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Home → Cameras and Lenses

What To Do With Dust Inside Lens

By Nasim Mansurov 97 Comments
Last Updated On April 4, 2018

One of the most frequently asked questions that I get from our readers, is what to do with dust inside a lens and whether it is something to worry about. I decided to write an article on this subject, because lens dust and flecks are a very common issue not only for camera sensors, but also for lenses. When I first discovered dust inside my brand new lens that I only used for a couple of days, I was very disappointed and I remember how I started searching for a solution online in panic mode. If you are frustrated with a similar issue and do not know what to do, keep on reading.

Table of Contents

  • How to Inspect Lens for Dust
  • How and Why Lenses Get Dust
  • Lenses Prone to Dust
  • What to do with lens dust
  • How to remove lens dust
  • Minimizing dust and fungus

1) How to Inspect Lens for Dust

So, how can you find out if you have dust inside your lens? Actually, let me rephrase this question – how can you find out how much dust you have inside your lens? Because even brand new lenses normally do have some foreign particles in between lens elements. A quick visual inspection of the lens front will often reveal large dust particles behind the first lens element, if there are any. Just make sure that the front is thoroughly cleaned beforehand and any protective filters are removed. Look straight and then inspect the lens at an angle and you might see some dust behind the front glass element. Now if you really want to see dust, and I promise you will, here is the best way to do it. First, find a very bright LED flashlight. You can find those pretty much anywhere nowadays, even in a grocery store. Next, you will need to open up the lens aperture (the lens obviously needs to be dismounted from the camera, rear lens cap should be removed). If you have an older lens with an aperture ring, you just need to set the aperture ring to the smallest value (which is the largest aperture) like f/1.4 or f/2.8 and you are ready to go. If you have a modern lens like Nikon “G” type AF-S lenses, then you will need to push up a small metal lever to open the lens aperture as seen below. To keep the lens aperture open, you will need to keep pushing it with one finger:

Nikon G Lens Aperture Open

Once the lens aperture is fully open, turn on the flashlight and point it towards the rear of the lens with the front lens cap off. Do this in a dim indoor environment with lights turned off. Look at the front element of the lens at an angle and see how much dust you have inside the lens. If you have never seen any dust, you will certainly see it now. Better yet, now you can see dust in between pretty much every lens element, because it will be visible when a bright source of light goes through the lens. Now here is a word of warning – as I have pointed before, don’t be surprised to see dust even if you have just bought your lens. Some of those particles might be dust, others might be small bubbles and other glass imperfections. Why? You guessed it right, no lens is perfect! But don’t panic, every lens I own has dust in it, even the brand new Nikon 35mm f/1.4G prime that I have recently received from B&H. Take a look at how much dust my Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G accumulated over the years of abuse:

Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 Dust

And here is how the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G looks:

Nikon 50mm f/1.4 Dust

Looks scary, doesn’t it? But I don’t really care, because both lenses produce excellent results and I am sure will continue to do so for many more years.

2) How and Why Lenses Get Dust

You might be wondering how and why lenses get dust inside. Let me explain a couple of things about lenses. Every time a lens focuses or it is zoomed in and out, it “breathes”. And no, I am not talking about the effect of lens “breathing”, when an image appears smaller or bigger when focus is adjusted – I am talking about the process of inhaling and exhaling. Lenses have to breathe, due to lens elements constantly moving inside them when focus is adjusted and/or when zooming takes place. Remember what happens with pressure inside a closed plastic container? If you try to reduce the container size, the pressure inside the container will only let you reduce it to a certain level before it pushes back. A simple concept of air pressure in physics. Now take the same concept and apply it to lenses. What would happen if lenses were completely sealed from all sides? You would only be able to zoom in a little before the lens would force you back to its original state due to pressure, especially on lenses that extend in size. A similar thing would happen with lens focus. Hence, there was no other way for camera manufacturers to design lenses – lenses with moving lens elements must inhale and exhale air. Some lenses are better than others in managing the air flow. While some expensive lenses are sealed against dust (which does not fully stop dust from entering the lens) and will only suck the air in and out of the camera chamber, cheaper consumer zoom lenses are the worst in this regard – they might suck the outside air and blow it out right into the camera chamber. Let’s take a look at which lenses are worse than others in handling dust.

3) Lenses Prone to Dust

As I have explained above, some lenses are more prone to dust than others. Here is the list of lens types that are more prone to dust than others, in the order of “worst to best”:

  1. Consumer zoom lenses with extending barrels – examples: Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR DX, Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. Most cheap plastic consumer lenses have no weather sealing of any kind, including rubber gaskets that wrap around the camera mount. In very dusty environments, they will suck the outside air into the lens and then into the camera chamber.
  2. Professional zoom lenses with extending barrels – examples: Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR, Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS. Cheaper pro-level lenses with Red (Canon) and Gold (Nikon) rings often have similar weather protection as expensive pro-level zooms, but are generally more prone to dust due to significant changes in lens barrel length. Most come with rubber gaskets on the lens mount to prevent dust from entering the camera chamber through the lens mount.
  3. Expensive/top-of-the-line professional zoom lenses with extending barrels – examples: Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L. Top-of-the-line professional zoom lenses typically have better weather sealing all around the lens. Rubber gaskets are always included and other rubber seals are present in other parts of the lens such as zoom ring, focus ring, switches, etc.
  4. Professional zoom lenses with fixed barrels – examples: Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS. Lenses that do not change in barrel size are generally better against dust and moisture. Since nothing moves, there are fewer places where dust can accumulate and then make into the lens. Rubber gaskets and other rubber seals are also present in all areas where dust can potentially enter the lens.
  5. Prime lenses with extending front element – examples: Nikon 50mm f/1.4D, Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM. Prime lenses are generally less prone to dust than zoom lenses, because fewer parts move inside them. Prime lenses with moving front element that changes in length as you focus are generally better than zoom lenses, but dust can still make it into the lens through the front. Rubber gasket on the mount is sometimes absent (especially on older models), which can also contribute to dust making it into the camera chamber and the lens.
  6. Prime lenses with fixed barrels – examples: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G, Nikon 24mm f/1.4G, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II. Prime lenses with non-extending barrels are typically protected best against dust. Some of the prime lenses with rear focus feature (such as Nikon 24mm f/1.4G and Nikon 35mm f/1.4G) might have a moving rear lens element as you focus, while others have a fixed glass element that never moves. The latter is typically better than the former. Many of the modern prime models are designed with rubber gaskets around the lens mount and high-end models have additional weather sealing in other parts of the lens.

As you can see, prime lenses are generally better protected against dust than zoom lenses. However, there are exceptions, where some primes are worse than some of the zooms in terms of handling dust and moisture.

4) What to do with lens dust

Once you spot lens dust, what should you do with it? The answer is – nothing. Don’t worry about it and just keep on shooting, concentrating on creating great images. As I have explained above, lens dust is a normal fact of life, just like dust on your camera sensor. Even if you take a good care of your gear on a daily basis, you will eventually end up with dust in your lenses and cameras, guaranteed. You can certainly minimize the amount of dust getting into your gear by storing it properly and performing regular cleaning and maintenance (which I will cover in an upcoming video tutorial), but you cannot fully prevent it from happening. Dust is inevitable and it does get into camera gear one way or another, so you should not be sweating over it if you have it. Try an experiment – come close to a dirty window in your house and look outside. When your eyes focus on the outside, can you see the dust or dirt on your window with your eyes? No, unless the dirt particles are huge. The same thing happens inside the lens, if there are small dust particles, it is not a big deal. So take a deep breath, chillax and stop worrying about dust.

The only case where you might need to call your lens manufacturer, is if you spot an abnormally large spec of dust more than several millimeters in size that moves when you rotate the lens. There are cases, when particles break off inside lenses, typically after lenses are dropped/damaged.

If you are a very brave soul, you can try removing dust from your lenses by doing something like this. However, there is a high risk of potential damage, so do it at your own risk!

5) How to remove lens dust

Never, under any circumstances try to remove dust from inside lenses yourself. Disassembling your lens will not only void the warranty, but I can almost guarantee that you will not be able to assemble it back the way it was yourself. If large amounts of dust are heavily affecting your images and you have a very low level of contrast, call the lens manufacturer and find out if they can clean the lens interior and how much it will cost. Your normal lens warranty will NOT include disassembling the lens and cleaning its interior, so you will have to pay a hefty sum for that kind of service. In many cases, you are better off buying a new lens than trying to get an old one fixed. So, once again, never attempt to do this yourself and certainly never let a non-professional attempt to do it for you.

6) Minimizing dust and fungus

Shooting in relatively clean environments, properly storing your gear in a cool, dry place and taking care of it by performing regular cleanup and maintenance is a good way to eliminate fungus and minimize the amount of dust that ends up on and in your gear.

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Filed Under: Cameras and Lenses Tagged With: Canon, Tips for Beginners, Lenses, Nikon, Photography Tips

About Nasim Mansurov

Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life, based out of Denver, Colorado. He is recognized as one of the leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops, producing educational videos and frequently writing content for Photography Life. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook. Read more about Nasim here.

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Claudio Porcellana
Claudio Porcellana
April 28, 2018 3:15 pm

thank you a lot for this tip!
I was just thinking to return an OB for maintenance but I’ll wait to see if I really have a decrease in image quality
one more lesson learned

about opening lens, I tried this on a cheap IP-cam lens that is a lot easier (and safer) to manage, and I found that a vacuum works pretty well, but you are lucky indeed if some new powder doesn’t enter after you have removed the old one…
;-)

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Lori Duvall
Lori Duvall
April 15, 2018 3:50 pm

Thank you so much for this! You saved me untold hours of research and freaking out.

1
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theo
theo
April 1, 2021 3:32 pm

ok so my problem is that an animal entered the lens inside, it seems to be kinda like a very very very small spider, but the problem is that it does affect the picture, it gets something black and blurred in the pic, it’s honestly so annoying

0
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sreejesh
sreejesh
January 11, 2021 9:02 am

ok
counseling

0
Reply
steven j seiler
steven j seiler
August 17, 2020 8:05 pm

I have an older cannon 75-300 mm lens that needs to be cleaned inside! The youtube videos show screws on top while mine has captive screws on the side that loosen, but wont come out! Please tell me how to get the lens out so I can clean it.

0
Reply
maestrosoft
maestrosoft
January 18, 2020 7:17 am

well i just loves to read this info
web design company

0
Reply
Amalesh G Tambe
Amalesh G Tambe
November 9, 2017 7:47 am

Sir, I want to disassemble my Tamron 150-600mm lens’ outermost element having fungus. Can you please guide me ?

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Reply
Matthew
Matthew
August 23, 2017 7:43 pm

I have a Kodak 35 RF from 1948. It uses the Anastar lens, but there’s blotches in the middle of the lens. So far, it doesn’t appear to affect the image, but GEEZ it bothers me every time I load film in it; it sits there, mocking me, gradually making me more and more frustrated.

I focus way too much on those spots.

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Joe Prete
Joe Prete
March 6, 2017 5:06 am

Please, Read on, if not you, this may fall on waiting ears, someone besides you that really wants to learn!
Yes, it will affect your image. But only if it has all the makings of an award winning Photograph. Is this still one of Canon’s lower price lenses?
If you listed the 101 things keeping you from getting your images noticed, this wouldn’t even make the list!
I urge you to read, read read, and follow that with practice, practice, practice. …fOLLOW THAT WITH MORE PRACTICE!
Also, when you are at the Doctor or Dentist, make use of the magazines laying around regardless of their age (if there’s one you like, they might just give it to you (THEY GET THEM FOR FREE!) There’s a lot of Great information in there, just look carefully at the images.
Look at as many images as you can. Ask yourself, what makes each image good, and what makes them bad. If you do this with all your spare time, it still wouldn’t be enough. When an image captures your attention, make a list of the reasons, and cut it out if you have to. Study it, even try to reproduce it (as close to it as you can). Remember, that a Good picture is often worth a Thousand words! You want your images to speak volumes!
In time, you will learn that even the most expensive lenses, have some dust inside, but it rarely affiects the image. Older Push-Pull Zooms seem to pull dust out of the air, and into your lens; even worse, your SENSOR! If you use the camera often, and it has a Auto “Dust off” feature, you may want to start using it. Also, you will learn to change lenses with the body facing down, in a Dust free environment. And, while changing lenses, with the rear cover off, turn the lend to it’s side, even then, keep the cap off for the shortest time period as possible. keep the lens caps facing down, in a area like the open pages of a book or magazine, because it will be cleaner. We have a bad habit of storing lens caps in out pockets~ a good place to pick up lint

When you fist started reading my reply, you said this guy is a wise guy, NOT TRUE, I’ve just answered this question about a Gazillion times, as my fellow members here have. (Many, who have ducked the question) But understand this, wether you become a Point & Shooter that communicate on one of the many sites like instagram, Twitter, Facebook, (or one of the others, that are added on a Daily basis, or if you become the best known Portrait Photographer, read all you can, and read it again if you didn’t retain it. Use a site like this, so you get the Correct Facts, and add other well known sites as you go along, like www.dpreview that’s owned by Google, but someone has to pay the bills. How much interest you get on your images, has a Direct effect on how far you go into this Hobby or Business. If each picture tells a story, you will become popular, but if you have to explain your images, (like you really had too be there) , then your headed to a life of snapshots (NOT THAT THAT CAN’T BE CHANGED!)

The point is, how you progress, greatly determines where you are going in this field. If you’re still with me, maybe you do have it within you to go on, and become a winner. …I teach, so I don’t have much time, or interest in “Throw back Thursday”, but wherever you belong, you will find your place yourself. (I can understand if you’ve just bought your kid a lens that has dust specs inside, and if it was new, they’ll replace it for you, just be fore- warned, the new lens may have the same amount of dust, hiding behind the aperture blades, to come out at the worst possible time. Shoot something basic, well lit, and see if it shows up, but don’t lose any sleep over it. Btw, Paying to learn (except College) is one of the worst ways to get started.
If you, or your kid is a learner, contact one of us, to steer you in the right direction (For Free). You chose a Good site, Nasim is all about Photography, and like me, he loves to teach. He’s a Great Guy! ** Good luck to you, and please, just don’t reply like “I was just wondering”**, because this post may have reached someone else who is interested, but was too shy to ask! Good Luck to you, … Joe Prete

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Kaustubh
Kaustubh
March 6, 2017 2:14 am

Sir in my canon lens 55-250mm there is white dust particle clearly visible from front side of lens.
Will it affect in future?
Its sticked on the first glass of the lens clearly visible that it is inside it.

0
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