fuminous Loc: Luling, LA... for now...

"Ouch"

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

DO NOT USE A VACUUM CLEANER HOSE! A vacuum has too much force. As it sucks air out it also pulls air in. Household vacuums are very powerful. Air coming in at a velocity will contain material that could damage more than just your sensor.

cthahn

You have to determine where the specks are. Do they show up when you take a picture? Maybe they are on the sensor. What does suck it up mean? Some new digital term. You will have to learn how to do some things for yourself otherwise you will be sucking it up and going to the camera store every week.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

You might just have a few grains of sand in your viewfinder, easy to clean!

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

This happened to me, although not as bad! We slid down a muddy slope and ended up by the stream in shallow muddy water! Not easy to clean up, still finding little bits of dirt here and there that I missed.

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

does your camera have a self cleaning sensor option? If so run it. many of todays camera s have that option.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Quite likely, those "specks" actually aren't "on your lens".

If your camera is a DSLR with an optical viewfinder, the "specks" won't show up in your images. If they appear sharp when looking through the viewfinder, they're on the focus screen. If they're blurred, they are on the mirror itself. You might try removing the lens and using a gentle puff of air from a proper bulb blower (such as a Rocket Blower). That might dislodge the specks and blow them out of the mirror box. But if it doesn't, I'd advise against any further effort to clean it yourself. The focus screen and mirror are quite delicate, easily damaged and repairs can be expensive. Leave it until you have the camera professionally cleaned. In the meantime, they will just be a minor nuisance... won't appear in or harm your images at all.

On the other hand, if your camera is a "mirrorless" with an electronic viewfinder, then the specks are likely right on the image sensor itself and they will show up in your images. A proper sensor cleaning is needed. If you have the skills and tools, you can do it yourself. For that matter, if the camera has a "self-cleaning" sensor, it might shake the specks off itself, after you power it off and back on a couple times (assuming you have the self-cleaning feature enabled). If that doesn't work and you don't feel up to doing the cleaning yourself, it's a relatively low cost and quick service that many shops and camera stores offer. Usually can have it done "while you wait".

terry44 Loc: Tuolumne County California, Maui Hawaii

Sand is so corrosive I recommend getting it cleaned by a shop, then it is covered if something happens sand is the only time I get a shop to clean the sensor and camera,
I had sand in my then new D7100 while living in Maui and had to have the shutter replaced as the sand messed with the shutter mechanism, whatever you do don't use the camera till you get it clear of sand as it could cost you. Sorry that happened to you nice thing is it can be fixed.

Deanie1113

Can't tell you how much I appreciate all these helpful replies. Thank you so much. Only one spot shows up on the actual image after I cleaned it with a soft cotton ball. I think I'll have a camera shop look at it now. Thanks again!

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

You will probably call this nitpicking, but ....

Strictly speaking "corrosive" normally refers to something that destroys via chemical action, but sand destroys via physical action {namely sharp edges of the grains}

terry44 Loc: Tuolumne County California, Maui Hawaii

Thanks guess I just took it to mean beach sand. I was referring to beach sand which is from saltwater and you know how that eats away at metal.