Dirt on my 6-day old lens?

TomWoozle

TomWoozle

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Tom
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Hi,

After months and months of saving I finally bought a Sony A200 which arrived last Monday. I went out on a walkabout today and when I got back noticed a spot on all my images, looking at earlier images I can see it appeared sometime earlier in the week.

I've tried cleaning the front of the lens, and using the clean function of the camera. Is it possible from looking at these marks to tell what is causing them?

I can look up other ways to clean the lens, am sure there are lots of threads, but really just looking for advice on whether this is dirt or something else, if possible.

Someone had put me off the idea of a filter as protection for the lens but going to have to get one now - am just panicking I've already buggered up my lens! :|

Test shot I just took to highlight it attached.

spot.jpg
 
Have you tried another lens to see if it's still there, looks like dust on the sensor to me but I could be wrong.
 
It's dust on your sensor. No doubt whatsoever. Now's the time to start learning about cloning them out and cleaning your sensor.
 
Unfortunately I don't have any other lenses at this point (started saving already!), so can't be sure but you both seem to agree.

Luckily at the moment none of my shots are any good so they don't need saving, but gives me a good chance to practice my PS skills.

Given that I've kept the camera in a bag when not used, and not removed the lens since I first installed it - I'm guessing a bit of dust just got in there at the start and has now moved.

Will have to read about how to clean it tomorrow - am nervous I'll destroy it!

Thanks for your advice - I *really* appreciate it. After all this time saving for the camera I was scared I'd already ruined it.
 
Looks exactly like the dust spot I had on my sensor last week. That was the first in almost a year.

Used a rocket blower then did a test shot. When I looked through the viewfinder I could see something on the focussing screen. It looked like a tiny matt black paint flake from a lens.
Another blast with the blower got rid of it.

Try a blower before you do anything else.
Blow the bayonet end of your lens too.
Try to avoid changing lenses where there is dust blowing about.
Keep your camera facing downwards when changing lenses.
 
Keeping the camera facing down when changing lenses is a good tip I didn't know. This dust must have got in when I first attached the lens after unboxing both camera and lens, so shows how careful I need to be.

Ordered a blower and so will wait for that to arrive. Thanks everyone. :)
 
You'll soon learn that the fight against dust in your sensor just isn't worth the hassle it causes, handy to have a blower but try not to get too bothered about it. Dust "will" get in no matter how careful you are.
 
All the care and minimising changing lenses won't stop it. When I've been on holiday and using my camera all day every day, I've had to clean it every evening. So, looking at my pictures at the end of the next day after starting the day with a spotless sensor, I've seen dust on them maybe a handful of shots and an hour or so in to the day. And all without a lens change.

But while we all suffer from it to some degree or other, we forget that we also suffered with it using film too. And moreso, when we had a film scratched from end to end.
 
MisterE said:
All the care and minimising changing lenses won't stop it. When I've been on holiday and using my camera all day every day, I've had to clean it every evening. So, looking at my pictures at the end of the next day after starting the day with a spotless sensor, I've seen dust on them maybe a handful of shots and an hour or so in to the day. And all without a lens change.

But while we all suffer from it to some degree or other, we forget that we also suffered with it using film too. And moreso, when we had a film scratched from end to end.
Click to expand...

That sounds like quite a lot of dust problems. I have had one dust spot on my Pentax sensor in nearly a year and the camera is used most days.
I have had my Nikon D70 since the model hit the streets and have never had dust, but I have only one lens for it and it has never been off since day one.

Your comments re film marks sure rings a bell:-
Tramlines due to grit somewhere.
Tiny hairs on negatives in the enlarger and Newtons rings.
And, of course, the incurable Kodak Blob on transparences when they come back from the lab.
I think the sensor problems are easier to deal with.
 
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