Have I got dust?

[GTI]

I've noticed some blemishes in the same area of sky in 3 seperate photos and am not sure if it is dust or a dead pixel or something else. My camera is a Nikon D40 and I have to say that the original lens has never been removed from the camera (thats how basic I am) :| and so I initially thought there was no way dust could have reached the sensor.








Cheers in advance

[ka$h]

I got a similar mark on my D50. It appears only when zoomed in so it's probably in the lens, but I await sme of the replys here to give me guidance

[BertRoot]

Looks like dust to me Mr. Dust can creep into any camera and needs to be dealt with when it starts spoiling your pictures. There are loads of tutorials on the net for cleaning sensors but best start is to use a rocket blower to try and blow the cack off. If this fails then you will need to clean the sensor properly which is a little more of a pain to do. Got to say I have never done it myself but there are plenty of tutorials about.

Check the following -

http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/index.html
http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/vi...camera-199004/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/d40slr/...7610104993980/

[[wingnut]]

Yep the dust bunnies have been to visit. Don't panic though it happens all the time. Get them on mine at least once a month. It comes from changing the lens in the open air, possibly with the camera still holding some static charge over the sensor. To try to eliminate it in the future try swapping the lens over with the camera facing down, or in a sheltered spot or inside a bag.

To start with get a decent rocket blower and try blowing it away. To do this remove the lens put the camera into manual cleaning mode (Sorry not sure how it's done on Nikons), this will open the mirror covering the sensor and allow you see the sensor (FOR GOD SAKE DON'T TOUCH IT), face the camera to the ground and use the blower to try to remove the dust specks. 90% of the time this works, if it doesn't then you will have to consider buying some cleaning swabs and fluid. But make sure you by the right sized swabs for your camera.
This job ain't for the faint hearted and if you are not sure you might be best to let someone else do it. If you get it wrong you have killed you sensor at worst, at best it will be damaged and produce poor quality pictures from then on.

Good luck.