Nikon D750: oily spots on CCD sensor?

<p>Does Nikon D750 has the same problem as Nikon D600 with oily spots on the sensor?<br>

Thanks!</p>

<p>From all I've heard, the answer is no. And FWIW, it's not a CCD, it's a CMOS.</p>

<p>I have had my D750 since December 2014, a few months after that model was first announced. Never have any issue with oil spots on the sensor. In fact, I have never had that issue with any one of my a dozen or so Nikon DSLRs, but I have never owned one with the digit 4, 6, or 9 in the model number.</p>

<p>In eight months of use I don't think I saw a single dust or oil spot in my images from that camera.</p>

If it occurs in a Nikon DSLR, it is by no means a unique phenomena, particularly early in the camera's life. There are a lot of moving parts, all of which must be lubricated in some way. I have to clean my cameras regularly. Usually it's just dust, but occasionally something more tenacious, often oily. For that there is no substitute for the wet cleaning method, using Eclipse Fluid (high purified methanol) and lint-free swabs.

 

I was surprised to find oil spots on the sensor of both of my Sony A7 cameras. However once cleaned, I haven't had to repeat the wet method. The Sony has a vibrating cleaning cycle on each power-up. I rarely have to touch up the sensor, and then only using micro-fiber brushes (Visible Dust). The brushes work on DSLRs too, usually every three weeks or so unless you use the camera in especially dusty environments (e.g., Southern Spain).

 

It is not as tricky as it sounds, but one must exercise due diligence. I refer to the Copperhill method, which can be found on the web.

 

A sensitive test for sensor dust or contamination is to point the lens toward a blank section of the sky, set to the smallest aperture in Aperture Priority. Focus is not important. Dust seen in this test is probably invisible at f/8 or wider, or hidden in image detail. That's why you don't see dust under normal circumstances unless it is present in large amounts.

Edited February 8, 2017 by Ed_Ingold

Over 40K and no oil spots/no cleaning required.

I very rarely clean my camera sensors, maybe once per year on a camera I blow some air towards the sensor or use a vacuum and that does it. With older cameras that didn't feature sensor shaking dust reduction, it was more of a problem especially when doing macro. One thing that does wonders is if you use a vacuum instead of blowing air, as the vacuum really takes out the dust whereas blowing air into the camera generally just moves it into some other area inside the camera from where it can move back. However, with a vacuum you have to be more careful and use minimum flow setting to make sure the draft is not too strong. I find the vacuum to keep the sensor dust clean for a longer period. I take care not to take out the lens in a dusty environment, of course.

I'm just very paranoid about dust and shoot at wider apertures if I possibly can. I expect spotting trouble if I'm at f/22. Occasionally I send my sensor to Nikon rather than making things worse by trying to clean it in a house full of cat hair. I'll try to get any fluff I see out of the mirror box, though (so far a blower is usually spectacularly ineffectual, and I end up using a brush).

Is Nikon doing a good job to clean sensor? Any experience with Nikon about it?

Thanks!

After 6 months and 10k shots, the sensor of my D750 have more than 100 oil spots (I shot landscapes at f11 and they are very noticeable), mainly distributed along the right side of the sensor (when seeing a photo). I never changed my 28-300 and this is absolutely abnormal to me. I owned a Canon 60D for several years, more than 200k shots, normally changing lenses, and never have this level of dirtyness. I went to Nikon Service in Santiago de Chile but they don't want to recognize the problem that is the almost the same of D600 in my opinion ...only a free cleaning.

I think that Nikon Quality Control Department is having big problems

Absolutely the same problem with my D750!!! I sent it to Nikon (Melville, NY) for cleaning. Didn't try it after cleaning yet...

Is there any liquid besides Eclipse that's safe for cleaning Nikon DSLR sensors? I've got a bunch of spots that have resisted three increasingly aggressive wet cleanings using Eclipse 2 and Pec Pads. These spots must be something besides ordinary dust, or else something that is underneath the glass. They don't show up in photos taken at f/5.6 or wider apertures, but they become gradually more visible at f/8 and smaller.

 

My first alternative idea is ROR lens cleaner. If that doesn't work, maybe an ammonia-based glass cleaner like Windex. And if that doesn't work, maybe a solvent such as cigarette-lighter fluid, which can dissolve almost anything, including glue. These spots are in a 10-year-old D80 that I will soon replace, probably with a D7200, so a drastic cleaning method might be worth the risk. If it damages the sensor cover glass, maybe I could salvage the camera by having it converted for infrared photography. I think that conversion removes the cover glass, anyway. Any suggestions?

I've got a bunch of spots that have resisted three increasingly aggressive wet cleanings

 

Hi, if you have access to a low power stereo microscope (long working distance), you might have a closeup look at your sensor. You might find out something useful about the "spots." For example, perhaps they are even scuff marks, rather than debris.

 

We used to clean quite a lot of sensors in our in-house camera shop supporting a large studio chain. As I recall, we used some sort of high-grade alcohol, and probably Eclipse fluid at some point. I don't know of any case ever failing to get things clean.

 

Our people liked to use sensor swabs, but something I've occasionally done since about 2000 was according to CCD cleaning instructions from Philips when they were a major sensor manufacturer. They recommended to use a stainless steel rod with rounded tip, folding something like a Pec Pad over the tip a couple times then wrapping tightly around the shaft to keep it in place. (You don't want to take any chances of the bare rod touching the sensor.) Although you have to make more overlapping swipes (keeping rotating fresh sections of the pad into place), this allows you to use more pressure. Note that I'm not giving the whole procedure with cautions, etc., nor did I ever do this with a Nikon, so do it at your own risk; it's possible that their filter package doesn't tolerate excess pressure.

 

Note that you can likely use the stereo microscope while cleaning in this manner; obviously you can't see under the swab, but you can observe the debris between cleaning swipes. (I did this multiple times in the early days while studying debris.) Best of luck.

They [Philips] recommended to use a stainless steel rod with rounded tip, folding something like a Pec Pad over the tip a couple times then wrapping tightly around the shaft to keep it in place.

 

Too late to edit, but to be clear, the tip, used for cleaning, must be wetted with the solvent.

Thanks, Bill, but I've already done the wet cleaning you describe. Instead of a metal rod, I use a plastic wand that was sold as a kit with the Pec Pads and Eclipse-2 alcohol. My first cleaning -- which always worked in the past -- used one drop of Eclipse and two quick swipes on the sensor with light pressure. That did nothing to remove the spots. So I tried again with two drops of Eclipse on a clean Pec Pad and applying more pressure. Still no results. So I tried a third time after soaking another fresh Pec Pad in several drops of Eclipse and rubbing the sensor pretty hard. Still no good.

 

I don't have access to a stereo microscope. These spots look almost like bubbles when enlarged in test photos. I can see them on the sensor with my naked eye after wiping the glass with Eclipse. Unlike ordinary dust spots, they don't seem to move around on the sensor after a wet cleaning, but there are so many similar spots that it's hard to tell. Either they are some gummy substance that Eclipse can't dissolve or are stuck between the cover glass and the sensor where I can't reach them. Maybe I'll post a test photo later -- I don't have one handy right now.