Lens cleaning

I have a good 300 mm lens which I managed to carelessly get dust in on my last trip to India. Too much time spent in the deserts of Rajasthan I think..

I am hoping to go digital and get a camera that would be compatible with this lens. I have been told here that it would not be cost effective to clean it but at around £150 - £200 to replace it I am loathed to spend out on another. Does anyone know of a reputable camera shop in Delhi or another large city in North India who would make a good job of cleaning the lens. I understand it is quite a specialist task.

Thanks all
Sarah

P.S. Canon EOS 400 or Nikon 80 - which do yo guys think is better?

Hi Dreamer,

Am safely assuming that u have dust inside the lens elements.

There are 2 forums in which you could post your query. These are forums on indian photographers, and the second one is mostly of photographers that are based out of delhi.

1) jjmehta.com
2) paai.in/forum

if it hassels you to become a member (free, but required for posting), let me know, i will post on ur behalf.

Since u also asked abt the canon vs. nikon question, what mount is ur 300mm lens?

Cheers
Ajay

Don't think about the individual camera. Think about the system; Canon vs Nikon. They are both excellent systems. The only two standout features are Canon does better with high ISO (dim light) while the Nikons tend to be a little beefier in build quality.

dpreview has loads of information and will have you scratching your head for days.

I have a Nikon D50 I'm very impresssed with. The quality of the images is outstanding for 6.1 pixel. The excellent optics enahvne it incredibly. It does everything but make you breakfast in the morning!

Well, if there's sand in the barrell that makes a grating noise, but no sand in the lens element - don't bother. But if there's sand in the lens element you may wish to get it cleaned.

nevilleb

Thanks for that Ajay, I will let you know. And thanks for the other advice guys. Yes - there is a small speck of dust and a tiny mark inside the lens now and it does show ( well I notice it) on photgraphs. I will try and sort out the lens issue first I guess. If it can't be sorted then I will maybe loook at getting a digital camera and lens package next.

Since u also asked abt the canon vs. nikon question, what mount is ur 300mm lens? - the lens is a AF Zoom-Nikkor 70 - 300mm f/4-d.6G with built in CPU and Nikon bayonet mount - is that what you mean? Does that mean it will only fit with a nikon camera or is it the bayonet mount part that is important? Sorry, am a novice at all this

Thanks again
Sarah

Thanks for that Ajay, I will let you know. And thanks for the other advice guys. Yes - there is a small speck of dust and a tiny mark inside the lens now and it does show ( well I notice it) on photgraphs. I will try and sort out the lens issue first I guess. If it can't be sorted then I will maybe loook at getting a digital camera and lens package next.


If you can recognsie the speck of dust in your finished images you must be imagining things...... a speck of dust would only degrade the image, and not be visible. just think about looking at an image through a magnifying lens with a bit of dust on it......... certainly it would not appear to the eye on the image, just as I say a degradation. I had a Canon lens cleaned in Madras cost 800/- UK cost £ 80 +, servuce excellent, just get a repair shop who deals in PROFESSIONAL lenses/cameras....... they will do a good job. India has some of the best craftsmen around...

I managed to get dust on the sensor of my camera. I managed to use a vacum cleaner to get nearly all of, but one piece is still stuck. Trying to blow it off with something like this http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006L7VQ

Only problem is that I don't know what this is called in Hindi, nor do I manage to get it (been going around to many chemistry stores). Can anyone help me? I really dont want to start thuching the lense and Im getting tired of fixing images in photoshop.

Oh, man, a vacuum cleaner to clean the sensor? Just the mere thought of that is horrifying to me. Don't use something so rough to clean something so delicate!!

Try going to a good photography store. See if they have any of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Giottos-AA1900...5095785&sr=8-1

If you have a bit of cash to blow I hear these work like a charm: http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Butterf...5095814&sr=1-2

Read up on sensor cleaning: http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/cleaning.html

Or just take it to a pro! And please, keep your vacuum far, far away from your camera sensor!

Well, a vacuum cleaner takes most of the dust out, but still I have a couple of pieces stuck on the sensor. Been trying to get any cleaning equipment in India, but I just can't get it. Photo professionals offer me to loan their equipment, but I really need something myself. Any tips on where I can buy the equipment? I have checked amazon.com, but they do not ship to India. Any good netshop in India for camera equipment?

If the sensor dust is visible in your images, you can shoot at wider apertures and it will not be obvious; in fact, it might be invisible. Dust that appears at f11 won't be there at f4.

It's not really dust, but more like a particle. It's more obfuscated, but still visible at f/11