Wyo shooter

I have a dust problem with my Tamron SP 150-600 lens. I can clearly see the dust on the second lens and there is one large nib that shows up on every shot. I have a lot of other litte nibs that show up and when I'm editing a photo I know exactly where to find them in the photo. I know it not a sensor issue because it is cleaned regularly. Any recommendations on how to get rid of the dust? I disassembled the front lens element and. Cleaned the second several years ago and that helped for a while.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

Change lenses and take photos and see if the dust is still there. Many lenses have dust and it doesn’t effect the photo.

out4life2016 Loc: Bellingham, Washington

If your certain the dust is in the lens itself then I would suggest sending it out and having it cleaned professionally. I can rebuild most things but have never taken a lens apart so I’m not one to try with such an expensive piece of glass.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Compare test images of the same white piece of paper, or a clear blue sky, or the ceiling of your room at f/16 with multiple lenses, including the Tamron. As noted by others, dust inside the lens is typically not an impact on the image, where dust on the sensor will appear in all small-aperture images regardless of the lens.

steve49 Loc: massachusetts

Similar issue with other lenses?
I think unless it was a pretty dramatic obstruction it would be unlikely to show in the photo.

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

Most of the time dust will not effect the final image.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

What camera?

By nature of optics, dust doesn’t show up on photos.

agillot

try cleaning the sensor using a home vacuum cleaner , been doing this many time , hold vacuum cleaner a inch or so away from camera opening , actuate shutter 2 or 3 time with speed at 2 or 3 sec .dust gone , do rear of lens while you are at it .

warrenvon Loc: Ellicott City, MD

I'd suggest that you should be certain not to zoom out and then back in too often as this will induce "dust" into your lens. Leave it extended in the most used zoom position as you walk about.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

This may/may not be helpful, but here goes: Several lenses I have purchased used (out of many, many good to excellent ones) came with dust and (argh!!) fungus. Because they were Nikon AF-S, and the issue was in the focus stack, the lens could not be cleaned/cleared of fungus by just anyone, or I would have done the work (Nikon AF-S and AF-P lenses require special computer aided focus alignment tools - if you disturb the focus stack you will brick the lens, toast! AND it will need realignment - this is not my opinion, it is in my Nikon Repair Manuals for the lens series mentioned).

That being the case, I cleaned what I could and treated the lenses to a heavy dose of UV-C light to kill the fungus..... In side by side shot comparisons (good copy versus dirt/dust/fungus copy) the dust did not show, but the larger driblets of fungus would give a slight soft focus look to parts of a photo. One was so bad (dead fungus spots, spider veins) that the overall look is that of a soft focus lens. In general, you would have to have a fair amount of dust/dust coatings to soften the image.

Some folks hook up a vacuum cleaner hose to the mount end of the lens and remove front element (where possible, but not always) and tap lightly on the lens, work zoom back and forth, while the vacuum sucks....this sometimes works, sometimes not, won't harm the lens. As mentioned, some folks do this with the camera body too...I have never tried it..so no opinion on the process.

On the Sensor; I had one sensor that put a ugly black nit in every photo, cleaned multiple times, and could not see it (the nit) in the camera. I finally did back to back extended wet cleanings, and this worked, which greatly increased my happiness level!! Was near the frustration point with the cleanings (it had been cleaned many times) and was considering sending it to Nikon ($$) when I finally did the long version wet cleanings. I think the nit must have been wet when it landed and had cemented itself to the sensor. Keeping the surface moist for a minute each time with the swab on it did the trick, loosened up and left hte building! It has been clean as a whistle since, and works like a champ. My message, revisit the sensor cleaning if you suspect it is something beyond the lens. Good luck with your efforts.
Another $.02

yorkiebyte Loc: Scottsdale, AZ/Bandon by the Sea, OR

Uhhhhh, WHAT?? Never heard of this technique... I know I won't be trying it!!

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

DON'T EVEN THINK OF DISASSEMBLING A LENS YOURSELF UNLESS YOU ARE A TRAINED CAMERA REPAIR PERSON!!!!!!!!

Sixty years ago I tried to disassemble a prime lens and clean the rear of the front element. Note that this was long before zoom, metering, electronics, autofocus or other modern features were added to lenses. After removing the front element and cleaning it, I started to reassemble the lens. The first thing I discovered was that to replace the last part I had removed it was first necessary to remove a part I had not yet removed. After that it was necessary to remove another part and the progression continued until I had a pile of many parts on my table with no idea of how to put the mess back together. It cost almost as much to have a professional reassemble my lens as the lens cost when new. Had I not tried to do the job myself and let a pro do it in the first place it would have cost me a quarter of what it cost me in the end.

davesit Loc: Lansing, New York

Your lens is notorious with sucking dust inside the lens when zooming. It is almost like a vacuum. Nothing you can do about it except to clean it when it gets dirty. I had one.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

Yes, you have to know what you are doing, AND what you shouldn't do, this is why I like Factory Service Manuals. Anyone who has seen a modern lens cutaway, or schematics of same, they are complex, require precise tools, some require Computer Aided tools and programs...so all need to be aware!! You really do need to be "Trained Technician Class" operative to work on them.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

Internal dust/contamination, and on the front or rear surfaces, DOES NOT show up as distinct spots/defects on the film plane or sensor. Maybe real fuzzy indistinct things.They are not anywhere near the focusable distance of the lens.

Lens contamination CAN AND DOES causes reduction in light transmission and light scattering, which affects exposure, sharpness and contrast.