topic Re: What the heck is this on my sensor? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

EOS 5D Mark III What the heck is this on my sensor?

deebators — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 15:25:21 GMT

This appeared suddenly, looking through my pictures these appeared on a move from one spot to the next, I've been researching spots on the sensor, but WTF are those? nothing I see online looks like that; has anyone seen sensor spots like these or know what they are? This photo is cropped, but these are indeed on the sensor and not on the lens, confirmed by using a different lens when I got home. They are also more visible at higher apertures, invisible at a 2.8... visible at a 10, and sharp looking like this at a 22.

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

jrhoffman75 — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 02:44:32 GMT

Looks like water droplets or some other clear material. Did you change lenses in the rain?

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

deebators — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 02:48:20 GMT

nope! not only do they look odd, they appeared suddenly... if I only was shooting at 22 (which I rarely do) I'd assume they have been there and I never stopped down enough to see them... but about 15 minutes prior I took some photos at a 10 and I don't see those spots there... I put the camera back in my hard case, back into my backpack and biked to the top of the hill where I noticed these while zooming in to check my focus.

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

jrhoffman75 — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 03:01:45 GMT

Do you see them if you remove the lens and look into the body at the sensor? What camera is it?

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

deebators — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 03:04:33 GMT

I can see them on the sensor, I tried to simply open the mirror and blow the censor with an air blower, I've ordered a sensor cleaning kit. It's a 5D Mark III.

What seriously bugs me is that I didn't take the lens off, had the camera in a case and a backpack and these suddenly appeared... something distressing about how that could happen just like that out of nowhere

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

stevet1 — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 05:30:16 GMT

deebators,

Yes. I think you need a sensor cleaning.

In the short term however, you might try the Copy Stamp Tool in DPP4 as outlined here;

"How to erase dust spots in an image with Digital Photo Professional Ver. 4.0 (Copy Stamp Tool)"
https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/s/article/ART117026

Basically, it involves copying a part of the sky that doesn't have any spots and replacing that part of the sky that does have the spots.

Steve Thomas

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

deebators — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 05:37:04 GMT

whoops, what I meant to say is, I CAN'T see them on the sensor, not with the naked eye and a flashlight

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

FloridaDrafter — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 05:43:14 GMT

@deebators wrote:

I can see them on the sensor, I tried to simply open the mirror and blow the censor with an air blower, I've ordered a sensor cleaning kit. It's a 5D Mark III.

What seriously bugs me is that I didn't take the lens off, had the camera in a case and a backpack and these suddenly appeared... something distressing about how that could happen just like that out of nowhere

I have a 7D mark II that did that, not as transparent as yours, but similar. In my case, it was camera lube, and where in the camera it came from, I don't know. A regular dry sensor swab wouldn't clean mine and I had to resort to the wet method using the fluid that came in the kit.

When I bought my kit, I also bought a sensor loupe just for the heck of it. It's not something I use a lot, just for curiosity mostly. Looking at the sensor is pretty cool with a high magnification 🙂

Newton

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

Ron888 — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 11:04:55 GMT

Ok got it. I find it helps to shine light from the side a little.Hard to do in a mirror box i know.Use reading glasses too, 3 diopter should do nicely.Cheap ones work fine for this task.
Can you let us know how the cleaning kit goes?I've cleaned sensors several times but not with a kit.Curious how well they work

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

jrhoffman75 — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 12:08:25 GMT

@deebators wrote:

nope! not only do they look odd, they appeared suddenly... if I only was shooting at 22 (which I rarely do) I'd assume they have been there and I never stopped down enough to see them... but about 15 minutes prior I took some photos at a 10 and I don't see those spots there... I put the camera back in my hard case, back into my backpack and biked to the top of the hill where I noticed these while zooming in to check my focus.

Sensor spots become more visible at smaller apertures; are you saying initially you didn't see them at f/10 but shortly after at f/10 you did see them?

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

jrhoffman75 — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 12:10:42 GMT

@deebators wrote:

whoops, what I meant to say is, I CAN'T see them on the sensor, not with the naked eye and a flashlight

Can you see them if you use Live View and enlarge to maximum view?

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

deebators — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 18:32:12 GMT

Exactly... I have photos from 15 minutes prior shot at 10 and I can't see those... then they are there visible at 10 and obviously 22, making me wonder how these alien looking spot got there so fast and how there are so many of them clustered together. Kind of makes me scared to attempt cleaning them myself since I don't know what they are and I fear brushing them with a censor cleaning kit could push them down and scratch the sensor considering they don't look like normal dust... could those things have edges? Be sharp?

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

FloridaDrafter — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 20:29:08 GMT

@deebators wrote:

Exactly... I have photos from 15 minutes prior shot at 10 and I can't see those... then they are there visible at 10 and obviously 22, making me wonder how these alien looking spot got there so fast and how there are so many of them clustered together. Kind of makes me scared to attempt cleaning them myself since I don't know what they are and I fear brushing them with a censor cleaning kit could push them down and scratch the sensor considering they don't look like normal dust... could those things have edges? Be sharp?

How they suddenly got there is why I mentioned camera lube being what was on my sensor. There are moving parts in there that can deposit lube or other particulates, rare, but it happens. I had the 7D II for several years before camera lube somehow got splashed on my sensor and I hadn't changed glass, so it didn't get there from that. I can only assume that it was from the mirror flipping up.

As for cleaning the sensor assembly, if you feel at all squeamish about it, probably best to have a professional do it. In my case, a dry sensor swab wouldn't get it so I had to use the cleaning solution that came in my kit. I then used a PEC-PAD affixed to a sensor swap to finish up and make sure there wasn't any sensor cleaning fluid left on the AA filter. BTW, the AA filter is what you are cleaning, the sensor is buried a few layers underneath, not that you don't have to be any less careful 🙂

Newton

Re: What the heck is this on my sensor?

deebators — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 20:38:17 GMT

You might be right, it is an explanation at least and one that makes sense... I did use the live view to take the photos I took right before these marks appeared. The mirror flipping open and shut may have splashed this lube. i again looked at the sensor today and moved my flashlight around, now I can see it... it looks like a tiny line on the sensor. I think I am going to take it to a pro and explain to them I don't want to clean it myself given it doesn't look like normal dust and I can't tell for sure what it is.