Relatively new to this dust bunny thing, so I would like to know what people use routinely to clean their sensors - sensor swabs, brush, just air? I would prefer a technique that is simple yet effective. Thanks for the help. My apologies if this has been addressed in a previous post.
Most dust seems to be removable with using the biggest, baddest blower you can find. I am using the Giotti Rocket, about 7 inches long.
But eventually, the sensor will need more cleaning. The brushes are supposed to be fairly good for this purpose, but I have not used them. No real reason why, other than I jumped to the swabs and Eclipse fluid instead. I have only cleaned the senser with this method once, and was fairly happy with the results, but it also took 7-8 swab to completely clean it.
Posted by Bill Chambers on April 4, 2006 at 10:37 AM
For 'normal' dust the Sensor Sweep seems to do very well, and it's priced pretty reasonably, although they rip you on the shipping. For really stuck on stuff I resorted to the DSLR Swabs and IOptic fluid they sell in the NPN online store. That worked quite well, although it took three of them to do the job. These are somewhat outrageously expensive for what you get, but they did work well, and hopefully will only have to resort to using them once or twice a year. I live on the gulf coast, where the combination of wind, sand, salt haze, and high humidity means lots of potential gunk on your sensor, especially if you change lenses much in the field.
Here is a link to Visible Dust: Visible Dust This is the brush folks primarly are refering to.
This is what I use most of the time. Every once in awhile I have to use a sensor swab to get something stubborn off my sensor. but these days that's rather rare.
I would never consider using any form of blown air on my sensor. There are far too many highly fragile doodads in there.
Posted by Martin Ziese on April 4, 2006 at 4:39 PM
Martin,
This is the method I use. If there are just a few specks showing up in my photos I take my camera, place it on my tripod, face it downwards, remove the cap and set it to the "clean sensor" option. Then I use my rocket blower. I then go outside if it's a clear blue, cloudless day and shoot a section of the sky at ISO 100, f22 or above. I the load the image on my computer. If there are still some specks showing. I mount the camera back on the tripod and this time use my sensor brush. I go back out and take another shot and then view it on the computer again. If for some reason the specks are still there... It's out with the spatula, pec-pads and eclipse cleaning fluid. I know this seems anal, but it takes less time then having to clone out all those pesky specks in Photoshop. Wow, say that ten times... "Pesky Specks"
Good Luck with what ever method you use.
Martin
Posted by Russ Carlson on April 10, 2006 at 11:21 PM
One reason dust is a problem is that the sensor surface is slightly charged, attracting and holding dust. Canned air and blowers may not dislodge the dust, and if it does, it is quickly drawn back to the surface. Best to use a clean, dust free brush for light dust, and sensor cleaners for more stubborn stuff. As to contorting to get to a sensor when the camera is angled down, to me it seems non-productive. The dust that causes the problems is small enough to float with air currents, and won’t be much affected by gravity. Change lenses and clean the sensor in a dust free environment (well, as dust free as you can get when you’re outdoors trying to get that once-in-a-lifetime nature shot!)
I am currently using up my supply of Pec Pads and Eclipse fluid. It works well, but it is a laborious cleaning process, doesn't always get everything despite repeated efforts, and is not travel-friendly. Before my next photo expedition in the fall, I plan to purchase a cleaning kit from Visible Dust. There's a great review on Visible Dust's Artic Butterfly here: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/arctic-butterfly.shtml
Discussion
8 repliesGuy
But eventually, the sensor will need more cleaning. The brushes are supposed to be fairly good for this purpose, but I have not used them. No real reason why, other than I jumped to the swabs and Eclipse fluid instead. I have only cleaned the senser with this method once, and was fairly happy with the results, but it also took 7-8 swab to completely clean it.
This is what I use most of the time. Every once in awhile I have to use a sensor swab to get something stubborn off my sensor. but these days that's rather rare.
I would never consider using any form of blown air on my sensor. There are far too many highly fragile doodads in there.
This is the method I use. If there are just a few specks showing up in my photos I take my camera, place it on my tripod, face it downwards, remove the cap and set it to the "clean sensor" option. Then I use my rocket blower. I then go outside if it's a clear blue, cloudless day and shoot a section of the sky at ISO 100, f22 or above. I the load the image on my computer. If there are still some specks showing. I mount the camera back on the tripod and this time use my sensor brush. I go back out and take another shot and then view it on the computer again. If for some reason the specks are still there... It's out with the spatula, pec-pads and eclipse cleaning fluid. I know this seems anal, but it takes less time then having to clone out all those pesky specks in Photoshop. Wow, say that ten times... "Pesky Specks"
Good Luck with what ever method you use.
Martin