Spots on photos or camera won't focus? What to do
Spots in the same place on every photo are usually dust on the sensor or lens. Focus problems often come from settings, not a fault.
- Most common cause
- dust on the sensor or AF settings
- Time
- 10–20 minutes
- Repair shop
- 160–820 zł
Don't touch the sensor with your fingers or cotton buds. Don't blow into the camera with your mouth. Change lenses quickly, with the camera pointing down.
Step by step
Check where the spots are
Take a photo of a bright sky or a white wall at f/16. If the spots are in the same place on every photo, it's dust on the sensor. If they move, check the lens.
Clean the lens
Wipe the front and rear elements with a microfibre cloth or lens tissue. Blow off grit with a blower first.
Run sensor cleaning
Most cameras have automatic sensor cleaning in the menu. Run it a few times.
Blow the sensor with a blower
Take off the lens, point the camera down and blow inside a few times with a camera blower. Don't use canned compressed air.
Check the autofocus settings
Check the AF/MF switch on the lens and in the camera. Choose AF-C for moving subjects and AF-S for still ones. In low light AF works worse.
Clean the lens contacts
Wipe the gold contacts on the lens and mount with a dry cloth. Dirt on the contacts causes communication and AF errors.
- the spots don't come off after blowing
- you can see greasy smears or scratches on the sensor
- AF doesn't work with any lens
- the camera shows a lens error despite clean contacts
How much does a repair shop charge?
| Sensor cleaning at a repair shop | 160–340 zł |
| Lens autofocus repair | 340–820 zł |
| AF calibration | 200–410 zł |
| Diagnosis | 110–200 zł |
Typical prices at independent repair shops in Poland, October 2026. Authorised service centres and big cities can be more expensive.
Repair or buy new?
Sensor cleaning at a repair shop is a cheap and safe service. AF repair in an expensive lens usually pays off, in a cheap kit lens it often doesn't.
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Why are there spots in the same place on my photos?
It's almost always dust on the sensor. It shows best at a small aperture, e.g. f/16.
Can I clean the sensor myself?
With a blower, yes. Wet cleaning is better left to a repair shop, because the sensor filter scratches easily.
Why won't my camera focus?
Often because of the MF switch, the wrong AF mode, low light or dirty lens contacts.