Cleaning Your DSLR Sensor

[Suhit Gupta]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.outbackphoto.com/workshop/phototechnique/essay05/essay.html' target='_blank'>http://www.outbackphoto.com/workshop/phototechnique/essay05/essay.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"My sensor on my SD9 had been getting dirtier and dirtier. I admit I am not the most careful when it comes to changing lenses. I had some success with methanol-based products early on but as the camera got more and more dust, I just couldn't get it clean and often felt like I was just moving dust around. With my SD9, I had pretty much given up and just spent time with Photoshop using the clone tool and healing brush; this process was getting longer and longer and naturally more painful! My SD10 was starting to get more dust in addition. Desperate to find a solution, I tried the Sensor Brush from Visible Dust which someone had mentioned at one time on the forum."</i><br /><br />So I have to admit too that over the last year, I have gotten more and more careless while changing my lenses, and even though the pictures that I take are not completely dirty, I think a round of cleaning would not hurt. Digital Outback Photo has an article that looks at using a product called the Sensor Brush to clean the sensor inside a digital SLR camera. Do any of you use any products that you would recommend?

[Neil Enns]

Weird. Why can't you just buy a regular soft paint brush and charge it on the TV screen or something?

My sensor is long overdue for a cleaning. I've been putting it off because I think $50 for sensor swabs is ridiculous. Somewhere online I saw a how to for taking a Rubbermaid spatula and cutting it down to fit, then wrapping it with a pecpad. I might try that. Plus some Eclipse fluid to clean it.

Neil

[Jason Kravitz]

I read the same articles and cleaned my sensor using the PecPad and Eclipse method. Instead of a spatula I used a plastic knife handle as described by Thom Hogan. It worked pretty well. I went from having a lot of dust spots to one that only occurs at small apertures.

The PecPad method is fairly easy. I think a lot of people are timid about scratching the sensor but I think you would have to really mess up to do that. It's worth a try - worst case *usually* is that you move it around or cannot get all the dust. Of course don't blame me if you scratch up your sensor :twisted:

I also bought a Giotto Air Rocket and it works pretty well. Don't know if it is any better than other air blowers. I was going to try to blow out the sensor once a week but have been lazy about it so far.

The link to the Giotto Air Blower is here
http://www.2filter.com/prices/products/rocket.html

It's inexpensive and seems to work well. I've also been using it to clean out my laptop keyboard and other compressed air applications...

[Neil Enns]

I read the same articles and cleaned my sensor using the PecPad and Eclipse method. Instead of a spatula I used a plastic knife handle as described by Thom Hogan. It worked pretty well. I went from having a lot of dust spots to one that only occurs at small apertures.

Aha! With the name reference and the wonders of google, here's the link to the article: http://www.bythom.com/cleaning.htm. I'll probably go to Michael's and see if I can find one of those clay tools he mentions.

Neil

[Jason Kravitz]

Heh - thanks Neil :)

Thom has some great information on his site and some amazing travel stories and chronicles.