Posted by Ed Cordes on September 13, 2007 at 1:56 PM
OK, many of you might have figured this out, but it was a new idea for me. Have you ever sat down to clean your sensor to find it was too dark out or just not a good enough sky to take images testing for sensor dust? In the past I have tried to photograph the walls in my house, but the texture of the paint makes it difficult to see subtle dust. So, I opened PhotoShop on my lap top and set the camera for f22 and closest focus. I then photographed the grey screen where the image would be if you were editing it. This artificial grey sky worked well. I like it as I can do this in any weather and at any time of the day.
Give it a try and let us all know if it works for you as well.
Posted by Mark Hudon on September 13, 2007 at 3:49 PM
Good trick, I'm always searching for something flat and consistent color when I'm cleaning my sensor.
Posted by Dan Borzynski on September 13, 2007 at 10:11 PM
I've just overexposed a white surface, using f32 on my macro. Everything shows up. Walls, lightboxes, paper, milk all work well.
Posted by Mike Johnson on September 14, 2007 at 7:55 AM
There is a much easier way using the sensor loupe from visibledust.com.
No images to make speeds up the process whether you use a wet or dry method.
Mike
Posted by Justin Wambold on September 14, 2007 at 9:08 PM
I too just underexpose a white wall. I usually stop all the way down then take a photo around the 1-2 second range depending on the light in the room. During the exposure I move the camera around slightly. This ensures that nothing in the frame is in focus leaving only a consistant tone free from distractions to view the dust spots. Without shaking the camera around I find that there are sometimes textures or spots on the wall that can make it difficult to see all the dust.
Discussion
4 repliesGive it a try and let us all know if it works for you as well.
No images to make speeds up the process whether you use a wet or dry method.
Mike