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11/27/2005 07:12:17 PM · #1 |
I've seen plenty of threads here about cleaning sensors with swabs, brushes, blowers and whatnot, but I can't recall much discussion about using a vacuum cleaner to suck dust off the sensor.
Just thought I'd toss this out to see whether anyone uses this method to get rid of dust. I have a nice Kirby vacuum cleaner, and I stuck an attachment onto it that I'd usually use for cleaning in corners, etc.
I tried it on both of my DSLRs (holding the attachment about two inches from the opened camera), and it seemed to work reasonably well. I could actually see one offending piece of dust get sucked into the vacuum, so I know it worked to some extent.
I know it didn't get it all 100%, but I was also being quite cautious not to get the nozzle too close to the camera, because I'm a wuss.
Just wondering if this is a stupid idea, and whether I'm likely to get my CCD and other camera guts sucked into the vacuum, or if anyone else actually does this on a regular basis... :) |
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11/27/2005 07:16:35 PM · #2 |
| Hmmm....I must admit I have never seen this mentioined anywhere. As you said it's mainly blowers and swabs etc. I'm not really sure how 'loose' some components are in the camera that may cause problems. Did it make a huge difference with your photos as to whether dust was visible? |
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11/27/2005 07:17:17 PM · #3 |
I'm gonna give it a shot...my vacuum is the car type...this thing sucks quarters out of cupholders from 4 inches away...I better hold it like 8 inches from my camera, no?
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11/27/2005 07:19:34 PM · #4 |
I'd be REALLY leery of doing this with a powerful vacuum cleaner. I'd worry about actually sucking something out of alignment. Maybe there's no foundation to this fear, but I've seen some vacs do simply astonishing feats of suckage, so I'd be worried...
Robt. |
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11/27/2005 07:23:04 PM · #5 |
I had reasonably good luck with it, and again I held the nozzle a good couple inches away from the camera body. I mainly tried it because I had a nagging piece of fuzz on the mirror. It didn't affect the image, but it was really annoying to see as I looked through the viewfinder.
I tried a test shot afterwards, and there was just 1 spec remaining that I could easily see at f22... and my mirror fuzz was gone.
I dunno... it just seems like a better idea than blowing dust around, and I always get nervous making physical contact with the sensor with the swabs. Not to mention it doesn't cost me anything to use the vacuum cleaner, and those swabs are pretty dang expensive...
Like bear said, it's still worth being nervous about, though!
Message edited by author 2005-11-27 19:23:44. |
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11/27/2005 07:23:28 PM · #6 |
| I don't know about my vacuum, but recently my photos have been doing astonishing feats of suckage :) |
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11/27/2005 07:27:08 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by alansfreed:
I had reasonably good luck with it, and again I held the nozzle a good couple inches away from the camera body. I mainly tried it because I had a nagging piece of fuzz on the mirror. It didn't affect the image, but it was really annoying to see as I looked through the viewfinder.
I tried a test shot afterwards, and there was just 1 spec remaining that I could easily see at f22... and my mirror fuzz was gone.
I dunno... it just seems like a better idea than blowing dust around, and I always get nervous making physical contact with the sensor with the swabs. Not to mention it doesn't cost me anything to use the vacuum cleaner, and those swabs are pretty dang expensive...
Like bear said, it's still worth being nervous about, though! |
I'd consider using a blower to dislodge dust and a vac 6 inches or so from the camera to pick up the dislodged dust...
R. |
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11/27/2005 07:29:32 PM · #8 |
ok i'm going to go try this now, but more seriously, with my regular vacuum, not the power quarter-sucker...i'll get back to you....................................
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11/27/2005 07:59:34 PM · #9 |
well I tried it...
As you can see, it got rid of A and C, but the other 3 aren't going anywhere...dust speck B has been there since day one, and I even tried a sensor brush, and that didn't do it, tried blowing in there, it wouldn't do it...but the vacuum seems to work...
I definately stuck the vacuum in there further than anyone probably should too...but made sure not to touch the sides...
I may try this with my big one heh...I bet at least speck B is UNDER the protective glass???
Before
After
EDIT: LOL, posted two befores...check the after again lol
EDIT2: oh that's f/29 by the way...my sensor is really pretty clean.
Message edited by author 2005-11-27 20:01:57.
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11/27/2005 08:01:28 PM · #10 |
Both images are "before"...
R. |
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11/27/2005 08:53:02 PM · #11 |
It probably works very well, but be very, very careful with it. The normal functioning of most vacumms create a good deal of static electricity. This isn't much for us, but for delicate electrical circuits it could be fatal. This applies eaqually well to any powered method of cleaning (as opposed to hand powered bulb blowers/suckers).
That said, it could be a very effective method -- just make sure to ground the vacumm at some metal contact and a rubber grommet. Place the grommet between the tube used to do the sucking and the vacumm hose -- a rubber tube to do the sucking with would work very well.
Also, if you are going to be holding the camera and the hose at the same time, make sure you ground yourself as well. The safest (and probably most anal) approach would be to sit the camera on a rubber pad and not touch it while working on it.
David
/edit: Just wanted to add my experience and sense of precaution comes from cleaning out the inside of computers, not cameras -- YMMV.
Message edited by author 2005-11-27 20:54:53.
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