Does your sensor need cleaning?

How to tell

While getting ready for an upcoming trip, I decided it was a good idea to check to see if the sensors on my cameras needed cleaning. My usual indicator that it's time to do housekeeping is when I get back from a trip and find the dreaded blobs on a few hundred otherwise excellent images, so the fit of proactive action prompted me to post this.

Sensor dust is easiest to see at small apertures so I created a plain white JPEG to display full screen on my monitor (link HERE - right-click and save as...), cranked my lens down to f/22 with a slight underexposure and took a shot of the screen filling the entire image.

As you can see, my hunch paid off:

(No, there isn't a little arrow stuck to my sensor...)

All but the largest spots would be invisible in most images at wide apertures but if I were to stop it down to blur a waterfall or something like that, it would look like I shot it through the window of a gas station restroom! Maybe that's an exaggeration, but still...

What to do?

1. You can take your camera to a local shop that offers sensor cleaning services. The going rates run from $40-$70.

2. Send your camera body in to a service center for about the same price plus shipping.

3. Do it yourself. :eek:

It is actually not as hard or as scary as it sounds. True, if done with improper tools and materials you can make it worse than it was or even damage your sensor but with a little care and a moderate investment, you can save yourself some money and show up at every photo-op with a clean slate. So to speak.

My weapon of choice has been the Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly pictured here.

It has an ultra-fine brush that picks up dust with a static charge. The odd handle is the secret to the static charge. It contains a high-speed motor that spins the brush to build up the charge from the air around it. About 10 seconds worth will turn the fibers of the Butterfly into a dust magnet. It also does double-duty by ejecting particles from the prior cleaning during the spin. The cost is about the same as two cleanings at a shop.

Once you have the lens off, take a moment before activating the cleaning mode from the menu to use a blower to blow excess dust out of the mirror box area and from the rear of the lens. This will help avoid re-contamination later. The Giottos Rocket is my choice since it has an intake filter to prevent sucking in dust and spraying it back on your lens or into your camera body.

After pre-dusting, activate the cleaning mode from the menu. This will flip up the mirror and lock the shutter open (or just lock the shutter in the case of a NEX or other mirrorless cameras). A full battery is recommended to prevent the shutter from closing during the procedure. (Cameras that closely monitor charge levels won't allow the cleaning mode to even start with a low battery.) Take another moment to gently blow out the exposed cavity to remove any stray dust trapped behind the mirror. Do this holding the camera face down while blowing up into the cavity so dislodged particles won't re-settle inside. Set the camera down on its back and spin up a charge on the brush. Make a single light pass from one side to the other. Spin and repeat from the other direction. The brush itself is wide enough to cover the entire width of the sensor making the single pass the most effective method.

Check the results. Visible Dust makes a tool called a Sensor Loupe that is basically an illuminated magnifying lens designed to let you clearly see dust on the sensor. Opteka offers a less expensive alternative. If you elected to pass on the loupe, simply reattach the lens, turn the camera off and on to deactivate the cleaning mode and take another test photo. Repeat as necessary until the blobs are all gone.

Five minutes and two swipes with the Butterfly...voila!

If you somehow got some particularly nasty particles on your sensor that resist brushing, you may have to resort to a wet cleaning which is a rather more delicate operation requiring specialized swabs and cleaning fluid. The need for this is far less common than a simple dusting so by the time you actually need to do a wet cleaning, your experience with the dry brushing may inspire you to try that one too!

Happy (spotless) Shooting!

Dave

I'm thinking compressed air is a no no?

John

I'm thinking compressed air is a no no?

 

John

Although I do not know, I am guessing that it might be too powerful.

DON

I'm thinking compressed air is a no no?

 

John

Although I do not know, I am guessing that it might be too powerful.

 

DON

Don's right. Compressed air is not recommended. There are a lot of delicate parts involved, especially the metal shutter leaves when it is closed. Anything more sharply focused and stronger than a bulb blower could possibly deform the shutter mechanism. Additionally, most commercial compressed air uses liquid propellants and a frigid stream of fluorocarbon accidentally washing across the sensor or mirror would be a bad thing.

Dave

The one issue I have noticed on my Nikon V1 is the sensor gets dirty more often than my DSLR. I suppose that is just a result of the sensor being relatively exposed when you are changing lenses (in comparison to a DLSR).

I guess my advice is if you are going to own a mirrorless camera, you might as well learn how to clean the sensor as otherwise, it is going to be awfully expensive to get the sensor cleaned twice a year.

I have been using the Photographic Solutions system (Eclipse, swabs, etc). It is a wet solution, so it does take some finessing I suppose, but so far, I have had good results.

On the subject of cleaning - what do you recommend for cleaning the lens of my HX9V?

And here i thought this was going to be another d600 complain thread.;)

Thankfully it was just a good info thread.:D

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Forums mobile app

On the subject of cleaning - what do you recommend for cleaning the lens of my HX9V?

A soft microfiber cloth after brushing any heavy dust off with a camel-hair lens brush. Another possibility are the little packaged lens wipes from Zeiss. I don't know where in oz you can get them but here's the link to the product on Amazon so you can see what I'm talking about.

http://www.amazon.com/Zeiss-Pre-Moistened-Lens-Cloths-Wipes/dp/B0030E4UIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378259821&sr=8-1&keywords=zeiss+wipes

These really work well and are designed for lens cleaning but is is stll a good idea to brush dust off first so you don't scratch the coatings.

Dave

A soft microfiber cloth after brushing any heavy dust off with a camel-hair lens brush. Another possibility are the little packaged lens wipes from Zeiss. I don't know where in oz you can get them but here's the link to the product on Amazon so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Zeiss-Pre-Moistened-Lens-Cloths-Wipes/dp/B0030E4UIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378259821&sr=8-1&keywords=zeiss+wipes

 

These really work well and are designed for lens cleaning but is is stll a good idea to brush dust off first so you don't scratch the coatings.

 

Dave

Thanks, Dave. :)

There seems to be a place in Queensland that carries them.

What about Lens-Pen type cleaning implements?

http://www.lenspen.com/?resultType=category&params=9&tpid=0&tpid=323

Have a great cruise on Solstice - it will be our turn as soon as she arrives in Oz in October, so I look forward to your report when you get back!

Ursula

Thanks, Dave. :)

There seems to be a place in Queensland that carries them.

 

What about Lens-Pen type cleaning implements?

 

http://www.lenspen.com/?resultType=category&params=9&tpid=0&tpid=323

 

Have a great cruise on Solstice - it will be our turn as soon as she arrives in Oz in October, so I look forward to your report when you get back!

 

Ursula

I use the Zeiss wipes for thorough cleaning while in the room/cabin or at home. They are great for removing fingerprints (or noseprints) from the LCD and body. On the run, I do use a LensPen. I like that they have a brush built in do do the dust removal that I mentioned. Because they use a liquid cleaning compound and brushes eventually pick up oils, I replace it annually regardless of how much I use it or just buy a new one before a vacation. That may be a little too often for you folks!:D

I think you'll enjoy the ship pictures this time around..I have an actual plan for something different! ;)

Dave

I use the Zeiss wipes for thorough cleaning while in the room/cabin or at home. They are great for removing fingerprints (or noseprints) from the LCD and body. On the run, I do use a LensPen. I like that they have a brush built in do do the dust removal that I mentioned. Because they use a liquid cleaning compound and brushes eventually pick up oils, I replace it annually regardless of how much I use it or just buy a new one before a vacation. That may be a little too often for you folks!:D

 

I think you'll enjoy the ship pictures this time around..I have an actual plan for something different! ;)

 

Dave

That sounds intriguing ... but I would enjoy your pictures anyway - always!! :p

Have you tried cleaning the mirror too on the A77?

A soft microfiber cloth after brushing any heavy dust off with a camel-hair lens brush. Another possibility are the little packaged lens wipes from Zeiss. I don't know where in oz you can get them but here's the link to the product on Amazon so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Zeiss-Pre-Moistened-Lens-Cloths-Wipes/dp/B0030E4UIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378259821&sr=8-1&keywords=zeiss+wipes

 

These really work well and are designed for lens cleaning but is is stll a good idea to brush dust off first so you don't scratch the coatings.

 

Dave

You can get these at walmart, if your store has an optical center. That's where I get mine. (but I will check out the prices next time I buy. We bought two boxes because they were having a sale. BUt I'll check to see who has the better buy.)

Have you tried cleaning the mirror too on the A77?

Never needed more than a quick dusting. Pretty much the same as the sensor with a light touch because of the delicate nature of the pellicle mirror.

Dave

you don't mention your camera brand, but some offer a cleaning mode

http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/infobank/capturing_the_image/sensor_cleaning.do

you don't mention your camera brand, but some offer a cleaning mode

 

http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/infobank/capturing_the_image/sensor_cleaning.do

The menu option shown locks the mirror up and holds the shutter open so you can access the sensor to clean it (as shown in the next illustration in the article). Some makes and models (I'm pretty sure Olympus did) have a menu option to vibrate the sensor at a very high frequency to dislodge particles from the surface of the sensor. That can help and towards that end, cameras like the Sony SLR and SLT cameras with in-body stabilization will vibrate their mirrors using the sensor stabilization actuators every time the camera is turned off or when the cleaning mode is activated to shake any stray particles loose.

All DSLRs offer a variation of the cleaning mode because no matter how seldom you change lenses, dust will find your sensor one way or another and you have to move the hardware out of the way to clean it.

Dave