As I mentioned the other day, I got an easy introduction to digital SLRs with my Olympus. For years I heard of the dust-spot problem, but I didn’t worry about it – I didn’t need to. <\/p>\n
One fateful day, in search of improved image quality, I upgraded my camera. I got a beautiful, used Nikon D200 and was in love – for a while. I started seeing spots in my images, but they didn’t bother me too much. I could clone them out in Lightroom quite easily. As the months wore on more and more spots appeared. Okay. Time for the dreaded sensor cleaning. I made a few half-hearted attempts with sensor-cleaning kits, but they didn’t seem to do much. It got to the point where my photos were unusable. I was missing my Olympus. So I switched back.<\/p>\n
With the new Olympus, all was well for a while. My dust problems were a faint memory. I was content. And then, I started talking with a stock agency. They liked my photos, but the image quality was a problem. Olympus didn’t make anything with better image quality. Time for an upgrade. But (for all you thinking of making a living off it), nature photography doesn’t pay very well. So I went in search of cheap image quality, and ended up with a used Canon 5D. Yup, an old camera with no dust shaker and more sensor to get dirty. But this time I was determined. When dust became an issue, I swabbed, I wiped, I brushed, and I did it all very well. I used any and every commercial solution available to me. And they all failed horribly. Dust was driving me mad. It was time for the crazy. I tried a vacuum (with some distance – static electricity is dangerous to sensors) and I tried some homemade swabs. No luck.<\/p>\n
It turns out my solution was Scotch Tape. I have read numerous times how tape will ruin sensors – this may be true. I tested it out on other glass surfaces to make sure no residue remained (I’ve read that’s the main concern with tape). I tried it when all hope was lost and I was thinking of giving up on the Canon but short on funds for another camera switch. <\/p>\n
Now I’m gloriously dust free, and enjoying my 5D more than ever (besides still being nervous in the rain). <\/p>\n
(I do not recommend that you try this on your sensor. In fact anyone with half a legal mind will tell you not to come within 10 feet of your sensor because you might ruin it.)<\/p>\n
My 5D after many attempts at sensor cleaning. No, those are not birds or bugs.
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\nMy 5D after scotch tape. Exactly the same develop settings in Lightroom. Similar aperture.
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As I mentioned the other day, I got an easy introduction to digital SLRs with my Olympus. For years I heard of the dust-spot problem, but I didn’t worry about it – I didn’t need to. One fateful day, in search of improved image quality, I upgraded my camera. I got a beautiful, used Nikon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,732,41],"tags":[1324,1311,1315,843,1310,1308,1309,1312,1316,1323,1314,2886,1320,1317,849,701,1318,848,1319,1321,1322,1313,1325],"class_list":["post-479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editing","category-landscape-2","category-photo-gear","tag-annoying","tag-camera-history","tag-camera-switch","tag-canon-eos-5d","tag-digital-camera","tag-digital-singlelens-reflex-camera","tag-digital-slrs","tag-dust-problems","tag-dust-shaker","tag-dust-spots","tag-dustspot-problem","tag-editing","tag-halfhearted-attempts","tag-homemade-swabs","tag-image-quality","tag-nature-photography","tag-numerous-times","tag-old-camera","tag-scotch-tape","tag-sensor","tag-sensor-cleaning","tag-sensorcleaning-kits","tag-unuseable"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t