OK guys and girls..... I know, you probably get fed up of me asking things all the time but......

I've been out today and have noticed (not for the first time recently!) that there is a mark that appears on my photos near the top right corner - it looks like a shadowy smudge and is quite big.

The thing is, it doesn't appear on all of my shots, today for instance, I took 102 pics and I think probably about 6 - 10 of them are affected??

Firstly, does this sound to you like a dirty lens and if so, how do I clean the lens??

That may sound really stupid and obvious to some of you, but I've never done anything with my lens other than use a soft cloth now and then to wipe the front (especially if it has been rained on!!)

I can't see any marks on it so am wondering if the dirt could be on the inside??

It is a fixed lens although I do believe it unscrews (no idea why as I'm not able to buy any other lens for it??)

Your help, as always, is really appreciated.

Hugs

Chrissy xx

Externally, I would suggest a lens cloth or lens paper..
They are really cheap..

If it is internal...Then it should be serviced by a professional.

Thanks Bruce - I'll use my lens cloth for my reading glasses externally and see if that helps, if not..... I suppose I'll have to find a pro!!

Chrissy xx

If the pictures where the mark appears were shot using a high F number, then it could be dirt on the sensor. You can test this by shooting a white wall for instance, out of focus at something like F22. Sensor dust will be clearly visible.

That is, if the problem appears not to be a dirty lens

I'll check that out tomorrow. If it is the sensor, again, is there a special way for cleaning it??

Thanks for the tips.

Chrissy xx

I had dust on the low-pass filter twice, they appear as black smudges on the photo.   I have a nikon d70s...  In Nikon's little book, they say when this happens, send it to a professional, but it's not that hard to clean up yourself most of the time...  You must just be extremely careful to not touch anything inside the camera.  I don't know about other cameras, but on the Nikon D70s, in the set up menu you can lock up the mirror.  When that's locked up, hold the camera face down and with a little blower bulb ( not the ones with a brush at the end cause the brush may contain dust that you'd be blowing inside the camera, besides it's harder to make sure the brush don't touch anything...) puff gently some air inside being very careful to not touch anything inside the camera with the bulb.  Don't use canned air either cause those can leave stuff too.   This took 2 minutes to do and was enough to get rid of those black spots on my photos, if they had still been there after that though, then I would have sent it to a specialist.  Now if you decide to try that and you screw up, don't hold me responsible...  ;)

@Chrissy;
It certainly does sound like sensor dust...and as 3dGuy says, it is more pronounced at higher apertures...so, that may be the reason it is not apparent on all shots.
You indicate you have a fixed lens, point and shoot camera so, dust is normally not a problem...but, occasionally it does happen.....Sensor cleaning by the user on these types of cams is generally not possible.
I think a trip to the camera doctor may be your only solution....or, get friendly with the Photoshop cloning tool.

Yes, PS cloning and healing has helped so far but I'm terrified that it will happen on an area of the pic that will not be easily cloned.  The docs it has to be then - like I can afford more expense at the moment with a big birthday bash, daughter's birthday present, my own present, holiday............  Oh will the expense of it all ever cease?????

No worries, I may just put up with it for a few more months until the big buy happens (my DSLR!!!)  as long as leaving it in this way won't damage the camera?

Thanks for the advice. xx

OK - just cleaned my lens with a cloth to clean my reading glasses - it was covered in dried in rain/water marks - very tiny, but noticable. I've taken a couple of shots of a white piece of paper and I can no longer see the "spot" (it was on all of my pics, I just hadn't taken into account the change in oriendtation would put it in a different corner doh!! But on closer inspection, it was clearly visible on all of my recent pics!!

I think it's sorted now, but the proof will be the next time I go out on a shoot!!

Thank you all so much for your help - I admit to panicking slightly when I first saw it!!

Hugs

Chrissy xx

Attached Link: Keeping the lens clean [Kodak website]

Improper cleaning may remove or damage that coating -- and that result
may be worse than the original dirt.  For that matter, a fingerprint on the
lens or the residue left from touching the lens may eat into the coating. 

I have always used Kodak Lens Cleaning Tissue and Kodak Lens Cleaner
solution. 

Kodak Lens Cleaning Tissue
http://www.adorama.com/KKLCT.html

Kodak Lens Cleaner
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/27961-REG/Kodak_EK1767136_Kodak_Lens_Cleaner_.html

... and you get those products in the comfortable yellow Kodak packaging.  LOL

... or you could get the convenient,

Adorama Lens Cleaning Kit.
http://www.adorama.com/CPLK.html

Another possibility is ...

Zeiss Lens Tissues, Pre-moistened Cleaning Cloths, 21 Per Box
http://www.amazon.com/Zeiss-Tissues-Pre-moistened-Cleaning-Cloths/dp/B0000DG1UE

The product description on amazon.com states,

Zeiss Pre-Moistened Lens Cloths "The ultimate convenience in lens
cleaning" Pre-moistened, non-abrasive lens cloths safely and quickly
clean any lens, especially those with Zeiss anti-reflective multi-layer
coatings. High-tech ammonia-free formula cleans effectively without
leaving streaks or residue.

In any case ... never use window cleaning solution. 

--
Martin

p.s. Sorry for my delayed response -- I was not using my PC/internet connection
for a few days.