sensor cleaning what a difference

[the black fox]

over the year i have now had my 1d3 i have put up with some quite bad dust marks on the sensor and as i usually shoot large apertures i hasn't really bothered me ,the previous owner had supplied me with one swab and a bottle of cleaning fluid but i never used them as it states somewhere that you might need several swabs .
yesterday i bit the bullet and bought a pack of extra swabs and have just done a full clean ,what a difference on the test shots .if anyones contemplating it all i can advise is read the instructions and give it a go well worth the effort

shot of the bad part before cleaning
before by blackfox wildlife and nature imaging, on Flickr

and after ,i suppose its pretty obvious really that with dslr's it needs doing ,but it falls within the realm of what if i cock it up .the total job took less than 5 minutes and some camera shops charge between £30 to £50 for it

after by blackfox wildlife and nature imaging, on Flickr

both images taken at the same f14 setting

[GORDH]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

I must admit Jeff I've never done it, but been tempted though, as always thought what If I cock up and ruin my 6D's sensor, I need to bite the bullet and just go for it.... knowing my luck I'll find the sensor stiuck to the end of the swab when I examine it

Gordon

[Nathaniel]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

I have never done it Jeff and will not attempt it. So far due to perhaps my careful use of my cameras I have so far never had to have my sensors cleaned. I am sure I have been very lucky so far.

[CountDavid]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

Nat - you have been lucky and hopefully you will continue with that. It is good to hear you take care but even if you never take the lens of a body you can still get "dust" blotches on the sensor. As the shutter is mechanical on many cameras, the movement and "scraping" of the shutter leaves can cause dust. Keep lucky!!

David

[ColytonJohn]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

I've got a compressor in the shed so a blast from the airline is OK isn't it?

Cheers,
John

[jk224]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

I have only ever cleaned the sensor on my cameras by opening the shutter with the lens off and the camera facing down, and then giving it a couple of blasts from my Rocket Air-Blower. If it needed anything more than that I think I would pay to have it cleaned properly.

[2Beers]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

I did my 60D a while back and it took 2 or 3 goes to get it clean so easy to do and saves around £30-£40 just make sure you have the correct size swab for your sensor and your batteries are fully charged

[the black fox]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

the whole point of my posting this was to point out how easy it is d.i.y ,and for the likes of nat if your constantly changing lenses you will have some dust on your sensor ,you just haven't realised it yet ,get a sheet of A4 paper or point the camera at the ceiling with the shutter down to f14 or f16 and take a couple of shots ..it will show up at 100% inspection ,and can be a pain in the backside when your taking that perfect blue sky shot .its certainly not hard to do and if it saves me a trip to the rip off merchants then worth while i.m.h.o
and while on the subject i actually tried to buy some swabs in jessops in bury st edmunds last month ,the shop assistants told me they stopped stocking them when they started to do the cleaning themselves .YEAH RIGHT , as in come back in a couple of hours and it will be done sir ,to make it seem a long job ,take it out the back ,blow out with puffer ,then a quick swab over job done lets be fair on them 10 minutes maximum ,and you come back to pick up cleaned camera ,that will be £50 sir it was very dirty .
BEEN THERE ,DONE THAT WROTE THE BOOK ETC ETC

[AlexR!]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

Bought myself the swabs and liquid a couple of years ago but keep putting it off. I think you've galvanised me into doing it this weekend. Deep breath now...

[Nathaniel]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

I must say that I have used the rocket blower ocassionally on the sensor on my, previous, 60D & that was all. I also change my lens in the boot of my car or in the hotel or resort I am staying; I have got used to doing this. I also decide on the lens I am hoping to use and fit it before I go out. I check my sensor by photographing a blue sky with a small f number and check the results on my computer-after loading the image.

[jimsphotography]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

Can I add something to this thread ?
I was told by a Canon technician that a lot of dust arrives on the sensor because photographers fail to use 'rocket type blower' on the open end of the lens before fitting it onto the camera body. Lens caps and the end of the lens itself can be coated in dust - by not cleaning them regularly you can inadvertently carry some dust into the camera - regular cleaning of lens caps and the open end of the lens is good dust control management
James

[Columbarius]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

Good point James, thanks.

[ColytonJohn]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

I may have been deluding myself but ever since I was young I've always blown into a tyre's valve cap before fitting and continued this habit when I took up photography so still blow into lens and end caps to this day in the misguided belief that I'm keeping dust from the works. Having confessed that I'm now sure someone will tell me the moisture in my breath is detrimental to cameras and lenses

Cheers,
John

[Nathaniel]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

Thanks James. I think the rocket blower would be a better bet than using breath control!

[AndyA]

Re: sensor cleaning what a difference

I need to get my sensor cleaned, but I'm hesitant to try it myself. I have this nagging doubt that I'll only make it worse.