Spot on Lens Won't Go Away

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Agent

Conductor
Joined
Nov 30, 2011
Messages
1,652
Location
Iowa
In the last few videos that I've posted, you can see a spot on the lens just left of center. No matter how much I wipe the lens, it won't go away. Can anyone please tell me what's wrong and what to do from here? My camera is a Canon PowerShot SX120 IS if that helps.
 
The spot might not be on the exterior of the lens but rather on the sensor or on the inside of the lens.

They make little pump blower implements that you can get at camera shops which is one way to clean out the inside of the camera. That is if you have a camera with a removable lens.
 
No removable lens on that baby.

Best bet is to take it to a camera shop and see if they'll take it apart and clean it for you. Maybe ship it back to Canon.

I had the same thing happen on my last P&S - a beautiful Fuji that I loved. Got a hair or something inside - you ca see it in the sky above the middle auto rack:

Auto_Train_2009_3.jpg
 
Aloha

At first I could not see what you were talking about, but in another post I saw it. What it looks like to me is either dirt on the sensor or sensor failure. Since above you say the lens is not removable you will need to have it checked by a repair shop.
 
Thank you for your responses. That's two for taking it to a shop. Now I just need to find one that can do the repair (and find the money to pay for it).
 
Thank you for your responses. That's two for taking it to a shop. Now I just need to find one that can do the repair (and find the money to pay for it).
You might consider this thought, too. What is your camera with the spot worth? What could you buy a new one for? What will it cost to repair it? My experience is most repair facilities have a flat rate to just look at a camera needing repairs and then there could be parts and labor on top of that. Would it be less expensive to just buy a new one?
 
Aloha
At first I could not see what you were talking about, but in another post I saw it. What it looks like to me is either dirt on the sensor or sensor failure. Since above you say the lens is not removable you will need to have it checked by a repair shop.
I'd vote for dirt on the lens. It appears to be out of focus. If it were on the senor I'd expect fairly sharp edges.
 
Aloha

At first I could not see what you were talking about, but in another post I saw it. What it looks like to me is either dirt on the sensor or sensor failure. Since above you say the lens is not removable you will need to have it checked by a repair shop.
I'd vote for dirt on the lens. It appears to be out of focus. If it were on the senor I'd expect fairly sharp edges.
That is quite possible, as I noticed in one video that when zoomed into maximum distance the spot was to the left of the frame, but as the video zoomed out as the train got closer, the spot moved back to the center of the frame.
 
I have a Panasonic Lumix that developed that problem last year. first the hair on the lens, then a black spot. I could see the 'spot', which was a white speck, and shaking the camera around I got it to move to the lower part. I contacted the manufacturer, and they said they would replace rather than repair, and quote for refurb was more than the same camera was selling for at Best Buy. I waited and bought a newer model for less...But on dpreview.com, someone did a picture story about taking apart a similar camera and removing dirt on the sensor. I plan to do that eventually, since they won't repair it...CJ
 
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