Camera Advise

[Mictheslik]

The 400D (XTi) dust cleaner is very effective...I was at Manchester snapping some planes and I noticed a black spot on all my pics....one automatic sensor clean and it was gone

.mic

[F3Hadlow]

imagine, holding your D-SLR high up, to get rid of unwanted heads of taller people in front of your view..........great idea !

Good luck trying to take a decent action shot like that.

[Aerophile]

On the topic of camera advice, I have a decent Conon Rebel GII 35mm SLR that I would like to get cleaned due to spots showing up in pictures.  I've tried cleaning the lenses but that does not seam to work.  Unfortunately there is not a camera shop in town that will clean a 35mm.  Does anyone recommend any good do-it-yourself websites?

[Mictheslik]

For lenses I find the best place to ask is at your local camera shop...most places are small stores that are single businesses....well they are here anyway (with the exceptions of Jessops, Calumet etc)

My localish stores are quite happy to give advise on what lens to buy for your purposes and budget...just ask

Also ask around on SimV...there are a few very good photographers [cough]Heathaze[/cough] that will be happy I'm sure to give you advise

.mic

[Tweek]

I've tried cleaning the lenses but that does not seam to work.

Well that'll be where you're going wrong then! It's the sensor that's dusty, as opposed to the lens. It's basically dust that's been trapped in the body when a lens has switched with another.

You could try looking here for some ideas: http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/methods.html

[Hagar]

I've tried cleaning the lenses but that does not seam to work.

Well that'll be where you're going wrong then! It's the sensor that's dusty, as opposed to the lens. It's basically dust that's been trapped in the body when a lens has switched with another.

You could try looking here for some ideas: http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/methods.html

It's a conventional SLR he's talking about. They don't have sensors. From what I can make out the dust is most likely on or inside the lens. If it's inside then don't attempt to clean it yourself.

[Tweek]

I've tried cleaning the lenses but that does not seam to work.

Well that'll be where you're going wrong then! It's the sensor that's dusty, as opposed to the lens. It's basically dust that's been trapped in the body when a lens has switched with another.

You could try looking here for some ideas: http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/methods.html

It's a conventional SLR he's talking about. They don't have sensors. From what I can make out the dust is most likely on or inside the lens. If it's inside then don't attempt to clean it yourself.

Ah, sorry! Misread.

Still, the link's there for anyone that's interested in cleaning their DSLR!

[Aerophile]

I've switched lenses and still get the same spots.  It's gotta be somewhere in the camera.  I've also tried cleaning the mirror thats in there as well, but no joy.

[Hagar]

[quote]I've switched lenses and still get the same spots.

[Rifleman]

imagine, holding your D-SLR high up, to get rid of unwanted heads of taller people in front of your view..........great idea !

Good luck trying to take a decent action shot like that.

I wasn't implying that you shoot action shots in that mode at all, but it may come in handy when you're not the tallest of the bunch or in the front row when you want to capture something from a crowd..........the Live-View feature may not have a value to everyone who owns a camera, but for added diversity, it can come in very handy......... 8-)

[Rifleman]

[quote][quote]As far as dust control, I have changed lenses many times over, by crouching down beside the runway, on the grass, and often put one lens down while switching the mount-cap between the lens from the bag and the one from the body.
I haven't had anything resembling dust on any image so far.....none which I have seen, and nobody here has mentioned any to me.

[Hagar]

[quote][quote][quote]As far as dust control, I have changed lenses many times over, by crouching down beside the runway, on the grass, and often put one lens down while switching the mount-cap between the lens from the bag and the one from the body.
I haven't had anything resembling dust on any image so far.....none which I have seen, and nobody here has mentioned any to me.

[61_OTU]

What I meant was that I have no experience with conventional SLR cameras or what's involved with cleaning them. The dust problem only seems to have raised its head with digital SLRs. The sensor acts like a magnet for any dust in the vicinity.

The real issue with a DSLR and dust versus a conventional SLR is that the 'sensor' on a conventional SLR is the 35mm film. With every shot the 'sensor' is cleaned when you wind on the film, hence most problems are therefore going to be lens related or on individual shots. A lens is much easier to clean than a sensitive DSLR sensor.

On a DSLR the sensor just sits there, a stationary component collecting anything which enters the body. This is where the sensor cleaning vibration principle comes in......

My wife has a Canon AE-1 Program, with a 50mm and 200mm prime lens. It still produces some of the most amazing shots

[Omag 2.0]

Hmm... nobody mentioned the Sony Alpha yet... My father bought one a while back, and I'm going to try talking him into lending it to me for the upcomming Schaffen old-timer fly-in this summer. It should go well with his 300 mm lense...

Somehow everybody seems to hold on to Canon and Nikon. They are renowned for their products, but others do progress to don't they? I'll have to investigate when I look into buying one of those dSLR's for my own...  

[F3Hadlow]

Everyone holds onto Canon and Nikon because they are the proven bands in the DSLR field, others, Olympus,Sony etc are newcomers so, naturally, people are always likely to stick to names that are known to be effective.