topic Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

Sadia — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 12:19:53 GMT

Hello,

I recently returned from an African safari and needed to clean my lens and camera body. I did everything fine, but once I opened the camera cap and looked at the sensor, I was shocked to see so many scratches (photo attached)! Even though my pictures came out just fine, I was curious to examine (search for spots in the image) if there were any marks on the white paper photo. I checked out some videos on how to do a white paper test to check for spots in the sensor. The white paper photo has no mark on it that I can see (attached).

I'm wondering if the scratches are common for DSLR cameras. I bought the Canon 90D last year, and it has been great so far. Please let me know if this is something concerning.

Thank you!

DSLR sensorwhite paper test

Re: Camera sensor

Waddizzle — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 12:06:48 GMT

I would contact Canon USA Support at 1-800-OK-CANON.

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

jrhoffman75 — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 12:38:47 GMT

It looks like what you are seeing is actually the mirror, not the sensor. The mirror only allows you to see the image in the viewfinder; the mirror swings up when you take a photo or record video. It does not affect the image in anyway.

If you haven't been inside the mirror box cleaning the mirror then perhaps it is dust or some fungal growth from camera being in a humid environment?

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

Tintype_18 — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 12:39:37 GMT

Off topic but: 1. Sorry you are having this situation. Let us know what you find for future reference for the community. 2. Could we see some photos of your safari?

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

shadowsports — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 13:59:39 GMT

John's reply says it all. Thats the mirror. I'd start with an air puffer. Q-Tips and some alcohol. LESS is more here and do some gentle clean up.

You can further inspect the sensor once the mirror (box) and surrounding areas are cleaner.

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

ebiggs1 — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 14:13:29 GMT

Agree with Rick and John. You can't actually see or get to the sensor without holding the mirror up out of the way. There is a menu option to do that. From your post I would encourage you to have a pro do the cleaning inside the mirror box. Its not hard but it can be for a first timer.

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

Sadia — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 15:10:36 GMT

Thank you so much, John. It is the mirror, not the sensor. I'm new to this, so I freaked out 🙂

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

Sadia — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 15:14:04 GMT

I will share some photos when I download them. I took more than a thousand photos. 🙂

Thank you!

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

Sadia — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 15:17:05 GMT

Thank you, Rick. I used only the air puffer. Didn't have the courage to do anything more without knowing it 100%.

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

Sadia — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 15:19:58 GMT

I will search for a pro to check it. For now, the air puffer is good enough since my photographs came out fine. Thank you 🙂

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

jrhoffman75 — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 15:23:25 GMT

Understood😀. If it’s just dust you could try blowing it off or using the method Rick mentioned. It is hard to tell from the image, but I have never seen dust on the mirror look like you posted. The reason I asked if anyone had been inside the mirror box is that if someone tried cleaning and scratched the mirror it could look like that depending on the angle of the light. But, if no one had been in to clean then I think you should rule out that it could be fungus. Fungus can spread into your lenses as well.

If you aren’t comfortable trying to clean it maybe you have a local specialty camera shop or even a camera club where someone could advise you.

Ultimately you could send to Canon for a clean and adjust. That might be a good idea after returning from a safari.

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

Sadia — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 15:38:03 GMT

It is not dust - I'm sure of that. It looks more like scratches because it stayed as it is even after some air puffs.

No one touches my camera gear. I have not had anyone cleaned it. Today was the first time I tried cleaning.

Once I accidentally changed the lens once without turning the camera switch off. It was outside in a park, the weather/temperature was nice and almost no humidity. Do you think that might be a reason for this? I will check with Canon support when I'm back in the US.

Thanks again!

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

ebiggs1 — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 17:21:46 GMT

“Once I accidentally changed the lens once without turning the camera switch off. It was outside in a park, the weather/temperature was nice and almost no humidity. Do you think that might be a reason for this?”

No that did not damage anything.

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

ebiggs1 — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 17:23:03 GMT

You do need a pro to clean it and Canon is the best service people.

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

Waddizzle — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 18:20:04 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
You do need a pro to clean it and Canon is the best service people.

I would hope that it is dust. It looks more like something hit it, to me.

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

Tronhard — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 18:33:57 GMT

Definitely agree that it's worth that Ernie. Not only will it mean the mirror is assessed and cleaned, but the sensor and interior should get a good cleaning too. If there is other dust or material in there it reduced the risk of it getting on the sensor and damaging that.

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

amfoto1 — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 19:07:43 GMT

First of all, that is NOT your sensor.

That's the mirror which reflects the image to your viewfinder. Anything on that mirror will have NO EFFECT on images. The image sensor is behind a closed shutter, which itself is behind that mirror. When you take a photo that mirror flips up out of the way and seals off light coming in through the viewfinder, then the shutter opens to reveal the sensor and take the image, after which the shutter closes and the mirror drops back down. All this happens in a fraction of a second.

You might see those marks when looking through the viewfinder, but they're merely a nuisance. They likely aren't scratches, but just "smears" of something.

I DO NOT recommend you try to clean them yourself. The mirror is front-surfaced and delicate, with a semi-transparent patch (for the autofocus system). It is easy to damage and end up needing expensive repair... just to avoid a minor nuisance? Not worth it! Leave it alone and have the camera professionally cleaned sometime (perhaps when the sensor also needs cleaning).

Absolutely NEVER, EVER use common cotton buds ("Q-tips") inside a camera! Those shed tiny cotton fibers that can get into camera mechanisms and jam them. There are specialized lint free swabs for this sort of cleaning.

***********

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2) some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & ZENFOLIO

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

jaewoosong — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 02:13:28 GMT

If you don't know what you are doing, send it to Canon for cleaning as others have mentioned. However, if your camera is out of warranty, you'll have to pay shipping and cleaning service (last time I did this costed me about $80 all together, $30 shipping + $50 cleaning, but they replaced the focusing screen as part of the dust cleaning). That was years ago and I'm not sure what the current cost for sensor cleaning is now. That was $80 because I tried cleaning my focusing screen (bad idea, don't touch focusing screen at all).

but...

sensor swap + 2 drops of sensor cleaning fluid and 4 passes with light pressure (swipe down left, swipt down right, flip swab, repeat left/right swap) and you have a clean mirror.

cleaning mirror

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

jaewoosong — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 02:35:58 GMT

What "air puffer" are you using? Is it like canned air spray or a manual bulb you have to squeeze? When I looked at the picture, it looked like some liquid that was pushed with a blast of air. Canned air has liquid propellant that can deposit some liquid on the mirror surface and the blast of air can spread that liquid around on the surface. This can happen when people tilt the canned air duster sideways or upside down, allowing some of the compressed liquid to be release with the gas. The only blower you should be using is a manual bulb blower inside your camera.

never use canned air blower

Re: EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

Sadia — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 14:56:16 GMT

I used the manual bulb. I watched several videos before cleaning and most videos warned not to use the canned air spray.

Thank you!