# 6D sensor dust in one month?



## MartynV (Oct 14, 2013)

Hi,

I would be grateful for some advice regarding sensor dust on my new 6D. The 6D was purchased five weeks ago and I have only put on a 35mm f/2 IS USM lens (no lens changes since). The camera was used on holiday for a mixture of photos and video. However, I was somewhat disappointed to find that the videos taken on holiday are showing two very noticeable dust spots dead centre of the frame. Photos taken today of the grey sky at f/8 and above show 4 spots. 

I understand that dust is a fact of life with photography (and have suffered this problem with a G9) but should I expect this problem 'out of the box' and when then camera has been kept in a top loading case?

I have experience of using the Sensor Swab / Eclipse method when I owned a 30D. Since the 30D my 40D and then 650D haven't needed any sensor cleaning. Is the 6D more susceptible to sensor dust or is the dust shaker less effective than APS-C cameras? I am an amateur and am beginning to feel the 6D is perhaps overkill for me for the time being. 

My options are either to return the camera to Canon for a free clean under warranty (10 working day turnaround), try cleaning it myself or accept that my 6D may just be a dirty camera.

Many thanks,


Martyn


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## Lichtgestalt (Oct 14, 2013)

4 spot... wow.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=17210.msg318871#msg318871


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## BruinBear (Oct 15, 2013)

Dust happens.

Just get a rocket blower, set the camera in cleaning mode (raise the mirror box), and try to blow the dust off yourself. Should solve 99% of dust issues.


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## MartynV (Oct 15, 2013)

BruinBear said:


> Dust happens.
> 
> Just get a rocket blower, set the camera in cleaning mode (raise the mirror box), and try to blow the dust off yourself. Should solve 99% of dust issues.



Hi,

Would a rocket blower send dust into the focusing screen and pentaprism? I'd had to see yet more black specs in the focusing screen.

Thanks,

Martyn


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 15, 2013)

A rocket blower or arctic butterfly should be in your standard kit. You should not get dust in the focus screen, the mirror will be up covering it, so you'd have to be doing a lot of heavy duty blowing.

If blowing the dust doesn't work, have it cleaned. Be aware that 4 spots is not much and it might come back with more than that.


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## CharlieB (Oct 15, 2013)

love my rocket blower... have only had to use it a few times, but when you do... its a LIFEsaver for your photos


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## Marsu42 (Oct 15, 2013)

BruinBear said:


> Just get a rocket blower, set the camera in cleaning mode (raise the mirror box), and try to blow the dust off yourself. Should solve 99% of dust issues.



No way - a rocket blower alone won't be sufficient on the long run if you change lenses a lot, it tends to move dust  rather than remove it. After a lot of research around CR this is imho the best way to clean your sensor, you can leave out the butterfly if you want to save some $$$:

DSLR Sensor Cleaning (The LensRentals.com Method)


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## bholliman (Oct 16, 2013)

Marsu42 said:


> No way - a rocket blower alone won't be sufficient on the long run if you change lenses a lot, it tends to move dust  rather than remove it. After a lot of research around CR this is imho the best way to clean your sensor, you can leave out the butterfly if you want to save some $$$:


This is a great link, thanks for posting it.


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## mackguyver (Oct 16, 2013)

I feel your pain. I spent over 3 hours retouching sensor dust artifacts out of macro photos for an upcoming book and ALL of them were from my 5DII. My 5DIII seems to be 100% better and I change lenses a lot outdoors, so I'm surprised to hear that your 6D is having trouble.


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## duydaniel (Oct 16, 2013)

When you do a wet clean, I found a secret is to make sure your camera facing up on a perfect balance.
It will help the wipe so much more. If you watch video how Canon assembles cameras, they did a single manual sensor wipe before they close the cap on. So expect imperfection though the whole process is very complicated.


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## Marsu42 (Oct 16, 2013)

mackguyver said:


> I feel your pain. I spent over 3 hours retouching sensor dust artifacts out of macro photos for an upcoming book and ALL of them were from my 5DII. My 5DIII seems to be 100% better and I change lenses a lot outdoors, so I'm surprised to hear that your 6D is having trouble.



I don't get this - why would there be any reason at all for the 5d3 being better at resisting sensor dust than 5d2 (or 6d)? Btw my 6d also already collected dust, but only the small stuff visible at f11+ ... I really hope this is not a systematic problem.


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## J.R. (Oct 16, 2013)

Marsu42 said:


> mackguyver said:
> 
> 
> > I feel your pain. I spent over 3 hours retouching sensor dust artifacts out of macro photos for an upcoming book and ALL of them were from my 5DII. My 5DIII seems to be 100% better and I change lenses a lot outdoors, so I'm surprised to hear that your 6D is having trouble.
> ...



My 6D is dusty too while my 5D3 is clean. To think of it, I bought the 6D only because I didn't like to change lenses and avoid dust on the sensor :'(


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## duydaniel (Oct 16, 2013)

the 5D3 has an improved auto sensor cleaning over the 5D2 while the 1Dx uses a different technology 



Marsu42 said:


> mackguyver said:
> 
> 
> > I feel your pain. I spent over 3 hours retouching sensor dust artifacts out of macro photos for an upcoming book and ALL of them were from my 5DII. My 5DIII seems to be 100% better and I change lenses a lot outdoors, so I'm surprised to hear that your 6D is having trouble.
> ...


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## Marsu42 (Oct 16, 2013)

Btw: Does it make a difference to set dust auto-cleaning to on, i.e. cleaning on every shutdown or is this about the same effect as manually activating the sensor shake now and again?


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## J.R. (Oct 16, 2013)

duydaniel said:


> the 5D3 has an improved auto sensor cleaning over the 5D2 while the 1Dx uses a different technology



Where did you get this info from? Anything on the 6D?


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## J.R. (Oct 16, 2013)

Marsu42 said:


> Btw: Does it make a difference to set dust auto-cleaning to on, i.e. cleaning on every shutdown or is this about the same effect as manually activating the sensor shake now and again?



In my limited experience ... No difference. The only thing that makes a difference is a manual clean mode with the rocketblower


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## mackguyver (Oct 16, 2013)

From Canon's website - they look & sound pretty similar to me - not sure what the difference could be - the only difference I've heard other than the MP count is the moire is less on the 5DIII video - maybe the low-pass filter differences are why one collect more dust than the other, but who knows?:

*5DIII*
"The Self Cleaning Sensor Unit featured in the EOS 5D Mark II has been optimized for the new EOS 5D Mark III to deliver even greater dust removal for clearer images. To prevent dust accumulation, the system removes particles adhered to the surface of the infrared absorbing/ultraviolet-blocking glass in a frontward direction by vibrating the glass with ultrasound. The particles are then absorbed by an adsorbent at the bottom of the unit; the unit itself is completely sealed for protection against external contaminants, and its front face of the low-pass filter 1 is treated with an anti-dust fluorine coating making it easier to remove damp or sticky dust particles."






*6D*
"The Integrated Cleaning System featured in the EOS 6D delivers great dust removal for clearer images. To prevent dust accumulation, the system removes particles on the surface of the glass filter by vibrating the glass ultrasonically. The particles are then absorbed by an adsorbent at the bottom of the unit; the unit itself is completely sealed for protection against external contaminants, and the front face of the low-pass glass filter is treated with an anti-dust fluorine coating, making it easier to remove damp or sticky dust particles."


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## MartynV (Oct 16, 2013)

mackguyver said:


> From Canon's website - they look & sound pretty similar to me - not sure what the difference could be - the only difference I've heard other than the MP count is the moire is less on the 5DIII video - maybe the low-pass filter differences are why one collect more dust than the other, but who knows?:
> 
> *5DIII*
> "The Self Cleaning Sensor Unit featured in the EOS 5D Mark II has been optimized for the new EOS 5D Mark III to deliver even greater dust removal for clearer images. To prevent dust accumulation, the system removes particles adhered to the surface of the infrared absorbing/ultraviolet-blocking glass in a frontward direction by vibrating the glass with ultrasound. The particles are then absorbed by an adsorbent at the bottom of the unit; the unit itself is completely sealed for protection against external contaminants, and its front face of the low-pass filter 1 is treated with an anti-dust fluorine coating making it easier to remove damp or sticky dust particles."
> ...



Thanks, does Canon use a more powerful mechanism for vibrating the sensor than for its crop bodies?


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## MartynV (Oct 16, 2013)

Marsu42 said:


> BruinBear said:
> 
> 
> > Just get a rocket blower, set the camera in cleaning mode (raise the mirror box), and try to blow the dust off yourself. Should solve 99% of dust issues.
> ...



Thanks for the link. Looks like I need to buy a lot of gear to clean the sensor. I'm not sure whether to get the camera professionally cleaned or buy the brush. Where did Visible Dust get the name 'Arctic Butterfly'?


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## MartynV (Oct 16, 2013)

mackguyver said:


> I feel your pain. I spent over 3 hours retouching sensor dust artifacts out of macro photos for an upcoming book and ALL of them were from my 5DII. My 5DIII seems to be 100% better and I change lenses a lot outdoors, so I'm surprised to hear that your 6D is having trouble.



Thanks for the reply. Perhaps the 5D III is using a more sophisticated sensor cleaning unit or simply that the 6D inherited the 5D II's. I think I'm right to feel disappointed by the amount of dust and requirement to spend money on cleaning products. I particularly like macro photography and look forward to buying your book.


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## MartynV (Oct 16, 2013)

Marsu42 said:


> mackguyver said:
> 
> 
> > I feel your pain. I spent over 3 hours retouching sensor dust artifacts out of macro photos for an upcoming book and ALL of them were from my 5DII. My 5DIII seems to be 100% better and I change lenses a lot outdoors, so I'm surprised to hear that your 6D is having trouble.
> ...



Hi Marsu42,

How old is your 6D? Did it have sensor dust courtesy of Canon? I wouldn't be surprised if the 6D is using 'hand me downs' from the 5D II.

Martyn


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## bholliman (Oct 17, 2013)

MartynV said:


> Thanks for the reply. Perhaps the 5D III is using a more sophisticated sensor cleaning unit or simply that the 6D inherited the 5D II's. I think I'm right to feel disappointed by the amount of dust and requirement to spend money on cleaning products. I particularly like macro photography and look forward to buying your book.



I've owned my 6D for over nine months and change lenses quite a bit. I've not experienced any significant sensor dust issues. I check the sensor periodically with a loupe and clean with air occasionally. I have not had to resort to brushes or other cleaning beyond air. Maybe I've just been lucky?


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## mackguyver (Oct 17, 2013)

MartynV said:


> Thanks, does Canon use a more powerful mechanism for vibrating the sensor than for its crop bodies?


I have no idea, but I never had any dust issues on my 450D, 550D, 60D, or 7D (yes, I was a serial upgrader!). I have yet to clean my 5DIII after a year or so of ownership and have no dust issues at all. Really. 

Also, thank you for your comment on my book. I'm waiting on some botanists who are helping me with the identification of some of the flowers but hope to have it out in the next couple of weeks.


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## Marsu42 (Oct 17, 2013)

MartynV said:


> Perhaps the 5D III is using a more sophisticated sensor cleaning unit or simply that the 6D inherited the 5D II's.



I don't know about 5d2 or 5d3, but the 6d sensor cleaning is different from my 60d - the 60d is a "one phase system" (shake, open curtain, done) while the 6d does it twice, probably with different intensity(?).



MartynV said:


> How old is your 6D? Did it have sensor dust courtesy of Canon?



It's only a month old, and the dust wasn't there from the start - but I'm not surprised since I'm changing lenses outdoors a lot and have to admit I'm also not very careful avoiding dust while doing so - that's because I by now know that cleaning a sensor isn't a big issue if you don't want to shoot @f32.


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