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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> How I Clean My DSLR Sensor
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Showing posts 1 - 25 of 37, descending (reverse)
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04/21/2005 05:52:49 PM · #1
I did it!, well, not me, only my wife was relaxed enough to do the process. After the process some dust spots dissapeared but there are a few in the top left corner of the image. ¿Where are they over the sensor?, ¿Over the bottom right corner?. Thanks to Rebelo for this amazing technique.
04/20/2005 02:41:24 PM · #2
My DSLR disassembles for cleaning which makes access to sensor nice. But the camera is still susceptible to dust, which is plentiful here in the desert southwest. I use a compressed air duster at a distance of about 10 inches from the camera body and the digital back assembly, and then clean the sensor with an alcohol moistened gauze pad. I inspect the surface carefully under strong light to insure there are no smudges or streaks on the glass. Sometimes a dry pad will remove residues from moist cleaning. Then gently reassemble taking care to not stir up any ambient dust! Would be nice to have a 'clean bench' for this process.
04/20/2005 02:22:29 PM · #3
D20 and Lock-up. Haven't had my 20 long enough to figure out how to lock it up. Can someone save me the time give me a quick how-to on the lock up procedure. Everything on the 20 is pretty well laid out so I am sure it is easy to do ... just haven't needed it yet.

Thanks

04/20/2005 01:55:22 PM · #4
Originally posted by rebelo:

Originally posted by Nuno:

What's that magic tape from 3M? where can be bought?


Bom dia, Nuno. You should be able to pick up this tape from any office supply store. If they don't stock it, they can most likely order it. I would be blown away if you cannot find it somewhere in your city. Unless you live in the mountains or something. :)


I live in the mountains and I found it - in the works stationery cupboard :)
04/20/2005 01:38:24 PM · #5
Originally posted by Nuno:

What's that magic tape from 3M? where can be bought?


Bom dia, Nuno. You should be able to pick up this tape from any office supply store. If they don't stock it, they can most likely order it. I would be blown away if you cannot find it somewhere in your city. Unless you live in the mountains or something. :)
04/20/2005 01:23:04 PM · #6
Originally posted by bear_music:

//www.3m.com/us/mfg_industrial/adhesives/framing/html/magic811.jhtml

Robt.


Know they have to include in the features sensor cleaning :)
04/20/2005 01:20:14 PM · #7
//www.3m.com/us/mfg_industrial/adhesives/framing/html/magic811.jhtml

Robt.
04/20/2005 01:17:20 PM · #8
What's that magic tape from 3M? where can be bought?

Today I tried to clan my sensor with a blower. It's not a very potent one but it works. I panniked when I came home last weekend after a nature photo session and realized that some photos had some major points showing that wheren't supposed to be there! So I'm getting courage to do a deeper clean but I'm not shure what to use. This tape seems simple and vurtually impossible (if you are gentle) to risck the sensor.

Onlu one more question: any decent, reliable site in europe to buy items to clean the sensor?
04/20/2005 12:39:44 PM · #9
Originally posted by legalbeagle:


Here is a link to their US site - $22 for kit, and $9 for six replacement cannisters.


I just went to the site to look at this and it had just one review. See it here:

Review of CO2 kit

It seems like a good idea, but I'd hate to risk ruining something.

04/20/2005 12:32:07 PM · #10
Originally posted by cghubbell:


It's known to blast stuff everywhere vs. surgically removing it. Much of the time you'll blast if off the sensor sucessfully, but you may be moving it into other parts of the chamber where it can fall back onto the sensor from. There is also a high risk of tipping the can the wrong way and shooting toxic goo onto the sensor that requires a liquid to remove.

If you're always hyper-careful, and a little bit lucky, compressed air will work.


Agreed that it is a sledgehammer - air stream is powerful. But no goo - it is just compressed co2. No tipping of can - this is compressed co2 in a cylinder, which screws into the bottom of a nozzle. No luck - brute force. Definitely works!

Will have to buy more cannisters over time, making for additional cost (I think that they are about £1 each). I have played with mine putting out candles and stuff as well as vigorous sensor clean, and it is not dying out at all.

Shop selling them was pretty professional: guy next to me was picking up two lenses that each required a suitcase to carry...! Was their only recommendation.

Here is a link to their US site - $22 for kit, and $9 for six replacement cannisters.
04/20/2005 12:13:57 PM · #11
Originally posted by rebelo:

I am curious...don't all DSLR's have a filter over the sensor like my D70? Or at least you guys with the 10D, 20D, 300D cameras, etc? Or are you actually getting right down onto your sensor when you clean? If that was the case, I'd probably not risk the tape method, myself, simply because I would be so paranoid.


Nikons, Canons, etc all have covers over the sensor. When people talk about cleaning the sensor, they're really talking about the glass OVER the CCD/CMOS.

However, if you scrath that cover, you're still going to need factory repair which probably involved replacement of that entire component, so it's effectively one in the same.
04/20/2005 12:10:25 PM · #12
I am curious...don't all DSLR's have a filter over the sensor like my D70? Or at least you guys with the 10D, 20D, 300D cameras, etc? Or are you actually getting right down onto your sensor when you clean? If that was the case, I'd probably not risk the tape method, myself, simply because I would be so paranoid.
04/20/2005 11:58:11 AM · #13
Originally posted by legalbeagle:

Hmmm - I thought I was splashing out when I spent £15 on the compressed CO2 cannister system - but a ton on brushes...!

The compressed air/CO2 (again - non-aerosol based) system is quite powerful and there is no "moving of dust around" - at least not that I have seen so far. It is blasted out of there!

Compressed air seems safer to me than touching my sensor (or the glass cover or anything) with brushes, which surely must degrade over time, or at least get contaminated if you forget to pack them away and the dog/cat/canary steps on them.


As long as there's no propellant in the product you use then you're ok otherwise you run the risk of getting propellant on the sensor which is much worse than even the meanest of killer dust bunnies.
04/20/2005 11:56:59 AM · #14
Conditions can certainly be a factor. But unlike a regular oil change for your car, cleaning your sensor should only be done when you can see that it needs it. If you routinely shoot at very wide apertures like f2.8-f4, you will gets lots of stuff on your sensor and never know it because the dust bunnies dont show up in your pictures.

So why bother to clean it until they become an issue. I just dont bother until the clone work to be rid of them becomes a chore. I cleaned my Sigma about a year ago and have not seen a real need to clean my canon yet.

Thats my take on it anyway.
04/20/2005 11:50:32 AM · #15
Originally posted by lnede:

How often is it recommended to routinely clean the sensor?


Depends on your conditions. If you shoot outdoors when its dusty and change lenses a lot, you may need weekly cleaning. If you rarely take the lens off your camera you may almost never need to.

I'm finding that roughly once / month is about right for me. I check the camera periodically by shooting white paper at f/22 out of focus. I then apply over sharpening and the dust specs stand out like sore thumbs.
04/20/2005 11:48:29 AM · #16
Originally posted by legalbeagle:

Hmmm - I thought I was splashing out when I spent £15 on the compressed CO2 cannister system - but a ton on brushes...!

The compressed air/CO2 (again - non-aerosol based) system is quite powerful and there is no "moving of dust around" - at least not that I have seen so far. It is blasted out of there!

Compressed air seems safer to me than touching my sensor (or the glass cover or anything) with brushes, which surely must degrade over time, or at least get contaminated if you forget to pack them away and the dog/cat/canary steps on them.


It's known to blast stuff everywhere vs. surgically removing it. Much of the time you'll blast if off the sensor sucessfully, but you may be moving it into other parts of the chamber where it can fall back onto the sensor from. There is also a high risk of tipping the can the wrong way and shooting toxic goo onto the sensor that requires a liquid to remove.

If you're always hyper-careful, and a little bit lucky, compressed air will work.
04/20/2005 11:43:36 AM · #17
How often is it recommended to routinely clean the sensor?
04/20/2005 11:28:12 AM · #18
Hmmm - I thought I was splashing out when I spent £15 on the compressed CO2 cannister system - but a ton on brushes...!

The compressed air/CO2 (again - non-aerosol based) system is quite powerful and there is no "moving of dust around" - at least not that I have seen so far. It is blasted out of there!

Compressed air seems safer to me than touching my sensor (or the glass cover or anything) with brushes, which surely must degrade over time, or at least get contaminated if you forget to pack them away and the dog/cat/canary steps on them.

04/20/2005 10:05:41 AM · #19
Read this: the Pixel Sweeper

Yes, I know it's kinda long. You may choose to believe the info on the website of the company that is selling the high priced brushes. But there are some tips here that will apply to sensor cleaning no matter what method you decide on; and that I didn't find anywhere else.

Message edited by author 2005-04-20 10:07:51.
04/20/2005 10:04:28 AM · #20
If the eBay brushes work just as well, then great! I don't know if they have the same grade bristles (not saying they don't, I just don't know), but in the end what matters is a safe, repeatable, and effective technique.

I feel much more comfortable with the idea of a micro-fine brush lifting particles with static charges than I do applying tape to the sensor (or the PecPad approach). I'm definitely not keen on the air blowing - tried it, and half the time it just shuffled new dust into place.
04/20/2005 09:58:31 AM · #21
I see no reason why the non-adhesive tape wouldn't work. Great idea!

A few days ago, I bought these brushes on ebay.

//cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7508780263

If you go to the webpage instructions that is listed in the description, he compares them to VisibleDust's brushes. He has done a lot of testing/research also, for a 1/10th the price.

-Chad

Edit: typos

Message edited by author 2005-04-20 09:58:59.
04/20/2005 09:16:02 AM · #22
I picked up VisibleDust's sensorbrush kit. That company has done some serious research into maintaining sensors, and they have some compelling material on their site.

Absolutely zero (ok, maybe not zero, but pretty close) chance of damaging the sensor, no risk of compressed air goo splatting on the sensor, no risk of tape pulling anything out of alignment or leaving micro-residue that shows up in enlargements...

Sensorbrush seemed to be a cheap investment compared with what it costs to ship my D70 back to Nikon's repair facility if I were to twitch while doing something more risky. They also seemed to have the least risky process. So far, I'm 100% satisfied.

Message edited by author 2005-04-20 09:16:28.
04/20/2005 08:54:52 AM · #23
I believe you'll find that the 'sensor cleaning mode' simply locks the mirror up and opens the shutter so that you can reach the sensor to clean it, rather than being any active form of cleaning itself.
04/20/2005 08:04:59 AM · #24
The Canon 20D has a sensor clean mode. Doesn't that do a good job of cleaning the sensor? Should I still clean it as described above?
04/20/2005 07:25:07 AM · #25
Well I am waiting for my 300D to come back from cleaning/servicing which is going to cost me around £80. However, next time It needs a clean I will give this a go. Thanks for some very useful info.

Mike


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