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Sensor Cleaning!

“Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.”

Quote complements of the Dalai Lama, so here you go - sharing my knowledge!

Was going through some photos and noticed a few spots in them, all in the same location. So I tried some test shots using this Monitor Test Shot and adjusting the levels in Photoshop with different lenses and had the same result - sensor dust.

Next I did some searches and viewed some contacts streams who had cleaned their sensors before and came to one conclusion. Copper Hill Images. I read through the tutorial and checked out a few other links, and came to the same conclusion that some of my other contacts had come to as well - there is nothing wrong with cleaning your own sensor as long as you are careful - just like anything else. Working with computers for the past 10 years or so, I’m comfortable with electronics so maybe that’s a plus.

On page 1 of the tutorial, I was pleased to read this:

There is a bit of hysteria about how dangerous canned air is but it actually isn’t if you follow these guidelines:

The only time to use canned air is when a bulb blower cannot dislodge a big particle.

Don’t shake the can beforehand; there’s nothing to “mix.

When spraying with it, keep it perfectly upright and move the object you’re blowing NOT the can.

Always let a little air out before spraying an optic. Propellant has a tendency to build up towards the valve and will come right out if the can has been sitting for a while

Don’t let the jet-straw get any closer to the sensor than 1″ or 1½” or just inside the lens mount.

Use very short bursts, no more than a one second shot; “freezing” will only occur when you use a prolonged stream of air.

Using these guidelines, we have never had any problems with canned air. If by some chance the canned air cannot remove the dastardly stuck-on specks, try ignoring them for a day or two, in many cases, they will pop off on their own. If you can determine that the speck is a dust mote and NOT a big particle of debris or grit which canned air should be able to remove, then it should be safe to proceed with a wet cleaning. If it definitely is an unmovable piece of grit or you’re not sure what to do, then, by all means, send it to the manufacturer for cleaning.

Following those directions to the letter, I proceeded with an initial cleaning and you can see the results above after the first cleaning. I had removed three of the offending particles with success! Another quick blast directed at the spot of the last remaining large particle, and another test shot confirmed it was gone as well. The sensor still shows some dust spots but it’s nothing of consequence in my opinion, it was more the large three that I was after…

So, be careful, use a clean environment and follow those tips and you shouldn’t have a problem with cleaning your sensor. The Copper Hill Images tutorial is very detailed, and takes you through a four step process, fortunately I’m satisfied my sensor is clean enough without having to go so far as using sensor wipes and fluid.