Clean the DUST on the Image-Sensor

In the time of Film Photography, a trouble of DUST was mostly on the film when we

need to make a print.   Other than that, the dust on the lens or in the camera body

doesn’t necessary appeared on the photo. (May increase the halation. And in a rare case,

dust on a film might appeared as a dot or two).

But in the Digital Photography, DUST on the image sensor is a very visible

serious trouble —– and quite often happening.

On the moment of changing the Lens, a DSLR body’s sensitive part is completely open

and exposed = hence, a DUST can get into at any moment.

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A user of Compact Digital Camera may think their camera is perfectly sealed and safe

against the dust though, strangely, the dust can find the way into image sensor =

collapsed lens or Zoom lens are acting as an air-pomp to suck-in the air and the dust.

Once it is in, the dust can only be cleaned by the service engineer, with prohibitively

expensive charge. (Those small cameras were not designed to disassemble and to repair

= as they were assembled by snap fit without using screw = once fit together they are

very difficult to separate without cracking the plastic

= better forget the Dust = take a dust-mark as your own water-mark, otherwise

retouch one by one until you buy new camera  😀 ).

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Having exposed internal guts, DSLR (and the Interchangeable-lens Compact Camera)

can easily get dust on the image-sensor though, as it is open, it is also

possible to clean DIY.

—– When my picture started to have a dark spot, which was found to be

persistent, same position, same shape in all the pictures, it only means

a dust is on the image sensor, I asked the Boss of Canon what should I do, he said

“Bring it to us” though, their office is bloody far out of London and I’m not an owner

driver. —– I decided to clean it myself.

(Its the same principle = If Canon can, I can do too 😀 )

——- (The dust on the image showed,  Ultra-sonic Dust-off system is not very effective.  Anyhow,

——- even if the Dust was shaken off from the sensor, it stays there unremoved  😀 )

If it was ordinary air-born dust, it can be just blown away.

But if it was water-born, such as the VERY moment when you had removed a lens

“a rain drop got inside” or “you dropped your sliver” —– you may need to take

a measure with a possibility to write-off the camera in the worst case.

** To blow off the DUST, the best I found is to use

an ordinary rubber blower

and a high-quality nylon oil-painting blush.

(such as, Windsor-Newton or Daler kind and

NOT made in China)

(The quality of a blush, came with rubber blower is

pretty bad and it’s hair will fall off then it became yet

another troublesome dust).

** I don’t like Canned Air —– (1) Often its air

pressure is too high.

(2) And with its design, we tend to use its nozzle too close.

(3) The metal nozzle itself could make a scratch. —– After I have accidentally blown

the shutter blades off the slit with those Canned Air blower, I decided to use only rubber

blower to clean the delicate part of the camera, together with paint blush.

(Those Canned Air can blow off the grease on the gear = and the grease may stack

somewhere, always most unwanted place = it’s a Murphy’s law.   😀 )

Those oil-painting blush was designed to withstand against sticky oil paint and to

repeated cleaning in a solvent = they are the best cleaning blush fit for dust-off business,

—– provided if it was washed clean in a pure solvent time to time.

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** Before clean the image sensor, you have to start clean around the lens mount,

even inside of a lens-cap = it got to be through, otherwise dust will come back.

(ideally use another blush) = then, blush inside of mirror box and blow the air around.

(But better not touch the mirror, unless you have a confidence of cleanness of  blush)

—> then, set the Shutter to [B] and press the release button to rise the mirror and

open the shutter. = you will see somewhat shiny green image sensor !

(but you may not to see the Dust itself ) —> then, blow the air toward the sensor

( DON’T blush it on this moment yet = if you can get rid of the Dust without touching

the sensor, it is far better) —> while holding camera body downward, blow the air

toward the inside (hoping the Dust to fall off ) —> then finger off the button.

** Put a lens and set the camera to an Auto-mode and click the shutter while

aiming it to white wall or paper (manual set the lens to off focus)

—> then check the image (not over-exposed = a bit grayish white)

= if there is no dark spot = the dust has cleared   🙂

** But IF the DUST is still in the same place, repeat the cleaning above

again but this time gently sweep the sensor with blush.

—> Then examine the picture again.

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IF the dark spot is still there = there could be a possibility of it is not caused by

a dust BUT the aria of the sensor might have become defective =

it is the time to send the camera to proper service though, mind you, to change the

sensor may cost half the camera price, it might be better to keep retouching the photos

until you buy new camera.

—– So, if you clean the sensor by yourself, be patient and pay good attention.

There is nothing you can’t do = have a confidence.  (And good luck.  😀 )

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Yoshi-Handy / Handmade Fish-eye Photos

Those photos were taken by my handmade camera which was nick-named as Yoshi-Handy, by the Director of the Pentax Gallery in Tokyo, Mr. Taizo Nakamura, named after eary1910’s camera style called Handy-Camera, because of its square shape. (Why called handy was = most of other camera then were big wooden camera, not possible to use by hand-held) And the photos here were shot in the north of Thailand, so-called Golden Triangle area in the 70s. I rediscovered this Camera in a box when I needed to find the Side-view Prism adapter (ultra low-angle adapter), a month ago.

I went up north of Thailand, from Cheng-Mai to Cheng-Lai then took a boat to further north and started to climb the mountain, going through many mountain tribe’s villages. I went there with a local guide who came back after working in the Vietnam war hence able to speak in English and having a hand gun.

The purpose was, I wanted to interview and photograph General Twan, an exiled Chinese Army of Chang Kai-sheck who proclaimed to be an anticommunists warrior though, in reality he was the Drug Baron dominating the Opium trade there then. But, we had to abandon the plan as the guide noticed a hatred of those Chinese called Kuomin-tan toward Japanese. = Yes, I realized that the Japanese was the enemy of the Chang Kai-sheck Army and they are still armed, and they made a gesture to swing a hand on the neck (mean cut off the head) or aiming me a hand with pointing finger (mean shoot with a gun).  (Strangely, they seemed to know that I’m a Japanese at once  may be because of my camera).

With after thought, it seemed, I was rather lucky to come back alive, since about the same time an American who went into the same area had been killed by his own guide. = may be my guide saw my strange handmade camera and a huge Pentax 6×7, they couldn’t be sold easily,  therefore not worthwhile to rob and he might have me spared.  🙂

So, I came back from Thailand with 100s roles of films which has been survived even under intense heat and completely soak wet condition. Without capturing General Twan’s photo, rest was mostly shot in Bangkok and its surrounding poor area. It was one of my most adventurous journey in my photographic life. ( It was really a fun )

A month after the shooting, to see the developed results was the most thrilling moment, having a butterfly in the stomach. (— in comparison, DSLR camera has no such intense moment = if no good, just click again on the spot = crucial excitement has lost in the game. :-D)

(Note: The lens fitted here (photo left) is Nikkor Fish-eye 16mm f3.5 with its lens-hood removed)

The camera Yoshi-handy is a very simple camera = Lens > Shutter > Role-film Holder, that’s all. Only unique structure was, the front panel with SLR’s Square-Shutter and the rear panel with Film-Holder was connected with adjustable 4 individual screws, hence the Lens can be tilted to any angle up to 30 degrees.

Lens mount was Nikon though, as the distance from the lens to film is adjustable = any lens with Nikon mount can be used.   Hence, I mainly used Pentax 17mm F4 Fish-eye, PC Nikkor 35mm F2.8 and Pentax 15mm F3.5 (Those Pentax lenses were used with handmade mount adapter).  Though, to have a focus from infinity to almost lens front surface with 30 degree tilt, Copal Square-Shutter had to be modified to make its one-side thinner.

In certain view, to use those 35mm Camera lenses on 2-1/4 or 6×6 format had merely enabled to use the surrounding image circle outside of 35mm format = hence

Fish-eye image become whole circular image though, on that time, there was no

Circular Fish-eye lens for 6×6 medium format camera in the world, let alone

a camera which can focus from infinity to life-size close-up in one shot.

(Only a short-coming of this camera was, as it is using Grand Glass for focus = then change to film-Holder,  it needs the camera fixed on a tripod,  otherwise take a photo while guessing the distance by eyes and set a distance ring manually. = still, once get used, it can be done with ease.  —– A kind of view finder was made out of ubiquitous Door-scope.

= cheap yet good enough for the purpose. 😀 )

This unusual camera with its strange photographs were taken and featured in the British Journal of Photography (17 Dec’ 1976 issue) and exhibited in the Pentax Gallery, then it appeared in the Zoom magazine internationally.(in English = 1978 Oct/Nov issue)

( The another Camera I’ve mentioned in this blog before, Conica Tilt II  was a camera to create the effects of 30 degree tilt, with the convenience of SLR)

Incidentally, the sample photos above were just hand-held digital copy of the 6×6 transparencies on a florescent tube light box = even without dust off, quality may not be as good as done by a proper scanner —– still usable enough for the blog size.

= I’m wondering if it was done by Nikon D810’s HDR function, would the result be much better ? = I’ll test it soon.

Behind the ” Sea Creature ?”

This was a way how I created a  Jerry-FISHY  photo  🙂

While ago, I was fascinated by Ms Karen’s Jerry-fish photos = I should try though,

south London has no sea, no Jerry-fish in sight (other than dried Chinese food).

So, if I can’t get it = why not make it myself  😀  —– And created a KIND of photo.

But it was not a secret technique = just a well known way to deal with such subject.

It was a Chinese soft plastic toy (a fancy ring, originally having with twinkling LEDs) was

squeezed and tied in the middle, and held on top of a needle an inch high = on a

black velvet, as a back-ground.    And I gave sprinkle of glitters on the black velvet.

Half transparent plastic toy was illuminated by a blue LED.  

As a close-up photo, the back-ground (glitters) were sufficiently out of  focus  to give

a false impression that the Jerry-fish is somewhat floating.

Voila’  a photo looks like a Jerry-fish floating in the water or space was made-up  🙂

As most of the people guessed, other two photos were  in deed a plastic net, which had

come with Garrick.  — In fact, I was experimenting to create a photo, giving an impression

of great distance, like the Space.  (Ms Lemony did it with Spider’s web pretty successfully) 

Though, Garrick net was noway near to a Spider’s web = end up more like a Sea Anemone

—– hence, I put them with Jerry-FISHY photo   🙂

It was a fun  😀

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Sea Creature ? ? ?

M m m m —– What ? ? ?   You may think.   What are they ?

Yes.  Those photos are genuine.    Just straight close-up shot.    No Photo shop.   🙂

– – – – – – – – –  How do you see them ?

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” What are you doing ?”

Somebody, supposed to be a Zen Buddhist teased me

“If you are Zennist, how come, what are you doing in your blog ?”

I answered to him “If you only see it so, your Buddhism is wrong”

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The reason why the Buddhism after the Nirvana of

Lord Buddha was formed as known as Hinayana was because the followers just copied the lifestyle

of Lord Buddha (as an Bhikkuh) and kept his teachings.  And it took 500 years for the followers to

realize what the real meaning of his teachings were.

—– It is obvious, if all the people in the country become keen Buddhists / Bikkuh,

Who else can feed those Bhikkuh. Who grows the rice to make foods or fish in the river.

(You may give a thought, in a scope of a sustainability of the society = the socio-economical size

= how may Bhikkuh can the society sustain ? —– number is very limited.)

Lord Buddha was not such idiot.   Buddhism is not forsake the LIFE, but to live with it.

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Zen is a psychological technique / Mind-set to DO the THINGS = to have the

LIFE in the best efficiency without having useless hindrances.

Me to do a photography —– after all I used to be a photographer / technical-writer

= What’s wrong, a man keep doing what he was (a sort of) good at.   😀 😀

DOING all those, I need the Zen (such as so-called Mindfulness, Mushin etc etc, hence I keep

my tools in the best condition, let alone to make them etc etc) and I have, at least, having the

results which leaves no (well more or less) regrets.  😀  — (still, I want to do even better

= this is not a greed as my work is not producing any profit or fame.   😀 😀 )

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My approach to the camera or photography which is in most of the case, non-conventional,

quite inventive way would solve and help other’s trouble well,  (without costing them  :-D)

—– such as, when the camera or Mob-devise was dropped in the sea water or toilet = just

wash under tap water then dry it with Hair-dryer,  or jammed, stacked Zoom lens may be

saved with just hitting it in all directions.  Or utilizing Chinese toys would save a time and cost,

instead of building a new circuit for electronic controller etc etc.  😀

Life is to live, hence it got be fun, as you can’t avoid — any how.

Make it fun, instead of resenting or complaining.

And by making something would be even more fun.   🙂

___/\___

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Ultra Low-Angle Photo (2)

This is yet another shots of moss with Ultra Low-Angle Adapter.

The subject I encountered was Marchantia polimorpha (better known as Umbrella river-wort)

and its Reproductive structure = Gametophores (but the photos here is its female part).

This photo was taken by Micro Nikkor 55mm f3.5 (reverse mounted) with Low-Angle Adapter.

(magnification = x1)

This is not a Palm tree but the same Gametophores which was seen through

Low-Angle Adapter with 24mm f2 lens. (magnification = x2.6)

This 24mm lens is the first one Nikon ever put a Close Range Compensation (shifting a lens

element to correct the aberration) in the 70th, hence the image is very sharp even in close up.

And the photos of this moss from more ordinary angle with 55mm lens (reversed)

(magnification = x1)  Dead plant, right photo is showing the male Gametophores.

Straight shot of an Umbrella.  Left photo by 24mm f2 (at f2) (x2.6) and right photo is by 55mm Macro

though, this is a cropped image to the same size of 24mm picture for comparison.

—– to chose its out of focus Bokeh created by large f2 aperture of 24mm lens or sharper image

of Macro lens, would be a matter of taste and its purpose.

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Ultra Low Angle Photo Adapter

This is a photograph of the moss, taken in an ultra-low angle view.

A while ago, one of the most unique photographer in the Net-sphere who is producing the

photos with her exceptionally unique eye-point,

Karen the [Draw and Shoot] showed the photos of tiny Lichen, which were taken extremely

low angle.   Hence I put a comment “To take picture in such low angle must be very hard”

—– and she replied that she was almost standing on her head !

So, I promised her I’ll show an adapter to do such low angle shot. (Thence, it took a while

to find the adapter from tens of the boxes of camera-related junk, odd lenses to electronic

controllers, etc   :-))

—– It was an adapter to take a picture side-way = a prism was mounted on a

lens rear-cap to reflect the light in 90 degree, hence able to take side-view close-up 

while looking down the view finder. ( photo above / center)

Though, as the prism I used was rather small and viewing angle was very narrow,

this adapter is limited to be used only for more than x2 magnification while the lens

was reverse-mounted.

So that, I made another one which can be attached on front of the lens, which is using

a mirror instead of a prism. ( photo above / left)

The quality of the mirror is directly affect the image quality hence, ordinary mirror

couldn’t be used.  (Ordinary mirror has double reflections, one on the surface of the glass

and the other on the metal coating)  so that, I used a surface mirror from a SLR camera.

(= it is a genuine optical quality mirror still we can get, out of a broken old camera, free  !)

The mirror was fixed and glued in 45 degree to a frame of Polarizing Filter, therefore

the mirror can be rotated to a desired direction.  (Photo above is the skeleton. Later,

the light-path other than side-view was  sealed to prevent the double image)

Photo left is the whole assembly of Camera, Macro lens and the Low-Angle Adapter

attached on front. (Though, the lens was reverse mounted on this set-up)

On the actual use, set-up was shown on the Photo right. The test subject = Hazelnut

was in focus and this test shot image is the right photo in the collaged photo before.

Unlike the top photo which was taken with Low-angle Adapter attached on front of lens

(Micro Nikkor 55mm f3.5) and the magnification was about x1/2,  this photo above is

x1.2 (with lens reversed) — though, when lens was reversed, to have a focus, it need

to move tripod all together (or got to do it hand-held) = sorry, this photo was not

very sharp 😀

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Small drawback of this adapter is, as it is using a mirror, the photo is the reversed image.

(Can easily be reversed again in Photoshop  🙂 )

The photo below is a normal shot without using Low-angle Adapter.

= You may noticed, the Moss’ pods are aiming left = this is the normal view, but in another

photo above, the pods are all aiming right.  Because, they are the mirror images, though, it

may not be any trouble in most of the case.  🙂

= For some occasion, this adapter might be useful for close-up. 

But, with a telephoto lens, (provided its filter size is smaller than 55mm) you can take

picture while aiming the camera 90 degree away, without let the people know, you

are taking their picture.  ( Though, don’t misuse it.  😀 )

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PS : To the people who want to make this kind of adapter,

—– To get a Frame of Polarizing filter would be rather difficult = instead,

better use a lens-cap which has push-tubs on both side.

Cut a window  38mm x 18mm  in the center of the cap and stick the mirror

from SLR (but only from manual-focus old camera — AF camera has

secondary mirror (more difficult to disassemble) and mirror itself has

half mirror in the center = not suit for this purpose) using Epoxy-pate would

be the easiest as you can shape it to hold the mirror in its position.

Cut a piece of cardboard paper to two of  28Mm x 18mm x 21mm  triangle and

fix it to both end of the window first and fix the mirror on its edge would be a

better approach. (mirror would be fixed not 45 degree but about 48 degree

= this would be better)

If you finger-printed on the mirror, use white-spirit or solvent (on tissue

paper) before Epoxy-pate hardens.

By the way, never attempt to peel off the mirror from its base-panel = mirror

would just break.

Have a good work and Good luck.

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Flowers in the Park — Cropped Macro (ish) Photos

Those photos were also in the file, taken in August though, long forgotten  😀

[]These day many compact cameras came into the market started to say that they got x20 super-Zoom / such as equivalent of 24~1000 mm —– m m m,  ? ? ?

Soon I realized, they are not optical Zoom to 1000 mm, but it was combined with Digital Zoom = in another word it’s a fraud. Thanks to the extremely advanced image sensor in the camera, the quality of the image is good enough for the most of the user even if it was in fact just a cropped, enlarged image —– most of the  consumers are happy even with Phone-camera !

So, why not = Camera manufacturer has gone over the blue line.

So,   the center part of this photo was cropped and enlarged to the next photo.

(Click the photo to enlarge —– not too bad isn’t it  🙂 )

As a matter of fact, those  originally near 10Meg bit file photos are reduced here to mere 500k bit or so, in order to upload.   Nobody ever complained, neither me 😀

Among the photographer who bought Nikon D810E,  who did ever needed to enlarge their photo to more than A2 size ? — Vast majority of the so-called photographer  who is showing their photos in the net,  is in fact surviving with small job for brochure or web-site photo or occasional wedding photo,  if there were job at all.

( I was lucky to survive,  when I came here,  there wasn’t a bilingual photographer who can negotiate and coordinate with English company —– hence,  I nearly monopolized Japanese commercial and editorial business here )

Looks like just ordinary close up though,  this is an cropped enlarged image.

Those cropped Macroish photos are no way near to the quality of proper Macro lens shot though,  if a photo like this was shown in Wiki,  you may not noticed or complained. —– this is a reason why I’m using Fisheye lens a lot such as in a party occasion. = in other words,  use a Zoom lens such as 24~70,  24~100 wouldn’t be necessary = good enough photo could be produced from good primary 24 mm lens !

( So, we don’t need to spend hefty money or carrying heavy lens  😀 )  ( Better not be obsessed with useless QUALITY ! = be relaxed.  take Middle way  😀  😀 )

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James’ Birthday Party

My friend James had a big Birthday Party.   So, those are the snap shot of the Day.

Many guest arrived with a present and a card, and their proud cooking as well.

(I brought the materials and cooked Miso soup in there. —– and brought that

Fun Clock  🙂 )  Therefore, James had to carry out the task to open the heavily

wrapped present with joy and  the surprises.  Especially somebody brought hefty

Astro Telescope as a present, serious construction work had taken place,  with

excitements and the puzzle of  kids and the grown-ups alike  😀

Mountain of the food has been prepared by his wife and his sister and more dishes,

casseroles were brought in by the friends.  Soon, they were over flow out of the table

and on top of them, yet another BBQ was prepared in the garden. 

———- ( Kids staff  🙂 )

———- ( and here, Baby staff  😀  )

When, night fall = good number of the fire-work were shot.  

Looks pretty impressive  🙂

Then James was asked to give a speech  😀 

—— and a big chorus of ” Happy Birthday to James”  😀  😀

As the Moon rose, people had to queue  to see it in the Telescope.  I wonder now on,

is James going to watch the stars on top roof of the former Greenwich Town hall 😀

(where we are using its rooms for Wireless Network weekly meeting). 

M Party went on to pretty late night.

M The friends kept talking and drinking.

M —– I don’t know till when  🙂

M (I had to excuse to catch a bus before midnight)

M

M

M What I found in his house was this painting,

M —– said to be the Old-masters painting !

M M m m m ? !  —– Really ?

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Scarlet Pinpernel / Pinhole Macro Photo

Scarlet Pinpernel,  commonly known as Red Chickweed was said to be common weed though,

I’ve seen only handful times in this country, and nowhere else. 

In the first encounter, I’ve almost got a shock = plant looks like its white cousin but with

beautiful vermilion red flowers.  = ” This must be the famous Scarlet Pinpernel, here this is it”.

Though, this is the very strange elusive plant.  (or elusive to my eyes ? ). 

They grow always unexpected unlikely place. = never grown in  typical glass land but somewhat

in its edge or margin of left-over land.  And most unusual character is they never appear in the

same place next year. = hence,  years later, I just encounter in somewhere else, unexpectedly. 

It’s defy all of my rational observations. = They have seeds = very tiny round seeds with no

hair which can be only dropped to the same ground, which mean never able to travel far ——

how come, in such condition why not to germinate in the same soil, same place again.  = and

who carried the seeds to the new place  ?   —– Ant ?

And even more strange character is,  in my experience, their seeds never germinates when

I put them to a pot next year.  And even if I got a plant from a ground and planted it to a pot,

they just die. —- Some one said, that I shouldn’t give too much water = I knew, but in nature

the soil they grow could be very soggy with a heavy rain = why the water I’ve gave, soon after

transplant could kill them ?

—– So, my guess is,  in old days, this peculiar elusive character of the plant was well

known to the people hence, it was chosen to be  the nickname of the Hero in the

Baroness Orczy’s novels  [ Scarlet Pinpernel] =  ” They seek him here.  They seek him

there. —– My own elusive Pinpernel “

As a comparison, this photo was taken by Micro Nikkor 50 mm F3.5 with extension

tube and a Reverse-ring, at F3.5.  Magnification was x5.

And the top two photos was taken by the Double-density Pinhole with extension tube =

equivalent of 90 mm lens / ISO 1600 with flash-light.  Canon 5D  Mk-III.

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