I was out taking scenery pictures today and i came home to view them and noticed that there are specs on most of the pictures.
and the zoomed in pictures i've taken you can actually see the particles, and it really just ruins the picture.

I know the dirt isnt on the outside of the lense because i clean it regularly.

Is there a way to clean the side of them without ruining the camera? Or is it better to just buy a new camera complete? I have one of the compact cameras that the lens is built on, so there is no way to easily remove it for cleaning.

I'm not even sure how dirt got inside of it. I can't even find any holes, or anything, but dust always seems to make its way into stuff.

here are some of the pictures:
Normal:


Zoomed in with cam:

Unfortunately my compact has been affected in the same way..

This is a long shot, but is it a samsung? I had a compact Fujifilm for several years which I always kept in my pocket and it never once allowed dust in.. this piece of crap samsung NV100D has dust somewhere inside the lens mechanism and it's ruining photos..

naw, this is a Sanyo.

I had a fuji for years without it getting dust in it, but last summer it got some. only a spec or two. This camera now i had for less than a year and its filled with dust. I always kept it pretty safe. I noticed last week that there was even dust under the plastic covering the lcd screen on the back. I don't know how that happen. I guess Sanyo and Samsung make cheat cameras?

If this continues to happen with these compact cameras, it's probably best to pay a bit more for and SLR with detachable lens, so we can actually clean them.

This dust most likely isn't on the lens; it's on the image sensor.

"I'm not even sure how dirt got inside of it. I can't even find any holes, or anything, but dust always seems to make its way into stuff." It just happens through time.

Well it worked for my father, he took it to a jewelry repair shop and they cleaned his camera, though I think the one he took it to also sells and repairs cameras as well.

Worth a look into if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a new camera.

Dang, i need a new camera lol

but now the dust/particles that would fall off the lens, so i can mostly take decent pictures, is now stuck right in the middle of the lens, and i cant get it to fall off or anything. I can actually focus on it in macro mode.

i tried taking the camera apart to clean it myself manually, but got stuck on the lens part. Does anyone know how to safely take apart the lens of a compact camera?

I plan on getting a new camera in the next few months, (would love ot now, but have a few large bills i need to pay) but i need to take photos now, so cleaning it myself would be the best thing to do now.

Does anyone know?

Designs of compact cameras will vary massively on each camera. Even similar cameras in a manufacturer's product line will be different. If you're determined to do it, do it slowly, carefully, and make you note down where everything goes. The other concern is putting the lens elements back in exactly the correct places, and not screwing lens alignment completely.