying in size, I only noticed them when I was shooting some movie footage of the sky and, of course, over the big expanses of blue the dust is pretty obvious, I'm loath to do a manual clean but if I must I must ... I'm sure there is plenty of advise as to how to do it so I'll do a search my fear is having owned the camera for such a short time and having been so careful it has spots ... is this normal ?

Regards Roger

Hi Roger.

Both my 350D and 30D developed marks on the images after relatively few shots and in both cases this turned out to be minute drops of shutter lubricant and not dust. I found this out when I tried to brush the sensor clean with an Arctic Butterfly and just got smears.

Yours may just be a similar problem. I cleaned both sensors with Visible Dust swabs and Smear Away (you'll need to do it twice) with perfect results. Scary the first time but excellent, if not inexpensive, at around £16 for four swabs and the solution.

That's probably factory installed OEM dust.

Shoot at larger aperturese and you might not even see it. Assuming it's a crop sensor camera, there's rarely any reason to use smaller than f8.

Dust spots can happen after one lens change, or no lens change. Clean it and get back to taking photos.

Here's a good introduction to sensor cleaning: http://cleaningdigital​cameras.com/

And here's a good tutorial: http://www.copperhilli​mages.com/index.php?pr​=tutorials

I use the Copperhill kit for wet cleaning, as do lots of other POTNers.

-js

I will advise that, although it's fairly easy and safe if you take your time, BE CAREFUL! Working at a camera store, I hear horror stories all the time!

The most recent (and most damaging) was a customer who brought his D700 in for cleaning because there was a spot on it he couldn't get out. After our repair guys got a hold of it, they determined the guy scratched the sensor (which he thought after he forgot to flip the swab). Because of the way the sensor is assembled in the D700, it's a $1,300 cost to our repair shop.

This won't always happen, but if you aren't sure you want to take it on - and have a good shop in town that offers relatively quick turn-around - it may be worth the money to let them do it (if only for the piece of mind).

Thanks chaps, as ever, excellent advice - I think I'll give it a go ... with care obviously, I've ordered a rocket blower so that fairly non obtrusive will be stage one, I also put the camera into manual movie mode and opened up the lens, that worked but, of course, the dust is still there. enjoy the weekend -Roger