Dreaded dust. Oh noes.

[Plymouthbreezer]

So it happened... I got dust on my sensor it seems. Small speck appears in all my pictures, lower left hand corner.

Tried three local shops, and none said they do this. Ritz (where I bought the D70s) said they could send it out, as did the two others.

Anyway, what do you guys do? I'm not ready to give up on low cost solutions, but I've gone the blower route to no avail.

 

[failsafe1]

You have several options. You can do the can of air route. I jut bought a sensor scope kit that comes with a loupe and accessories for cleaning sensors. You can google a DIY solution but I opted for the sensor scope kit. There are other types of these kits so you can compare.

 

[seenew]

I've had a friend use this with success.
http://www.adorama.com/CPVAB700.html

I've never done it, though.

 

[pdpfilms]

be careful!!!!

Know your warranty before you attempt to tackle this yourself. Many camera warranties claim that any contact (swabs, brushes, even forced air) with your sensor will effectively void the warranty. And rightly so- an accidentally tripped shutter during swabbing will lead to a split shutter curtain. Too harsh of an air cleaning will bend the super-thin metal elements of your shutter curtain.

Personally, I'd send it out. Unless it's your source of income, I'm sure you can think of a period where you were without it for a week or so. As hard as it may seem, you can do it again... it's a small price to pay for completely clean photos again.

 

[Lovesong]

Seriously- not that big of a deal. It happens- regardless of how careful you are. Now I know it may seem innerving, but calm down- the sensor is not as fragile as others may tell you.

First and foremost- don't use the Delkin air- check out the reviews and see the amount of people that complain about the crud that those leave on their sensors- this will basically create more work for you, and will force you to get the wet kits.

Get a Giotto's RocketBlower- they run about $15, and are a vital part of any kit (for cleaning lenses, sensors, viewfinders, whatever). Try running the camera on sensor clean (or whatever mode locks up your mirror on a Nikon), point the camera down (a tripod will be helpful), and blow away. Unless you jam the tip of the blower into the sensor, there is nothing that will happen to it (and in fact that is the recommended method for cleaning in the Canon manuals (I'm thinking it should be the same for Nikon)). This will take a while, and is not aways successful- it took me about 4-5 rounds until I got most of the crud off. The problem with this method, is that it's only a temporary solution, and the dust will eventually come back.

Recently I got myself an Arctic butterfly 724 (slightly more expensive than the one that seenew suggested, has higher RPMs, and a bigger head), and dust has seized being a problem for me. It takes seconds, and will attract most of the dust on that glass cover, getting it out. I would probably avoid getting a wet cleaning solution unless it becomes necessary. Others here will certainly swear by the swabs, but for now, I like my dry cleaning method.

If you're short on money try the blower- if you have that C-note, get the 724. To quote Dennis Miller- that's of course my opinion, I could be wrong.

 

[dogbone]

@Plymouthbreezer

I had a tiny speck on my D70s from day one, eventually it moved around to a point where I just got jack of spotting it out. It is allowed one free cleaning in the first year so I took it in to the local nikon importer who cleaned it even though it was grey market.

My advice would be to ask if it is entitled to a free clean. You might have some luck. I wouldn't bother doing it myself. Or if you do, at least check out how much they will charge you, they may do it for a nominal cost.

 

[walangij]

Get a Giotto's RocketBlower- they run about $15, and are a vital part of any kit (for cleaning lenses, sensors, viewfinders, whatever). Try running the camera on sensor clean (or whatever mode locks up your mirror on a Nikon), point the camera down (a tripod will be helpful), and blow away. Unless you jam the tip of the blower into the sensor, there is nothing that will happen to it (and in fact that is the recommended method for cleaning in the Canon manuals (I'm thinking it should be the same for Nikon)). This will take a while, and is not aways successful- it took me about 4-5 rounds until I got most of the crud off. The problem with this method, is that it's only a temporary solution, and the dust will eventually come back. .

This is what I use, works well but yes a temporary solution, the arctic butterfly is expensive but will be worth it I assume once I can afford it, until then the Giotos RB works great.

 

[andiwm2003]

You have several options. You can do the can of air route. I jut bought a sensor scope kit that comes with a loupe and accessories for cleaning sensors. You can google a DIY solution but I opted for the sensor scope kit. There are other types of these kits so you can compare.

be careful. if you use a can of air be aware that most contain traces of oil that F@#$ your sensor. Zeiss says for their microscopes to never use this "can of air" things because they have oil in there even if they say "oilfree".

i work in a lab and use a dust free biosafety cabinet to make sure i don't end up with more dust in the end. I do the manual clean with a cheapo hand blower. takes 10 min and gives you a cramp in your hand but i got everything out so far. i found that pollen is the worst because it's sticky by default. but they dry after a few weeks and then they can be blown off the sensor.

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I have a blower, and I've kept blowing. I finally was able to spot the speck on my sensor, and it appears as it is actually adhered to the sensor. It's so tempting to just reach in there and.........

But of course not.

I'll keep everyone updated.