If the spots aren't from the sensor, where are they from?

You have two separate issues. Spots on an image especially when taken with a small aperture is boogers on the sensor. You will not see these through the viewfinder. Spots when looking through the VF are boogies on the focus screen and will not show up on an image. They are two totally separate light paths.

SLRs just get dirty. Cleaning the sensor is something that should be done from time to time dependent on the conditions you are shooting in. The 5Dc sort of has a reputation of getting boogies on the sensor rather quickly. There are multiple ways to clean a sensor. Check out:
http://www.cleaningdig​italcameras.com/
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/s​ensor-cleaning.shtml
http://www.copperhilli​mages.com/index.php?pr​=tutorials

Cleaning the focus screen uses a totally different method. The safest method is to just ignore them as they have no impact on the image what so ever but if clean you must, removing the focus screen and blowing it off with a rocket and blowing off the pentaprism is about the safest way. There are more aggressive ways as well but they also have more risk of goofing things up.

Oh, one other thing, check the eye piece as well. Sometimes dust gathers in there. A q-tip works well to clean things out.

Here is the process for removing and cleaning the superimpose screen, both the focusing screen and the superimpose screen are very fragile so be careful, always remove them from the mirror box before using the rocket blower on them, otherwise you could blow dust further into the optical system.
You can also use a sensor swab and solution bent at 60-90 degrees to clean the bottom of the pentaprism block if it's necessary, once you have removed the focusing and superimpose screens.

http://shimworld.wordp​ress.com …-the-5d-mk-ii-viewfinder/

the Shimworld instructions are excellent and Jan has done a great job detailing all the steps in the process, I always used his instructions.

lannes wrote in post #15174676
both the focusing screen and the superimpose screen are very fragile so be careful

And any dust on them has zero impact on the acquired image. Two reasons why I leave them alone.

To be able to 'see' the dirt on the sensor, you need magnifier with LCD lighting such as Visible Dust Quasar Sensor Loupe 7x

x_tan wrote in post #15174934
To be able to 'see' the dirt on the sensor, you need magnifier with LCD lighting such as Visible Dust Quasar Sensor Loupe 7x

Actually, no you don't need one of these. You can save yourself $50 and take an out-of-focus image of a well-lit white wall or a bright sky at f22, then mail me $50.

Actually, I suppose you could save $100 if you omit that final step.

x_tan wrote in post #15174934
To be able to 'see' the dirt on the sensor, you need magnifier with LCD lighting such as Visible Dust Quasar Sensor Loupe 7x

After I get this one, I never need a single trip for sensor cleaning.

Good luck.

There is another way without spending $100. Take a picture of a blank Word document with the lens a few inches away, focused to infinity with as small of an aperture as possible. Move the camera while exposing the image. The resulting image will be horrible out of focus except for the dust bunnies on the sensor. Review the picture on the LCD zoomed in and you'll see the specs clear as with a loupe. Just remember to reverse the location. If the dust speck is in the upper left corner of the picture, it's in the lower right corner of the sensor.

^_^ Ha, but able to see the dirt visually (rather than 'indirect evident'), also see it disappear on the sensor after the cleaning giving me far more satisfaction

Mike Deep wrote in post #15174464
Looks like there's still dust, which would implicate your cleaning methods. Try a professional service if you can't get it done and it really bothers you.

+1

I'd also like to know the serial number of that 5D1, if it is from the batch that had defective coatings, then he should definitely send it to Canon. If it isn't, he might consider wet-cleaning it himself.

Nicholas
www.copperhillimages.c​om

The OP's dust spots do look like the classic sensor dust. (dark spots on light backgrounds)

BUT.... Dust spots can sometimes be caused by internal dust in the lens. In my case it showed up as light colored dots on darker backgrounds when shooting at very close distance. (Macro)

Here is what I experienced: https://photography-on-the.net …p?p=11719838#po​st11719838

Yeah, that's sensor grit; likely something that's on there good. Most likely won't get gone without a "wet" cleaning. There are many kits out there for doing this yourself, if you're comfortable doing so; otherwise, I'd send this in for a professional cleaning.