D600 Dust-Spot Drama: Low Tech Sensor Cleaning

And so the Nikon D600 dust spot drama continues....

Last weekend, I had to take photos at f/32.  As a result, spots that normally don't show up in my shots did show up.  However, I was able to clean them using a very low tech way.  Before I talk about the method, here are the results (click to get a high-res version):

BEFORE CLEANING
See the hair-like strand on the top left corner and the new speck in the middle of the upper left quadrant:

AFTER LOW-TECH CLEANING:

Note: both shots have had clarity boosted to 100% and other Lightroom adjustments to make the spots easier to see.

NOTE: Please ignore the EXIF.  I was using a totally manual lens which had a maximum aperture of f/5.6 so that's what the manual lens database stamped on the EXIF.  I was actually at f/32 for both shots.

Hit the jump to see what method I used :)

Sensor Cleaning with Sensor Swab, LensPen, and Blower

Hi everyone.  Sorry for the infrequent posting (our daughter has fever).

Anyway, I cleaned my camera's sensor for the first time with more than just a blower.  I resorted to a Sensor Swab with Eclipse fluid, a LensPen Sensor Klear and a blower.

I got the Sensor Swab and Eclipse fluid because it was recommended by the store where I bought my Nikon D600 (Bel-Air Camera).  Their service department uses blowers and this combination.  As for the Sensor Klear kit, I got it because I wanted a lighted loupe, and it came with a blower.  As for the LensPen SensorKlear itself, I thought it would be good to try because I find the LensPen effective for cleaning my lenses.

Here are the results.

Update on Nikon D600 Sensor Oil/Dust Spots Issue

One of the few issues about the Nikon D600 is its propensity to get dust on its sensor.  It has been documented by Roger Cicala of LensRentals here.  In addition, some say the sensor gets oil (not just dust) on its sensor.  Roger did not notice any oil on the 20 units of the D600 that he examined, and I personally have not observed it.

Anyhow at around 2000 shots I noticed that there were spots on my shots, even at a not-so-narrow aperture of f/8.  I blogged about that here.  I thought the spots were oil based on the characteristics I observed but it turned out that the spots were only dust.

That was about a month ago.  I'm now at around 4500 shots, and although I haven't seen dust on my shots, I decided to reexamine the sensor.  Here's what I found.