Reply to Help! Something is horribly wrong!

SoCalBob posted a reply:

@Chasing him - The blemishes on your picture are dust or debris on the sensor.



The bad news is that sensor dust is something that will bother every DSLR owner sooner or later, no matter how careful we are when we change lenses. In fact, as in your case, particles may appear on your sensor after using the camera for awhile even if you've never dismounted the lens, simply as a result of tilting and tipping the camera and moving it about during normal use. It's simply the nature of the beast because you're taking pictures with a sensor that has an electrostatically charged surface which attracts loose foreign bodies to its surface (much like dust adheres to a CRT or conventional TV screen).



On the other hand, the good news is that getting rid of the dust bunnies and debris is a very simple, non-invasive procedure that you can easily do yourself 100% effectively most of the time. Using a large bulb blower on the sensor (which blows out and cleans the inside of the camera at the same time) will eliminate the problem without the need for more invasive measures that involve touching the sensor itself or require professional intervention about 90% of the time.



Identifying sensor dust/debris --



Think you might have dust on your sensor? UFO- like spots on your pictures? No fancy computer programs are needed to isolate the problem, just your D80 and the LCD zoom feature in review mode.



1. Mount any mid-range to mild telephoto lens or zoom and switch to manual focus and infinity. Go outdoors on a bright day with a clear blue sky.



2. Select aperture priority and f/22.



3. Shoot 2-3 pictures of the clear blue sky.



4. Review your photos on the D80's LCD using the zoom function and you may observe something like this, showing that you've got dust or debris on your sensor.







The inexpensive tool you need --



A Giottos Rocket Blower (medium or large size) will get rid of the dust 90% of the time unless you live in an extremely humid climate where the moisture "welds" the particles to the sensor or your sensor is absolutely filthy. The Giottos Rocket Blower is probably the best $12 you'll ever spend on accessories for your D80 (or any other DSLR).



www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/259157-REG/Giottos_AA1900_...



In a pinch you can buy the largest ear syringe at your local pharmacy and accomplish the same thing. The problem to be aware of, though, is that these rubber/plastic products can spew out a bunch of tiny foreign material when you squeeze them, making them a less than ideal alternative.



Eliminating the dust bunnies --



You'll need to remove the lens (obviously), and also lock up the mirror, in order to clean the sensor.



1. First of all, ensure that you have a fully charged battery in your camera. Only undertake this process indoors, in as clean an environment as possible.



2. Now refer to p.125 of the D80 manual for step-by-step instructions on the very simple procedure for locking up the mirror.



3. Point the camera's lens opening downward.



4. Taking care not to insert the nozzle of the air blower so far into the camera that it makes direct contact with the sensor, deliver a half-dozen or so forceful blows from the Rocket Blower into the camera, directed at the sensor.



5. Remount your lens and repeat the blue sky test shots described above.



6. Review your new photos once again on the LCD using the zoom review function. If your first try was successful -- which it very often is -- you'll see a picture like this.







If this procedure doesn't work -- or only partially eliminates the dust bunnies -- the first time it's well worth repeating several times before you finally decide that more invasive cleaning that involves direct contact with the sensor is needed.



I'm not going to discuss all the various "wet" sensor cleaning methods here (many of which are extremely effective) because, when it comes to wiping your $1000 camera's sensor with anything lots of folks get pretty squemish and hesistant to do it themselves. However, the "Eclipse" products get glowing reviews for both effectiveness and ease of use.



The air blower technique is so simple, non-invasive and effective that I wanted to describe it in detail here and reassure people that this is something that they can easily do themselves as a first line of defense.



CAUTION--



1. DO NOT USE CANNED AIR.



2. I disagree with people who advocate using dry brushes to clean the sensor and do not recommend brushes or blower-brushes. The problem is the even the cleanest brush you stick inside your camera is apt to introduce more foreign material from its bristles than was there in the first place. Even though it might temporarily wipe the stuff off the sensor, the inside of your camera is likely to be even dirtier than before you stuck the brush in it.



3. Dust on the sensor drives all of us anal-retentive, compulsive types crazy. We probably all have it, but it's only something that needs to be dealt with when it adversely affects our pictures.



This is my final, comprehensive reply to numerous posts on sensor dust, and I'm going to save this one in Microsoft Word so I can just cut and paste it when the same question is asked again day after tomorrow.