Defect showing in viewfinder and on images

As there were 7 screeching Red Kites over my garden this morning I went to take a pic and was horrified to see a 'blob' (rather like a finger smudge) in the viewfinder display of my Lumix TZ8 and on checking it out, also in images (taken of both sky and paper):





After my initial despair I thought at least there's Mrs Scrungee's TZ8, but when I checked that out there's a curved defect both in display and in images:





Any ideas what's causing this and how both cameras have been affected by it?

 

Well it can't be on the eyepiece which leaves the lense.

I guess the mark is very tiny and barely visible to the naked eye,but is magnified through the lense to give the size shown on the image.

I would guess you have already thought of this and given the lense a thorough clean.

Perhaps looking at the lense surface through a magnifying glass might highlight your problem.

It certainly looks like an oily smear so you might need a liquid lense cleaner to clear it!

Sorry I can't be of more help but like you I am guessing!

 

The lenses of both cameras have been thoroughly cleaned and anything adhering to the outside surface eliminated as potential source of the problem.

 

A thought has just struck me !!

Do you have a fixed lense or removable lenses?

Or have you left a 'filter' screwed on?

Like you I am just clutching at straws....Tg

 

Could it be on the sensor?
My camera has lots of "bits" in the view finder, most are not in the pictures so I guess they are on the mirror.
But if they are in the picture but the lens are clean, they must be on the sensor????

 

They are not DSLRs nor 4/3 cameras, but that was one of my initial thoughts, but to get it happen in two identical cameras, now both write offs?

 

I had similar issues last year with a speck of dirt, luckily it was on the glass within the camera. I was told at the time though, it wouldn't show up on any pictures unless it was on the mirror.

 

I never leave cameras in the car and I'm careful about condensation when coming in from a walk in the cold. As it doesn't have a removable lens I can't get inside it, but have wondered how airtight cameras like this are and whether blowing some air at it will dislodge any dust inside 9if that's what it is). I have a diving cylinder that would almost certainly get some compressed air inside, but I'd have to be careful not to blast the camera to bits.

Or I might try a proper job like this

 

Careful with compressed air Scrungee, you could blow more dust IN !

 

Does anyone professionally clean digital cameras , if the mark is on the final image sensor ? Can't think why both should develop a mark though , and they are not a cheap camera.

 

Dont use compressed or tinned air at all on your camera, you might dislodge dust but you will also add water at the same time...so canned air is a definate no no. If you must blow air into a camera use a rocket blower, dont even think of blowing with your mouth either...thats got mositure in it too.

As you can both see the mark through the viewfinder and on the final photo, it's not the sensor it has to be the lens...probably the outside too, but it will need a proper clean to remove it as you may not be able to see it. I would have thought a good careful clean using a lint free cloth will remove it. If you wear spectacles then that cleaning cloth and a touch of spactacle cleaning fluid will remove it.

I think its been splashed with something. Picture a droplet of water on your newly polished car, the droplet dries out and leaves a little ring behind...this is what the marks above look like to me.

You may need to clean the lens several times carefully, to remove this mark.

I had a similar mark many years ago...it turned out to be spag bol sauce...

Steve...