EOS 90D Camera sensor scratches

[Sadia]

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

[Tronhard]

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.

[amfoto1]

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 

[Sadia]

Thank you, Alan. I also hope they are not scratches. I will not clean it myself and try to find Canon support service here. I work in New Delhi and go to US every summer and winter. I'm not confident getting help from local service. If Canon recommends any place I'm happy to take it there. 

[jaewoosong]

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

[Sadia]

Thank you for sharing the servicing cost. Very helpful!

I bought my camera from Walmart and have the warranty for two years. But I live and work outside the US, so I have to wait until I go there in January.

Btw, in my cleaning pack I don't have that blue wiper that you shared in the photo. I will try to look for it here.