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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> This just in: Dust Reduction is Useless!
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03/20/2007 01:47:57 PM · #1
What a surprise! I've had a sinking suspicion from the get go that dust reduction doesn't really do anything, and my camera only confirmed that for me. So I wondered "damn, did Pentax screw up that bad, or does everyone suck at this?" Well, Pixinfo.com just released a fairly comprehensive dust reduction showdown, and the results are, well... what I expected.

The results:

Olymous: good, 50% dust removed after 25 cycles
Canon: miserable, at 5% removed after 25 cycles
Pentax/Sony: useless, no dust removed after 25 cycles.

The good news for me was that the Pentax and Sony cleaned up pretty well after 2 air blowings. The Canon retained quite a bit of dust, even after 25 cycles and 2 air blowings.

So... if you want dust reduction, Olympus seems to be the only company that actually has a "working" product. Everyone else is just marketing...

Oh, and don't take that air blower out of your kit!

Message edited by author 2007-03-20 14:01:33.
03/20/2007 01:50:26 PM · #2
<=== Is not at all surprised.
03/20/2007 01:56:53 PM · #3
I'm actually not even mildly taken aback by these results. The most effective sensor cleaning strategy is still the one you do yourself, with a bulb blower, brush or wet cleaning. IMO, 50% dust removed after one cycle would be good. 50% after 25 cycles is abysmal. I could wet clean my sensor twice in the time it takes someone to run 25 automated cycles, and the effectiveness of a single cleaning is >95%. And my sensor electronics aren't being subjected to a "shock & vibration" test in the process.
03/20/2007 01:59:57 PM · #4
like any new technology, it will take a while to fine tune, but I must admit I am somewhat shocked at those results.

I will stick to squirting Mr Sheen polish in the camera and cleaning the sensor that way.. does an amazing job and with its anti-static properties repells a lot of dust between cleanings..
03/20/2007 02:01:35 PM · #5
Thanks for that info - I sold my Sony a100 and don't regret it.
03/20/2007 02:03:47 PM · #6
Originally posted by marksimms:

like any new technology, it will take a while to fine tune, but I must admit I am somewhat shocked at those results.


Haha, fine tune? They barely have their guitar strung!
03/20/2007 02:09:23 PM · #7
Originally posted by metatate:

Thanks for that info - I sold my Sony a100 and don't regret it.

ummm...but you never used it. :P
03/20/2007 02:24:12 PM · #8
They need to make it like those Air shoes with the pump ... yeah ... that's the ticket - just manually squeeze the blower and the dust shoots out the bottom.



Message edited by author 2007-03-20 14:25:07.
03/20/2007 02:24:47 PM · #9
yeah - too dusty ;[]

Originally posted by glad2badad:

Originally posted by metatate:

Thanks for that info - I sold my Sony a100 and don't regret it.

ummm...but you never used it. :P
03/20/2007 02:27:02 PM · #10
Originally posted by metatate:

yeah - too dusty ;[]

Originally posted by glad2badad:

Originally posted by metatate:

Thanks for that info - I sold my Sony a100 and don't regret it.

ummm...but you never used it. :P


:D
03/20/2007 02:31:02 PM · #11
Originally posted by metatate:

yeah - too dusty ;[]


I thought you were going to say "it felt like it was going to fall apart just sitting in my hands."

Oh wait... thats why I don't like the alpha
03/20/2007 02:41:23 PM · #12
I never even opened the box ... but it wasn't too sturdy.

Originally posted by option:

Originally posted by metatate:

yeah - too dusty ;[]


I thought you were going to say "it felt like it was going to fall apart just sitting in my hands."

Oh wait... thats why I don't like the alpha
03/20/2007 02:46:57 PM · #13
Originally posted by metatate:

I never even opened the box ... but it wasn't too sturdy.

Originally posted by option:

Originally posted by metatate:

yeah - too dusty ;[]


I thought you were going to say "it felt like it was going to fall apart just sitting in my hands."

Oh wait... thats why I don't like the alpha

Don't you just hate those flimsy boxes?! :P
03/20/2007 02:54:50 PM · #14
That's why Nikon hasn't got it yet. ;-)
03/20/2007 03:01:19 PM · #15
I've known it was a marketing scheme from the get go, and didn't need any tests to tell me anything.

Good news is.. you don't have to use it :)
03/20/2007 03:16:17 PM · #16

Me...
I send my camera and lenses to a photo shop nearby for cleaning
I'm a clumsy type of person..I frequently get things around me broken accidentally. :D
03/20/2007 03:24:50 PM · #17
One question is whether they were expecting the functions to clean the dust that came with the sensor. That dust is likely really gunked on and would be nearly impossible to remove.

A better study (and perhaps they did this, I didn't read it yet), would be to clean the sensor, let it accumulate dust afresh and then try to clean it. I wonder if they would have better success.
03/20/2007 03:32:29 PM · #18
I think the dust reduction systems in current cameras are largely a marketing ploy. It takes a fair amount of work to clean a sensor - I can't imagine what it would take to build a real cleaner into a camera (that's already cramped internally for space)
03/20/2007 03:39:14 PM · #19
I can verify the lack of dust cleaning on the Canon XTi. It doesn't do much. :b

But on the positive side...it makes a happy purring sound and shows a happy little sparkle animation on the display screen!! :D

03/20/2007 03:52:34 PM · #20
wow, i'm surprised, but a little happy i stuck with the K100D instead of the K10D .... the dust shake system and weather seals were the two things that almost made me upgrade to that when i bought the K100D last December.
03/20/2007 03:55:27 PM · #21
Originally posted by DrAchoo:

One question is whether they were expecting the functions to clean the dust that came with the sensor. That dust is likely really gunked on and would be nearly impossible to remove.

A better study (and perhaps they did this, I didn't read it yet), would be to clean the sensor, let it accumulate dust afresh and then try to clean it. I wonder if they would have better success.


Thats what they did.

Originally posted by pixinfo:

We started the test with an exhaustive manual sensor cleaning, since not all cameras arrived with entirely clean sensors. After that, we shot a reference image with each camera to see the photo from a clean (or almost clean) sensor.
03/20/2007 04:09:25 PM · #22
Originally posted by option:

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

One question is whether they were expecting the functions to clean the dust that came with the sensor. That dust is likely really gunked on and would be nearly impossible to remove.

A better study (and perhaps they did this, I didn't read it yet), would be to clean the sensor, let it accumulate dust afresh and then try to clean it. I wonder if they would have better success.


Thats what they did.

Originally posted by pixinfo:

We started the test with an exhaustive manual sensor cleaning, since not all cameras arrived with entirely clean sensors. After that, we shot a reference image with each camera to see the photo from a clean (or almost clean) sensor.


Thanks. OK, that was my only shot at helping them out. Looks like it sucks...
03/20/2007 06:54:16 PM · #23
I still think a clear film on rolls that could be moved across the sensor would work well. You know, kinda like film. Camera makers do have some experience in transporting film across a camera box..... don't they? Put in a 36 frame roll and when you notice dust just press a button and it advances one frame removing all the dust bunnies. I guess the hardest part would be getting optically invisible film with good transport qualities at a cheap price. Of course if you closed off the sensor chamber when the lens was being changed the chance of dust getting on the sensor would be reduced. All it would take is... say a door that auto matically closes between the lens and sensor chamber when you hit the lens release button. Kinda like a ........ shutter! Camera makers have experience in making shutters....... don't they? Oh well, maybe one day........
03/20/2007 07:04:00 PM · #24
Originally posted by fir3bird:

I still think a clear film on rolls that could be moved across the sensor would work well. You know, kinda like film. Camera makers do have some experience in transporting film across a camera box..... don't they? Put in a 36 frame roll and when you notice dust just press a button and it advances one frame removing all the dust bunnies. I guess the hardest part would be getting optically invisible film with good transport qualities at a cheap price. Of course if you closed off the sensor chamber when the lens was being changed the chance of dust getting on the sensor would be reduced. All it would take is... say a door that auto matically closes between the lens and sensor chamber when you hit the lens release button. Kinda like a ........ shutter! Camera makers have experience in making shutters....... don't they? Oh well, maybe one day........


From my understanding cameras suck in air (and consequently dust) with the lens attached when the lens focuses or zooms in and out, otherwise it would build up pressure in the body.
03/20/2007 08:16:47 PM · #25
Originally posted by Megatherian:



From my understanding cameras suck in air (and consequently dust) with the lens attached when the lens focuses or zooms in and out, otherwise it would build up pressure in the body.


Yup, some zooms can pump air. But that is responsible for very little dust compared to changing lenses. In any event my idea of the clear film would solve this problem. I've gotten to where I seldom have to clean the sensor. I'm not doing as much outdoor photography. Especially where I change lenses outside. That was my main problem. I've accumulated some huge dust bunnies when changing lenses outside. My idea of the shutter that closes when the lens comes off would solve this problem.
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