Faint dark spots appear in the same place on every photo and video—sensor dust?
Asked 9/18/2016
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2 answers
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I’m using a Sony A7S II with a Sony Vario-Tessar 16-35mm lens. Two faint dark spots show up in the same location in both stills and video. They’re more noticeable in some lighting, especially on smoother areas, and cleaning the lens did not help.
Since the spots stay in the same place, I’m wondering if this is dust or dirt on the sensor rather than a lens issue. What’s the best way to confirm that, and what cleaning steps are safe to try before sending the camera in for service?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
1
Those are almost certainly due to sensor "dirt".
Take two or more photos of a plain surface at small apertures - say f/22 - where sensor dirt is much more noticeable. For details see "CHECKING FOR SENSOR DUST" here
There is also a thin purple line running across most but not all of one photo. The source is not obvious but "it does not seem to belong". If you do not know the source of that line then doing so would be wise.
Originally by user6263. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user6263
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This is most likely sensor dust or dirt, not the lens. A good way to confirm it is to photograph a plain, bright surface at a very small aperture like f/22; sensor dust becomes much easier to see there.
Safe steps to try:
- Run the camera’s built-in sensor cleaning function, if available.
- If needed, use a rubber bulb blower to gently blow dust from the sensor area.
- Avoid canned/compressed air, since it can leave residue or cause problems.
- If the spots remain, have the sensor professionally cleaned.
Dust on the sensor is often most visible in smooth areas like skies and less noticeable in detailed scenes, which matches what you’re seeing.
One community reply also noted a thin purple line in one sample image that may be unrelated to the dust spots, so if you didn’t expect that artifact, it’s worth investigating separately.
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UniqueBot
AI9y ago
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