Tidying up sensors, lenses and other photographic items from dust, fungus, liquids etc.
8
votes
1answer
262 views
Where is this dust located on my sensor?
I have a really nasty looking piece of dust on my 550D's sensor, situated in the top right-hand corner of each image I take with anything higher than f/11. I am going to get a decent sensor cleaning ...
5
votes
3answers
885 views
Can you use alternative brushes to clean DSLR sensors?
A lot of praise goes to Arctic Butterfly when doing DIY sensor cleaning. However are there cheaper solution to brush off dust by using other non-sensor cleaning specific brushes?
Most high quality ...
6
votes
2answers
279 views
How to clean an oily spot from the camera body?
This is very trivial. You are eating some food, you grabbed your camera for some reasons and inadvertently you left an oily finger print on your camera. It should be easy to remove right? But it ...
11
votes
1answer
372 views
Is dust in a zoom lens a problem which should be addressed?
I have accumulated some amount of dust inside one of my zoom lenses, visible through the front glass.
It does not appear to affect picture quality as far as I can tell, but I wonder if this is ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
What are the best methods for cleaning really dirty lens elements?
I bought old M42 Pentacon 50mm f1.8 lens from a car boot sale. It works but is pretty dirty and it has also dirt inside (no mould/fungus though).
Opening the lens is not a problem but I would like to ...
11
votes
2answers
214 views
What should I know about cameras and tear gas?
Asking this now as a "just in case" measure. I may be creating photos this weekend in an environment which has a greater-than-zero chance of involving tear gas.
Anything I should know about from a ...
12
votes
4answers
2k views
How can I avoid soft dull “spots” in my pictures?
Recently, I've been doing a lot more photography, particularly with my 100-400mm telephoto and 16-35mm wide. I am skilled enough that I can capture the shot mostly as I want with just the camera gear, ...
2
votes
3answers
474 views
How to remove sand from the lens cap?
I was shooting at the beach and the lens cap fell into the sand twice. I brushed it clean, but there is still sand in the opening mechanism. I can press it to remove/place it, but I feel the strong ...
8
votes
1answer
213 views
Is it safe to clean SLR lenses with pressurized computer dust cleaners?
Is it safe and a good idea to clean DSLR lens using computer dust removal, which has powerful air pressure ?
5
votes
1answer
391 views
Can I clean dust from a scratched sensor?
I have a camera with a scratched sensor (a Canon 1Ds Mk II) - can I clean the dust from the sensor? And if yes, how? By using the wet method? Or just by blowing air?
The scratch is in the middle. ...
2
votes
1answer
518 views
Why does my Nikon D90 make a strange sound during built-in sensor cleaning, when my friend's D90 doesn't?
I noticed a quiet sound (like squeaking) when using the built-in sensor cleaning of my Nikon D90. In some forums I read about many people having this behavior with the Nikon D700 and some Canon ...
19
votes
2answers
1k views
Why use a small aperture when trying to see sensor dust?
Here and there I read of people who set their lens to a small aperture while testing their sensor cleanness, supposedly to get the best image of dust speckles. However, the image of the on-sensor dust ...
8
votes
3answers
2k views
Is acetone safe and effective as a lens cleaner?
I recently came across a clip on youtube which showed the process of making camera lenses. I noticed them using acetone as a lens cleaner. My question is how effective is acetone as lens cleaner? Will ...
6
votes
3answers
420 views
How do I get rid of these different spots after sensor cleaning?
I've just cleaned sensor on my Nikon D40x for the first time using sensor swabs and Eclipse solution.
Here is a picture taken before cleaning and after .
Dark spots on the first photo do not appear ...
8
votes
4answers
3k views
How effective are in-camera integrated sensor cleaning systems, and have they improved?
Few years ago, Canon introduced some sort of internal sensor cleaning system that (as far as I understand it) shakes the sensor off any dust it collected during use. This shake is very high frequency.
...
10
votes
2answers
162 views
How do I protect my camera in a smoke filled environment?
I'm going to start a new project soon, "People in bars". I think it will be fun, and I think I'll capture a lot of interesting faces.
The thing is, bars are harsh environments for DSLRs. Obviously, ...
5
votes
2answers
284 views
How should I use lens cleaner?
I got a free lens-cleaning kit with a lens I bought the other day. It has a small bottle of alcohol lens cleaner, but I'm not sure how to use it, should I apply it directly to the lens, or onto a ...
10
votes
2answers
659 views
Removing rust from a lens's mount?
My wife gave me a used Pentax 50mm f/1.7 SMC-M for my birthday. (I know some people get Leica 50mm f/0.95 Noctiluxes for their birthdays, but, y'know, kids to take care of and so on. And it's a very ...
7
votes
1answer
972 views
Advice on cleaning/oiling ball-head?
I've had a Markins M-20 ball-head for a number of years now, it's been a great head but this winter it's started to become harder to adjust so I figure it's time to clean it (probably long past).
...
15
votes
2answers
345 views
Microfiber Lens Cloths
You can find microfiber lens-cleaning cloths on the web for less than $2, or pay $6 for a "Canon" microfiber cloth (or buy at a retail camera store for $15-20). Are all such cloths pretty much the ...
9
votes
1answer
592 views
how to properly clean inside a scanner
I have an Epson Perfection 2400 PHOTO Scanner. It has been a great device scanning both printed images and negatives. It is about 5 years old. Over time, I have noticed that the scanned image ...
12
votes
2answers
336 views
How to properly clean a camera
I have a Canon Digital Rebel XT. When I look through my camera's viewfinder, I see a tiny speck near the bottom middle. It seems to cause my camera to not focus well (I have autofocus (AF) turned ...
7
votes
1answer
601 views
Cleaning a sticky DSLR lens
I was on vacation recently and some coke accidentally splattered on one of my DSLR lenses. It was dark and I was pushing a stroller, so I didn't see what was going on until it was too late.
I ...
9
votes
2answers
474 views
How to clean a lens cover?
I own an all-in-one camera (shame on me.) It's a Canon Powershot A710.
I'm not aware what happened exactly, but now the automatic cover (the thing that opens when you turn on the camera and the lens ...
15
votes
3answers
211 views
Is it worth it (or even possible) to clean a microfibre cloth?
If I get a microfibre cloth dirty (e.g. by dropping it on the ground), is it possible to clean it (in a washing machine, for example)? Or should I just throw it away and get a new one?
Thanks!
...
15
votes
2answers
2k views
How do I clean the inside of my viewfinder?
My viewfinder (not LCD) has spots of dust on it. What is the best way to clean the inside? I have cleaned the outside with a QTip.
