April 13 2008

I have used a good number of Canon 1755 IS lenses over the past few years. Out of the handful of copies I've had in my possession, one of them (purchased used but in excellent condition) came with about 10-12 dust particles that were very evident upon plain inspection under a light source. The other copies had little to no dust issues whatsoever. [I do not know how much a UV filter helps with the dust problem, so I will make no definitive statement here on the matter. My hunch, however, is that it *DOES HELP* to some degree.]

So, I decided to take it upon myself to remove the dust. I want to make it very clear from the outset: IF YOU TRY THIS DUST REMOVAL PROCEDURE [DRP] ON YOUR LENS, YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK. I repeat: YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK. What I am showing/explaining here is my experience ONLY with my copy on my desk in my home. That said, it's really not rocket science ;) But again, you proceed with this AT YOUR OWN RISK.

It took me about 30 minutes to complete the DRP my first time around. I was very careful, as well as trying to take pictures and document as I went along. I think now that I have done it I could complete the task in about 5-10 minutes. It's not difficult, but you have to certainly be careful and in a room where you can concentrate. Well, let's get to it. See each image and my comments. If you read through my comments at each image (maybe even a few times thoroughly before actually doing the DRP), I think you'll gain enough confidence to give it a shot. Again, it's not difficult, but you need to be in a quiet room where you can concentrate. And lastly, one more time: YOU PERFORM THE DRP AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Note: For reference, here are two other links showing dust-removal for the 1755 IS http://alan328.com/17_55_Dust.aspx and http://www.pbase.com/rcicala/1755_is_surgery