Yes, blows most or all of it away. Use strong bursts, but don't bump into the sensor (actually it's the low pass filter you are cleaning).
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
D600 sensor dust problem
- Thread starter Dave_W
- Start date
Yes, blows most or all of it away. Use strong bursts, but don't bump into the sensor (actually it's the low pass filter you are cleaning).
I've been reading all the various Nikon related forums over the last 3-4 weeks that I've owned my D600 and wanted to chime in on the current mess...
I've owned and used at least 12 different digital Nikon bodies over the last 10 years and I've become familiar with the necessity of dealing with sensor dust. However I've never had a single body that has the type of "dust" problem that my D600 has. While the shutter may have issues in some D600's that certainly could be contributing to the problem, thus far I'm inclined to agree that there is an issue with lubricant or liquid spots of some kind adhering to the sensor. Cleaning the sensor with various dry methods (blowing or using soft cleaning pads) removes some of the basic dust. However there are spots that won't come off without a wet cleaning and it often takes 2-3 tries to remove them using the wet cleaning methods. I took the D600 back to Calumet Photo where I purchased it and their tech who has been cleaning these digital bodies for years agreed that these spots require significant effort to remove - it even took him 2-3 tries.
So Nikon has an issue on their hands with the D600. I have an issue as well since I use it for video where the spots are a big issue that can't easily be corrected in post like a photograph. Basically I have a $2000 brick. I recently did some generic time lapse sessions to get the shutter over 5000 activations as some people are reporting that the spots decrease over time. I'm going to take it in to be cleaned one more time and see if things improve. Until we start hearing reports of a real fix from Nikon, I'm not inclined to send it in to them yet as they just said they would clean it free of charge when I called them on the phone.
That's without going into the HDMI cropped output issues. At least those can be fixed with a firmware change. *IF* there is lubricant of some kind coming off of the shutter mechanism, then my guess is that this won't be an easy fix for Nikon without pulling the camera apart, cleaning individual parts and/or replacing parts.
We'll see what happens...
- j
<edited for clarity>
I've owned and used at least 12 different digital Nikon bodies over the last 10 years and I've become familiar with the necessity of dealing with sensor dust. However I've never had a single body that has the type of "dust" problem that my D600 has. While the shutter may have issues in some D600's that certainly could be contributing to the problem, thus far I'm inclined to agree that there is an issue with lubricant or liquid spots of some kind adhering to the sensor. Cleaning the sensor with various dry methods (blowing or using soft cleaning pads) removes some of the basic dust. However there are spots that won't come off without a wet cleaning and it often takes 2-3 tries to remove them using the wet cleaning methods. I took the D600 back to Calumet Photo where I purchased it and their tech who has been cleaning these digital bodies for years agreed that these spots require significant effort to remove - it even took him 2-3 tries.
So Nikon has an issue on their hands with the D600. I have an issue as well since I use it for video where the spots are a big issue that can't easily be corrected in post like a photograph. Basically I have a $2000 brick. I recently did some generic time lapse sessions to get the shutter over 5000 activations as some people are reporting that the spots decrease over time. I'm going to take it in to be cleaned one more time and see if things improve. Until we start hearing reports of a real fix from Nikon, I'm not inclined to send it in to them yet as they just said they would clean it free of charge when I called them on the phone.
That's without going into the HDMI cropped output issues. At least those can be fixed with a firmware change. *IF* there is lubricant of some kind coming off of the shutter mechanism, then my guess is that this won't be an easy fix for Nikon without pulling the camera apart, cleaning individual parts and/or replacing parts.
We'll see what happens...
- j
<edited for clarity>
Last edited:
Sorry to hear the problem and how it affects your videos. I think the D600 is all over the place as far as the dust. I believe lubricant is the culprit for some but I also think shutter rubbing is another. In my case I think I'm getting debris from the shutter. Looking under a loupe (not really noticable to the naked eye) I think my "dust strands" are a little too shiney and shimmery to be dust. I think my shutter is rubbing and left some debri. I'm at about 5000 actuations and I can honestly say I've noticed a significant reduction. But in my mind it's still a problem. Like Dave_W mentioned with his D800, if my shutter craps out I'll be one sore Nikon owner. Hopefully the tolerances on the shutter were a bit too tight and have worn themselves in. But either way it should have never been like this.
I think Nikon worded their response carefully and have assessed that (to them at least) it's not worth a recall. Dealing with individuals is probably what they plan to do. And they've worded it to point out that all cameras handle dust differently so D600 could be more prone.
On that note, being that I shoot mainly photos and not videos it hasn't had an immediate impact on my work. I'm still not happy but like you I'm biding my time. Sorry to hear about your video woes... I hope it gets better.
I think Nikon worded their response carefully and have assessed that (to them at least) it's not worth a recall. Dealing with individuals is probably what they plan to do. And they've worded it to point out that all cameras handle dust differently so D600 could be more prone.
On that note, being that I shoot mainly photos and not videos it hasn't had an immediate impact on my work. I'm still not happy but like you I'm biding my time. Sorry to hear about your video woes... I hope it gets better.