Help! Camera cleaning recommendations?

[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!

[THAT-GIRL]

Hi Sara !
I never send mine for cleaning, but I've seen lots of U-tube videos on how to do it yourself and here is the step by step one, and at the end there even prices for cleaning service... hope that helps...
YouTube - Proper Sensor Cleaning Detailed Tutorial

[hguenthe]

I had a similar problem with one of those nasty S shaped things popping up on all my photos... know how frustrating it is! I took mine into Ritz camera (where I bought it) and they blew it out for me with their air machine. That seemed to fix the problem right up and they didn't charge me a thing to do it.

They said if that didn't fix it, then it would have to be sent out for a proper cleaning but that was all it needed. Likely, you just got a fine piece of dust or hair blow into it when changing the lens... no matter how careful you are, always that small chance something will find its way in.

For the photos that I had taken with that S marking on it, the spot healing brush did a nice job of fixing it up to not noticeable or barely noticeable depending on the photo.

[dugarner]

Tatiana and Heather,

Thanks for the help! I'm going to watch the video tomorrow morning---I have step-by-step instructions in my owner's manual, but the guy at the store had me so paranoid I was afraid to try it. (I bought it at Ritz, and the store closed, so now I'm out of luck. It was the only pro camera shop in an hour any direction.)

I can really only see the smudge/spots when sky takes up the upper-third of the frame. And I've been using the spot healing brush like crazy! I can get rid of it, but it just bugs me, it's a brand-new camera. I hate HAVING to edit all those pictures!

I'll see if I want to tackle trying it myself, if not, I'll probably have to wait until we head in an easterly direction on vacation sometime.

Thanks again!

[annaaspnes]

I had a guy clean mine in Alaska who made the problem worse.
I then took it to Wolf Camera last Summer and they fixed it. Unfortunatelt Wolf Camera have gone into liquidation...You could try Ritz or contacting Canon direct.

There's no way I'd attempt it myself!

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by annaaspnes

I had a guy clean mine in Alaska who made the problem worse.
I then took it to Wolf Camera last Summer and they fixed it. Unfortunatelt Wolf Camera have gone into liquidation...You could try Ritz or contacting Canon direct.

There's no way I'd attempt it myself!

Anna, NNOOO! That's what I'm afraid of. Matt, the camera store guy, didn't even offer that service in his store. Ritz and Wolf are the same company, they're closing stores all over the place. I'll contact the manufacturer.

[tylertooo]

I have a camera repair shop that I just took mine too, because I have not ever clean it, and with all the photos I take on the dusty ranch, it really needed it. Well, unfortunately, I got a call yesterday with the repair shop stating that they had trouble with the sensor (or something), and damaged it to the point that they had to send it back to canon. I was devastated, because I planned the cleaning to give me enough time to get it back for a big shoot I have coming up, and now I will not have it back in time. Whatever part they destroyed they claim is very easily damaged, and that of course they would fix it at their cost - but I still miss my event, unless I want to use my point and shoot (i don't think so). I know it still needed the cleaning, and although I am devastated that I won't have it back in time, I still think that the camera cleaning was necessary, and if they, as experts, damaged it, I probably would have done worse. They did a great job of two film SLR's I had fixed for a photography class my daugther is taking next year in high school. I don't know if I would be bold enough to tackle anything more than the outside of my camera. It's too scarey for me.

There are quite a few camera shops that do repairs and cleaning. I was surpised to find this one right in San Diego.