Oil Spots On Sensor: I’ve had a few annoying oil spots on the sensor of my D7200 which are only visible on a few shots or when I increase adaptive exposure in PP. I cannot see them...

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

I’ve had a few annoying oil spots on the sensor of my D7200 which are only visible on a few shots or when I increase adaptive exposure in PP. I cannot see them with a sensor loupe and they are easily cloned out in PP. I have a Visible Dust cleaning kit but I’m worried that I may smear the spots and make the situation worse. My question is should I attempt to wet clean the sensor myself (will be the first time), have it done professionally or leave it alone?
Mark

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

srfmhg wrote:

I’ve had a few annoying oil spots on the sensor of my D7200 which are only visible on a few shots or when I increase adaptive exposure in PP. I cannot see them with a sensor loupe and they are easily cloned out in PP. I have a Visible Dust cleaning kit but I’m worried that I may smear the spots and make the situation worse. My question is should I attempt to wet clean the sensor myself (will be the first time), have it done professionally or leave it alone?
Mark

Professional clean if they bother you.

Dave327 Loc: Duluth, GA. USA

Tony Northrop did a you tube video on cleaning a sensor. Not that hard. Swab kits are available at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, Etc...

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

I've done it several times. It isn't as scary as you think it is. The question is, will the cleaning solution get the oil spots off? Personally, if you want to try it yourself, I would call someone like B&H and ask them which cleaner would be good for oil spots instead of just going for what's cheap. I have 2 different cleaners, (not sure what brand or whatever) one is much more mild, and I start with that. If it doesn't clean, I use the other. So far, I haven't found anything that the second cleaner won't handle.
Why not start with the stronger one? Well, I believe in only using the mildest one to get the job done. Not sure if the stronger one causes damage in the long run or not? I could be all wet, but it's "how I roll" when it comes to sensor cleaning.

How often do I do it? Only when needed. I know someone who cleans his sensor before each wedding. I think he's just nuts.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

I have a similar problem, Mark, let me know how you do.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

UTMike wrote:

I have a similar problem, Mark, let me know how you do.

I'd like to ask both you and OP, are you sure these are oil spots, and not just dust spots?

Either way, they are cleanable, but Oil spots could be tougher, and require multiple cleanings.

birdseyeview Loc: Indiana

I had the same issue with my 7100. just get a few sensor swabs and cleaning fluid (alcohol). Use enough fluid to thin the oil and get it off. don't scrub just wipe from side to side. just 1 or 2 swipes then replace the swab with a clean one and repeat. you may need to do this 3 or 4 times. you only need enough fluid to get the swab moist not dripping wet. you can tell when you wipe the sensor it will be wet and will dry quickly with a little air movement. the best way I have found to inspect the sensor is to shine a bright light at an angle and move the camera around and the spots tend to show more easily. If you use TO DRY of a swab you will just smear the oil around but don't drown the sensor. Its not as fragile as people think just be GENTLE.
The sensor is solidly mounted in the camera so it won't move.
Good luck

RRS Loc: Not sure

srfmhg wrote:

I’ve had a few annoying oil spots on the sensor of my D7200 which are only visible on a few shots or when I increase adaptive exposure in PP. I cannot see them with a sensor loupe and they are easily cloned out in PP. I have a Visible Dust cleaning kit but I’m worried that I may smear the spots and make the situation worse. My question is should I attempt to wet clean the sensor myself (will be the first time), have it done professionally or leave it alone?
Mark

Try the wet method. I too use the Visible Dust solution and I don't care too much for their solution. It does work but leaves streaks on the sensor. What I have always had to do was when I finished with the swab with the solution was to then blow with warm breath on the sensor so it wasn't dry and use a new dry swab to remove the streak. I'm kind of surprised that you can't see the spots with the loupe.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Watch that Tony Northrup video before you clean your sensor with wet swabs. A sensor is something you don't want to permanently damage. I remember the oil spot problems that some D600s had some years back. Good luck.

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

bkyser wrote:

I'd like to ask both you and OP, are you sure these are oil spots, and not just dust spots?

Either way, they are cleanable, but Oil spots could be tougher, and require multiple cleanings.

I have had dust spots which look dark black for the most part and are cleaned by a rocket blower. These appear semi translucent and are perfectly round so I assume they are oil. As I said, they are not visible with a sensor loupe and dust spots were very obvious.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

srfmhg wrote:

I’ve had a few annoying oil spots on the sensor of my D7200 which are only visible on a few shots or when I increase adaptive exposure in PP. I cannot see them with a sensor loupe and they are easily cloned out in PP. I have a Visible Dust cleaning kit but I’m worried that I may smear the spots and make the situation worse. My question is should I attempt to wet clean the sensor myself (will be the first time), have it done professionally or leave it alone?
Mark

Oil spots on the sensor is by no means something that should be expected or left uncorrected. It would be a good idea to take this to a service location with the oil spots intact so that the source can be identified and the problem corrected. The number and exact location of the spots are critical clues to where the oil is coming from.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

srfmhg wrote:

I’ve had a few annoying oil spots on the sensor of my D7200 which are only visible on a few shots or when I increase adaptive exposure in PP. I cannot see them with a sensor loupe and they are easily cloned out in PP. I have a Visible Dust cleaning kit but I’m worried that I may smear the spots and make the situation worse. My question is should I attempt to wet clean the sensor myself (will be the first time), have it done professionally or leave it alone?
Mark

I doubt they are oil spots. I do not believe the D7200 had that problem. The problem was common with the Nikon D600. I believe they other. And yes, you should have it cleaned by a professional and then ask them if they were indeed oil spots. Because if they are, you have deeper issues with your camera.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I'm with Stan on his advice. Professional cleaning. Preferably by Nikon.
--Bob

srfmhg wrote:

I’ve had a few annoying oil spots on the sensor of my D7200 which are only visible on a few shots or when I increase adaptive exposure in PP. I cannot see them with a sensor loupe and they are easily cloned out in PP. I have a Visible Dust cleaning kit but I’m worried that I may smear the spots and make the situation worse. My question is should I attempt to wet clean the sensor myself (will be the first time), have it done professionally or leave it alone?
Mark

VTMatwood Loc: Displaced Vermonta in Central New Hampsha

I had the same issue with my D7100, and tried to clean the sensor myself after watching numerous videos. It simply resulted in oil smears all over my sensor, rather than spots. I highly recommend having it professionally cleaned. Standard dust / dirt is easily cleaned by the user... oil...not so much.

catchlight.. Loc: Wisconsin USA- Halden Norway

VSGO brand works perfectly...

Not hard to do, use mirror lock up in the sensor cleaning menu.