I use a high end digital compact (Pana Lumix LX1) and have used in differing conditions from India to Iceland; It is just over 1 year old. Importantly, for this post, it has a 3X zoom lens, which is not sealed.
Now I have either dust on the inside of the lens, or on the sensor. The service center say it is the lens, for the sensor is sealed; I tend to believe them.
It was proably deposited there by a combination of a high variation in humidity and the dust in India (5 weeks ago) and a lot of zooming. I have no way of cleaning it off.
The service center want £50 just to look at it and probably between £100->£200 to rectify the problem ( inc postage there and back) The camera is worth £300ish.
I am having to 'dust spot' all of the Icelandic images that were taken at F6.3 and above as it is just to prounced for even 'snap shots'. I ain't doing this for the next couple of years.
So the next compact is going to be of the fixed lense variety.
Not a happy bunny. Am attempting a clean myself as I ain't paying what could be approx half the value of a camera to have it cleaned and then it potentially happening again. ( alternatively if somebody wants it as it is for £50 email me)
So be careful where you take those compacts ... Next time I am in India I am taking a 35mm Film compact with slide in it.
Interesting how some of the latest compacts have a dust shake feature built in... I wonder if they are prone to dusk..
Posted by Ben Micklem on September 4, 2006 at 5:40 AM
Tom,
Some (probably most) prime lens equipped compacts have externally moving lenses too (e.g. Ricoh GR Digital).
The best cameras for environmental sealing are those with lenses which use a prism (like a periscope)- the lens moves (focuses and zooms) along a vertical axis, and at the top of the body is a prism which lets the lens 'see' forward.
This also has the advantage of the cameras being very flat. Examples can be found in most manufacturer's line-ups now, but I think the first was a Minolta.
The most attractive compact for survivability (which has a periscope lens) looks like the Olympus Stylus 725 SW.
Posted by Dave Courtenay on September 4, 2006 at 9:21 AM
Hi Tom
Worth knowing that even compacts are a pain in the butt with the dust problem,Why not take the DSLR was it just a weight thing,I backpacked for 6 months and took 20kg of camera and the wife became a packhorse for everything else,Im sure a DSLR with a small zoom would not take up to much room
Pack was already 22KG and Michelles was 11KG ( she is only 8 stone and 5' 1")
We where staying in a tent, walking 18km daily, with no access to electrictity for 1.5 weeks so was carrying 4 reachargeables.
I intend to go back at some stage, camping again as acc is ££££. Will bring the 6x17.. (no Batteries and much more saleable -for it concentrates my mind more than the digital approach - hence it get better results)
Well, it went under the knife (screwdriver) last night.
I will give them one thing, the camera it is incredibally well made. Alas the dirt/dust is within the prefabricated lens unit ( the sensor is very well sealed ) and there was no obvious way of stripping the lense unit/motor apart... so it would have cost over £200 to fix... just as well I didn't send it as it more cost effective (IMHO) to get a new one.
If it got in then it can get out somehow!. As everything is apart, how about blasting the lens unit with some canned air & see if you can shift it that way?
Guess this is where the much larger sensors of the DSLR's have an advantage...a bit of dust/hair covers a disproportionately larger area on the compact
Posted by szekiat chan on September 6, 2006 at 5:40 PM
ever considered using an underwater housing? I rem shooting in a desert env a few years back and we went with using nikonos instead as it at least prevented the fine sand from killing out lenses!
Discussion
9 repliesI use a high end digital compact (Pana Lumix LX1) and have used in differing conditions from India to Iceland; It is just over 1 year old. Importantly, for this post, it has a 3X zoom lens, which is not sealed.
Now I have either dust on the inside of the lens, or on the sensor. The service center say it is the lens, for the sensor is sealed; I tend to believe them.
It was proably deposited there by a combination of a high variation in humidity and the dust in India (5 weeks ago) and a lot of zooming. I have no way of cleaning it off.
The service center want £50 just to look at it and probably between £100->£200 to rectify the problem ( inc postage there and back) The camera is worth £300ish.
I am having to 'dust spot' all of the Icelandic images that were taken at F6.3 and above as it is just to prounced for even 'snap shots'. I ain't doing this for the next couple of years.
So the next compact is going to be of the fixed lense variety.
Not a happy bunny. Am attempting a clean myself as I ain't paying what could be approx half the value of a camera to have it cleaned and then it potentially happening again. ( alternatively if somebody wants it as it is for £50 email me)
So be careful where you take those compacts ... Next time I am in India I am taking a 35mm Film compact with slide in it.
Interesting how some of the latest compacts have a dust shake feature built in... I wonder if they are prone to dusk..
Some (probably most) prime lens equipped compacts have externally moving lenses too (e.g. Ricoh GR Digital).
The best cameras for environmental sealing are those with lenses which use a prism (like a periscope)- the lens moves (focuses and zooms) along a vertical axis, and at the top of the body is a prism which lets the lens 'see' forward.
This also has the advantage of the cameras being very flat. Examples can be found in most manufacturer's line-ups now, but I think the first was a Minolta.
The most attractive compact for survivability (which has a periscope lens) looks like the Olympus Stylus 725 SW.
Worth knowing that even compacts are a pain in the butt with the dust problem,Why not take the DSLR was it just a weight thing,I backpacked for 6 months and took 20kg of camera and the wife became a packhorse for everything else,Im sure a DSLR with a small zoom would not take up to much room
Pack was already 22KG and Michelles was 11KG ( she is only 8 stone and 5' 1")
We where staying in a tent, walking 18km daily, with no access to electrictity for 1.5 weeks so was carrying 4 reachargeables.
I intend to go back at some stage, camping again as acc is ££££. Will bring the 6x17.. (no Batteries and much more saleable -for it concentrates my mind more than the digital approach - hence it get better results)
T
I will give them one thing, the camera it is incredibally well made. Alas the dirt/dust is within the prefabricated lens unit ( the sensor is very well sealed ) and there was no obvious way of stripping the lense unit/motor apart... so it would have cost over £200 to fix... just as well I didn't send it as it more cost effective (IMHO) to get a new one.
Watch the dust guys...
Guess this is where the much larger sensors of the DSLR's have an advantage...a bit of dust/hair covers a disproportionately larger area on the compact