Okay, so what is it and how do I get rid of it?

[Donald]

Look at the pic below. That horrible thing is so obvious. But what is it?

'Dust Bunny' I hear you cry ..... just as I did. But ....................! This is my Lumic DMC-LX100 with it's non-interchangeable 24-75 zoom lens.

If it's a dust bunny, how did it get in there? Could the retraction of the lens when switching off suck in a dust bunny? It's visible on the electronic viewfinder when I'm composing pics.

But more importantly, how do I get rid of it?

Frustratingly yours,
Donald

[James G]

Hi Donald... I guess it would be possible for material to be sucked in as the lens opens.
As regards getting rid, I know it sounds daft, but a sharp tap on the frame of the camera might just dislodge it to a less obtrusive place.

Otherwise I suspect it needs a professional intervention which may not be worth it!

You could try a quick call to Calumet Glasgow? They are about the most experienced retailers I have dealt with over the years, and they may be able to help.

Otherwise I'm guessing you may have to use the 'clone'/Fill tool a lot

I don't suppose the camera has a function to do an automatic subtraction of dust bunnies etc? Some SLR's do....

[george013]

First of all I would ask is it on every picture or just this one?

George

[Donald]

Every picture.

[Mike Buckley]

Determine with absolute certainty whether the camera is still under warranty.

[Donald]

No, it's not.

[DanK]

I'm afraid I agree with James. It's also possible that a bit of paint or whatever came loose from an inside surface and stuck to the sensor. In either case, if tapping it gently doesn't work, I can't see what alternative there is to having it serviced. I have an LX100 also, and while I don't have it with me now, my impression was that it isn't user-serviceable.

[Donald]

No, it's not.

I'm wrong.

It is still under warranty and ............. I've just come across information that says this is a known problem with the LX100 and that it will be serviced under warranty.

Thank you all for your prompts. Now to go about getting it serviced.

[paintingwithlight]

Even with the current Panasonic sale that is still an expensive dust bunny!

Sorry I can't offer any advice beyond shake and tap the body to try to dislodge the particle. Perhaps try powering it on and off with the battery / SD slot open having jammed a vacuum hose against the open slot? It would seem to me that an air current likely led to the deposition of the particle on the sensor. Try to generate more air currents to get the particle off the sensor.

Good luck!

Michael

[DanK]

I've just come across information that says this is a known problem with the LX100

Glad to hear that for your sake, but not for mine. Mine is fine for now, but this might happen after it's off warranty.

[george013]

I'm wrong.

It is still under warranty and ............. I've just come across information that says this is a known problem with the LX100 and that it will be services under warranty.

Thank you all for your prompts. Now to go about getting it serviced.

If it's a known problem, can you tell us what it is?

George

[Donald]

If it's a known problem, can you tell us what it is?

Dust ingress via the lens movement when extending and retracting.

[Manfred M]

If it's a dust bunny, how did it get in there? Could the retraction of the lens when switching off suck in a dust bunny? It's visible on the electronic viewfinder when I'm composing pics.

That's a common misunderstanding, i.e. cameras with fixed lenses do not get "dust bunnies".

Any lens that zooms or to a lesser extent focuses has elements that move back and forth, so one is either pushing air into the camera body or out of it. The camera body is vented to ensure that it does not get pressurized or depressurized in the process. The same thing is true when the lens barrel moves into the camera body and in fact, this is where you get maximum air displacement in both directions. Make the camera small so that it can fit in a pocket, we are adding then carrying it / storing it in an environment where it is subjected to lots of lint and other debris, i.e. a major source of dust.

The main downside with these cameras is that unlike interchangable lens cameras, we can't just pop out the lens and clean the sensor. In theory, the camera manufacturer can take preventative measures, for instance using a felt sleeve that the lens barrel slides through, but if there is a failure in the sleeve, the dust will get in.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I think I'd just hook up my vacuum cleaner and put it over the lens and try letting it suck it out before going to all the trouble of sending the camera off to be serviced. If this got in there with just the opening/closing of the lens, it could just as easily be sucked out the same way.

[xpatUSA]

I think I'd just hook up my vacuum cleaner and put it over the lens and try letting it suck it out before going to all the trouble of sending the camera off to be serviced. If this got in there with just the opening/closing of the lens, it could just as easily be sucked out the same way.

Great idea, Alan!!

If anyone wants to come over and use my super-powerful industrial shop-vac for that, they would be most welcome!

Pardon my pedantry but, since my vac pulls maybe -5 psi and say the front of the lens is an inch diameter i.e. 22/7" area, I would need to be confident that the lens assembly can stand a pull of about 16 lbf.

And, even if it could, what air velocity over the boundary layer at the surface of the sensor would be needed to overcome the adherence of the blob to the surface? Putting that another way, why do dirty dusty aircraft and cars stay dusty?

[Manfred M]

+1 to what Ted has written.

The other issue that has not been addressed is that putting the camera interior under negative pressure is going to end up forcing in more contaminant laden air, so rather than cleaning things, that technique could end up making things worse. The camera body was never designed to withstand that much negative pressure.

[Stagecoach]

So we drill a hole in the back of the camera and undertake the operation in a humidity and dust controlled room

[Manfred M]

So we drill a hole in the back of the camera and undertake the operation in a humidity and dust controlled room

Just get the alignment right and you can drill out that dust bunny on the sensor quite nicely. All you have to do is to remember that the lens inverts the image and one has to compensate for that before drilling...

It will be a bit rough on the screen on the back of the camera (and the sensor and anything else in the way), but....

[JBW]

Great idea, Alan!!

If anyone wants to come over and use my super-powerful industrial shop-vac for that, they would be most welcome!

Pardon my pedantry but, since my vac pulls maybe -5 psi and say the front of the lens is an inch diameter i.e. 22/7" area, I would need to be confident that the lens assembly can stand a pull of about 16 lbf.

And, even if it could, what air velocity at the boundary layer at the surface of the sensor would be needed to overcome the adherence of the blob to the surface? Putting that another way, why do dirty/dusty aircraft and cars stay dirty?

because the owners don't wash them.

[James G]

Ok, while we are 'blue -skying' the possibilities, I'd suggest an alternative technique based on existing camera technology.
I'd strap the camera (lens down and closed) to a laboratory ultrasonic stirrer for 30 seconds or so.

Donald I still have a few lab contacts....