Help me out with a weird issue on a few photos

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VectorZ

Senior Member
Hey guys, took my third D600 out to the coast today to play around. I was working on some long exposures when all of my images started having these weird horizontal images through them. Short exposures appeared to be fine, but every one over 60 seconds looked like this. It occurred with both a 16-35mm, and a 28-300mm both with and without a hood on. The filter was a Lee big stopper that I've had for a while and never encountered this issue.

Now, this being my third camera I have been vigilant for dust issues. There were some yesterday so I did a number of wet cleaning passes (4 total swabs used) before heading out. I do have a sensor scope and did see a little bit of residue left from the swab, no matter how hard I try I can never get it totally clean. The residue does not cover the whole sensor though. f18, 73 seconds, ISO 100 28mm

Any ideas??!
http://s271.photobucket.com/user/pushing_tin/media/line-2.jpg.html
 
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V

VectorZ

Senior Member
Eye-level said:
Hope you didn't mess something up with 4 swabs...

Tried any indoor experimental long exposures to see if the anomaly still persists?
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Yeah, that's my concern too. I have not tried it indoors yet. I'll give that a shot shortly and see what happens....
 
Marcel

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
From the image I see, it seems to be some kind of a flare. There was probably a lot of light when you took the picture and "maybe" there was a reflection coming from the filter. This is the only explanation that I can think of for now. If you say you tried it with a normal ND filter and it does not do it, I'd suspect the large Lee filter could be at cause. Was there direct sunlight above that could have hit even lightly the front of your filter?

​Good luck.
 
hark

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Have you tried taking the same photo without the Lee filter and perhaps adjusting your exposure to see if the problem still exists? And when I say adjust your exposure, I mean to try and keep the same shutter speed if possible and alter ISO or aperture to compensate.
 
V

VectorZ

Senior Member
I just took two more test photos with the same settings as yesterday. They were both taken from my covered deck so lens flare is not an issue. I shot one with the Lee and one with an infrared. They both have the same line at any exposure over about 70 seconds. I must have done something to the sensor whilst cleaning it... Ugh
 
Marcel

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
I very much suspect a light leak, so maybe it comes from the viewfinder. If I were you, I'd try another shot with the viewfinder covered.

​I would be very much surprised if you would have harmed the sensor cleaning it.
 
V

VectorZ

Senior Member
Marcel said:
I very much suspect a light leak, so maybe it comes from the viewfinder. If I were you, I'd try another shot with the viewfinder covered.

​I would be very much surprised if you would have harmed the sensor cleaning it.
Click to expand...

Well I just shot two more, as long as 120" and there's no line. I guess that was the issue, but I am very perplexed why I never had an issue previously with identical exposures..? Thank you very much Marcel! :cool: btw, in the long exposures I can clearly see the artifacts from the cleaning solution that I was unable to remove.
 
hark

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Vector, what type of cleaning solution did you use? I read some reviews for the premoistened Sensor Swabs which stated they left a haze on the sensor. I used the Sensor Swabs with the bottle of Eclipse solution and haven't noticed any adverse residue. I'm wondering if the possible hazing residue is why they say to use 3 drops on the first swab but only two drops for any subsequent swab.
 
V

VectorZ

Senior Member
hark said:
Vector, what type of cleaning solution did you use? I read some reviews for the premoistened Sensor Swabs which stated they left a haze on the sensor. I used the Sensor Swabs with the bottle of Eclipse solution and haven't noticed any adverse residue. I'm wondering if the possible hazing residue is why they say to use 3 drops on the first swab but only two drops for any subsequent swab.
Click to expand...

I've used both the Eclipse and American Recorder brands. The latter is not pre-moistened, you just put two drops on the swab. They both left similar residues, no matter what I did. It's not really an issue except on very long exposures.
 
Marcel

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
VectorZ said:
I've used both the Eclipse and American Recorder brands. The latter is not pre-moistened, you just put two drops on the swab. They both left similar residues, no matter what I did. It's not really an issue except on very long exposures.
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What kind of residue are you seeing?

I've used eclipse too and got some kind of drying marks swirls (this is the best I can do for a description). This got me quite worried since there were no more dust, but with the sensor loupe I could clearly see pattern of some kind of residue.

So what I did next took me courage, quite a bit of courage, so for you sensitive souls, maybe you don't want to try it, but I did. I took a dry swab, breathed right on the sensor to create a bit of humidity and wiped it dry with the new swab. It cleared up the drying smear after two passes. I know it's not recommended, but this is what I did on my D700 and it's been fine since.

Last time I cleaned my D600, I used some of my optician eyeglass cleaner. I shot a mist in the air and had the swab fly in to get just a bit of mist. It worked perfectly on the first swab and no drying marks or smear. Worked for me but I've read that it's not recommended. I guess I don't mind a little risk once in a while… :)

Sensor filters (what we actually clean) is harder than we think to damage and I'm just not scared anymore after a few cleanings.

One tip, use a tripod to hold the camera with the sensor leaning down a bit. It's easier to control the swabbing this way.

​Good luck.
 
V

VectorZ

Senior Member
Marcel said:
What kind of residue are you seeing?

I've used eclipse too and got some kind of drying marks swirls (this is the best I can do for a description). This got me quite worried since there were no more dust, but with the sensor loupe I could clearly see pattern of some kind of residue.

So what I did next took me courage, quite a bit of courage, so for you sensitive souls, maybe you don't want to try it, but I did. I took a dry swab, breathed right on the sensor to create a bit of humidity and wiped it dry with the new swab. It cleared up the drying smear after two passes. I know it's not recommended, but this is what I did on my D700 and it's been fine since.

Last time I cleaned my D600, I used some of my optician eyeglass cleaner. I shot a mist in the air and had the swab fly in to get just a bit of mist. It worked perfectly on the first swab and no drying marks or smear. Worked for me but I've read that it's not recommended. I guess I don't mind a little risk once in a while… :)

Sensor filters (what we actually clean) is harder than we think to damage and I'm just not scared anymore after a few cleanings.

One tip, use a tripod to hold the camera with the sensor leaning down a bit. It's easier to control the swabbing this way.

​Good luck.
Click to expand...

Here's thehttp://s271.photobucket.com/user/pushing_tin/media/line-2.jpg.html same photo with the residue a little more obvious. Again I'm only seeing this in 70 second or longer exposures. This is the same picture just cropped and enhanced a bit.
 
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D

Dave_W

The Dude
Unfortunately, I know exactly what this is. I just did it the other day, myself. If you make the mistake of getting your swab too wet, it will leave behind a smear like this and even though you blow on it to dry it out, it doesn't go away. On Friday I was down to two swabs, did my cleaning and got nearly all the bugs out, less one or two. I was going to just leave it be but then the dumb part of my brain said "go ahead and get them all". But when I put the cleaner solution on the swab, a lot got on it. So I swished it in the air like an old fashioned thermometer and figured that would be fine.

No, it wasn't fine. I ended up getting a smear just like this one. In my panic and lack of a new swab, I tried re-wiping it with the swab that was now much drier. Bad idea. While the smear was now gone, my sensor showed hundreds of little spots. It was 4:30 and the camera store closes at 5, jumped in the truck and bought a bunch more wipes. Did it again with the new wipe and this time using Eclipse instead of V-Dust solution, the sensor looks fine.


Btw, Did you use V-Dust solution? I'm now only going to use Eclipse since I believe the V-Dust is more than just methanol. If it had been just methanol I suspect the smear would have disappeared when it dried.
 
V

VectorZ

Senior Member
Dave_W said:
Unfortunately, I know exactly what this is. I just did it the other day, myself. If you make the mistake of getting your swab too wet, it will leave behind a smear like this and even though you blow on it to dry it out, it doesn't go away. On Friday I was down to two swabs, did my cleaning and got nearly all the bugs out, less one or two. I was going to just leave it be but then the dumb part of my brain said "go ahead and get them all". But when I put the cleaner solution on the swab, a lot got on it. So I swished it in the air like an old fashioned thermometer and figured that would be fine.

No, it wasn't fine. I ended up getting a smear just like this one. In my panic and lack of a new swab, I tried re-wiping it with the swab that was now much drier. Bad idea. While the smear was now gone, my sensor showed hundreds of little spots. It was 4:30 and the camera store closes at 5, jumped in the truck and bought a bunch more wipes. Did it again with the new wipe and this time using Eclipse instead of V-Dust solution, the sensor looks fine.


Btw, Did you use V-Dust solution? I'm now only going to use Eclipse since I believe the V-Dust is more than just methanol. If it had been just methanol I suspect the smear would have disappeared when it dried.
Click to expand...

This is what I used. I just noticed it is tin oxide which I heard was bad.

 
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