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I've started to notice a faint darkened circle in my photos. I tried to clean the lenses and I still see it.

What's causing these circles?

Link to imgur album since I don't have enough rep to post images yet. https://i.stack.imgur.com/TzYgG.jpg

  • Camera: refurbished Canon EOS Rebel T3
  • Lens: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Type II Lens
  • Post-processing: None.

Edit: Here's the images. img1 img2 img3

mattdm
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smvulhop
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  • Added images via edit (pending review) – Andy_Vulhop Apr 14 '13 at 03:23
  • Check under the mirrorbox. I think the Rebel T3 has a "mirror lock up" function. Otherwise take the lens off, change the mode to Tv and set it to 2 seconds and see if you can see anything on the CCD/sensor. – BBking Apr 14 '13 at 03:48
  • If you've already tried cleaning the front and rear element, it looks like something could be actually inside the lens. Did the lens get dropped or suffer some kind of impact? Think about sending it to Canon, but check the price of a new or used 18-55 IS before you do. – TroyR Apr 14 '13 at 03:54
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    @BBking: Doing that with the sensor energized will statically attract dust. To raise the mirror and open the shutter without energizing the sensor, use manual cleaning mode under the Set up 2 (Yellow) menu tab. The mirror and shutter will remain open until the camera is turned off. – Michael C Apr 14 '13 at 06:20
  • @smvulhop: What was the focal length & aperture setting for each of the three shots? – Michael C Apr 14 '13 at 06:23
  • Looks to me that the circle is in the exact same spot in both of the first two images. Can you overlay two originals and verify that? – MikeW Apr 14 '13 at 06:51
  • Do you have a 2nd lens you can try? – MikeW Apr 14 '13 at 06:52
  • @MichaelClark - I never knew that, thanks for pointing that out! – dpollitt Apr 14 '13 at 16:36
  • JoanneC: Andy is my husband. He was helping me add the images since he has another account that gave him bonus rep. Thanks for the welcome! – smvulhop Apr 14 '13 at 17:31
  • @TroyR: The lens hasn't been dropped or anything like that. I'l keep that in mind. – smvulhop Apr 14 '13 at 17:32
  • @MichaelClark: Um... It was in full auto mode, so I don't know what the settings were when I took those. Sorry... – smvulhop Apr 14 '13 at 17:33
  • @MikeW: I do not have a spare lens, unfortunately. My husband put both images in Paint.Net and played with the opacity and said the circle was identical in both. – smvulhop Apr 14 '13 at 17:39
  • @smvulhop - Ah, gotcha, welcome to you both then. :) – Joanne C Apr 14 '13 at 18:04
  • Then as the others have worked out, unlikely to be the lens - to get identical circles in the same exact spot, I'd think it would have to be the sensor. – MikeW Apr 14 '13 at 18:39
  • @smvulhop: You should be able to see the Av and focal length in the EXIF information in the original file. The EXIF info has been stripped from the versions you uploaded. – Michael C Apr 14 '13 at 19:23
  • @MichaelClark What? Are you saying it can damage it? Why would they have have a "mirror lockup" function then? I never said to do anything else... BTW, it's perfectly fine to blow the sensor as there is an IR filter over the actual sensor. You replied as if what I suggested would make the problem worse. – BBking Apr 16 '13 at 10:03
  • Mirror lockup is a shooting option, not a cleaning option. http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/1593/what-is-mirror-lockup-and-what-is-its-primary-function/34025#34025 – Michael C Apr 16 '13 at 17:39
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    @BBking: Trying to clean the sensor when it is energized usually adds more dust than it removes, since the electrical charge on the sensor will attract the dust you are moving around plus any other dust in the immediate area of the sensor. – Michael C Apr 16 '13 at 17:43

2 Answers2

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Looks like a hair on the sensor. Use your camera's built-in sensor cleaning function to see if you can dislodge it. If that doesn't work, you may have to clean it manually or take it to a camera shop that offers such a service.

Dust or hairs in the lens won't show up in photographs as they are too far from the plane of focus to be visible; have a look at this page to see how much you have to do to a lens to affect the photograph!

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    Thank you so much for the information. It was an eyelash on the sensor that we used blower to manually remove. The problem was solved. I still have a lot to learn about my camera. Thanks again. – smvulhop Apr 18 '13 at 16:45
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I agree with Nick, looks like a hair on the sensor. In this case you must clean it manually. First, blow on the sensor with a blower.

Next, raise the mirror and clean the sensor with a lint-free cloth and isopropyl alcohol (be very careful with this step!!) Anyway, it is easy to find, both online and in a photo shop, CCD cleaning kits.

dialex
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cachorrocadi
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    I would be hesitant to use isopropyl, especially consumer grade "rubbing" alcohol. The trace impurities will probably leave streaking. Get a bottle of Eclipse solution and some swabs the correct width for your sensor size. http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Survival-KIT-Sensor-Eclipse/dp/B000PNGM18/ref=pd_sim_p_14 – Michael C Apr 14 '13 at 19:21
  • Really what I proposed is the basic solution to clean the CCD because most people are reluctant to spend money on a cleaning kit. But I do use a cleaning kit, since not a big outlay of money and skimp on cleaning photographic equipment. http://www.martin-iglesias.com/ficha/KIT-LIMPIEZA-PRO-SURVIRAL-/9506/ – cachorrocadi Apr 15 '13 at 08:59
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    There are no CCD sensors in Canon's current lineup of DSLR cameras. They all use CMOS sensors. – Michael C Apr 15 '13 at 09:33
  • Sorry, I know it is not correct to use CCD in all cases, is a bad habit I acquired while studying Audiovisual at the University of Málaga. – cachorrocadi Apr 15 '13 at 11:06
  • We didn't use anything like a cloth or isopropyl alcohol to clean it but your idea of using a blower helped us manually remove the eyelash. Thank you for the information. – smvulhop Apr 18 '13 at 16:46