A lot of D600 oil/dust spots but what to do? Is there a guide?

I've seen in the last months a lot of D600 oil/dust spots threads and discussion.

I had no issues with my D600. Today, for the first time I found a oil spot in the sensor.

What to do first since I know there is no response from Nikon yet?

I'm planning to use my D600 profissionaly next year in the studio and I'm afraid this issue will be very annoying.

an "oil" spot, huh?

and how, exactly, did you determine it is oil, and not a speck of dust? they are not the same.

why don't you relax, use your camera and not fall victim to this hysteria?

a lot of people are having a field day hyping up this "issue," and humiliating a lot of well-meaning but naive D600 users, who are worrying instead of enjoying their cameras.

like the D800 "left AF issue," this one will die away as soon as some new product comes along as fodder for the bad news bears of the internet.

What is this?

I'm assuming that's at 400% or greater?  And I'm assuming that it appears regardless of which lens you're using (because it can be a spot on the lens itself; if you have only one lens clean it first).  If both of those are yes, I'd say it's shaped like an oil spot but they're generally darker in the center than at the edge.  One large spot like that's a bit unusual, too.  And I'm assuming that you've already had the camera clean its image sensor (und the  SET UP MENU).  Already, I've made enough assumptions to make an a$$ of myself.  But if the spot persists despite swapping/cleaning lenses and the camera can't shake it off, I'd first attempt to blow it off with a large blower with the camera in "Lock Up Mirror for Cleaning" (in the set up menu).  A large blower is about $10 on Amazon and it's a great investment regardless of the camera.  Make sure it's a large, and make sure you never touch the sensor when blowing into the camera.  If the spot persists you have two choices:  if you're patient or clumsy just send it in for a cleaning.  If your impatient but dextrous buy a sensor cleaning kit and follow the directions exactly.  Make sure the kit is for a full sized sensor and get an established brand.  Lots of pro's clean their sensors on a regular basis.  Takes a couple of minutes and it inspires love for your camera.

I'm thinking of buying D600, but all this about oil spots makes me leery. I think I should wait awhile. Don't feel that cleaning sensor of oil spots will make me love my camera more, as someone here suggested.

It's 100% NEF converter to 1024px jpeg width.

1) All lenses.

2) Had eletronic cleaned sensor

I'll try to blow air first.

It's my first issue but I love this camera. It's Amazing!

That was the advantage of film cameras, evertyime you take a picture you get a new section of film that will produce another picture. Digital cameras use the same sensor over and over again. Eventually a tiny spec is going to land on the sensor.

The little spec in the picture is no big deal, if you want it gone, then clean the sensor. Not need to get your panties in a bunch. I have a D300, D300s and a D800. If I look hard enough, I can see tiny spots on the sensor of all three cameras.

The of air is full of dirt. What makes you think a tiny piece isn't going to land on the sensor. You may never get every spec off. There is no such thing as perfection.

Bob

--
www.raphoto.zenfolio.com

You might want to add 'and don't mind voiding the guarantee' in that sentence.

Because the D600-manual specifically says that the end-user should never ever do any type of cleaning that involves direct contact with the sensor.

Page 304 of the manual:

Dirt that can not be removed with a blower can only
be removed by Nikon-authorized service personnel.
Under no circumstances should you touch or wipe the
filter.

And this is why so many D600-owners are upset; the only type of cleaning that removes the fluid/oil/whatever that does not move when using a blower is a type of cleaning that Nikon does not approve of.

I have had a D70, D200, D300s, D7000, D700 and now have a D600.

None of my previous DSLRs have had the amount of dust/debris on the sensor that I now see on my D600. I have never ever had to do a wet cleaning of the sensor on any other DSLRs - using a blower was sufficient.

The D600 however needs a wet clean every few hundred shots - and on top of that Nikon does not approve of customers doing that procedure themselves. That's why so many gets 'their panties in a bunch', not because regular dust that can be removed with a blower in a few seconds appears on the sensor.

I've locked up the mirror and could see with my naked eyes the oil spot on the sensor. Looks perfect, except that point. Was afraid to throw air. Do not know yet if I'll take to Nikon to clean or I'll do myself.

McCool 69,  I've heard many photographers refer to their camera as a tool and I've come to think of my camera as a tool. I shoot mostly sports and landscapes so even if I had a dust bunny on the sensor, I would probably not see it and I'm not concerned about it. I usually only find them when I'm cleaning my camera and I'm looking for them.

I bought my D800 earlier this year and I have had to wet clean the sensor twice because the blower would not remove the spec. But, it does not concern me because my camera is a tool. If the sensor gets dirty, I clean it. Nikon has to make a business decision and they may not want to recommend that folks clean their own sensors if Nikon is going to be held responsible for damage the user may cause. I just think that photographers that shoot in very dusty environments may have to clean there sensors everyday if needed.

Anyway, portrait photographers probably have to worry more about dust on the sensor. So, I hope if the mirror in your D600 is stirring up some dust within the camera it gets better.

Bob

--
www.raphoto.zenfolio.com

Wint,  you can clean your own sensor if you don't want to pay someone else to do it. Besides, you won't be without your camera.

I use the brand "Dust-Aid". It does a good job and doesn't leave residue on the sensor.

It's easy to do, just follow the instructions:

Make sure your battery is fully charged, you don't want the mirror coming down during the cleaning.

Use "Lock Mirror Up For Cleaning" in the "Setup" menu.

I've had to wet clean my D800 twice and I will admit, the D800 seems to hang onto dust more than my other cameras, but it is what it is. I love the camera, so I clean it and move on.

I would also share, that the first time I cleaned my sensor, it seemed like I couldn't get the dust completely off the sensor. The cleaning cloth was not picking up the dust, but I was able to push it off to the side. So, I left the dust on the side so I could crop it away if it showed up in my image. However, I never saw the dust in my pictures.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your new D600

Bob

--
www.raphoto.zenfolio.com

i wouldn't blow anything on it. sometimes it makes the matter worts. unless you know what you are blowing. if it just normal air you are blowing you are blowing dust into it certainly. unless you are in dust free environnement.

bring nikon to clean or any camera store that does that.

Regardless of what Nikon have put in the D600 manual, dust and oil are DSLR facts of life that we have to either resolve or just live with. Eventually your cameras will be out of warranty and they will have to be wet cleaned. A lot of dust can't be removed with the in-built sensor claening or a blower. I've had spots that I've had to use four sensor wipes to remove! I've only recently encountered the oil problem with a two year old D7000. I can tell you that editing out spots using Photoshop on hundreds of images is not what I would prefer to be doing - and that is after spending over $600 on sensor cleaning gear!

I also have D70s and D300 and never cleaned any sensor. Cannot imagine that any other camera make needs that kind of cleaning every few shots. Something has to be wrong here. I cannot believe that it's normal.

This looks like a very clean sensor for me, the little spot is removed in 2 minutes! To send the camera to nikon because this spot, sounds really ridiculous!! Its a dslr, and yes, you have to clean it sometimes, or you buy a P&S!

manfred

--
Pbase supporter, NPS Austria
http://www.studio96.at

LOL! I would say you have never shoot the sky with f/22, if so you would talk otherwise!

--
Pbase supporter, NPS Austria
http://www.studio96.at

Do you personally own a D600? does it have dust/oil issues? I do and mine has, I took several panned shots while clicking in a GP, and I can see hundreds of dust/oil spots,that was after around ~ 3K shutters after the end of the weekend, few weeks later it got worse. I just got the sensor cleaned and 20 shots later I can see another big spot, this is not usual. My friend who is a professional, told me that dust/oil issues are part of sensor story till he saw mine, quickly realized my sensor had many more spots they he ever saw in his cameras.

Can you point to a statement by Nikon to the effect that cleaning the sensor will actually void the warranty?

--
Patco
A photograph is more than a bunch of pixels