How to have dust and scratches on my pictures?

What should I do if i want dust and scratches on my pictures using a DSLR ?

I just tried putting some dust on the mirror, nothing showing up on the pictures..

I bought an old Canon Xsi just to experiment Paid 60$ with a 18-55mm lens on it and a battery grip. I'm ready to destroy it to get some nice results, i want dirty pictures.

Mirror is not in the optical path when the photo is exposed. It is in the optical path only when you are looking through the viewfinder.

It is not good idea to make scratches on the sensor (because it has not the same effect like scratches on the flm. So you have about three possible ways.

1) use film camera and add scratches to the picture on the film (the most natural way)

2) use digital camera and add scratches in postprocess (the most natural digital way)

3) use film camera with scratched and dusted ground glass instead of film and shoot the scene with digital by shooting the view on the ground glass

Tom Axford wrote:

Ben of the North wrote:

What should I do if i want dust and scratches on my pictures using a DSLR ?

Take a picture of dust and scratches against a white background.

Combine that image with whatever picture you want to see dust and scratches on. You could do this easily in Photoshop or other image editor.

It is extremely difficult to do it properly in the camera.

The Nix collection has a collection of such affects in the Analogue FX part.

The whole collection was free around a year ago, but I think you now have to pay it again.

I can easily make it in post digitally, I wanted to make it more ''analog'' by having dirty pictures directly from the camera. It looks more complicated than expected.

Well I can tell you that some dust on the mirror of your DSLR wont do anything to your pics! I put my fingers on it and put lots of dust directly on it and nothing shows up on the pics lol

Ben of the North wrote:

I can easily make it in post digitally, I wanted to make it more ''analog'' by having dirty pictures directly from the camera. It looks more complicated than expected.

Well I can tell you that some dust on the mirror of your DSLR wont do anything to your pics! I put my fingers on it and put lots of dust directly on it and nothing shows up on the pics lol

If you want real muck try through the viewfinder shots with an old box camera (or similar setup) These sorts of shot nearly always have significant much visible!

Touching the mirror of your DSLR can put it out of alignment ruining the camera & won't effect the image as the mirror is out of the way for taking photographs.

Muck on the sensor will  show at small apertures but is generally near impossible to spot at wider apertures.

I bought that camera to experiment, so i may end up destroying it. I'll make more tests.

Ben of the North wrote:

I bought that camera to experiment, so i may end up destroying it. I'll make more tests.

For it to work the muck needs to be near where the image is focused.

With Through the viewfinder that happens, muck on the sensor glass it's only close enough at small apertures try a pinhole 'lens' that will show it all! - Dirty lenses/filters will just reduce contrast.

It only makes sense to do tests that have a chance of working.

petrochemist wrote:

Ben of the North wrote:

I bought that camera to experiment, so i may end up destroying it. I'll make more tests.

For it to work the muck needs to be near where the image is focused.

With Through the viewfinder that happens, muck on the sensor glass it's only close enough at small apertures try a pinhole 'lens' that will show it all! - Dirty lenses/filters will just reduce contrast.

It only makes sense to do tests that have a chance of working.

True about the pinhole! I've tested one last year, could be my solution! Thanks!