Monday 19 December 2016

cleaning - Dark spots - sensor toast?



I can't seem to get rid of some very annoying dark spots that are very noticeable under certain lighting conditions. I've taken a test shot of my monitor showing a white background and amped up the contrast and blackness to highlight the problem areas.


sample spots


I've tried with both a dust blower first, which didn't help, and then some liquid afterwards with a microfiber cloth. I know the problem is the sensor because the same spots persist with different lenses on different backgrounds.


Is this sensor toast or is there still hope here?


If the sensor is toast then what might be the cause of these persistent black spots?


I guess this is one advantage of a DSLR over a system camera like this - the sensor is protected by a mirror, even when swapping lenses.



Answer



That really looks like sensor dust. Lots of it. The normal way to get rid of it is to use a purposefully designed cleaning solution and brush. Visible Dust makes the ones I use. You can try those, in case the cleaning you used was not good enough.


The certain lighting conditions should not matter, only the aperture, because sensor dust is more visible at small apertures. It is always there and never move, so if that is not what you see, it is another problem.


It is entirely possible that dust slipped behind the anti-alias filter and you will not be able to clean it, not even a professional photo store. The camera manufacturer however can service it and they usually but not always charge a fee for that.



Based on what you tried and the amount of dust, I would go straight to a service center.


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