Spots, they are everywhere. No matter how many times you use “Blow Off” or “Dust Off”, they remain exactly where they shouldn’t be. The question is how to get them off without damaging the sensor.
Canned air can only do so much, and continuously sending the camera bodies back to Canon, Nikon or wherever are not a viable option. Swabs such as VisibleDust, Green Clean, Senor Swab and Eclipse are expensive, messy and hard to use. I should know because I have tried them all. After multiple passes there is often more residue on the sensor than when the process started. Patience is the important key.
I am not a patient person.
Traveling the world, and shooting in some of the dustiest conditions, sensors on my cameras have to be cleaned every night back at a hotel. I don’t have hours of time to spend cleaning multiple cameras, but likewise I cannot afford any damage to the sensor. So what is the magical answer to the question of safely cleaning the dust magnet known as the camera’s sensor?
I can thank my former assistant, and now Providence, RI photographer, Scott Indermaur for the solution to the problem. The solution is inexpensive, easy to perform, safe for the sensor and most of all, works!
Here are the tools you need for the process:
1. Hakuba Mini Pro2 Lens Cleaning Pen. (You can get these at Adorama, Calumet and even my least favorite store B&H for approximately $11. You need the mini lens pen because the larger ones are too big to cover the entire area of the senor. Due to the fact that the LensPen can’t be cleaned, it should only be used to clean the sensor and disposed of and replaced on a regular basis.)
2. Canned Air approved for Electronics (Usually cost around $6, for a full size can, less for smaller amount. For added safety a small compressed air device is best, but more expensive. Also if you travel by plane they are not allowed and will be confiscated.)
3. Small Mini-Flashlight like MagnaLite. (Cost around $5.)
And here is how the procedure works:
1. Use the canned air to blow out off the sensor and surrounding area. Always hold the can still and move the camera, never vice versa otherwise liquid propellant can damage the sensor.
2. Dim the room’s lights and examine the sensor with the small flashlight. You should be able to see existing dust or spots by moving the light in different directions.
3. Next comes the most harrowing part, especially for first-timers. Use the felt end (never the brush end) of the lens pen to clean the sensor. Put the tip of the lens pen in the middle of the sensor and slowing start circular motions that are wider with each sweep until you have reached the edge of the sensor, thus cleaning the entire area.
4. Dust with the air again, and then check your work with by moving the sensor around under the flashlight beam. If dust remains, repeat operation again.
5. A final inspection of the sensor is done by taking a photo of a clean white piece of paper. Inspect the photo on the computer to make sure you have successfully accomplished the task.
I have been using this technique for more than three years on my more than four cameras with absolutely no problems what so ever.
It takes a lot of nerve to put anything on the camera’s sensor. Making a mistake can be very costly. To view all options of sensor cleaning visit; www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/methods. Always remember, if you do not feel that cleaning the sensor yourself is a safe procedure, no matter what tool you use, then do not try it. Send the camera back for professional cleaning.
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