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Cleaning a Zuiko Digital 50mm Macro

johna

New Member
Hi all, I've been lurking here for quite some time, it's a very nice forum. Anyhoo, as I was changing over lenses today, I noticed a speck of dust inside (I think) my Zuiko 50mm macro. As a result, I have several questions -

1) Is it possible to get the lens cleaned?
2) Does it affect the performance of the lens?

In regard to 1), I'm not keen on having a look inside the lens myself, so I'm guessing I would have to send it off to get professionally serviced, correct?

In regard to 2), I've taken a few shots of clear sky and gone through on the compy trying to pick up this little speck, but I can't see anything abnormal.

Here is a link to a picture I've taken of the offending piece of dust - http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=429169433&size=o

I hope this helps!

Cheers,

John
 
Hi John,
I don't think you will notice anything from the annoying dust speck in your pictures. It's not like having dust on a digital sensor.
I would tend not to have the lens cleaned unless it was really bad as I wouldn't want it dismantled except as a last resort.
I think it is just an irritation.
Cheers,
John
 
Hi there John,

Thanks for the reassurance, the lens is working perfectly and as you said, it is just a minor annoyance. I'm just having a lot of fun with it and the thought of maybe sending it to get serviced was a little disappointing. I'll keep an eye on it (hoo haa!) for the time being.

Thanks,

John.
 
Hi there John I wouldn't worry about this in any way. I have about a dozen old manual lenses, and none of them could be called pristine. I'm also not the neatest or best organises person in the world, and while I take great care to avoid putting them anywhere they can be scratched, I never worry about dust. So far, I can honestly say there is no material effect on pics from my perspective. If you look at my article here, http://www.gadgetmiser.com/OMLensTest.htm about buying second hand lenses etc, most of them came from pawnshops or ebay dealers, and arrived in varied states of cleanliness, which I have not tried to enhance!
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I don't think the resulting shots, if they are weak, are weak due to dust
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[Complete incompetence and lack of talent on my part on the other hand ... well, err, let's talk about dust]. Cameras are for taking pictures after all, not for bagging in cellophane - they don't increase in value like that issue of Amazing Fantasy #15 you found air-sealed in Grandad's 1962 Nuclear Fallout Shelter - if your camera/lens doesn't have any dust on it, then it's possibly not being used as much as it should be
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! Remember also that us Oly users also have the superdooper-ultrasonic-dust-disintegration-device that prevents dust from becoming too problematic on the sensor, and this largely works, so there is probably minimal risk of contaminating your sensor through lens dust transfer. I am obliged however to caution you that this other article, and in particular, the video in it that I did: http://www.gadgetmiser.com/E500focusscreen.htm has caused great terror among a significant number of Oly users: http://www.minoltaspain.com/foros/index.php?topic=1870 [You'll have to google translate it, I'm afraid, but it's well worth it] - because I didn't soothingly bathe the camera with a natural earth fibre glove, then gently massage with essential oils, before tucking it into a nice, cosy bed sprinkled with lavender and rose petals prior to changing the focus screen. I am by reputation therefore, Atilla the Oly Ravager, and perhaps not the best placed to comment on issues of dust and camera sterility in general
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!
 
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