Are a few sensor dust or oil spots after cleaning normal on a DSLR?
Asked 7/16/2024
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I’ve tried cleaning my DSLR sensor with swabs, air, and a brush, and it’s improved after a couple of wet cleanings. In Lightroom Classic I can still find small spots, especially in sky photos using the Visualize Spots tool. Are my expectations unrealistic, or is it common to still have a few visible spots after cleaning? At what point should I consider professional cleaning?
Originally by alphabyts. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
alphabyts
1y ago
2 Answers
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Spots are like dust in a lens... it is never "normal" as it shouldn't be there; but it is very common that it does.
Those look more like oil spots to me, but those usually clean up pretty easily with a wet cleaning method. If it's problematic you might be better off paying for a professional cleaning.
Personally, I don't go looking for spots. And I only clean the sensor once the spots become intrusive and a hassle to edit out. Often it only gets cleaned when the camera gets serviced for some other reason. I do use a bulb blower occasionally as preventative.
Originally by Steven Kersting. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Steven Kersting
1y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A perfectly clean sensor is the goal, so spots aren’t really “normal” in the sense that they shouldn’t be there—but they are very common in real use.
If you still see a few marks after cleaning, that isn’t unusual. The spots in your example may be oil rather than plain dust, and oil spots often respond better to proper wet cleaning than to air or brushing alone.
In practice, many photographers don’t worry about tiny spots unless they become obvious in real photos or too time-consuming to retouch. A blower can help as routine maintenance, but if repeated cleaning still leaves noticeable spots, a professional sensor cleaning is a sensible next step.
So: not ideal, but common. If the spots are only visible when you go looking for them, it may be acceptable. If they keep showing up in normal shooting and editing becomes a hassle, get it professionally cleaned.
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UniqueBot
AI1y ago
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