DIY DSLR sensor cleaning, wet or dry??

c22w1

c22w1

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Chris
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I have a Nikon D7000 which has taken around 13k shots so far. I have just started experimenting with long shutter speeds with a 10 stop filter (up to 30 seconds) and to enable this I also have to stop down the lens to its minimum in certain situations.
I am now noticing either dust or oils spots in the bright areas of the resulting image, the sky for instance, and think it is time I cleaned the sensor. For everyday photography at average f-stops I don't see any dust spots etc.
My question is, which is better, wet or dry?
Is there any benefit or disadvantage of one over the other?
Is one likely to do more damage than the other i.e. is dry more likely to scratch the sensor or is wet likely to leave streaks?
Thank you in advance
 
It's not as scary as you think.....as long as you follow some of the YouTube videos explaining how to do it. I do my sensors myself and don't even worry about it now.

I use these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Visible-Dus...8&qid=1389471096&sr=8-11&keywords=swab+sensor

But these are the full frame ones, you will need to get the correct size for you Dx camera. I advise getting the corner swabs too....that's where the dust bunnies end up after the swap and the corner swabs help to get the sensor completely clean. I will say I was terrified when I done it the frst time, and made it worse. Just be careful and with practice it gets easier.
 
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These are the tools I use to clean a sensor and mirror

So what do I do??? it may give some guidance for those wanting to clean their own.

First of all I make sure I am working somewhere there is no dust,ie kitchen, and then allow plenty of time, its a job that needs a bit of care but nothing the average photographer can't tackle themselves. So often I read that a camera is sent away for cleaning as if there is some magic in doing it. Well there isn't and I just can't see any reason for being without a camera for at least a couple of weeks and paying not only for postage but what a company charges for doing it. With the kit in the photo is all you need and the cost occassionally of ordering more fluid (above will last years) and a couple of wiping pads packs

Sometimes its just dust on the lens that needs attention and cleaning them is dead simple so won't do a breakdown of that.

Ok as I have said earlier having a "loupe" (the black round object) makes the job so much easier and I would dare to suggest it is on bit of kit every photographer should have, I used to do the trick of photographing a white sheet of A4 paper then checking the digital photo of it. Yes it works but does mean having to keep going from taking a photo to checking it as I just mentioned. This method is slow to say the least and I soon gave up on that idea.

So we now have the mirror locked up to check for dust, as you can see I do have a rocket blower but reluctant to use it as it can stir up more dust in the camera body and make matters worse. If intended to use this bit of kit make sure the camera is facing downwards first

So onto using the" loupe" which in reality is just a magnifying glass that has built in lights which is placed over the opening which the lens fits into. With the mirror locked up it is easy to see minute dust particles on the sensor. Dust particles can be from a small hair to light dust to really stuck on bits of dirt and each is generally easily recognisable through a Loupe. Dealing with a small hair or light dust one has a choice of ways to remove it. First is the blower method which I am not keen on and the second method is by using the Artic Butterfly; thats the pen like thing in the picture with a brush on the end. Its different from an ordinary brush as it builds up static electricity because inside there is a small motor which makes it spin. Spinning it for about 5 second builds up enough static to allow the brush to attract any loose dust when gently wiped across the sensor face. After each pass the brush should be removed and again spun to shake off any dust it may have attracted. This method I prefer as it only cleans the sensor and any other loose dust in the camera body remains.

Of course you can buy a pen with a brush one one end and a rubber pad on the other (only costs a few pence) but having tried using it I soon gave up, the brush only moves dust from one side of a sensor to the other and doesn't do anything else. The rubber type other end just leave a mark on the sensor which causes more work to remove it

Ok now for stubborn dirt against just dust and we are starting to talk about wet wipes . Again in the photo you will see special fluids for the job which can easily be obtain on the web. I use two types of wiping instruments, for use of a better word, first is the one that looks like a cotton bud but its not. This I use just to clean a spot not the whole sensor. Just as with using he spade type it only needs a minute drop of fluid on the tip , drenching it will make the sensor harder to dry/clean. The spade type again just a small drop of fluid and with it one wipe in one direction and check the sensor. Here I have read then the wiping blade should be discarded, I tend to ignore that and after checking it for cleanliness use it again with the other side. I just can't see any reason why it can't be used many times providing it is clean and won't scratch the sensor, but that choice is up to the individual of course. Word of caution, don't try and press too hard with whichever dirt cleaning tool used, far better to go over several times than trying to do it in one wipe. Never ever use a cotton bud as an alternative its not designed for the job and WILL leave small hairs.
After each operation just check to see the dust/dirt has gone ,you don't want to clean a sensor that's already clean. Make sure you have a fully charged battery to keep the mirror locked up.

Just a brief note on where other dirt/dust may show up. One is the mirror, easily checked if the dirt shows in the view finder but not on the photo, Cleaning is again easy by using one of the aforementoined wipes and if necessary a bit of fluid. I just gently manually lift the mirror to do the underside, just treat it like cleaning a sensor. The other place I have come across is the camera body side of the viewfinder lens, easily found obviously and this may need a bit of a wipe as well but usually needs no attention



Thats really all there is too it, no magic methods, no secret way only known to companies offering this service.

Hope this may be of some help for those wondering if they could do the job themselves, there are plenty of demos on youtube bearing in mind some may vary slightly from how I do it.
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Looking at sensor thru loupe.

Oh by the way never ever try using a cotton bud, you will find yourself with a load of problems with minute hairs
 
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Thank you for your replies, and I have seen the the demos on youtube etc, I don't have any fears of cleaning the sensor myself, but I was wondering if it is better for me to do a wet or dry clean? I would prefer not to keep needlessly going over the sensor if one is more preferable to the other.
Thank you also to Bazza for the detailed info above.
 
Chris its a pleasure to be able to help, as for wet or dry it depends on the contamination on the sensor which is why I highly recommend a "Loupe", then its so easy to see what kind of dirt is on the sensor and deal with it appropriately

A Loupe once purchased will last a lifetime apart from batteries. Taking a wild guess on what the dirt is is not something I would recommend. yes a rocket blower might be the answer but beware of what I said above.

Oh by the way never ever try using a cotton bud, you will find yourself with a load of problems with minute hairs
 
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I have the use of a microscope at work so I think I will have a look with that and see how bad the problem might is but I think it may look worse than it actually is, it will hopefully make the job easier too.
Looking around I have these on ebay, CCD CMOS Sensor Dust Cleaning Jelly Cleaner Kit, ebay item number 321269274910 anyone tried them?
 
Avoid like the plague unless you want blotches on the sensor. Tried one and had a terrible time getting rid of the marks it left. Ok not exactly one of this make but one very similar. Think I have tried almost every method over the many years of camera ownership and the result is what I found best and posted. But that is just my opinion
 
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realspeed said:
Avoid like the plague its for lenses not sensors
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, I'll give that one a wide berth.
I will have a look on Monday under the microscope and then decide wether to use wet or dry, hope I can distinguish the difference between minute specs of dust and oil but they will probably look like islands under high power magnification.
I cant see me buying that artic butterfly though, I like the idea but its a little too expensive for me to only use once every 2 years or so.
 
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Chris

Ok a loupe and Artic butterfly arn't cheap I know (possible pressies for you) but believe me they are worth their money in spades. Pity you don't live nearer to me or you could have used mine to try with
 
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realspeed said:
Avoid like the plague unless you want blotches on the sensor. Tried one and had a terrible time getting rid of the marks it left. Ok not exactly one of this make but one very similar. Think I have tried almost every method over the many years of camera ownership and the result is what I found best and posted. But that is just my opinion
Click to expand...

Bazza, a mate got one of those silicone `dabbers` (not sure exactly which one) for his D7000 & he too finished up with strange smears/patches on his sensor!

It did remove most of the dust spots, but presumably a couple of oil-spots (or maybe just the product itself) left some stubborn marks.

This is the image he took & sent to me after using it (Colour, contrast & brightness adjusted for better clarification)

.
2nbg2tz.jpg
 
I have the arctic butterfly & a lenspen sensorclear too. just glad I didn't get one of those `dabbers`, which seem a good idea. Presumably there are much better grades of them because others use them no problem. (just the cheap Chinese evilbay ones to avoid maybe?)
 
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All I can say is Andy/Carl if your happy with it thats fine ,only I did notice on the Ebay link Chris posted no one had given even a * to it let alone *****. I always look to see what star rating a product is given by those how make a purchase which tells me a lot.
I only posted my findings and how I go about sensor cleaning. Everyone has different ideas, above is just mine which works for me. In that photo Carl it looks to me as if it needs a wet wipe to get rid of that contamination. Not a real problem to sort just the right gear and time and patience and care
 
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I got really pi**ed off on my Egypt holiday, got a small hair on the sensor and didn't notice it until I put the photos onto my computer.
Well all I can say is I had a great time editing it out on about 50+ photos (i think not)

oq8t.jpg


You can just see it above the head a small curve of hair

And here



Shows it up better


Cleaned up version
 
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realspeed said:
I got really pi**ed off on my Egypt holiday, got a small hair on the sensor and didn't notice it until I put the photos onto my computer.
Well all I can say is I had a great time editing it out on about 50+ photos (i think not)
Click to expand...

OUCH! That must be a real p155er. :(
 
Carl
it least it kept me out of mischief for a few days. Just goes to show anyone and everyone can come across. things like this. Easy enough to edit out but a right bummer in the first place it being there. Of course with scenery changing all the time on a river cruise the last thing one thinks about is sensor dust.

Oh those are the unedited or other versions of the same shot incase anyone wonders
 
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Real answer is don't change lenses but that is not always possible. Take at least 6 cameras with you and you should be ok:cool:. Def, did a sensor clean after that.

Just did a quick sensor check on both the Nikon D800 and the D300 and pleased to say they are both clear of contamination.
 
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EDIT.... sorry.. didn't realise this was an old thread.... i've no idea how I even got on here... I Was clicking links in that sticky gel thread and got confuddled.

Move along... nothing to see here.
 
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