Rocket Blower - Is my sensor this delicate?

[swag72]

I have dust on my sensor, so decided to have a go at blowing it off with the rocket blower. Had a look in the manual and it says not to hold the rocket blower inside of the camera and only use very gentle 'puffs' as anything more could be damaging.

Well, hubby really anal about this things, watched like a hawk, wouldn't let me do anything other than a gentle sqeeze of the blower, from about 100 yards from the camera. Now he's in work so................ Is the sensor really that sensitive? Can I use the rocket blower and give it a good old squeeze from within the camera?

 

[mrgubby]

The sensor is pretty safe but the mirror assembly is delicate. I Hold my camera face down and use the blower about 6" from the camera body

After all, you're trying to move loose dust not drive the dust deep into the camera ....

 

[Dogfish_magnet]

You should be OK as long as you don't poke anything with the tip of the blower, after all with a wet clean you drag a bit of cloth up and down the sensor with a firm pressure.

 

[photobiker]

yes...... your sensor really is that sensitive
5 months into owning a canon 1Ds mkII mine had tiny marks on the sensor that started to show on images
returned it under warranty and canon just said hat the sensor shouldnt ever be cleaned by the user and i had to pay for a new sensor (£500+)
this was despite using the recommended tools for the job blower and swabs
i argued that the coating was weaker on that camera as i also cleaned my other 1D bodies at the same time with no ill effects but hey ho you cant argue with those that are in charge
i play safe now and do not ever touch the sensor i have a rocket blower and arctic butterfly which work well and never change lenses outside or with the camera switched on which seems to help a lot

 

[Dogfish_magnet]

yes...... your sensor really is that sensitive
5 months into owning a canon 1Ds mkII mine had tiny marks on the sensor that started to show on images
returned it under warranty and canon just said hat the sensor shouldnt ever be cleaned by the user and i had to pay for a new sensor (£500+)
this was despite using the recommended tools for the job blower and swabs
i argued that the coating was weaker on that camera as i also cleaned my other 1D bodies at the same time with no ill effects but hey ho you cant argue with those that are in charge
i play safe now and do not ever touch the sensor i have a rocket blower and arctic butterfly which work well and never change lenses outside or with the camera switched on which seems to help a lot

There are lots of people on here that wet clean without any problems - you just need to be careful , its not really practical to only send your body away for a sensor clean or only change a lens inside after all Canon / Nikon will clean a sensor using the same methods / materials as a non- employee.

 

[swag72]

Thanks guys - Will be giving it a quick go soon, hope it works.

 

[Chappers]

Have cleaned the sensor on all 4 of my Canon cameras at one time or another with a rocket blower : No problem.

I would agree that holding the camera facing down and the blower nozel just on the outside of the camera is the best way to go. Also wait a few second after the last "blast" for the dust to settle, off the sensor, before closing the shutter

 

[photobiker]

to be fair i havent had a scratched or marked sensor since and i think i am right that Canon had a batch of soft sensor coatings but i still had to pay for it and it has made me aware of the potential damage
full frame cameras seem to be more open to dust getting onto the sensor for some reason, maybe higher level of static charge?
all i know is i dont use any form of wet/swab cleaning and try not swap lenses and bodies while out working

 

[neil_g]

i usually put the tip of the blower around the entrance of my 20D and give it a couple of quick squirts.

never done mine any harm, but then we all know the 20D shutter mechanism is made from lead from the noise it makes lol

 

[Flash In The Pan]

to be fair i havent had a scratched or marked sensor since and i think i am right that Canon had a batch of soft sensor coatings but i still had to pay for it and it has made me aware of the potential damage
full frame cameras seem to be more open to dust getting onto the sensor for some reason, maybe higher level of static charge?
all i know is i dont use any form of wet/swab cleaning and try not swap lenses and bodies while out working

You're not actually cleaning the sensor, but rather a glass filter which sits atop it, I reckon you'd really have to be cack-handed to damage it using a rocket blower....

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Had my 40D for 18 months Have blown the sensor twice with rocket Type blower.
Had no problems of dust or marks.
I make sure I have not been stirring up dust or even moving about before I do it. Then I let the camera lay face down for a few minutes before disturbing the air again and put back the lens.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

You're not actually cleaning the sensor, but rather a glass filter which sits atop it, I reckon you'd really have to be cack-handed to damage it using a rocket blower....

If you touch the glass with a blower tip you will leave a mark that you may or may not be able to remove with wet cleaning.

 

[Richard Peters]

I stick my rocket blower inside the camera a little when I use it, never had a problem...just use common sense and you'll be totally fine

 

[MisterE]

You're not actually cleaning the sensor, but rather a glass filter which sits atop it, I reckon you'd really have to be cack-handed to damage it using a rocket blower....

Unbelievably cack-handed

If you touch the glass with a blower tip you will leave a mark that you may or may not be able to remove with wet cleaning.

I've told this story before here, but no harm in telling it again for newcomers. I had a lump of pollen stuck to my sensor glass that refused to be moved by wet cleaning. A significant black blob was present on my photos more than half way down and would have been a nightmare to clone out of the forthcoming holiday snaps which would totalled thousands (it was about 7000 in the end). I dripped cleaning fluid on it over an hour hoping it might soften it. It didn't.

I emailed Lehmans and asked them how much a new glass would cost, but they strangely quoted me £700 for a sensor. So I thought what the hell, nothing to lose, and went to work on it. I used the corner of a wet swab, and when that didn't work, I used it harder. So hard in fact, the glass was squeaking. And then the pollen came off. No damage whatsoever done.

So, apart from the small risk of scratching the glass with some sharp grit or something, I have no fear of damaging my sensor glass. I stick that blower inside and blow as hard as I can.

 

[MartynK]

I don't think there is any real risk of damaging the filter or the sensor with a rocket blower. I've never heard of this happening, and many people use a blower as the first option, before resorting to wet cleaning. Inserting the nozzle into the lens mount could be dodgy, because the mirror is locked up and a power failure could allow it to close on the nozzle, which could damage the mechanism. AFAIK, this is why we're advised to fully charge the battery (or run off mains power through a transformer) before starting.

 

[seriousrikk]

I don't think there is any real risk of damaging the filter or the sensor with a rocket blower. I've never heard of this happening, and many people use a blower as the first option, before resorting to wet cleaning. Inserting the nozzle into the lens mount could be dodgy, because the mirror is locked up and a power failure could allow it to close on the nozzle, which could damage the mechanism. AFAIK, this is why we're advised to fully charge the battery (or run off mains power through a transformer) before starting.

I would be more worried about the shutter closing on the nozzle of a rocket blower than the mirror. If the mirror closed on it then it is unlikely to cause much if any damage. If the shutter closed on the nozzle it would be time to sent the camera off and hand over the cash for a new shutter.

 

[Slipper-one]

There are lots of people on here that wet clean without any problems - you just need to be careful , its not really practical to only send your body away for a sensor clean or only change a lens inside after all Canon / Nikon will clean a sensor using the same methods / materials as a non- employee.

I see Janice is keeping her head down on this one.

 

[Madpup]

My airbrush has air cleaner and damp trap on it, i wind it down to 5psi and use that,
5 years now with no problems, (touch wood)

 

[coldpenguin]

I think that one reason why a rocket blower is advised against, is that sometimes it is difficult to do it straight.
At least, with the blower I have, if you squeze it, it can veer off to one side as part of the bulb compresses and the other doesn't. If this were to hit part of the camera, you might cause damage. If you can ensure that the tip doesn't move, all you are doing is moving air. If this can damage your camera, well.....

On the other hand, be careful not to aim it at anything which might have grease on it. Don't want to blow that onto the sensor

 

[SLRist]

Attempting to clean the low pass filter with a blower is mostly a waste of time in my experience, unless the dirt is something substantial like a hair, especially on a camera that's had a fair degree of use. I actually found that rather than removing dust, it just blew crud around the camera chamber making it even dirtier than before I started. I even found that I'd managed to blow lubricant from the mechanical workings of my D300 across part of the filter (although I had to really play with the RAW settings to make it visible). A few feeble puffs from outside the camera will achieve nothing. The only cleaning technique I found to be remotely effective - and I tried most of them, including Arctic Butterfly (totally useless) and Dust Aid Platinum (mostly useless) was Photographic Solutions Sensor Swabs. These really do remove dirt from the sensor effectively. They also have the benefit of being covered by a damage repair guarantee by the manufacturer. I found the VisibleDust Sensor Loupe (made by the Arctic Butterfly people) very useful for inspecting the filter for larger particles. It magnifies and illuminates them, making it easy to see if your wet clean has done a good job. However, I'd ask you whether your sensor really is dirty enough to warrant cleaning in the first place. If it isn't obviously affecting your pictures, then my advice is to leave well alone.

 

[Denisw]

The sensor is pretty safe but the mirror assembly is delicate. I Hold my camera face down and use the blower about 6" from the camera body

After all, you're trying to move loose dust not drive the dust deep into the camera ....

I've used my Rocket as descibed above on all three of my DLSR's with satisfactory results and no damage to any of the cameras. Rocket Blower is a good option for removing dust but if it's sticky or stubborn then wet clean may be the way to go.