Cleaning dSLR Sensor

[Scottwdw]

Okay, I am getting very tired of all the sensor "dust" on my sensor. I've paid a guy a couple of times to clean it and it just comes back. So, I need some advice here.

1. How do you clean a sensor?

2. What do you use to clean a sensor with?

3. How do you keep it from getting dust?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Roger]

1) Very carefully. I just used a rocket blower (bulb, looks like a rocket) on my 30D. Now I let the camera shake to deal with it. Other items include arctic butterfly brushes, visible dust liquid swabs, also use a Sensor Loupe.

2) See above. I think the only thing the camera companies recommend is the blower. But Visible Dust makes swabs for specific camera sensors.

3) Buy a camera with a self cleaning sensor. Only use your camera in a clean room. (j/k)

I think #3 is the hardest to stop. The best advice I've ever heard was to change lenses with the body facing down only.

 

[Roger]

And to followup #3 - dust is always going to be a problem with any zoom lens that does not do internal zooming and focusing. Anytime you have a lens that changes length, physics states that there has to be pressure changes, and it's hard to keep air out without creating a vacuum. I heard the Canon 100-400L suffers from that badly because of the push/pull design.

 

[mSummers]

The best advice I've ever heard was to change lenses with the body facing down only.

I only change my lenses with the camera facing down. Also, you should try to minimize the amount of time that the rear lens cap is off of the lens to keep dust from collecting there and transferring to the sensor.

Somewhere I read that the sensor collects more dust if the camera is turned on while the lens is off of the camera. It had something to do with the sensor being charged and attracting the dust. I'm not sure how true that is, but its still better for the camera to be turned off when you change lenses.

 

[Roger]

but its still better for the camera to be turned off when you change lenses.

I've been doing that since before digital. I thought I was told to do so at one time due to the electronic mount for Canon.

 

[Craig]

HI Scott, I too was very scared to clean my sensor.
Either I am really dumb and lucky or it isn't that hard.
I have since done it twice with no problems and great results.

I use sensor swabs and eclipse solution.
You only use each side of the swab for one swipe, then you throw it away.
You put a couple of drops on the swab and pull it across the sensor in one non-stop swipe.
Make sure you have a charged battery and set the camera to mirror lock up in your menu, not bulb shutter.

I should add that twice, I have had really big dust, and I brushed it off with an old lens brush carefully instead of clean the whole sensor.
Also, you cannot get the sensor perfectly clean. If I shoot the sky at f22 you can see lots of little specs, but that is a ridiculous test and not real life.

eclipse solution

swabs

 

[mSummers]

I've been doing that since before digital. I thought I was told to do so at one time due to the electronic mount for Canon.

So have I. I think they recommend doing that because you can damage the electronic connections if they short while you mount the lens.

 

[gary]

i too finally got brave this year, bought a visible dust kit, including an arctic butterfly, a little battery powered twirling brush that builds up a static charge to help attract the dust off the sensor cover, and that glass cover is what you are actually cleaning off, not the sensor itself
read the instructions several times, familiarize yourself with the procedure, very important to have enough battery charge to keep the mirror locked up
take a deep breath, and do it, it gets a little easier to be brave each time
i basically had no choice in the matter, since my 5d came from canon equipped with not 1, but 2 huge sensor boogers, at no extra charge, so i spent the $100 and just did it, something i never did for my d30,d60,20d or xti, now it;s fairly routine, i try to make it a monthly routine, and i bring the kit on all trips, although it was not needed for mousefest

 

[Tim]

its also better to clean the sensors in a bathroom type setting where there is tile and there isn't a lot of carpet and upholstery to add more dust into the air. i clean my sensors in WDW in the bathroom quite often (away from the towels of course)