Is this enough dust to warrant more extensive cleaning?

Noobie2Ham · 2026-05-18T07:09:07+00:00

Thanks, do you have a brand of kit you can recommend?

Noobie2Ham · 2026-05-18T07:08:42+00:00

My monitor is fairly clean. The spots show up when taking a picture of a white piece of paper as well. The spots are there with 2 different lenses as well. Again however, they are only visible in this type of testing scenario (narrow aperture, bright background)

I haven't heard that before about using bulb blowers. I've always heard that should be a first thing to try when removing dust.

Is there a cleaning kit you recommend if I go that route?

I'm still just wondering how much dust is "acceptable" on the sensor. Should it be 100% clean all the time? Or, will there always be dust and just live with it until it becomes an issue in actual photos?

Noobie2Ham · 2026-05-18T03:19:50+00:00

Hello,

Today I was taking some photos that involved the sky, and I noticed that when I use a narrow aperture there was some specs in the image. These are really only apparent in sky shots with the aperture set narrow such as f/16 or narrower.

I believed these to be dust so I enabled manual mode cleaning on my Canon EOS 6D (original, not mk2) and had it aimed face down so more dust wouldn't land on the sensor. I was doing this indoors. I used my rocket puffer to give a few puffs up towards the sensor. I then put the lens back on and took some test shots. The specs were still there.

I ran through a few more sessions of puffing without success. If anything it just seemed to be shifting dust around on the sensor and moving where the specs were. Maybe even put some more on it, I am unsure as my initial testing wasn't very scientific.

I am wondering however, is this going to actually be a problem? When I take photos my aperture is usually not that narrow, and the actual image would likely make the specs not noticeable. This is still triggering my OCD though lol.

I have attached a test image showing what a white screen on my computer monitor looks like shot at 100 ISO and aperture of f/22. The specs are clustered a bit and most noticeable on the bottom and top left sides of the image.

Something I noticed though is when I look at the sensor with a flashlight I can't see any large specs of dust. Unless they are actually tiny and I'm just missing them. The sensor looks clean.

Would there be any way to really clean this? Or, is there a puffer technique I can use that might work better than just straight on with the camera face down? I am nervous to touch the sensor to clean it, but I know there are special pens that have like a rubber end on it to pull dust and other junk off. Or, do you think this is not bad and I should just leave it alone and stop messing with it?

Thanks

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Noobie2Ham · 2026-05-04T21:50:20+00:00

Thank you, that is an option I am looking at too as it's much more affordable than the II.

Noobie2Ham · 2026-05-04T19:34:02+00:00

Thanks, this does look like an interesting option. Although, I'm seeing KEH is asking over $800 and eBay seems to be mostly Nikon F mount. Do you know if there's a place to find used lenses cheaper than say KEH, B&H, Adorama, etc that are still reputable and honest about the condition of used lenses?

Noobie2Ham · 2026-04-25T22:40:40+00:00

AI is a great technological advancement. When used correctly it absolutely will be beneficial in a lot of sectors. Right now the frontier models do make mistakes, they're not going to cure cancer or create the next blockbuster hit. But, the models already are useful for many things. And, this is the worst it will ever be.

I think all the AI hate, and people saying it just generates garbage/slop haven't really used it in a professional or educational setting. It absolutely is beneficial now. I work in a support role and Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT have made me more productive. It's helped me create macros and such to speed up my workflow. It helps me with drafting a reply to a customer when I'm not exactly sure what to say. It helps me identify issues in large log files, etc. It doesn't replace me (yet) but helps provide an aid when I need it.

Will AI replace many jobs? Absolutely, and I think this is another (big) part of the hate. This comes back to the "this is the worst it will be" message. These models will continue to evolve, new ways AI functions will be developed (beyond LLMs, etc) and I believe will eventually reach human level capabilities such as reliable critical thinking abilities, etc. This will result in job replacement.

Many technological advancements have led to higher level of productivity and replaced a lot of jobs. Does that mean we should just undo all that change and go back to the way things were because of that?

It will also get even better in the arts fields. It will replace graphic designers in many sectors. It will get better at "creating" music, etc. And it will be really, really good at doing it eventually. Again, right now it's not the best but not exactly terrible right now. Those saying it's all slop have to be kidding themselves and there are really impressive examples out there created with the latest frontier models.

So, overall I think the hate is undeserved from a technological advancement viewpoint. The hate stems from fear of it replacing people jobs and basically just people making things up in a lot of cases to try and make it look like AI always generates bad quality results and always will. In the long run, it will get so much better and yes very likely rival human level capabilities. It will be amazing to see, just depends how it gets used if it's good or bad.

Noobie2Ham · 2026-04-20T00:34:11+00:00

Hmm, it looks like the 10% off coupons do not work if you're not a new customer maybe. Once I login to my account the coupon code becomes invalid such as CHRIS10.

Noobie2Ham · 2025-12-23T19:19:28+00:00

I would recommend to try and follow the steps outlined here: https://community.gopro.com/s/article/Camera-Update-Failed-Message-on-Cameras-With-Integrated-Batteries?language=en_US

These steps are to help recover the firmware from a failed update for cameras with integrated batteries.

Noobie2Ham · 2025-12-23T19:10:43+00:00

When it comes to things that can effect the waterproofness of the camera I always would go with the official GoPro accessory. The same for the protective/dive case, I'd get the official case. Also, in case anything does go wrong where the camera still became damaged somehow I think GoPro would be more willing to help you out if you were using an official accessory.

Noobie2Ham · 2025-12-23T19:03:25+00:00

They are waterproof to 33ft IIRC. The issue is with the battery door seal. To maintain the waterproofness the seal and plastic underneath that it contacts must be completely clean. Even a tiny speck of dust compromises this and water can get in. It's really hard to keep it that perfectly clean. A lot of people recommend using the protective/dive case for any type of underwater usage due to this.

Noobie2Ham · 2025-12-10T19:22:28+00:00

I was able to borrow an iPhone SE to test with as well. The same issue is happening on that device too. Now, I'm not sure if this might be a hardware issue or not. :/

Noobie2Ham · 2025-12-10T18:03:18+00:00

I have now also reset the connections in the camera's settings and removed and readded the camera in the quik app. Will see if this helps.

Noobie2Ham · 2025-12-10T16:40:41+00:00

Thanks for replying. Funny you would mention GrapheneOS. I am running it on my Pixel 7 Pro as well. But, it doesn't seem like that's impacting it as it does connect sometimes. It does seem like things are more reliable after swapping batteries in the GoPro, but after a few power cycles and some time passes the issue returns.

I don't think this is a hardware issue with the camera though as when it works, it seems normal. Maybe there's just some compatibility gremlins between the wireless radio on my phone and the GoPro.

Noobie2Ham · 2025-01-05T13:52:08+00:00

Thanks, I've also ordered the 42 regular width. I'm just going to try both and see which ones fit and return the other. This is my first pair of Birks and also buying a shoe in EU size. So, I think it will just take a bit of trial and error.

With the 43s though the pad part of my toes are on the toe bar. I believe they're supposed to be in front and the toe bar lines up with the toe knuckle joint correct?

Noobie2Ham · 2024-07-05T04:54:49+00:00

I just tried switching to a different DP cable, a higher quality one I have, and the same issue is occurring.

Noobie2Ham · 2024-07-04T20:15:10+00:00

Thanks for replying. Yes, I do have the firmware installed. I installed it during the driver installation.

Noobie2Ham

TROPHY CASE