Dust Inside Lens

Martin Trotter · September 2nd, 2009, 02:46 AM

Hi all,

I have a bit of dust which appears as a smudge almost on the centre of a lot of my shots, and has been spoiling my work recently. I usually get away with it, but when it comes to shots into the sky, or with a lot of blue sky in the shot, it really shows up.
Is this something that can be easily sorted? I don't know how it managed to get there if the whole lens is sealed.

Thanks

Martin Trotter · September 2nd, 2009, 02:50 AM

if you know a decent cheap place in the UK / Scotland where I could send it to, that would be great.

thanks

Marcel D. Van Someren · September 2nd, 2009, 07:39 AM

One of the posters on this forum, Bo Sundvall, posted instructions on how to get into the optics:

Opening the lens house on a Canon XH-A1

Martin Trotter · September 2nd, 2009, 09:42 AM

don't know if I'm brave enough to take that on! One guy I spoke to thinks it could be sut on the sensor. I had a closer look at the lens, and thought I could se soemthing before. Not so sure now.

Is there a way to clean the inside of the eyecup/viewfinder? That's needing a good clearout too.

Might just be best to get both done at once.

thanks for the advice

Pavel Tomanec · September 12th, 2009, 04:09 AM

Hi,

If you decide to send it to someone make sure you send your camera to a good standing company or alternatively to UK Canon in Elstree, they are quite reliable and take care of your gear. I am sure they will clean it for you with warranty etc. for a reasonable price.

Jonathan Shaw · September 13th, 2009, 04:05 PM

If your not 100% confident I would send it back to Canon, if you can't see the dust it could be a few things and at least they will be able to solve it without you causing more problems.

Tom Hardwick · September 17th, 2009, 03:45 AM

Martin - you can check to see if it's something on a lens element or something on the surface of the chip. Point your camera up at the clear sky and have the shutter locked at 1/50th but the gain free to roam.

Now film at max wide-angle and closest focus and max aperture (you might have to use the NDs) and slowly turn the iris wheel so that you end up filming at f/9.5. On replay on your TV you can call up 'display' to see what aperture was used when, and if the mark gets more obvious as you stop the lens down then yes, it's on an internal element.

If the mark remains constant then it's something shadowing the chip-block assembly. Either way it looks like a repair job.

tom.

Jonathan Shaw · September 18th, 2009, 01:31 AM

That's a great tip Tom thanks

Nathan Allard · June 5th, 2011, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcel D. Van Someren

One of the posters on this forum, Bo Sundvall, posted instructions on how to get into the optics:

Opening the lens house on a Canon XH-A1

I have not tried this yet, is there lots of XHA1 owners that have gone this far themselves?

I thought I had a unique problem then I came across this post. I had a fly in my camera too.

here are some clips off that dang black fly!

the black fly cloud, apparently they get 100X worse, im not too sure if you can tell how annoying they were on this shoot:
YouTube - ‪Black Fly Cloud‬&rlm;

after the shoot I was shooting and noticed that a black fly was in the lens!:
YouTube - ‪Black Fly in Lens‬&rlm;

a little research before you come to Northern Ontario:
YouTube - ‪The blackfly song‬&rlm;

Martin Campbell · June 8th, 2011, 03:32 AM

Bloody hell Nathan! Did you get the pesky little bugger out?

I have noticed that there is a very small gap between the body and the lens, underneath I think, but would have thought that this would have been too small for a fly to get in! had to laugh at that clip when you realised it was inside! lol!

Always amazes me how dust can get into a lens.

Nathan Allard · June 9th, 2011, 08:18 AM

I never got that bug out yet, there has been no sign of him yet.
I am going to attempt taking the camera apart....im still mentally preparing for this task.

Bo Sundvall · June 9th, 2011, 01:51 PM

Hi

Make sure you have GOOD screwdrivers and also make sure that they fit well in the tracks of the screw. As I remeber it's a pretty simple operation, but if the bug doesn't bother you any more it might not be worth the trouble. In my situation I had smashed the bug into the front glass which made a spot that was seen during filming, so I more or less had to remove tha glass and clean it.

Good luck!

Regards,

/Bo

Nathan Allard · June 10th, 2011, 01:02 PM

Thanks Bo,
The bug does not bug me yet as he is still MIA. I decided to let him RIP, until he rises back from the dead.
I will keep the GOOD screwdriver idea if I end up taking it apart.

September 2nd, 2009, 02:46 AM	#1
Martin Trotter Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: UK Posts: 62	Dust Inside Lens - Can it be fixed? Hi all, I have a bit of dust which appears as a smudge almost on the centre of a lot of my shots, and has been spoiling my work recently. I usually get away with it, but when it comes to shots into the sky, or with a lot of blue sky in the shot, it really shows up. Is this something that can be easily sorted? I don't know how it managed to get there if the whole lens is sealed. Thanks

September 2nd, 2009, 02:50 AM	#2
Martin Trotter Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: UK Posts: 62	Iris Ring - not turning smoothly if you know a decent cheap place in the UK / Scotland where I could send it to, that would be great. thanks

September 2nd, 2009, 07:39 AM	#3
Marcel D. Van Someren Major Player Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Sherman Oaks, CA Posts: 325	It Can...if you're brave enough One of the posters on this forum, Bo Sundvall, posted instructions on how to get into the optics: Opening the lens house on a Canon XH-A1 __________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Canon XHA1 * SGBlade 35mm adapter -RR1, RR2 w/ Optics Upgrade * DIY Mid-Format adapter

September 12th, 2009, 04:09 AM	#5
Pavel Tomanec Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Oxford (UK) and Vrindavana (India) Posts: 118	Hi, If you decide to send it to someone make sure you send your camera to a good standing company or alternatively to UK Canon in Elstree, they are quite reliable and take care of your gear. I am sure they will clean it for you with warranty etc. for a reasonable price. __________________ The fish is the last to know the water.

September 13th, 2009, 04:05 PM	#6
Jonathan Shaw Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 552	If your not 100% confident I would send it back to Canon, if you can't see the dust it could be a few things and at least they will be able to solve it without you causing more problems. __________________ www.ginclearfilm.com www.facebook.com/ginclearfilm

September 2nd, 2009, 09:42 AM	#4
Martin Trotter Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: UK Posts: 62	don't know if I'm brave enough to take that on! One guy I spoke to thinks it could be sut on the sensor. I had a closer look at the lens, and thought I could se soemthing before. Not so sure now. Is there a way to clean the inside of the eyecup/viewfinder? That's needing a good clearout too. Might just be best to get both done at once. thanks for the advice

September 17th, 2009, 03:45 AM	#7
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	Martin - you can check to see if it's something on a lens element or something on the surface of the chip. Point your camera up at the clear sky and have the shutter locked at 1/50th but the gain free to roam. Now film at max wide-angle and closest focus and max aperture (you might have to use the NDs) and slowly turn the iris wheel so that you end up filming at f/9.5. On replay on your TV you can call up 'display' to see what aperture was used when, and if the mark gets more obvious as you stop the lens down then yes, it's on an internal element. If the mark remains constant then it's something shadowing the chip-block assembly. Either way it looks like a repair job. tom.

September 18th, 2009, 01:31 AM	#8
Jonathan Shaw Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 552	That's a great tip Tom thanks __________________ www.ginclearfilm.com www.facebook.com/ginclearfilm

June 8th, 2011, 03:32 AM	#10
Martin Campbell Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: London Posts: 104	Re: Dust Inside Lens - Can it be fixed? Bloody hell Nathan! Did you get the pesky little bugger out? I have noticed that there is a very small gap between the body and the lens, underneath I think, but would have thought that this would have been too small for a fly to get in! had to laugh at that clip when you realised it was inside! lol! Always amazes me how dust can get into a lens.

June 9th, 2011, 08:18 AM	#11
Nathan Allard New Boot Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay,ON Posts: 22	Re: Dust Inside Lens - Can it be fixed? I never got that bug out yet, there has been no sign of him yet. I am going to attempt taking the camera apart....im still mentally preparing for this task.

June 9th, 2011, 01:51 PM	#12
Bo Sundvall Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Sweden Posts: 244	Re: Dust Inside Lens - Can it be fixed? Hi Make sure you have GOOD screwdrivers and also make sure that they fit well in the tracks of the screw. As I remeber it's a pretty simple operation, but if the bug doesn't bother you any more it might not be worth the trouble. In my situation I had smashed the bug into the front glass which made a spot that was seen during filming, so I more or less had to remove tha glass and clean it. Good luck! Regards, /Bo

June 10th, 2011, 01:02 PM	#13
Nathan Allard New Boot Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay,ON Posts: 22	Re: Dust Inside Lens - Can it be fixed? Thanks Bo, The bug does not bug me yet as he is still MIA. I decided to let him RIP, until he rises back from the dead. I will keep the GOOD screwdriver idea if I end up taking it apart.