Dust in Lens..So Annoyed..

[rachel09985]

So halfway through my trip I noticed a black dot in some of my pictures in the top left corner. I came to the conclusion it is in my kit lens. So annoyed that a lot of my pics are ruined from my trip!!!

How do I get this dust out of my lens and is there any way to salvage these pics?

 

[photo_chick]

How big is it and are you sure it's on the lens and not the sensor? Have you inspected images shot with other lenses?

Chances are it can be cloned/healed/removed pretty easily if it really is just dust.

If it's inside the elements then you'll have to send it to be cleaned which may cost more than the kit lens is worth, depending on the place.

 

[rachel09985]

How big is it and are you sure it's on the lens and not the sensor? Have you inspected images shot with other lenses?

Chances are it can be cloned/healed/removed pretty easily if it really is just dust.

If it's inside the elements then you'll have to send it to be cleaned which may cost more than the kit lens is worth, depending on the place.

It is decent size. I am pretty sure it is in the kit lens. The other lenses I tried I didn't notice anything.

Is there anything I can try to get rid of it myself without sending it away?

Would I use photoshop to get rid of it?

 

[photo_chick]

Get a rocket blower and try blowing into every crack, crevice and seam you can. You might knock it loose but I wouldn't count on it. I've got a bit of something that is stuck inside my 50mm f/1.8 and has been since I dropped it in 2010. I've tried everything short of taking apart the lens and that piece isn't moving. My glob of junk doesn't affect my image quality noticeably though.

Yes, photoshop would be my software of choice for this.

And I'd test all the lenses just to be sure. Shoot a well lit white sheet of paper. Do it with all your lenses. If there's dust blocking things it will show up. Likewise, do the same thing with black paper and it will show you if the problem is in other places.

 

[2Tiggies]

if you have Lightroom it also has a spot healing tool. It depends where the spots show up (and against what). It is harder to fix it against a busier background - or at least I find it is.

I agree - try cleaning the lens thoroughly yourself. At least you know where the problem is. Last year I spent some cash getting a sensor cleaning kit. Even though the dust didn't show up on my images it was so distracting. I eventually found that the dust was trapped in the corners of the viewfinder

 

[rachel09985]

if you have Lightroom it also has a spot healing tool. It depends where the spots show up (and against what). It is harder to fix it against a busier background - or at least I find it is.

I agree - try cleaning the lens thoroughly yourself. At least you know where the problem is. Last year I spent some cash getting a sensor cleaning kit. Even though the dust didn't show up on my images it was so distracting. I eventually found that the dust was trapped in the corners of the viewfinder

I was able to use my MacBook's iPhoto using the Spot Remover. So happy I fixed that, now I just gotta get the dust out!

It really only showed up on a light background- such as the sky. I want a faster kit lens replacement anyways, so maybe I will just upgrade my kite lens!

 

[cmwade77]

Another great program for this is called SnapHeal on the Mac.

There is also InPaint available on both Mac and PC.

On Macs, both are available in the App Store.

InPaint also has a batch version, but may not be suitable to what you are doing.

 

[mabas9395]

I have found the best way to find the specks is to shoot a blue sky with a very, very small aperture. Like f/22. The spots will really stand out. If you do this with more than one lens, you can be sure if it is your sensor or your lens.