oil spots

hi guys !
i've had my D7100 for about 2 months now, i i had my 35mm 1.8 all the time on it.
i've heard about the oil spots but didn't see them at the beginning since i was shooting with low aperture, but recently i went up in the aperture and noticed 2 spots in the sensor.

i've been reading around and from i what i understood that these spots can't be cleaned.
so what can i do ??

can i return the camera ?
i bought it from Nikon Amazon, who should contact first and what should i do ?

any ideas ?

D7100 and D600 have similar issues with the sensors based on what I have read from other photo forums including some of the members here.

First, register it with Nikon USA so that you can send it for warranty.
Once you register your camera, ask them a question about the issue with your camera. They will likely ask for sample images.

Here is a link to get you started.

https://support.nikonusa.com/

I think this idea of oil on sensor is misleading. The only way to know the difference between an oil spot and dust on the sensor is when you clean it. If a dry swab does not remove a spot, then only could it be oil. And it CAN be cleaned or, if you don't have that many, removed in post processing.

The sensor is an electro-magnet of sorts and it will always attract dust. And to be apparent on a sensor, the dust particle does not have to be that big. We are not talking about animal of human hair here.

I don't know where you read that sensor spots can't be cleaned, but if I were you, I'd try to find another maybe more reliable source of information.
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Marcel is right. Have you invested in a bulb blower? If not, you should, and it's your first line of defense in the dust wars. So before you start thinking you have an issue get a blower and go through these steps. Lock the mirror up for cleaning, hold the camera with the opening facing down and use the blower (never compressed air or your mouth) to blow across the sensor and let gravity do its job.

Take a reference photo, blow the sensor clean, and take another reference photo to compare the two. If you have dust remaining in the same spots, repeat and check again. If it's still there, you may have a "problem" if there are several particles concentrated on the edges and in corners. If you have one or two here and there, that's just life with a DSLR and you will eventually need to wet clean the sensor to remove them. I know all about the differences between oil spots and regular dust thanks to the D600, and the primary difference I've seen is that oil spots will appear perfectly round in a dust reference photo, where dust looks like, well, dust.

The camera is a tool you need to maintain, so learning how to clean it is essential. I wet clean every couple thousand clicks if I have more than a handful of persistent dust particles. I blow the sensor fairly regularly - usually when I put on a new lens before a day of shooting. If I'm not changing the lens I'll shoot a reference photo and see if it needs it. Better than finding it in the pictures at the end of the day.

First off, hello iAHmad
Chances are the spots are probably dust. But there have also been oil issues on some D7100 cameras. I would to take it to a local camera shop. And have them determine what is going on.

To everyone else. Please do not be so eager to just tell everyone to get a bulb blower. And learn how to wet clean.
I had an issue with my first D7100. Luckily I bought it at a brick and mortar store. Initially I had a horrible dust problem (showing up at F8)
The bulb blower had little to no effect on it.

I took it back to the store. They wet cleaned it, and fired about 300 test shots. Dust was back again really bad. Wet cleaned a second time, and test fired 500 times. This time it had dust and a few oil spots. They had also taken back 2 other D7100's that week. And proceeded to check thier other in stock models. All had this issue. They then called thier Nikon rep. he chalked it up to a bad batch.
They had a D7100 delivered from one of thier other stores. And did an exchange for me. The replacement camera has not had any issues so far. At just over 3,000 actuations I have had to wet clean twice. And I am ok with that.

But please don't just write these problems off so quickly. A quick read on some other forums reveal that this is a very real problem with some D7100's.
I am very happy with my replacement. But tell everyone to have these problems checked out before writing it off.

aaahh nuts... I purchased the D7100 as a backup since my D600 is being "repaired". Well this stinks.

I wonder how long it takes this issue to crop up (if there is one). I'm at 300 actuations and clean as a whistle. I guess I'll check again around 1,000.

You may not have an issue. My replacement has been great.

I was just stating that some have real issues. And should not be written off as. Get abulb blower, and learn to wet clean.

John P said:

To everyone else. Please do not be so eager to just tell everyone to get a bulb blower.

Click to expand...

Every serious photographer should have the tools and knowledge of how to maintain their gear, and assess any problem they may be having with it before resorting to calling for warranty service. A bulb blower is the most basic item required to maintain a clean sensor. As you will notice, I did not merely suggest that this might be the solution, only that it's a first step in assessing the solution. If, after using the bulb method, dust (and oil) are persistent then they should take a harder look at sending a practically new camera in. Wet cleaning would come, in my opinion, at your own risk at a camera that new if there are known problems, and I would heartily recommend sending reference photos to Nikon for a "I don't see a problem" letter first before cleaning. That said, knowing how to do a wet cleaning is the second most basic thing a photographer should know in terms of maintaining their gear. Battery swapping aside.

... and knowing how to USE a bulb blower is also crucial. You need to hold the camera facing the ground...that way, any 'debris' will fall out of the camera and not onto the mirror or sensor.

Personally, I'm not comfortable with wet cleaning. I've only used DSLRs for 4 years, and I'm happier letting the expert at my local Nikon retailer do that kind of maintenance. What, me chicken? Squawk