What is wrong with this camera?

[NicoleScraps]

Let me just say, I am talking about my 5 yr old point and shoot camera. I really still like to use that camera for quick family stuff. It is not going to totally break my heart to have to get rid of it but I would prefer for it to be a usable camera.
Every photo that I take with it has a spot on the upper right side of the frame (landscape orientation). At first I thought something was on the outside of the lens. I have cleaned it about a gazillion times, but the spot is still there.
Is it possible for something to get inside of a point and shoot camera? Like on the sensor? I am not familiar with the guts of cameras, but this thing doesn't come apart like my dslr so I would think that would be possible.

Here is what I am talking about......this is just a snapshot from a birthday party this weekend. See the haze over the right side of the face of the woman on the right?



I don't have any freaking idea what this is? I mean, it totally looks like something is on the lens but there's not. I swear. I have cleaned it and cleaned it again.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

[SwissJon]

Probably a bit of dust or grease got inside and landed on the sensor. These things aren't hermatically sealed, so it's perfectly feasable. Happened to me.

Perfectly possible to clean it, but given that it's a P&S, you'd have to either be a dab hand with a screwdriver, or send it off to the manufacturer, who's likely to charge you an arm or a leg.. (Like they tried with me)

Personally, I'd think about changing up... new P&S's are significantly better than the old ones, and the prices of something equivalent is likely to be less than or similar to, the cost of cleaning the current one. That's your best bet.. I'm afraid these days cameras are becoming disposable items, and 5 years is about the average life span.

If you don't want to throw it in the bin, give it to a child, let them learn using it.

[BigFuzzy]

Any chance there's something on the flash, or does this happen even with non-flash images?

[wulf]

You could keep it and call it your glamour cam - instant softening of lines and wrinkles

In the picture you gave, it isn't that noticeable, so it is still usable for snaps. Or perhaps it is time to try one of those projects like camera tossing or sending it up in the air tied to a balloon?

Wulf

[OsmosisStudios]

You can definitely still get dust on your sensor: I see it at least once a week on client equipment. The superzoom and vacation zoom (10x+ zoom) cameras seem to be the hardest hit, but they're not the only ones.

If it's dust on the sensor, though, you'll see it in liveview.

[sk66]

It could be any number of things, almost all of them certainly internal and not worth fixing. The area is quite large and soft so I doubt it's dust on the sensor. That is more typical of something on/in the lens.
The entire rt side of the image seems "off" to me in sharpness and lighting. That could be a failing sensor, a shutter sync issue (does it happen indoors/outdoors at all SS?), internal lens alignment issue, or something else entirely (like the automatic opening lens "cover" not opening quite fully).

Sorry to not have any good news, but I think it's time to buy a new PofS.

[NicoleScraps]

Well, over 5 years, I have taken about 30,000 photos of my kids with this camera is almost every situation possible, while riding on a roller coaster, in the sand, in the pool, on a boat with people tubing off the back, in the woods, out the car window, you name it......I would say that I have definitely gotten my money's worth out of this one and it is time to move on to a new one. I know that I have a nicer camera with my dslr, but I am sorry, sometimes you just can't beat the convenience of a p&s.

Anyways, it is a camera like this, where the lens comes out when you turn it on, so who knows what the heck happened to it. I am probably not going to put too much more effort into figuring it out.

[RLucas]

Originally Posted by NicoleScraps

Well, over 5 years, I have taken about 30,000 photos of my kids with this camera is almost every situation possible, while riding on a roller coaster, in the sand, in the pool, on a boat with people tubing off the back, in the woods, out the car window, you name it......I would say that I have definitely gotten my money's worth out of this one and it is time to move on to a new one. I know that I have a nicer camera with my dslr, but I am sorry, sometimes you just can't beat the convenience of a p&s.

Anyways, it is a camera like this, where the lens comes out when you turn it on, so who knows what the heck happened to it. I am probably not going to put too much more effort into figuring it out.

Hey, I have that almost exact same camera somewhere. If I can get it back from my bro, who "borrowed" it a couple of years ago, you are welcome to it! He doesn't use it. He doesn't even have a computer.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by RLucas

Hey, I have that almost exact same camera somewhere. If I can get it back from my bro, who "borrowed" it a couple of years ago, you are welcome to it! He doesn't use it. He doesn't even have a computer.

Well damn, isn't that nice!
A little Karma in the bank!
This makes me happy.....

[Biomech]

My girlfriend is reknowned for not being able to take a focused picture. Her compact photos were coming out really blurry and hazy. Then I noticed that the lens has about a inch thick of fingerprint :P I've watched her, she lets her fingers fall all over the lens without a thought in the world :P