Sensor cleaning kit...?
- Thread starter iTasneem
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I have both a 50D and 5D2. Both had dust on the sensors after a trip to the desert. Tried a Giottos Rocket air blaster, no good. I ended up going to BH, picked up Eclipse Optic lens cleaner for $8, and a 12 pack of Photographic solutions sensor swabs (type 3, full-frame) for $33. Dont get the pre-moistened ones cuz they are dried out by the time you open them.
I didnt get the crop-sized swabs for my 50D because I was given a tip: use the FF ones, but swab vertically as opposed to horizontally (FF sensor is 24x36mm, 1.6 crop is 15x23).
Rushed home, followed BH guys' directions and also googled how to clean sensors on Youtube.
I watched it 3-4 times before I attemped to do anything.
Tried it first on the 50D.
Instant success, now I have no more spots on my stopped down photos.
I didnt get the crop-sized swabs for my 50D because I was given a tip: use the FF ones, but swab vertically as opposed to horizontally (FF sensor is 24x36mm, 1.6 crop is 15x23).
Rushed home, followed BH guys' directions and also googled how to clean sensors on Youtube.
I watched it 3-4 times before I attemped to do anything.
Tried it first on the 50D.
Instant success, now I have no more spots on my stopped down photos.
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Flake
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There are two types of cleaning and you need to decide which you want. Dry cleaning is the most common, and most dust can be removed this way, but occasionally you will need to wet clean the sensor to remove things like pollen which can be sticky.
The arctic butterfly is good but you need to be aware that the bristles are long, if you bend them on the sensor they can contact the glue strip under the sensor, and if that happens it will smear a clear glue all over the sensor. This is extremely difficult to remove and ruins the arctic butterfly brush.
I used to have a professional wet clean my sensor, but when he retired he told me that the best cleaning fluid was zippo lighting fluid or equivalent. You need a liquid with a low evaporation point which is distilled so there is no 'dirt' or residue in it. Eclipse is distilled isopropyl alcohol & Distilled water, you can make it yourself if you can get hold of the distilled isopropyl (not easily available). A lint free screen cleaner and a pair of tweezers makes up the rest of the kit.
There will be gasps of horror about this, some people honestly believe that there is nothing other than highly priced rip off products which are safe to use - this is not true. His other comment was that the dust which collects on the sensor is not introdoced from changing lenses, nor from zoom lenses sucking dust in, but from the moving parts within the camera body & the lens. Plastics are common and when moved generate a static charge attracting them to the sensor when it is turned on. There is therefore little you can do to avoid dirt.
The arctic butterfly is good but you need to be aware that the bristles are long, if you bend them on the sensor they can contact the glue strip under the sensor, and if that happens it will smear a clear glue all over the sensor. This is extremely difficult to remove and ruins the arctic butterfly brush.
I used to have a professional wet clean my sensor, but when he retired he told me that the best cleaning fluid was zippo lighting fluid or equivalent. You need a liquid with a low evaporation point which is distilled so there is no 'dirt' or residue in it. Eclipse is distilled isopropyl alcohol & Distilled water, you can make it yourself if you can get hold of the distilled isopropyl (not easily available). A lint free screen cleaner and a pair of tweezers makes up the rest of the kit.
There will be gasps of horror about this, some people honestly believe that there is nothing other than highly priced rip off products which are safe to use - this is not true. His other comment was that the dust which collects on the sensor is not introdoced from changing lenses, nor from zoom lenses sucking dust in, but from the moving parts within the camera body & the lens. Plastics are common and when moved generate a static charge attracting them to the sensor when it is turned on. There is therefore little you can do to avoid dirt.
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The best piece of kit for dry sensor cleaning I've ever found is the LensPen SensorKlear. It's not expensive and is very good. I do have an Arctic Butterfly but to be honest its expensive and rather non effective. I have never had the problem that Flake mentions but then I'm always extremely careful to think twice before doing anything where the sensor is concerned.
The other thing I do I've mentioned here before - I use a can of Kenair, which is a CFC free compressed air cannister which I buy from Jessops. Very carefully cleared of any moisture and firmly held bolt upright against a flat tabletop, then used only in short sharp bursts to avoid any possibility that the air might freeze. Its far better than the rather pathetic blower brushes. Yes, it needs extreme, lets say paranoid, care - but then so do other techniques.
If I had to rebuild my kit from scratch tomorrow, the Sensorpen and the air cannister would be the only purchases.
The other thing I do I've mentioned here before - I use a can of Kenair, which is a CFC free compressed air cannister which I buy from Jessops. Very carefully cleared of any moisture and firmly held bolt upright against a flat tabletop, then used only in short sharp bursts to avoid any possibility that the air might freeze. Its far better than the rather pathetic blower brushes. Yes, it needs extreme, lets say paranoid, care - but then so do other techniques.
If I had to rebuild my kit from scratch tomorrow, the Sensorpen and the air cannister would be the only purchases.
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Flake
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motorhead said:
It always raises a wry smile when I read quotes like I'm extremely careful, and then you go on to read that the technique they are using is actually one of the most dangerous & potentially damaging to the sensor.
Do not use canned air, do not use it on your sensor under any circumstances. There are plenty of reputable sites on the internet telling you this, and the reasons why, just do a search if you need to.
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Hey Flake, thanks for sharing the story about that guy. Interesting stuff, and all true if you give it a moment's thought.
Canned air...haha, I was given a can of it some years ago and I never opened it. Just more pollutants in the atmosphere, I'm afraid.
I do some cleaning of old video game systems / arcade video game PCBs and there you can get away with most anything - down to water and soap if need be, as long as it's not too new and you can be assured the components will dry quickly. But cameras, anything like that - very easy to damage.
My personal philosophy is to just use the automated sensor cleaning function occasionally (rarely) and hope for the best. I probably will have to buy some stuff eventually - I'm sure it would be cheaper than going to the local camera store...at least it would be if I had to do it often.
Canned air...haha, I was given a can of it some years ago and I never opened it. Just more pollutants in the atmosphere, I'm afraid.
I do some cleaning of old video game systems / arcade video game PCBs and there you can get away with most anything - down to water and soap if need be, as long as it's not too new and you can be assured the components will dry quickly. But cameras, anything like that - very easy to damage.
My personal philosophy is to just use the automated sensor cleaning function occasionally (rarely) and hope for the best. I probably will have to buy some stuff eventually - I'm sure it would be cheaper than going to the local camera store...at least it would be if I had to do it often.
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C'mon guys Im not that important to keep me on page one here for so long... Besides, copperhill is not MY business, I just find them very organized and using their set is quite simple after viewing the instructions. I guess I did 15 sensor cleans in a year - the lamp-magnifier is a great tool too - I don't have to shoot a test white and look for results of cleaning.
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