2 Before Coffee

[Bill Pierce]

I woke up this morning, stumbled to the computer and read two exceptionally intelligent and important articles about photography before I finished my first cup of coffee. It’s been a long time since that happened. One is an article on aesthetics; the other, on the technical/craft side of photography.

Here they are. (You will have to move past the ads when you hit the Lens Rentals article.)

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2017/04/getting-glorious.html

https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2017/04/guide-to-cleaning-your-camera-sensor/

 

[PKR]

Bill, I carry a small, fairly bright, LED flashlight in my cleaning kit. I shine the light at an acute angle to the sensor to reveal any dust. It really helps me in identifying any stuff on the sensor.

I also leaned early on, from a fellow photographer, to be sure my camera body was facing sensor down when changing lenses. I hate zooms but use smaller ones to avoid dust in a lens change.

Packing a lot of camera gear necessary for work has taken a toll on my back over the years. I carry as little equipment as necessary. The cleaning kit is in the car. I find the gear left in the trunk of my car is rarely needed if I pack carefully - thinking about lenses. Working with lights, alone, is another story.

 

[Dogman]

This is the second link posted on RFF I've hit that took me to viglink.com shopping site first. From there you have to follow another link to the Lens Rentals site. Oddly enough, Bill's link for TOP goes directly to the site.

Are we being hijacked?

Anyway, I've read the TOP article and I agree with Mike's assessment.

On the subject of sensor cleaning, I was initially led to believe this was a job for a professional with steady hands and magical powers. Then I found that a mere mortal with a light touch using a Giotto blower and/or an Arctic Butterfly brush could clean away dust spots without fear.

Then I bought a used Canon 7D that had a persistent spot that turned out to be some type of gooey substance. Feeling confident from past experience, I used a PEC pad and a tiny drop of Residual Oil Remover and carefully wiped away the culprit. Problems solved without the need for a shaman or super powers.

And, just so you know, I'm a clumsy oaf with slightly shaky hands.

 

[zuiko85]

You are a slow coffee drinker. Might get through the first article by the first pot. Maybe one and half articles by the first pot.

Like both sites and read them often.

 

[PKR]

This is the second link posted on RFF I've hit that took me to viglink.com shopping site first. From there you have to follow another link to the Lens Rentals site. Oddly enough, Bill's link for TOP goes directly to kthe site.

Are we being hijacked?

Anyway, I've read the TOP article and I agree with Mike's assessment.

On the subject of sensor cleaning, I was initially led to believe this was a job for a professional with steady hands and magical powers. Then I found that a mere mortal with a light touch using a Giotto blower and/or an Arctic Butterfly brush could clean away dust spots without fear.

Then I bought a used Canon 7D that had a persistent spot that turned out to be some type of gooey substance. Feeling confident from past experience, I used a PEC pad and a tiny drop of Residual Oil Remover and carefully wiped away the culprit. Problems solved without the need for a shaman or super powers.

And, just so you know, I'm a clumsy oaf with slightly shaky hands.

I had the same experience with viglink. Its owned partly by and distributed by Google. It's malware IMO.

I had a camera that kept depositing paint flakes from the mirror box on the sensor. It was so bad I had to clean it before using it for months. I guess I got all the specks that were loose over time as the problem went away after many, many daily cleanings. I managed to clean the FF sensor over months, without damaging it, and got good at sensor cleaning

With 2 flash heads I photographed an out of focus white wall at f22. Any dust (or paint in my case) was apparent on a computer monitor.

 

[farlymac]

Being new to DSLR use, I still have the bad habit of changing lenses without shutting off the camera first. And of course, unlike PKR, I tend to keep the camera facing up during the exchange. This means the shutter shaker will not activate, so I get the dreaded shadow spots all over.

I'll just have to try and be more considerate while doing a lens change in the future.

PF

 

[PKR]

Being new to DSLR use, I still have the bad habit of changing lenses without shutting off the camera first. And of course, unlike PKR, I tend to keep the camera facing up during the exchange. This means the shutter shaker will not activate, so I get the dreaded shadow spots all over.

I'll just have to try and be more considerate while doing a lens change in the future.

PF

If it helps: I carry a small can of dust off and clean the outside of the camera (before removing a lens or body cap) and the back of the lens to be mounted. Never use it in the mirror box or on the sensor. I also give a quick spray into the air to dislodge any debris in the air path before using it on the rear of a lens.

I hate fixing dust in post. A few times I had a lot with the paint chip problem. I learned to keep dust to a minimum.

 

[CameraQuest]

This is the second link posted on RFF I've hit that took me to viglink.com shopping site first. From there you have to follow another link to the Lens Rentals site. Oddly enough, Bill's link for TOP goes directly to the site.

Are we being hijacked?

Anyway, I've read the TOP article and I agree with Mike's assessment.

On the subject of sensor cleaning, I was initially led to believe this was a job for a professional with steady hands and magical powers. Then I found that a mere mortal with a light touch using a Giotto blower and/or an Arctic Butterfly brush could clean away dust spots without fear.

Then I bought a used Canon 7D that had a persistent spot that turned out to be some type of gooey substance. Feeling confident from past experience, I used a PEC pad and a tiny drop of Residual Oil Remover and carefully wiped away the culprit. Problems solved without the need for a shaman or super powers.

And, just so you know, I'm a clumsy oaf with slightly shaky hands.

no, not hijacking. Viglink is supposed to work in the back ground,
never bringing anyone to the Viglink site.

hopefully all will be worked out and back to normal by early next week.

Stephen