I hate to say it, but yes, the answer may just be
get over it.
Here's what we don't know...
- How clean (I mean, really, honestly and truly) is the environment you keep your cameras in? I store this camera in a backpack in the same room/spot that I have stored all my cameras begining with the D50 many many years ago.
- When you lay your camera down, how is it oriented - lens up, lens forward or lens down? Lens forward or down.
- When you shoot outside:
- What do you shoot? Any and everything from hummingbirds to family to landscapes.
- Where do you shoot? Everywhere.
- Is there grass and trees and dirt and pollen? If outside, one or more of those things will be everywhere.
- Do you face the camera up and shoot at the sky? Yes, but also did this with my d50, d80 and d90.
- Do you wipe your camera down when you come back inside? No, and i'm trying to be honest with my answers.
- How long does it take you to swap lenses? 2-3 seconds at most. I usually have someone standing by me with the new lens (cap still covering but not on tight) to help me do this without neither lens being exposed to the elements. They are ready to cover the lens removed as soon as we make the exhange.
- When you take the old lens off, what do you do next, and how quickly? And what about after that?
- Where do you keep the back cover when it's not on a lens? I keep a few back covesr in my bag but to be honest I usually exchange the back cover with the lens I am exhanging to and from with the new lens I mounting.
- How dust free is the environment that you "clean" your camera in? Do you have forced hot air or air conditioning running when you do this (moving dust particles around)? Is your camera lying face up on the table after you're done with no body cap for anything more than a second? When you blow out the chamber are you holding the camera face down to allow the dust to actually escape using gravity to pull it away? I always change my LENS inside, never outside or in the car. Yes, the AC is sometimes running. My camera never lays anywhere face up with or without a lens on it. When I use the rocket blaster the camera is always facing down, sometimes even on a tripod.
It seems like you are doing your best to take care not to introduce dust into the equation, and that's great. But, a) the D7100 has been around for a
while with no reported symptomatic issues such as what you're seeing, and b) you're on your 3rd camera, so at this point given the 2 factors mentioned I would say that it's got as much or more to do with camera use (and be clear, I'm not saying
improper use) than the camera itself.
I am on my 3rd camera and considering I never had this issue with any of the other Nikons that I have owned, I was naturally concerning and confused as to why so much dust would get in the d7100 so quickly. When I picked up my third one at best buy, the young saleman and myself mounted my new 35mm on the camera. Not a dust spot to be seen at f/32 testing on white paper in the store. The next day I used the camera for a few hours and that night, four dust spots. So yes, I did find this odd.
Could there be a dusty box of cameras that went to a Best Buy near you? It's not out of the realm of possibility. But I wouldn't put my money on it.
My issue is not so much that the camera will eventually have some dust spots, but when you clean it and then EVERYTIME you use it (for one hour or five hours) there is dust again.
At this point I wish I had not even started this thread. Those of us that would like some answers are doing just that looking for answers. I've stated that I love this camera and will just have to learn to clean it, but that doesn't mean I am the type of person that just blindly excepts "it just is", especially from someone from people that don't even list they own this camera. If I didn't own one, I would wonder why I'm having a problem also, because my d90 has been worked HARD over the years it needing cleaning maybe twice. (also checked it and it has one tiny tiny dust spot and has not been cleaned in years.) ..I only wanted to be informed and understand why this happens every time I use the camera. And some of the "talking down to" or "degrading remarks" are not necessay. We came here for help and to try and learn, not be ridiculed by some (not everyone, some of you have been extremely nice and tried to help us understand).
I'm not trying to place blame on you. I'm trying to assess, or at least get
you to assess the conditions under which these 3 cameras have been used.