Nikon D50 cleaning tips...

[DaveLC2]

I have taken about 20,000 shots since last June and change my lens out multiple times a day when I use it. I finally bought a cleaning kit the other day and when I was doing some clean up I seemed to have blown some dust on to the sensor. I ended up with little black spots on my pictures that I never even had to begin with I was able to get the dots clear for the most part but I noticed my shots are noiser than normal at 400 ISO. Shooting at 200 ISO is noise free. This kind of concerns me as I usually don't see ANY noise until at least 800 ISO. I am kind of bummed as I just got Polarizers and UV filters for both of my lens' too. I really don't want to mess up my camera 1 month before we're off to New Zealand. So I hear I am not supposed to use compressed air. This is because if you turn the can a certain way some liquid can squirt out correct? Thanks in advance.

Dave

[Speed]

You are correct - do NOT use canned air on your sensor. My first recommendation would be to use an air blower/rocket blower.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

If that fails to get the job done, there are cleaners specifically for removing dust from the image sensor. I've seen them advertised in Outdoor Photographer and other photo magazines. I've never used anything but a blower on my D200, but I know it's just a matter of time...

[another view]

Dishwasher safe, top rack only.

No...

I'm at 3+ years with only using a Giottos blower, but I don't shoot professionally, work in dirty environments (sometimes) or shoot 50k a year. Generally it's best to do as little cleaning as you can - dust can be spotted out of images quickly with Photoshop. I'd rather spend a few moments doing this than try to get the camera perfect, only to get dust on the sensor again with the next lens change.

You're right about the compressed air, don't use it on a camera.

[another view]

I am kind of bummed as I just got Polarizers and UV filters for both of my lens' too.

Did you see the effects only after using the filters? If so, try a few shots without any filter to see if it's a sensor or filter problem. Take a shot of something with a lot of detail, both with and without the filters, and compare them. It's best to use only one filter at a time - if you're using the polarizer, take off the UV.

[DaveLC2]

Did you see the effects only after using the filters? If so, try a few shots without any filter to see if it's a sensor or filter problem. Take a shot of something with a lot of detail, both with and without the filters, and compare them. It's best to use only one filter at a time - if you're using the polarizer, take off the UV.

I only noticed this after the filters because I also got the cleaning kit and attemped to clean her up. There was one little spec that has dulled but is still visible. This kind of reminds me of a floater in your eye. It's VERY annoying and is driving me crazy. The noise at ISO 400 concerns me.

Dave