Any ideas on this - CCD dirt or faulty?

[pikey]

Was out playing with a new lens today and spotted a whopper...



which close up looks like this:



Following the instruction manual (I have a Sony a100) and there's a function to make it shake the CCD (or something clever!) to remove such things, but after following the procedure, the blot's still there.

Need I look more at the 'dirty CCD' issue or consider the possibiltiy it might be faulty?

Thanks

Ben

Edited by pikey on Thursday 16th August 20:21

[Famous Graham]

Dust, definitely.

Faults would manifest themselves in individual pixels (or group of) rather than a blur like that.

[DavidY]

Definitely dirt/dust on the CCD, auto cleaning systems are not perfect, looks like you need a sensor clean, just follow the instructions in the manual on how to lock up mirror etc

davidy

[TonyHetherington]

Have you got yourself a blower of some sort, Pikey? You open up the camera, lock up the mirror and then use a blower which is literally a puff of air to move the dust. I assume you know already, but I'll state the obvious; don't use your breath to do it because of the moisture.

[dcw@pr]

Hi Ben,

If you are up this way any time bring it in and I'll show you how to clean it

[windandwave]

Don't use an ordinary blower. Get a Giotto Rocket blower which has a little filter to keep dust out of the blower itself. Hold the camera lens mount down to ensure that gravity pulls any displaced dust out of the cavity. Full instructions on this superb little site:
http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/

(Ps - it might go without saying but don't under any circumstances use canned compressed air.)

[RobDickinson]

Pikey Shoot a blank piece of white paper/wall at F22+ and it;ll show all the dust spots up, clean, reshoot, clean...

[Famous Graham]

RobDickinson said:

Pikey Shoot a blank piece of white paper/wall at F22+ and it;ll show all the dust spots up, clean, reshoot, clean...

Whack up the contrast in PS too and it'll reveal them clearer

[pikey]

Thanks all - very helpful (as usual).

The thought of going anywhere near the CCD scares me, so I'll spend some time reading that site and the manual (thanks for the offer Dave, but I don't think I'm around your office before I go on hol).

I did the shooting at a white wall on F22 and enhancing the contrast and I found another blot. I'm amazed - I always am very protective when changing lenses and never use it in a dusty environment. Is this just one of those things that happens, have I been unlucky or have I been careless?

Thanks

Ben

[TonyHetherington]

Just one of those things that happens, matey. I am so careful about changing lenses but every now and then you do get the smallest bit of dust.

I have a rocket blower and it's perfect. Will be bringing it on the hoon with me if you want to wait until then?

[pikey]

TonyHetherington said:

Just one of those things that happens, matey. I am so careful about changing lenses but every now and then you do get the smallest bit of dust.

I have a rocket blower and it's perfect. Will be bringing it on the hoon with me if you want to wait until then?

Well it would pass some of the time whilst on the boat trip

So I take it if it happens every now and again, it's worth me getting my own specialist blower tool..?

[TonyHetherington]

For sure. And specialist blower tool is about £7 so it's very much worth it.

The "Rocket Blower" is without doubt the one to get

[pikey]

Thanks Mr. H!

[dcw@pr]

windandwave said:

(Ps - it might go without saying but don't under any circumstances use canned compressed air.)

that's a myth, i'v been using it for years and never had a problem

(actually i did once but as long as you are careful it's easily the best way of getting rid of standard strength rubbish)

[toastboy]

dcw@pr" Target="_blank">class="forumQuoter">dcw@pr said:

windandwave said:

(Ps - it might go without saying but don't under any circumstances use canned compressed air.)

that's a myth, i'v been using it for years and never had a problem

(actually i did once but as long as you are careful it's easily the best way of getting rid of standard strength rubbish)

I've used compressed air and got a 'bloom' on the CCD. I thought sod it and got a glasses cloth and gave the CCD a wipe over. I'm not recommending this approach but it seems not to have done any damage at all. The CCDs do have a protective glass cover anyway so it's only that that you're touching.

[pikey]

Right, I've got myself a rampant rocket (or whatever the hell it was), but I can't find my instruction manual to tell me how to make the mirror stay up. The screen menu system doesn't have anything obvious.

My options seem to be:

a) ask if anyone here knows (and can tell me!)
b) take a picture on bulb, then whip the battery out.
c) look harder for the instruction manual
d) hope Tony H is going to the same event I am tomorrow afternoon and he can show me

I'm hoping for (a) and (d) actually! Where my cleaner cleans things to is anyone's guess!

[alex.tvr]

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/DSLRA100.pdf

page 103

[pikey]

alex.tvr said:

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/DSLRA100.pdf

page 103

THANK YOU!! That is very helpful - I had no idea it was on line

[pikey]

Ok, I've followed the instructions to keep the mirror up and used my rampant rocket to blow away any dust, but this blob is still there. It looks a bit like a blob of dust mixed in with moisture to make it sticky.

What's the next step to remove when blowing doesn't?

[DavidY]

Wet Clean - not as scary as you might first think or something like the Artic Butterfly

I had the same issue and did a couple of wet cleans and all is fine now, however I've just ordered an Artic Butterfly 724 as many people have great success with them.

davidy