[ClinchShots]

removed.

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Last edited by ClinchShots; 01-29-2014 at 09:12 PM.

[Billy Joe]

Take a photo of a white piece of paper at F18... fill the screen with the white paper and you will see everywhere you have dust spots

[stevebrot]

Take a photo of a white piece of paper at F18... fill the screen with the white paper and you will see everywhere you have dust spots

Then use a bulb-type blower ("Rocket Blower") to clear the specs off the sensor. The manual has instructions on how to raise the mirror.


Steve

[ClinchShots]

sorry for my shadow for being in the photo



is that my camera or stuff on the paper?

[ClinchShots]

I raised the mirror and touched the glass with a microfiber cloth but I don't feel like I should do that too much

[stevebrot]

I raised the mirror and touched the glass with a microfiber cloth but I don't feel like I should do that too much

Ummm, no, you should not do that at all. The "glass" inside the camera that you see when the mirror is up is your digital sensor and it is very fragile. Do not touch! Use only a bulb blower or a wet cleaning kit specifically designed for the task.

Do you have a copy of the K-50 manual? If not, you can download a copy from the Ricoh Imaging Web site:

Downloads & Literature - RICOH Imaging (scroll down to the link for manuals)

If you want to clean the ocular (eyepiece), use lens cleaner and a Q-tip (cotton bud) to gently remove accumulated gunge.

If you want to clean the focus screen (the piece of glass inside the camera that you can see when the mirror is down), use a bulb blower. Do not touch the surface of the focus screen. Do not use canned or compressed air. The screen is very fragile and easily scratched. Once scratched, it cannot be repaired.

For what its worth, almost all used cameras have some dust specs on the focus screen that are visible as black specs or small fibers. It is almost impossible to blow them completely clean.


Steve

[altopiet]

I raised the mirror and touched the glass with a microfiber cloth but I don't feel like I should do that too much

You probably dumped more dust onto the sensor than there originally was. Relax and just google about the subject a bit, there are also a few youtube videos showing you how to do wet cleans etc. Unfortunately this is part of life with a DSLR, if you change lenses you'll get dust in the camera at some stage, if you are careful about how and where you do it, you can minimize the problem.

[ClinchShots]

well I checked my sensor again and it looks fine I moved it around a bit to see if there is any scratches or specs and I see nothing

camera is pretty much clean now except for when I use the viewfinder

pictures are sharp and look good to the eye

[stevebrot]

are also a few youtube videos showing you how to do wet cleans etc. Unfortunately this is part of life with a DSLR

Yes, that it is a part off life...No, that wet cleaning is part of routine maintenance. I have had my K10D since Spring of 2007 (yes, almost seven years) and it has never required a wet cleaning despite very frequent lens changes and plenty of exposure to dust that has found its way to the sensor. Blower cleaning has always been adequate and successful. Make the bulb blower your first line of action and when that fails (say due to non-dust debris such as snot, cooking grease, or dried sea water) then do the wet cleaning.


Steve

[altopiet]

except for when I use the viewfinder

If it is very bad, I would send it for a pro clean because the focusing screen is very sensitive and it's easy to botch a cleaning job on it if don't know how, again there are tutorials about cleaning it all over the web. If it's not bad, learn to live with it, it's like the bugs on your vehicles windscreen, you don't focus on them when driving do you?

[stevebrot]

Oh...and one other thing. Dust spots on your images can often be easily removed in post-processing if your software supports that feature. I have been amazed at how effective Adobe Lightroom is for this task.


Steve

[dansamy]

well I checked my sensor again and it looks fine I moved it around a bit to see if there is any scratches or specs and I see nothing

Please don't do that to your sensor. You could end up injuring it in an irreparable manner. Then, you have a very expensive paperweight. Being a major component, sensor replacement would be prohibitively expensive.

[altopiet]

No, that wet cleaning is part of routine maintenance

Did I say that....? I'm sure everyones situation and circumstances will differ....I live in a dry dusty climate, and between my two cameras find a need to do it at least once a year....with time you learn to be careful and change lenses in as clean an envirnment as possible, but sometimes you don't have a choice. Some people get so paranoid about a bit of dust and cleaning it, that they don't want to change lenses anymore...when you get to that stage, you might just as well sell your DSLR....

[altopiet]

If you do change lenses, also try to do it in as dry a spot as possible, if the air is humid and some dust get onto the sensor one way or another, it'll not be as easy to remove with a blower, and tend to stick to the sensor and eventually you'd need to do a wet clean. I've discovered over time that most of the dust that I get on the sensor, actually comes from the back of the lens, so make sure there is no dust on the lens, before mounting it, as it will drop onto the sensor...

[altopiet]

Dust spots on your images can often be easily removed in post-processing

I agree, for most of us doing it as a hobby, showing it around to friends etc, it wouldn't even matter, except if it's a very large and obvious spot...but it still should not make one afraid to clean a sensor, as long as you do it with caution...