My pictures are not as sharp

My pictures are not as sharp as when I purchased my camera a year ago. I am afraid it is time to clean the sensor. Is this generally the problem you have with a dirty sensor? I have not noticed dust on my prints, they are just soft.

neptunerain wrote in post #9953093
My pictures are not as sharp as when I purchased my camera a year ago. I am afraid it is time to clean the sensor. Is this generally the problem you have with a dirty sensor? I have not noticed dust on my prints, they are just soft.

find a bright wall.

put camera into A mode.

set the aperture to max stop (smallest).

focus to infinity.

hold down the shutter and move the camera back and forth while pointing it at the wall.

look at the picture.

you will see dust if it's there.

Thank you! I will try that now.

I do see dust. Thank you! What do you use to clean your sensor? The idea scares me to death! Is it better to let a professional clean it? like at a camera shop?

neptunerain wrote in post #9953273
I do see dust. Thank you! What do you use to clean your sensor? The idea scares me to death! Is it better to let a professional clean it? like at a camera shop?

start with a rocket blower, using the cleaning option mirror lockup.

then escalate to a HIGH QUALITY static cling sensor brush like the copper hill thingy.

the next step after that is a methanol wet-swab for oil spatter.

there are decent instructions on the interwebs on how to do all of this.

Are you saying I should do all three at once or just see how the blower does? then later on purchase the others?

neptunerain wrote in post #9953093
My pictures are not as sharp as when I purchased my camera a year ago. I am afraid it is time to clean the sensor. Is this generally the problem you have with a dirty sensor? I have not noticed dust on my prints, they are just soft.

Not in my experience no. Dust will appear in shots as a dark black smudge on the image - normally shown up well with out of focus areas on a small aperture shot (so large f number like f16).

Softer shots however could be many things and without specific examples and comparisons we can't be certain what the cause is. I suspect that the most likley cause is that you have let some factor in shooting methodology slip and that is resulting in softer images - or that you are experimenting with something new and not realising that something is badly affecting your images.

First try taking some shots in clear, good lighting and review your shooting through the whole process to make sure that you are not forgetting or overlooking a stage - then post up the shots with details so we can have an idea of what might be the problem

neptunerain wrote in post #9953402
Are you saying I should do all three at once or just see how the blower does? then later on purchase the others?

Blowers do ok and can remove a decent amount of dust, but not more stuck on parts. Also when cleaning I tend to use a tripod to hold the camera - aiming the camera body downwards (so that dust can fall out of the lens opening). Also blow the blower a few times away from the camera to ensure that dust is not going to be blown out of the blower. Using a tripod also lets you have both hands free so that you can hold the nozzle of the blower - you don't want it hitting anything inside the camera.
It can take a good amount of time with the blower - making sure to puff a few times and then wait to let dust fall out.

the other methods can be far better, but also carry a little more risk in some ways. Search online (there are loads of guides) and have a good read of them to understand the process in depth. Also remember that many photography shops will do camera cleaning as well (at cost)

Sensor dust can cause spots on images, usually when shot at low apertures (f/11 +) and in brighter lighting conditions. I don't think this would have any effect on the sharpness of the image, perhaps you have a smudge on the rear element of a lens or something? Or maybe you are just becoming more critical of your work...

I live far from town. The closet camera shop is a Ritz 1.5 hours away. Do you know if they will clean the sensor? I know I can call in the morning, but opinions, experiences welcome!

Sensor dust will degrade your images but not to the point your images are too soft to be useful,,unless your sensor is blanketed by dust..

Have a long hard look at your shooting techiques..

As ahs already been said, dust won't affect the sharpness of your images, just leave spots.

Something that hasn't been suggested yet - Have you recently started using any type of filter eg: UV.
Also post some pics with Exif data so we can see what you're talking about rather just flying blind. It makes it easier for us to help