For DSLR users - Have you checked your CCD for dust lately?

[Darren]

For those fortunate ones, how many have checked the CCD for dust; and the followon question - How did you clean it?

Procedure to check CCD for dust
1. Shoot a white surface (ie an A3 piece of paper) at lens smallest aperture - f/16 or smaller
2. In Photoshop, do an autolevels
3. See those dark spots - those are dust!
4. Repeat Step 1 - shoot a different paper to eliminate paper problem.
5. In Photoshop, do an autolevels and import the first pic as a separate layer.
6. Toggle between the two layers - should have some spots that exist in BOTH layers. Confirmed got dust on CCD
7. PANIC! RUN AROUND ROOM! WRING HANDS! PULL HAIR!!
8. Read ClubSNAP thread on how to clean CCD.
9. Life is normal again .... aaaahhhhh.....

[ckiang]

Quote: Originally posted by Darren For those fortunate ones, how many have checked the CCD for dust; and the followon question - How did you clean it? Procedure to check CCD for dust 1. Shoot a white surface (ie an A3 piece of paper) at lens smallest aperture - f/16 or smaller 2. In Photoshop, do an autolevels 3. See those dark spots - those are dust! 4. Repeat Step 1 - shoot a different paper to eliminate paper problem. 5. In Photoshop, do an autolevels and import the first pic as a separate layer. 6. Toggle between the two layers - should have some spots that exist in BOTH layers. Confirmed got dust on CCD 7. PANIC! RUN AROUND ROOM! WRING HANDS! PULL HAIR!! 8. Read ClubSNAP thread on how to clean CCD. 9. Life is normal again .... aaaahhhhh.....

Sell DSLR, get Film SLR, dust problem solved forever! Film rulez!

Regards
CK

[zapp!]

I use the barbaric way. Put camera into bulb mode. Take lens out. Trigger the shutter, take a Swiss blower and squeeze like mad for about 2s and then release the shutter. Done.

[Red Dawn]

Hi

for pple who are using both film and digital (aka me one of them) we know that dust on slides / negs is much more of a problem than dust on the CCD / CMOS.............

i have never seriously clean the D30's CMOS sensor in more than 1 yr of extremely heavy use, and i shoot from f1.4 to f22, change lenses in the rain before, with no dust issues or sensor problems. My half hearted few attempts at blowing the sensor with a blower bulb didn't seem to achieve anything other than time wasting, and it was a more psychological reason to even attempt it in the first place (after soooo long, it MUST have some dust, right??!)

on the contrary, it is a ROYAL pain trying to blow that last speck of irritating dust (again, this could be psychological as well) that u can see through the loupe off that slide.......and oops.....u accidentally touch it and leave your print of that favourite slide of yours

and let's not get started on scanning without digital ICE or FARE..........

[Wai]

Quote: Originally posted by Red Dawn change lenses in the rain before

how u change lenses in the rain? i dun think D30 is water proof rite...

[zapp!]

I think Red dawn meant under slight rain conditions or something like that...no one would want to change lenses in heavy rain regardless of what body u have...

On the dust matter, so far i have only encountered the dust problem twice and that is only if i shoot at f16 and above...

[Jed]

Well, to be honest, I've never shot a blank piece of paper before let alone two, so I really wouldn't know.

[StreetShooter]

I checked about a month ago - NO dust on my D30 CMOS.

I've never tried cleaning it.

I use lots of primes, so change lenses pretty often.

[bumjube]

got quite a few on d100 , have had them since first day i had camera , none new ones yet after many lens changing so i suspect they were there from factory

[Jed]

Yeah, that's good, real good.

[tomshen]

Just checked, this is my CMOS,

[bumjube]

Quote: Originally posted by tomshen Just checked, this is my CMOS,

really ?? i thought the cannon was less know for getting dust, maybe it is just harder to see as i think the filter is father from the ccd, in nikon it is very close so dust can be seen in focus more easy

[cyrilng]

Quote: Originally posted by bumjube got quite a few on d100 , have had them since first day i had camera , none new ones yet after many lens changing so i suspect they were there from factory

You should have rejected it & got new one as replacement. Nikon SG here will do that.

[bumjube]

actually its really a non issue as no matter what you are going to get more.i just went to tokyo and found the nikon service centre by mistake and they cleaned it while i waited,only have 2 that i can see now when stopped right down,maybe was 100 + before but they were only ever present in 1% of photos so it really didnt bother me and its so easy to ps them out

[CYRN]

Quote: Originally posted by ckiang Sell DSLR, get Film SLR, dust problem solved forever! Film rulez! Regards CK

Juz saw in the AP mag... flims got Mites running around... the exposed film got a family of 3 mites captured.

Though not permanent..it's pretty funny to have specks with 6 legs (when enlarged).

[munfai]

i love my Clone tool!

[ericp]

Quote: Originally posted by munfai i love my Clone tool!

Hear, hear ! Back in the dark old days of slide scanning, dust was unavoidable, and you learn to take a critical look at every important picture to see if it needs a bit of a touchup.

I wonder if there's anyone who has owned a DSLR for a significant period, eg. at least 1 year, who knowingly does not bother to clean the CCD/CMOS ... and fix all the dust specks in PS.