Dust/ Scratch on sensor? (5d-mii)

[MBX]

Hi

I just went to use my 5d-mii and noticed some little spot on the lcd following my movements, that's when i knew it wasn't some dust on the lcd screen.

Then i detached the lens and checked on it's ends, all super clean, nothing there. Also not on the front of the lens and there i had a uv-protection anyway.

So i was looking into the camera's mirror or sensor, whatever its called. Nothing there really either. I cleaned with a fine cloth and all possible little dust particles were gone.

I did this a few times but still the spot looking like a little dust particle is on there when shooting.

I tried sensor-cleaning/ dust-busting the data, etc. Nothing worked.

I have no idea how this could be possible. Two weeks ago when i used it last time it was all perfectly fine and since then I kept the camera sealed, always in the protective bag and even had some plastic wrap around it

What could this be? Nothing so far worked in my attempt to clean and remove it.

Any idea?

Thanks!

 

[zeeflyboy]

does it show up on your pictures when viewing on a pc?

From what you've described it sounds more like a dead pixel on the camera's lcd display.... by the by, unless you were recording video you must be the first person I've come across that actually uses the live view on a 5d!

By the way I really wouldn't recommend touching the mirror with anything.... it is a front silvered surface which is very, very easy to scratch. If you want to clear dust off it buy an inexpensive rocket blower (I don't recommend duster gas).

 

[MBX]

It's not a dead pixel. A dead pixel is square and perfect.

This here is uneven and bigger than 1 pixel.

There's no real dust on the mirror either so i'm a bit clueless how it happened or what it is and doesn't go away.

 

[panoz7]

It's not a dead pixel. A dead pixel is square and perfect.

This here is uneven and bigger than 1 pixel.

There's no real dust on the mirror either so i'm a bit clueless how it happened or what it is and doesn't go away.

When you say mirror are you referring to the actual mirror in the camera or the sensor? If there is dust on the mirror it will only be visible in the viewfinder. If there is dust on the sensor then you won't see it in the viewfinder but will see it on the camera's screen and on the computer once you download the photos. If you're actually referring the mirror then you can clean it all you want and it won't do a thing to the final image quality. You need to clean the senor which is underneath the mirror. There's a special sensor cleaning mode used to gain access to it. You can easily damage it or make things worse though, so if you're not comfortable take it to a camera store and have them do it. I know my local store will do it for free.

 

[zeeflyboy]

Hmmm...

does it show up on your pictures on the pc then? could you upload a crop of it? If it doesn't show up on your pictures when viewed on a pc then it can't be sensor dust!

As the chap above says, the mirror only provides an image to the optical viewfinder - when you take a picture or use live view it flips up out of the way to allow the light through to the sensor so no amount of cleaning the mirror will help in this situation. Like I said though to keep that clean in future just use a rocket blower rather than a cloth as the risk of scratching is too high.

If you do have some crap on your sensor, it is easy enough to clean or get cleaned off. If you decide to do it yourself make sure you read up on the correct technique and use a proper cleaning kit and solution. I would advise against the "tape" method you may see described occasionally.

If you are uncomfortable doing it then take it to a decent camera shop and they should be able to do it for you.

 

[Acsom]

The dust is probably on the inside of the viewfinder. If the spot isn't on the photos, then that's what it is. It's a son of a gun to get off, best handled by a pro IMO. I've tried to get it off, and wound up happy to spend $30 for someone to do it for me.

 

[compuwar]

Hi

I just went to use my 5d-mii and noticed some little spot on the lcd following my movements, that's when i knew it wasn't some dust on the lcd screen.

In live view mode, or out- on the screen or in the viewfinder? If out, then it's in the viewfinder->lens path, if in then it's in the sensor path.

Then i detached the lens and checked on it's ends, all super clean, nothing there. Also not on the front of the lens and there i had a uv-protection anyway.

Change lenses and look- there are a lot more than two elements in a lens.

So i was looking into the camera's mirror or sensor, whatever its called. Nothing there really either. I cleaned with a fine cloth and all possible little dust particles were gone.

There's a mirror and there's a sensor, in a DSLR, the mirror is for the viewfinder, the sensor for the image.

I did this a few times but still the spot looking like a little dust particle is on there when shooting.

You have to use magnification to look for things on the mirror or sensor, as they get enlarged in the results.

 

[Phrasikleia]

If you see it when using Live View (LCD screen, which you mentioned), then you can rule out the mirror or the focusing screen.

If you see it in pictures taken with a narrow aperture, then it's probably dust on the sensor. Try taking a shot of a computer monitor that is showing an all-white screen. Use f/22. Is the spot in the resulting photo?

 

[MBX]

I don't have a second lens at the moment but it seems either in the path of the lens or underneath the mirror, on/ in the actual sensor of the camera.

I don't get it how it could have gotten there. The camera was always sealed and it's supposed to be a well sealed dust proof camera.

I'm not gonna go further to actually remove the mirror myself and mess around with too much.

But yes the dust-like dot/ spot is following my movements and is also visible on the actual footage when shooting video (which i use the 5d mostly for). Also when i zoomed in digitally in the viewfinder it magnified it larger too. And when i increased the ISO it kind of blurred it and became less visible but so did the entire picture as it was very bright.

The spot doesn't seem to move either no matter how much air i blow into the camera or lens.

 

[compuwar]

Clean the sensor. Be very careful and only use known-good materials, or have it done somewhere.

 

[Phrasikleia]

Dust on the sensor can be stubborn like that. If you google about cleaning a DSLR sensor, you'll get a lot of advice. Here's mine, for what it's worth:

First take a shot of a computer monitor at f/22. Have the screen be completely white and move the camera a bit while taking the shot.

Then do a dry cleaning procedure:

Get a very soft, clean, new, flat, starch-free paint brush--something that is about one third the width of your sensor. Put the camera on a tripod, pointing downward. Have someone hold the end of a vacuum cleaner wand (with no attachment on its end) near the opening of the camera. Have the vacuum cleaner run just strongly enough and close enough to suck any dust near the camera into its wand. First put the paint brush into the end of the vacuum cleaner wand to remove any dust from it. Lock up your camera's mirror and remove the lens. Then brush along the sensor in one direction, in as many rows as are necessary to cross the entire sensor. Immediately put the lens on the camera when you are done.

Then take another shot of your computer monitor at f/22. Check the photo: has the spot moved or broken up or even disappeared? If it's not moving, then you probably need to do a wet cleaning. If it has broken up, then you can repeat the dry cleaning process until it's gone.

Wet cleaning is more complicated and expensive. You might want to consider paying for a professional cleaning at that point.