I took a photo of the deep blue sky at f/22 and was shocked at the 2 black dots and what looks like a few water spots on my sensor. They are not noticeable in most of my photos. I am to afraid to clean the sensor myself, I tried my rocket blower but it did not help. Should I send my camera body back to Canon, or take it to a local camera dealer. It is still under warranty.

I noticed tge same thing ages ago with mine... I have been meaning to get it professionally cleaned for a long time but actually since i don't notice the spots in the vast majority of my shots they don't bother me. I used to just edit them out in photoshop.

Not sure if you have tried a different lens to make sure that the dust is actually on tge sensor and not the glass?

Might be worth checking for a local Canon-authorized cleaning service in your area.

Near DC where I live, there's a Nikon-authorized company that does cleanings, picking up and dropping off the camera bodies at local camera shops that receive them from the owners. Usually takes a couple of weeks.

I'm not recommending self cleaning, just saying - I took a short course on mirror, prism, sensor, and lens cleaning, figuring with my luck, the day would come when the Greatest Photograph I Could Ever Make passed before me only minutes after gunk splattered in during a lens change or something.

I also experience Abrupt-Onset Nervous Breakdown at the thought of not HAVING my camera for a couple of weeks because it's being cleaned and being bounced around in shipment.

So off I went to a local camera shop where a just-retired Nikon tech rep spread a disassembled camera before us to show us what's really IN there and how dumb attempts at cleaning can damage it. He showed us how to recognize when dirt's hiding on one part and not another. We then practiced a little with the cleaning supplies (swabs, solution, rocket blower) and cleaned our own cameras without mishap in just a few minutes. We left with a set of supplies and printed instructions to review for next time.

One comforting thing to know - the sensor isn't bare in there. What's cleaned is its cover - not cheap to replace, but also not as fragile or expensive as the sensor.

I've since acquired two of those perfectly round, colorless condensation marks on the sensor cover thanks to a humid summer. I'll live with those, but I won't allow the fleet of UFOs that used to fly across all my images to reassemble.

The greatest hazard, we were told, is enthusiasm - cleaning a camera like it was a grotty bathtub. LOTS of solution! LOTS of scouring! Really scrub that baby out! NooOOooOooOOOOOOoooo.

Or the mad geek approach - get the can of air used to clean computer keyboards and blast that camera clean! NooOOooOooOOOOOOoooo.

What? Can't use the shopvac, either? NooOOooOooOOOOOOoooo.

Cat can't lick it clean? NooOOooOooOOOOOOoooooOooOOOOOOooo.

Dishwasher? :::faint:::

I think we should have a Terry Pratchett style camera... the one with the little pixie inside, painting everything and grumbling about running out of skin-coloured paint. I don't see a pixie painting in any dust spots. Or would he?

Gregg, I clean my camera sensor myself as needed. Usually twice a year. You can buy (recomended) a kit to clean it on Ebay or at your local camera store. I have a Delkin kit with a scope so I can look onto the sensor to make sure it is clean. If you do it yourself, you can save $50 each time you have it done. To clean the sensor itself is very simple, just be sure to follow the well detailed and simple to understand instructions that come with the kit. If your nerves are fraigle and you dont wish to risk injury to your camera, take it to the shop along with $50.

I have noticed the same 'stain' spots and I know it isn't the lens, but in the camera. I paid to have the camera cleaned but it came back to me with spots intact. They told me they'd have to send it out, which would take four to six weeks(!)

Most of black dots are just dry dust.
It's very easy to use a manual blower after open the mirror.
Link

I would most certainly be sending it back for professional cleaning (under the guarantee)if the Self Cleaning Sensor Unit is not doing its job.
Have you tried a few extra cleanings other than the ones that happen at On & Off.?
You could try removing the lens and attaching the body cap and run the self cleaning thing manually. Leave it on for up to a minute or so.

Have you used the Dust Delete Data software provided?

:)

Thank you for all your ideas. I think I will send it to a Canon dealership after October, I want to get some Autumn photos before I have to part with the camera for 2 weeks.

I was able to remove one of the two dust spots with my rocket blower with the mirror locked up. Hope I get the other one soon. I will not send it in to have it cleaned. I will try LynEve's suggestion tonight. I did notice the 2 spots move around, that probaly happens when the camera does a self cleaning every time I turn it on or off, it must have moved the one dust bunny to a spot my blower was able to kill it. Life goes on...

isn't there a canon repair guy in your town. i took my 5D to tempe camera here in the phx area yesterday. today they called and it's done. $35.00.

Gregg I have had it too on my Canon 450D and 50D. I Have send it back to Canon and they removed the dust parts. It is possible to do it with special equipment but there is a risk with the mirror too. Mich