Sensor Cleaning Question

[shoutinhalls]

Greetings all!

I am a very new photographer and think I may have gotten something on my sensor. I called a local place that cleans them but they gave me contradicting information:

First he said that the spots in my photos should not change size regardless of the zoom on the lens, then he said that it could change when I was just going to try and clean the lens again.

I am just trying to find out if the spots could be on the sensor and not the lens, even though they change size when zoomed in or out. Want to get that cleared up before spending $50 on something that may not resolve the issue, I already have checked the lens and see nothing wrong on either side.

These are two photos where you can see the difference of the spot in the top right corner

thanks!

[Waddizzle]

Dirt and dust particles on the sensor should not change size due to changes in a zoom lens.

[kvbarkley]

You don't say which Rebel, but follow the procedure for the dust delete data and take a picture instead of assigning dust delete data.

Do you have another lens?

[shoutinhalls]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

Dirt and dust particles on the sensor should not change size due to changes in a zoom lens.

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What about changes to aperture? Someone else claimed that this may change the size of the spot

[shoutinhalls]

Canon Rebel EOS 1200D T5, I will look into the dust cleaning method

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@kvbarkley wrote:

You don't say which Rebel, but follow the procedure for the dust delete data and take a picture instead of assigning dust delete data.

Do you have another lens?

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[jrhoffman75 · Accepted solution]

Zooming by itself won't change the size of a sensor dust spot, but the spot will become more in focus, and thus smaller, as the aperture gets smaller.

Depending on which camera you have you may or may not have auto sensor cleaning. It occurs each time you shut off or restart the camera. You can also force it to occur by actuating the step with the red arrow in the screen capture below.

If you have a Rocket Blower (never use any canned air) you could try manual ccleaning - blue arrow.

You remove the lens, actuate manual cleaning and the mirror goes up and the shutter opens. Give a few puffs from the blower and see if you can dislodge the dust spot.

You can Google many vidoes on how to clean the sensor.

[Waddizzle]

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@shoutinhalls wrote:

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@Waddizzle wrote:

Dirt and dust particles on the sensor should not change size due to changes in a zoom lens.

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What about changes to aperture? Someone else claimed that this may change the size of the spot

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I suppose I wasn't explicit enough.  I was only referring to zoom, just as the OP was asking about.

[TTMartin]

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@shoutinhalls wrote:

What about changes to aperture? Someone else claimed that this may change the size of the spot

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Yes, different apertures could account for the different sizes.

[ScottyP]

Definitely something on the sensor, not the lens. 

Dust delete can hide it but you need to address the dust. 

Get a a rocket blower.  Lock up the mirror.  Blow a couple dozen air blasts onto the sensor.  Take some more photos of a clear blue sky or a white wall to see if it helped enough.  

If if not look into how to clean your sensor. It isn't as hard as some folks make it sound. There are pre moistened swipe sticks to do a wet clean.

I use something super easy. It is a plastic stick with a slightly sticky blue gel tip.  After each use, you then blot the dust off the tool tip using sticky tape they give you.  Look up Eyelead sensor cleaner tool. 

[shoutinhalls]

Hi all,

I ended up taking this to a shop in town and they showed me on the sensor where two small pieces of dust were, very clear with a loupe. I decided to have it cleaned professionally because I tend to be clumsy, they were great, only $50, and the guy said he would clean again for free if anything popped up within the next 7 days. Thanks for everyone’s help!