[dugarner]

Aaargh! So, to fit right in with my crazy life, I went on vacation and my mom took my kids and me to the ocean. It was my kids' first time ever to see the ocean, and I was ready with my camera! Empty memory card, both lenses . . . and then, an hour into the drive, I opened my camera bag and remembered . . . I had left my battery at their house. Nowhere to buy a new one . . . what should I do? I was almost in tears, and finally broke down and bought a disposable camera. Two weeks later, I still haven't developed the film. I'm scared to see how horrendous those first memories are going to look . . .

But when I came back from the beach and started shooting pictures again, I realized I have a funny-looking smear on all my pictures. I only noticed it with my wide-angle lens, so I thought it was on the lens itself. (It looks like someone took their finger and make a lazy "S" at the top left of the frame.) Then I changed to my telephoto, and the smear is still there, only wider and softer---magnified! So it must be somewhere in my camera---the sensor or the mirror? I don't know. I have always been extremely careful when changing lenses never to touch the body of the camera anywhere.

Today, along with the smear, I noticed five huge dust spots as well.

Has anyone sent their camera out for cleaning? The guy I bought it from said you should never clean it yourself, it's too risky. If you did send it out, how much did it cost?

Thanks!