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Round white spots are appearing on my photos . Already cleaned the lens but the stains remain .

vribeiro
Apprentice

Round white spots are appearing on my photos . Already cleaned the lens but the stains remain.

I've read online that maybe I should clean the sensor but I'm afraid to do it. What should I do?

4 REPLIES 4

ScottyP
Authority

Usually dust on the sensor looks like gray or black spots, not white. 

 

Can you post images?

 

it is a good idea to have a squeeze bulb air blaster like a Rocket Blower or one of the many many clones. You remove the lens, set the mirror lockup in the Menu for cleaning, then holding the camera face down, blast the sensor and other insides with a couple dozen blasts of air. This is very simple and very much harmless.  It may not do everything a more serious sensor cleaning can do but it is often enough. 

Scott

Canon 5d mk 4, Canon 6D, EF 70-200mm L f/2.8 IS mk2; EF 16-35 f/2.8 L mk. III; Sigma 35mm f/1.4 "Art" EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro; EF 85mm f/1.8; EF 1.4x extender mk. 3; EF 24-105 f/4 L; EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS; 3x Phottix Mitros+ speedlites

Why do so many people say "FER-tographer"? Do they take "fertographs"?


@ScottyP wrote:

Usually dust on the sensor looks like gray or black spots, not white. 

 

Can you post images?

 

it is a good idea to have a squeeze bulb air blaster like a Rocket Blower or one of the many many clones. You remove the lens, set the mirror lockup in the Menu for cleaning, then holding the camera face down, blast the sensor and other insides with a couple dozen blasts of air. This is very simple and very much harmless.  It may not do everything a more serious sensor cleaning can do but it is often enough. 


Blowers are very inexpensive.  If doing the above procedure doesn't solve the issue, then let a professional look at it.  Your hesistance to try to clean the sensor yourself is a good instinct. 

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."


@vribeiro wrote:

Round white spots are appearing on my photos . Already cleaned the lens but the stains remain.

I've read online that maybe I should clean the sensor but I'm afraid to do it. What should I do?


When I've had round white spots, they've generally been flare spots, a consequence of pointing a cheap lens at or near the sun. Using a lens hood sometimes helps.

 

Dirt spots are usually black; oil spots tend to be a very light gray, almost colorless.

 

As others have said, it would be helpful to see examples.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA


@RobertTheFat wrote:

@vribeiro wrote:

Round white spots are appearing on my photos . Already cleaned the lens but the stains remain.

I've read online that maybe I should clean the sensor but I'm afraid to do it. What should I do?


When I've had round white spots, they've generally been flare spots, a consequence of pointing a cheap lens at or near the sun. Using a lens hood sometimes helps.

 

Dirt spots are usually black; oil spots tend to be a very light gray, almost colorless.

 

As others have said, it would be helpful to see examples.


Here's another line of thinking. Not dirt on the sensor but rather something to do with normal lens glass interacting with the scene. 

 

Bob suggests lens flare but that is usually pretty colorful, like little balls or gems of green, purple or orange light. 

 

I wonder if if is possible he is seeing out of focus highlights ("bokeh balls") behind his subject, created by little points of reflected sunlight, etc?

Scott

Canon 5d mk 4, Canon 6D, EF 70-200mm L f/2.8 IS mk2; EF 16-35 f/2.8 L mk. III; Sigma 35mm f/1.4 "Art" EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro; EF 85mm f/1.8; EF 1.4x extender mk. 3; EF 24-105 f/4 L; EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS; 3x Phottix Mitros+ speedlites

Why do so many people say "FER-tographer"? Do they take "fertographs"?
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