# Black spot on canon powershot 410 image



## namredos

Can the spot be removed by cleaning the sensor? Access to this point and shoot digital camera insides looks intimidating.


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## dm01

Have to tried cleaning the lens with a lens cleaning cloth and solution?

Can you show us the picture(s)?


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## DonaldG

No, it is not a job to be done at home. The 410 does not have a user detachable lens

That is the official answer. before I suggest having a go, you must consider how bad are the spots. If they are just one or two small ones, then put up with them.

If they are large, many and intrusive, then the proper course of action will be to send it to Canon for a clean. This in itself presents a problem: cost. Canon , as with many other manufacturers, have a fixed charge to do a repair or clean.

As the 410 is quite old (digital photo wise) the cost may out way the viability of having it cleaned.

This means that in effect, the camera is written off and you may need to consider replacing it.

This also means that you have nothing to loose by having a go yourself! It is a wee bit of an enigma!

Before you attack it, be absolutely sure that unless you are a skilled instrument engineer, the chances of stripping it down, cleaning the sensor and reassembling it WITHOUT putting more muck, dust, skin flakes & hairs on the sensor, are pretty slim. I would put it as low as 2% chance.

You must do everything under a meticulously clean conditions and keep everything dismantled under glass protection against dust contamination

Sorry to be a prophet of doom, but it is definitely not for the feint hearted.

I wish you well.


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## namredos

To both repondents: Thanks for your inputs. I guess I will just get a new camera!


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## DonaldG

Quite frankly, that is the wisest option with that camera. Even with removable lenses, cleaning the sensor is not an easy task. The specks of dust/skin flakes etc that cause the marks are smaller that the eye can see. Often when cleaning a sensor, the very act of cleaning introduces more contaminants than it removes.

When I clean a sensor, I do so with trepidation, even though I have the proper cleaning kit and materials. It can be frustrating!

You can try one last thing before consign it to history... Point the camera at the ground and with a small screwdriver, tap the body of the camera gently from underneath. With any luck, you might dislodge the grot that is on the sensor - try this two or three times. 

The reason for pointing the camera down is so that any other contaminants/dust inside the camera does not settle on the sensor, exacerbating the situation


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