Spots in my pictures

[aldrin]

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Hi everyone I am new to here as well as the M8 family. I always love to do long exposure and seems like the noise level in M8 is not as high as I have expected. Yet I realize there are some dark spots appear on the photography given too long exposure, I haven't met such a problem back then when I was with my DSLR and I just wonder if these are just the hot pixels or dirts...

 

Have you guys also met such a problem before?

 

 

An ordinary night by Galvaniquee, on Flickr

 

Silky Night by Galvaniquee, on Flickr

[ho_co]

What aperture were you using?

 

Looks like dust to me. Smaller apertures would accentuate the effect.

 

Nice work, by the way!

 

And welcome to the forum!

[pfhrased]

definitely dust/gunk on the sensor - lightroom etc will let you remove them fairly easily, but you may want to give/get the sensor cleaned.

 

you'll only notice it at smaller apertures - but if you do a lot of long exposure landscape like that, you can expect to spend a bit of time in post!

 

EDIT: most DSLRs have a "self clean" vibration for the sensor every time it's powered off, so you're less likely to see dust spots.

[tobey bilek]

One needs to learn how to change lenses with minimal open camera time and exposure to wind to minimize time for airborne debris to enter.

 

Keep the backs of lenses clean with a blower and keep the insides of rear lens caps clean.

 

All digi cams get dirty sensors.DSLR have a mirror that stops some, but not all.

 

I blow out the inside after each outing to remove dust that will eventually migrate to the sensor. I do not open the shutter for this.

[Fran D]

Hi. I am a new Leica owner myself. I bought a new M-E and the sensor was filthy. I could have had my dealer dealer clean it, but because it was new, I decided to call Leica. They had me send the camera to them and they cleaned it at no cost to me at all. They also ran other checks on the camera to ensure it was "running well." In your case, with an M8, I assume that you bought it used. New or used, I recommend that you get the sensor cleaned.

[earleygallery]

Way back in the olden times when people took photos with film stuff, if it wasn't handled carefully and picked up dust, then similar marks would appear in the final print.

 

Times have changed of course, but the world is still full of dust. If it gets onto your sensor, it will probably show up in the images.

 

Just as we had to clean the dust of negatives in them olden times, we now have to clean the dust of our digital sensors instead.

 

Best to try just using a puffa contraption first, don't brush the sensor with a blower brush, just use the blow function. Don't use compressed air. Sometimes that isn't enough and you need to buy special sensor cleaning swabs.

 

To send a camera back to the manufacturer to clean dust off a sensor is rather like sending your car back to the manufacturer when it needs a wash.

[jaapv]

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Always check the FAQ thread at the top of the M9 subforum:

 

Question: There are spots on my images, especially at small apertures.

 

Answer:

This is sensor dirt. All digital cameras with interchangable lenses have this problem, but an M9 is particularly prone, because there is no mirror as extra barrier and the lack of an AA filter makes the dirt more visible.

 

One should prevent dust from entering the camera as much as possible. There are a number of strategies.

1. Avoid changing lenses more than necessary.

2. Change lenses in as much of a dust-free environment as possible

3. Keep the rear end of the lens as clean as possible

4. Change the lens with the camera mouth facing downwards

5. (This may be a myth) Switch off the camera before changing lenses.

 

But dust will come on the sensor anyway.

Consult the manual to find the sensor cleaning item in the menu and use a FULLY charged battery. Before opening the shutter blow out the camera (using a bulb blower, not compressed air or your mouth!) to dislodge any loose dust.

 

If the dust on the sensor is loose one can blow off the sensor using a good bulb blower, (Rocket Blower by Giotto for instance) with the camera mouth facing downwards.

 

If that does not clear the problem there are sensor brushes like the Arctic Butterfly by Visible Dust that are quite effective or the little vacuum cleaner by Green Clean. At this stage the use of a Sensor Loupe can be very helpful.

 

If spots on the sensor persist you are dealing with stuck dirt like pollen or oil spots and need to revert to wet cleaning. There are numerous threads on the subject. The Visible Dust products are highly recommended or the Green Clean wet-and-dry method.

Use a proper solvent for grease if you think you are dealing with oil etc. (Visible Dust Smear Away or Dust-Aid Sensor Clean (my preference)

 

Open the shutter for cleaning and blow it once again with a bulb blower or vacuum clean it, to remove any loose particles which might be dragged across the sensor and cause scratches.

 

Although the M9 is full frame and there are size 1 sensor swabs on the market, I prefer using the swabs for 1.3 sensors (and APS-C swabs for the M8)

Take a clean swab, put on three small drops of Sensor Cleaning Fluid and in two sweeps, top and bottow go to one side - do not over-press!!- and sweep back again, using the other side of the swab automatically.

Or, using the wet-and-dry system, swab with the wet sponge and dry with a couple of sweeps with the dry swab. Don't let the fluid spill over the edge of the sensor too much - there are electronic connections there.

 

That is all - close the shutter and test the camera by taking an unfocussed image of an evenly lit surface at the smallest aperture.

 

In the unlikely case it is needed, repeat.

 

There are other cleaning systems, like stamping the dust away, but my personal experience with those was not very good. Others, including Leica Customer Service seem to be quite happy using them, so it is clearly a matter of preference. Nevertheless with such systems wet cleaning will become unavoidable at a certain point.

There are also sensor cleaning services or Leica Customer Service, but those are expensive and will keep the camera for a while. They may also not be readily available if one is travelling. Sensor cleaning is something any owner should be able to do himself.

 

If you are fairly certain your spots are oil or grease, it may be wise to omit the step with the Arctic Butterfly, as it may become contaminated by the grease. In case that happens it can be cleaned with the special fluid provided.

[vcs700s]

The same thing happened to me when I took a pic of the sky with my new M8.

 

Sensor needed to be cleaned. I tried gently blowing away the dust to no avail. Had to use a swab and all is well now.

[250swb]

I would tend to look on the positive side of things, learn to clean your sensor so you can change lenses whenever and wherever you want to, without restrictions. Don't let something like a bit of dust spoil the possibility of a good photograph.

 

All digital cameras are prone to dust on the sensor as others have said, an old camera just because it is dust, a new camera, such as the M-E because it is bedding in and throwing off a lot of debris and grease. If you clean it yourself you are doing exactly what a camera shop or Leica would do, so you have to weigh up the time and cost of Leica or a shop doing it, or the few minutes it would take you to do it. It is easy to do with common sense, it won't damage your camera if you use common sense, and you can do it wherever and whenever you like. You can be sure it will need doing from time to time anyway, so it's better to learn how to clean your own sensor and be in control of your own photographic destiny.

 

Steve

[LotharZhou]

To be honest, doesn't matter how careful you handle the camera, M8 and M9s are prone to dust, no way to avoid this, I have just received my M9P from a full service from Solms, the sensor is even more dirty than before. Suprise? No.

[Fran D]

To send a camera back to the manufacturer to clean dust off a sensor is rather like sending your car back to the manufacturer when it needs a wash.

 

Well, what I should have said is that I did it one time only because the M-E was new and I chatted with Leica about it. I have no idea how the M-E was handled in the store. Leica cleaned it and also ran tests on the camera. They paid for two-way shipping. I had it back in less than a week. And yes, I know how to clean a sensor, having had DSLRs and doing my own blowing and when needed, swabbing.

 

I realize that my original post sounded like an ignorant newbie.

[NJH]

My M8 was filthy when I bought it a couple of months back, early outdoor shots showed countless spots. When I took a shot at F16 of a wall in my house I had to give up counting the spots. I got rid of all but a few tiny little spots using an Arctic Butterfly 724 by Visible Dust. Took me about 4 goes though to get it all. I have their wet cleaning swabs as well but just haven't used them as the handful of tiny feint spots left over I can live with.

 

As a previous poster said religiously blowing everything down with a rocket blower after each day of use seems to have saved me thus far from getting any more visible dust onto the sensor.

[jaapv]

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/21331-anatomy-leica-m8.html

 

 

And the vacuum cleaner is made by Green Clean.

[aldrin]

Thanks everyone for the prompt reply! I will look into the sensor again to see if it works now.

Yet after seeing some long exposure photo from today, the dots seem to disappear, not sure how it happens....

 

Plane in the sky by Galvaniquee, on Flickr

 

L1000365 by Galvaniquee, on Flickr

 

L1000357_1 by Galvaniquee, on Flickr

 

Not too many stars at night here due to the light pollution :S

Thanks again!

[pop]

"Plane in the sky" does have spots, but they are harder to see on the darker background. The other two are so dark that seeing dark spots would become something of a challenge.

 

The spots become less prominent when the aperture is more open.