# Cause of Spotty Digital Pictures **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 11, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567 "2004-05-11T03:29:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/1 "2004-05-11T03:29:22Z")
Since I got my digital camera, I’ve noticed that I get a lot of pictures that have unfortunate spots in them. I put an example picture up here so you can see what I mean. Some of the spots are small and bright. Some larger and dull. Are these caused by lens flare? Dust on the lens? A poor light sensor? ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/2 "2004-05-11T03:51:46Z")
You may have dust on the sensor, or a few bum pixels. Of course, this could also be a case of digital noise; given that the subjects are fairly dark (and against a black background) I might assume you’ve pushed the ISO rather high. Not all camera sensors give good results at higher ISO’s. More info, please. Make and model of camera, exposure and speed settings. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/3 "2004-05-11T04:06:38Z")
Does the spotting pattern change or it is always that pattern of spots? If the pattern repeats you may have crap on your sensor re postcards suggestions, if it changes you probably need to get the camera serviced. If you can use canned air getly it may be able remove dust on the sensor. ---
**Author:** ![choosybeggar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@choosybeggar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choosybeggar)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/4 "2004-05-11T04:42:11Z")
No camera problem methinks. The different spots are in different focal planes and this is a flash photo. I bet they are dust particles in the air between you and your subjects. Is this a dance studio where they use chalk? I observed a similar effect taking photos in a local rock climbing gym. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/5 "2004-05-11T04:52:47Z")
Definitely looks like dust on the sensor. I work with digital SLRs that we make no effort to keep clean (newspaper equipment), and that’s what it looks like. Are the spots more prominent/numerous against a light background? ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/6 "2004-05-11T05:46:42Z")
I think Choosybeggar is right. When I’ve seen dust on a sensor it doesn’t show up as an out of focus spot like that. Sensor dust is unlikely on a P&S and would probably be exactly the same shot to shot. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/7 "2004-05-11T05:56:48Z")
It’s not dust on the sensor. There’s no way dust particles in the camera can get illuminated to produce white spots. I think **choosybeggar** is correct. It’s dust particles in the air illuminated by flash. Since these particles are much closer to the camrea than the subjects, they are out of focus and appear as round fuzzy spots. Lens flare is another possibility, but there seems to be no light source that can produce flare. ---
**Author:** ![abby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@abby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abby)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/8 "2004-05-11T09:58:36Z")
> [@iamthewalrus(:3=](#): > > Since I got my digital camera, I’ve noticed that I get a lot of pictures that have unfortunate spots in them. I put an example picture up > here so you can see what I mean. > > Some of the spots are small and bright. Some larger and dull. > > Are these caused by lens flare? Dust on the lens? A poor light sensor? Actually, I think it’s crud on the front of the lens. We see this a lot on video cameras (for some reason, our video camera lenses get cleaned less often, why is that **guanolad**?!), when we do a shot into the light. If a light is at the right (well, wrong!) angle, it brings this crud up to be enormously clear. These specific onles look like drops of salt spray, but could be dust as well. Or dust and salt spray. I have shot in many dusty environs, and never had the problem cheesyburger mentions, but it’s certainly possible. I think. abby ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/9 "2004-05-11T10:43:40Z")
It is most likely that they are dust particles, a.k.a. orbs floating in the air, like what choosybeggar said. The dust gets illuminated by the flash and appears as white spots on the photo. When they are bigger some people think they are ghosts :rolleyes:. For some reason it happens on some digital cameras more often than others (maybe the placement of the flash?). From [this page](http://wintersteel.homestead.com/Photography.html): > [@](#): > > Digital images are far more susceptible to dust, water vapor, small insects and particles showing up as “orbs”, mists or vortexes. This is due to the fact that the image is recorded as a bit map, and the area of light dispersion resulting from a reflected flash is exaggerated, while the actual outline of the object reflecting the flash is lost completely in the bit map pattern. Some other examples: [http://www.ghoststudy.com/main/fakepagepics.html](http://www.ghoststudy.com/main/fakepagepics.html) [http://members.tripod.com/~blackdragon\_1998/index-48.html](http://members.tripod.com/~blackdragon_1998/index-48.html) ---
**Author:** ![abby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@abby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abby)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/10 "2004-05-11T12:03:17Z")
Hey, iamthewalrus(:3= if it was not that long ago, can you please check you lens and let me know how clean it is? this has got me thinking now… I’d like to know! cheers abby ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/11 "2004-05-11T18:01:11Z")
Just checked, and I do see some dust motes on my lens. What’s the best way to clean that off? Someone mentioned compressed air. Are there special lens cleaning cloths, or will just a clean cotton cloth work? I’ll also try taking some pictures in varying light to see how the pattern changes. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/12 "2004-05-11T18:20:59Z")
Ok, I just took about a dozen pictures at various distances in various light, and saw none of the spots. I think this lends a lot of support to the theory that it is dust particles in the air reflecting the flash that cause this. And I’m just not in a particularly dusty environment ---
**Author:** ![abby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@abby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abby)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/13 "2004-05-12T00:32:18Z")
> [@iamthewalrus(:3=](#): > > Ok, I just took about a dozen pictures at various distances in various light, and saw none of the spots. I think this lends a lot of support to the theory that it is dust particles in the air reflecting the flash that cause this. And I’m just not in a particularly dusty environment Re, lens cleaning, I use paper tissue wipes, very similar to tissue paper (not to be confused with tissues you blow your nose with!). However, and kinda soft paper is fine, IMO. Some people go nutso with lens cleaning, using fluids and expensive cloths, but I have never had a problem with my method (and I’m a professional shooter). The more I think about it, the more I think this cannot be dust in the air, unless it was very close to the lens (under six inches). With the field of view in quetsion (quite narrow, at six inches), there would have to had been LOTS of dust in the air. To see this effect clearly, you need a strong source (sun is ideal), and point the camera so the sunlight is hitting the lens but NOT the pickup, then take the shot. (the sun will be backlighting the dust ont he lens, but not affecting the exposure of the sky). Let me know how you go. abby ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cause-of-spotty-digital-pictures/244567/14 "2004-05-12T03:59:40Z")
Its probably dust particles. [http://home.fujifilm.com/products/digital/shooting/flash.html](http://home.fujifilm.com/products/digital/shooting/flash.html)