Re: Nikon D70: Dark Circular Marks in Sky

xtx99@xxxxxxx wrote:
: I've noticed that when I take photos on the beach over the ocean, I
: often get circular dark marks in the sky. I took a small crop from one
: of my shots and uploaded it to
: http://members.aol.com/xtx99/problem.html If anyone can tell me what
: these 3 circular marks are in the sky over the ocean and how to fix the
: problem, I'd appreciate it. My lens is the D70's "kit" lens with lens
: hood and the shot was taken East (sun was in the West).
: xtx99@xxxxxxx

Well, it could be UFOs. Or ghosts of dark pirates looking for ships to
plunder. :)

But most likely it is dust on your camera lens or sensor. Dust spots tend
to show up more noticeable when you have a light color, single color area.
Which is why they show up on your beach photos with large expanses of sky.

Since the spots are fairly sharp it is probable that they are on or near
the sensor (like on the rear element of the lens). Dust on the front
element tends to be more blurry. But these are the most likely locations
for dust contamination. I would first try blowing the lens surfaces, front
and back, with air (not breath) to hopefully dislodge any dry particles.
Then take a test photo of a white wall or cloudless sky to see if the
spots are gone. If not then I would follow your camera's manual in the
procedure to clean the sensor (dry air first). Each step of the way,
before going on to more drastic cleaning methods (cleaning fluids, pads,
etc), take a test photo. If the problem is cleared up with easy methods,
there is no need to go on to others. :)

Randy

==========
Randy Berbaum
Champaign, IL

.

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