Dust and the sun

J

Jim H

Active member
I find it virtually impossible to keep all dust off the lense and filter of my HMC. There's normally not enough for it to show up except when pointing at very bright sources, like the sun. I don't do a lot of shooting into the sun, and in the past I've tried to avoid shooting outside at all. But, there are times where I'd like to, and I've seen plenty of footage of it that looks very clean.

So, can someone give me advice or tips on getting all the dust off the lense and filters? I can never seem to completely rid myself of it. Are brushes the best thing to use? Blowers?

I tried a search for this, but didn't find anything, surprisingly.
 
Giotto rocket blower and micro fiber lens cloth. dont shoot into the sun :)

I actually have been shooting with no filter as it seems to trap even more dust then the lens itself.
I know that goes against the general consensus here that you need to have a filter on at all times.
 
While sometime that may be true, certainly in theory, I've never actually heard of someone doing that. Once a still camera I know of ended up with a dead pixel from heat, but that was a different kind of camera from a while back and only once, with who knows what else causing issues.

So don't do it unless you need to.
 
try a lens pen, they are great. if you are using a mattebox get a clip on lens cap like the dvx100 one and clean and cap all the time. a 72mm Nikon cap works.
 
Jim H said:
I find it virtually impossible to keep all dust off the lense and filter of my HMC. There's normally not enough for it to show up except when pointing at very bright sources, like the sun....

...So, can someone give me advice or tips on getting all the dust off the lense and filters?
Click to expand...

Hi Jim,

When shooting into the sun, most likely you were shooting with a very high f/stop. A high f/stop, 5.6-11, creates a large Depth of Field, which is one of the reasons why the specs of dust on the lens become so visible.

To fix this, kick the ND filter up. If your f/stop is still not below 5.6, then increase the shutter speed. Get your f/stop in the 2.0-3.4 range and you will see the dust specs go away.
 
Great idea, Mark :)

Also, is there a good way to use a cleaning cloth on your lens/UV filter? A certain direction it's best to wipe or do you just scrub it like a window?
 
Mark Von Lanken said:
Hi Jim,

When shooting into the sun, most likely you were shooting with a very high f/stop. A high f/stop, 5.6-11, creates a large Depth of Field, which is one of the reasons why the specs of dust on the lens become so visible.

To fix this, kick the ND filter up. If your f/stop is still not below 5.6, then increase the shutter speed. Get your f/stop in the 2.0-3.4 range and you will see the dust specs go away.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have messed with this some. Even with the highest ND filter on and a low f-stop, more shows up then I'd like. But yeah, I do try to avoid shooting into the sun as a habit. It's just I know for an upcoming project, it's going to be somewhat unavoidable.

Thanks for the advice everyone.
 
i always make sure i have a lens cloth on me and an air duster. i do a light blast of air to get the stuff out of the creases on the filter and just wipe it down...then i leave the lens cap on until i know its time to get the shot.

now i dont shoot directly into the sun, but when i know there is going to be some added lens flare i do this a lot
 
As mentioned, air blower, lenspen and lens cloth are all very useful (and cheap) tools. Usually the air blower can get most dust off, after that, I'll try the brush from the lens pen. If I'm sure there is no dust and its a smudge, I'll use the lenspen cleaner. Sometimes doing too much of all that seems to statically charge it up even more; using breath and a cloth helps there.

I also find the plastic lens hood is a magnet for dust, but maybe that is a good thing pulling most dust to the hood before it reaches the glass. Filters def seem to be worse than the camera lens. Sometimes it helps to use a UV as a dust cover and take it OFF right before you use the cam.
 
When I raced autoX, we had zip strips for our goggles. These are pull away transparencies that take mud and debris with em when racing. Catch a little air, reach up with one hand and you can see again.
I tried this same thing at a rally race I was shooting and knew I was gonna be wet, snowy and muddy. It worked great for large stuff but is not really a solution for fine dust as the layers do alter optics and focus a bit. I just keep my tecks wipes in my pocket and I use them often when shooting on the dirt track. I keep polerizer filters on the lens so if I should ever scratch anything, it's not my lens. KNowck on wood, I've never scratched one. I blow it clean first and ensure the right amount of condentation. If you slowly rotate the wipe as you do it you will not trap particles bwtween the lens and the wipe... not unlike wiping off a dray car wihout scratching it's finish.
 
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