dust problems

disclaimer #1: My technical knowledge of photography and equipment is on a cro-magnon level. You may have to dumb it down a bit for me.
disclaimer #2: I searched, but if this has been covered please link it and I will delete this thread.


I'm having dust problems and I can't find the source. I'm using a Nikon D70S with a 50mm 1:1.8 D lens. I've cleaned the sensor and all other surfaces I can get to. I believe the dust is inside my lens somewhere, as I never had this problem with a telephoto lens that has since been broken. But when I take the lens off and manually open the aperture I can't see any dust particles. So that makes me think it might not be inside the lens. In my images, the same spots show up in the same place all the time and they are accumulating over time.

Is there somewhere else in the body of the camera I should be looking? I've cleaned the sensor (that's the mirror, right?) and the "lens" that's directly above it inside the body.

Am I likely to cause damage if I take the lens apart myself and try to clean the inner surfaces?




Here's an example.

http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/...ps021f85dd.jpg

Please take pity on this newb as I do take lots of pictures and this dust is a real pain in my ass.

No, the sensor is behind the mirror. You can lift it up with your finger. Some cameras have a cleaning setting that will lock the mirror up so you don't have to hold it. The mirror reflects the image into your viewfinder and when you click the shutter button it lifts up to expose the sensor behind it to the light you were just seeing.

Don't clean the sensor without the proper tool.

Oh holy shit. I just found it and there's dust all over it. I have a sensor cleaning kit. Gonna use it right now. Thanks!

Try blowing air in it a little to get the harsh crap off first. Hold it upside down so it gets dislodged and falls out of the camera.

Nope - the mirror is just a mirror to let you see through the lens - the "Single Lens Reflex" part of the camera. There is probably a "Mirror lock" or "Sensor Clean" feature in the menu where it will flip up the mirror when the lens is off so you can clean the sensor behind the mirror.

If the spot is still there with a different lens then you know your answer. The detail in the dust particle suggests it's on the sensor, not the lens. It would be a more amorphous blob otherwise.

Well that didn't work. Same spots are still there.

This is what I just cleaned off. This little mirror and one above it. If it makes you cringe to see my fingers in there, call me out.

http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/...ps57f70c34.jpg

So is the sensor behind this? How do I open it?

http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/...pscc17cf40.jpg

I do not have another lens to cross reference.

My mirror lock function doesn't seem to do anything.

Whew. I got it.

The mirror lock up instructed me to press the shutter release but I was only pressing it half way and nothing was happening. When I pressed it all the way the shutter curtain opened and revealed the sensor. I cleaned it and the spots are gone.

I feel so much better now. Thanks a lot guys.

Hope you weren't holding that mirror up w/your thumb...

Well it was my finger, but...

Yeah, I kinda thought that might be bad. Camera was off at the time. Everything seems to be working fine.