Well, I just got the camera back from Nikon after a clean and the dirty black mark (top right) is still showing in the exact place, although the smear has gone. Tried both lenses and still the same. So what can it be ?

A bad job by Nikon.
Seriously, I cannot imagine that this is caused by anything other than dust / dirt on the sensor.
Is it showing at any aperture? When I last had my camera (Canon) cleaned by a professional dealer they told me that they will not guarantee the result to be free of sensor spots for apertures smaller than f11...

Maybe I will consider going back to cleaning myself, that worked well in the past and I only gave the camera to the dealer for cleaning because I was too lazy to do it myself...

Quote from: Herg on May 06, 2015, 02:33

Well, I just got the camera back from Nikon after a clean and the dirty black mark (top right) is still showing in the exact place, although the smear has gone. Tried both lenses and still the same. So what can it be ?

A bad job by Nikon.
Seriously, I cannot imagine that this is caused by anything other than dust / dirt on the sensor.
Is it showing at any aperture? When I last had my camera (Canon) cleaned by a professional dealer they told me that they will not guarantee the result to be free of sensor spots for apertures smaller than f11...

Maybe I will consider going back to cleaning myself, that worked well in the past and I only gave the camera to the dealer for cleaning because I was too lazy to do it myself...

Haloooo ?
free of sensor spots for apertures smaller than f11...

It must be spot free at f 22 !
When I clean my 5D it is spot free even on f 32 (Canon 70-200)
And so must be !

Obviously everybody can be Nikon service guy.
 

Well, I just got the camera back from Nikon after a clean and the dirty black mark (top right) is still showing in the exact place, although the smear has gone. Tried both lenses and still the same. So what can it be ?

Get a decent light and a magnifying glass. Open the camera for cleaning, and have a look at the sensor. Try not to breathe over it or drop hair in it. Angling it a bit helps I find. Should be obvious if there's anything on there, remembering that the image is inverted on the sensor.
As I said before, just get the pec pads and fluid, and follow the instructions. It really is dead easy.


You'll never pay for "professional" cleaning again.

I don't usually recommend this, but since its 8 years old and I've done it with the same camera... maybe try a can of compressed air to clean it?

I strongly advise against using canned air. The propellant can come out as a liquid under certain circumstances. I was in a darkroom once when someone (else) destroyed a very valuable negative using that stuff at slightly the wrong angle.

Also - compressed air will not clean a smear / smudge. The correct approach is to do a wet clean using Eclipse or similar solution. Then clean for any dust spots using either dedicated brushes or a gummy dust stick (eg the Pentax one or similar - Leica use them in the factory). An illuminated loupe is essential for examining the sensor surface properly

Visible dust sensor swabs and a small bottle of cleaning fluid.

It's all I ever use.

Blow the sensor cavity out with a rocket blower then clean with swab (never use a dry swab)

Never scrub just a light pressure to swab across the plate.

Remember you are not cleaning the sensor just the clear filter plate on top of the sensor.

Never ever use compressed air cans.  The propellant leaves stains.

Clean in the most dust free environment in the house (usually the bathroom)

After cleaning put the lens back on and shoot a plain surface out of focus at f22 and look at the image.  Any dust or specks will show up on the shot.

Repeat as necessary.

Nikon got back to me and offered another clean. As I will be without my camera again I thought they would fast track it. Nope. The repair is estimated to be done on the 19th. Their response is pretty dire as they hardly answer emails, especially when I requested them to at least give me a faster turnaround (in fairness, it is their error) For a company this big they have a very poor customer service.

Par for the course with them. Here in BC, Canada, I waited 4 months before finally showing up at their depot and "discovered" that the number I had been leaving messages on had never once been checked.

And fyi, when I suggested canned air, it was reluctantly, sparingly and only as an absolute last resort.

They returned the camera after some time and this time (although I haven't had time to test it yet due to illness) it seems clean. The body seems to have had a clean too.