Panasonic TZ202: Sensor Dust

Introduction | Sample Photos - Take 1 | Sample Photos - Take 2 | ...

On this page, I present my (current) experiences with having dust on the sensor of my Panasonic TZ202. In summer 2018, I detected dust on the camera sensor, which was successfully cleaned at the Panasonic service center in southern Germany. In February 2019, it showed another dust spot, and I sent it to the service once again (including another issue with the switchijng between EVF and LCD screen). Again, it was successfully cleaned at the same Panasonic service center and returned to me at the beginning of March 2019.

Introduction

Cameras with a telescopic lens are said to be prone to sucking dust, which prefers to settle down on the sensor. The TZ202 is not exception to this, and a lot of TZ200 users have already complained about this. Now, it is my "pleasure" to join them... There is a diffuse, but noticeable spot at the top center of the image frame, and it moves a little bit when you change the focal length (at 24 mm, it is closer to the edge of the frame). The spot is especially noticeable in clear or even skies, but also when the respective region is uniformly colored. It can be fairly easily removed with repair tools of photo editing software, but this works only in uniformly colored areas. Otherwise, you can have a hard time in removing the spot.

Regrettably, I discovered the dust spot only briefly after starting our vacation in Sweden 2018 (end of June, 2018). So I took hundreds of photos with a clearly visible dust spot. Actually, the spot appeared a few days earlier, as I was able to find out in retrospect. But I am not sure what I would have done, if I had detected the spot immediately. It would have been far too late to have the dust removed by a service center.

I sent the camera to a Panasonic service center. It was picked up and returned after about a week. I took first photos to see whether the dust was indeed removed (this was not always the case when I sent my Leica X Vario to the Leica service for dust removal). Obviously, the dust had gone and the lens was still OK and not decentered after its removal and new attachment...

In February 2019, when taking photos of a sunset, I discovered a new dust spot at the bottom of the image frame. Since there is usually no bright area in my photos, the dust spot have been there already for a long time. So I prepared the camera for another trip to the Panasonic service center...

Sample Photos - Take 1

Below, I show sample photos demonstrating the dust spot at various focal lengths (between 24 mm and 360 mm; from end of June to end of July 2018); aperture was typically closed to f/8, two have f/7.1, one f/6.4 (the paramotors).

Click on the images for the original versions without an arrow indicating the dust spot (appear in a new window).


One of a series in which I discovered the dust earliest - in retrospect (90 mm). Try to find the dust spot!		One of my earliest vacation photos with a well visible dust spot (24 mm)

Even sunsets show the dust spot... (70 mm)		Blue skies show it anyway... (24 mm)

Ditto (135 mm)		Gray skies show it as well (360 mm)

Test photo before I sent the camera to the service (160 mm)		Ditto (360 mm)

After the Cleaning


Test photo after the service (24 mm, f/8)		Ditto (360 mm, f/8)

Sample Photos - Take 2

Below, I show sample photos demonstrating the second dust spot at various focal lengths (between 24 mm and 360 mm; February 2019); aperture was typically closed to f/8.

Click on the images for the original versions without an arrow indicating the dust spot (appear in a new window).


Try to find the dust spot (360 mm, f/8)!		Here it easily to see (360 mm, f/8)!

Two more (360 mm, f/8)...		... a little bit later (300 mm, f/8)
Test photo before I sent the camera to the service (Feb 19, 2019)

50 mm, f/8		50 mm, f/4.2

135 mm, f/8		135 mm, f/5.7

200 mm, f/8		200 mm, f/6.1

360 mm, f/8		360 mm, f/6.4