Because the housing is sealed, there's no way to get in there and blow out all the little specks that have accumulated. I could send it back to the factory, but it would cost as much as a new one to get it fixed. Heavy sigh . . . I love this little camera.
The price of new Nikon lenses is prohibitive, so Everett helped me with a used one. I tried out three and while the price was right, they added so much weight to the body of my camera, I hesitated on making a purchase. Instead, I copied down the info on my favorite of the three, a 28-300 mm, and will think about it.