Rocket Blower

RobertP

RobertP

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Now I have a dust pump (aka 100-400L) I seem to have more of a problem with sensor debris.

I normally clean using copperhill method but that is over the top for a few specks of light dust.

A Giottos Rocket blower seems the way to go but they come in 3 sizes. The large one looks huge. Does it matter what size it is? Anyone use one?
 
Never used one but was thinking of ordering the medium sized one. Haven't had the bottle to try to clean the sensor and was hoping this would get me out of it
 
For lenses I'd say one of those would be excellent but for the sensor, not so good. All you'd really do is blow dust around inside the camera and it will work it's way back on to the sensor, though I suppose for a quick clean out in t'field it would be fine. In which case the smallest one would take up least room in your kit bag.
 
dod said:
Haven't had the bottle to try to clean the sensor
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Me neither. :D I have a couple of slight marks which show up in some pics, but for now I'm just touching them out in processing.

The trouble with blowers and puffer brushes is they blow the dust everywhere inside the camera and tend to just re-arrange it, in particular blowing it up onto the the underside of the focusing screen where it has no effect on your shots, but is very annoying and unsightly. I use a mini vacuum thingy powered by a penlight battery which I've had for years - just have to be careful where you're poking it.
 
Said the actress to the... umm :)
 
The best method is to remove the dust not move the dust (ala copperhill). The sensor is charged when in use and thus will attract the dust or any other particles from within the chamber.

It might be a quick fix out in the field to blow the dust around but as CT has said and Marcel has personal experiance of, it can also settle on the focus screen and be so annoying when looking through the viewfinder. A much better choice is to keep it as clean as possible and remove any small amounts of dust at home through correct cleaning and clean up any spots on the pictures during post processing. If you keep the sensor clean, the amount of spots will be very small.
 
I have a few specks on my ground glass screen too caused by a cheap unfiltered blower.

I clean my sensor regularly and have no worries about doing it.

One of the attractions of DSLR to me is flexibility. I get to try things I never did with a film SLR - like pinhole lenses...spacer tubes... telescope mounts - all of which expose you to dust problems and don't worry me.

It is an 'in the field' fix I am looking for. If the small one is up to the job then I'll get a small one :)
 
RobertP said:
It is an 'in the field' fix I am looking for. If the small one is up to the job then I'll get a small one :)
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If your sensor is clean before you go out then how dirty can it really get on one trip? I used DSLR and have never had to clean my sensor in the field although I have actually done this due to me not having chance to do it under better circumstances.

Would it not be better to deal with speck during post processing, cleaning the sensor at home and if really required, take your cleaning equipment with you and clean in the field under exceptional circumstances. As an experienced sensor cleaner and one who seems confident with the technique, is that really such a big deal?
 
I am confident but I set up to do it properly - no point in letting more dust in when you are supposed to be cleaning.

If I have a dust speck that is visible at f8 (as after the last time I had the 100-400 on) I just want to blow it off and get on with using the camera.

I have found the longer dust stays on the sensor the harder it is to get off. Maybe my imagination but I would rather do something easy when I see a problem and move on to doing it properly if the quick fix fails.

I do as little post p as possible. Most of my shots are from the camera jpgs with my preferred settings. I only shoot RAW when in demanding situations... but thats a whole other debate.
 
I'm doing my first ever sensor clean (Copperhill) tonight :ponders: I don't whether to have the brandy before or after.

regards
 
First time I cleaned mine (same way) it took 7 goes to get it clean. in the end there was one spot that i had to 'scrub' with the swab to shift it. Single wipe across is the best though.

If your eyes are good and you have the right light you can see most of the particles.

You are cleaning a glass cover not the actual sensor so I hope you are not quite as scared as i was first time ;)
 
RobertP said:
You are cleaning a glass cover not the actual sensor so I hope you are not quite as scared as i was first time ;)
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That's a relief - thanks for that Robert.

regards
 
I have the largest Giotto Rocket Blower and I can tell you it has some kick!
The problem is it's so powerful its now in my copier/printer engineers toolkit as its great for cleaning their sensors/components.

I need to buy another one because they do apparently take in a litle contamination and you should always give it a few puffs before you point it into the camera and I don't want my sensor covering in photocopier toner :shock:

I've never used the wet method or pad method on my sensor.
My preferred method which works a treat is a good quality NYLON bristled brush with all traces of 'sizing' removed (the substance they use to keep the brush shape before they are sold).
I blow air through the bristles which harmlessly 'charges' the bristles and attracts dust from the sensor to the brush.

I did some home-made tests to prove the charging theory and I could see it picking dust off a piece of black card like a magnet. :icon_cool
 
I can understand the logic of that Bachs but what about "stuck" on dust particles.

regards
 
Stephano, you make a good point.
Sometimes, due to a combination of moisture (from whatever source...condensation/humidity etc) and heat, particles can adhere to the sensor.

I fortunately haven't had this problem yet, but the wet cleaning method seems to be the only option in these circumstances.
 
I'll get the small one. Prices are not much different between small med lrge.

stepheno - If you have not got round to it today, or if you are still going to, it is worth having a practice on a glass filter such as a basic UV you use on a lens. It is very good for showing how the cleaning works and how you can easily get a residue film from the first swipe(s) which then dissappears with subsequent passes.

Also helps jugde how much eclipse to use. I use 2 drops on the 'working' edge and leave it 5 or 10 seconds before poking it in the camera.

I close windows, spread a new large plastic bag over the work area + get desk lamp in position before I start. Wrap my two (in my case home made) soft plastic chisels with pec pad + masking tape and I'm off.

Test shot at f22 of a plain light surface before and after each pass with the two swipes. repeat (with re wrapped tools) as necessary.

Oh and pec pads are cheap - don't be tempted to re use one.
 
I tried the charged brush thing and only succeeded in pushing dust into the corners. It did work at getting most of the debris i had on the ground glass screed off. So not a complete waste of time ;)
 
Had to postpone the sensor cleaning last night, had visitors . So it's on for this evening as I'm in all on my own. Thanks for the extra tips Robert.

regards
 
With a lot of trepidation and some anxiety I finally did it. Before, I'd noticed about 15 specks of dust and then after cleaning ..... nil :smile1: Used the Copperhill method with the kit bought from Chilli, a few practice runs at folding the Pecpad and cleaning a jewel case and bingo.

Thanks Robert and everyone else.

regards
 
Although care must be taken, it is nowhere near as hard or risky as many percieve. Is that not right Stepheno?
 
Well I got the small rocket blower today. I had a tiny fibre dust particle and a couple of specks on the sensor that I knew were there but disappeared at f11 or wider.

So I gave it a puff with the blower. The fibre vanished and so did one of the specks of dust. The other one (or something new that looked similar) migrated to the middle of the frame from the edge. As a temporary fix I would say it worked.

Of course knowing a speck was there I had to do it properly so I swiped it with pecpad and eclipse on my homemade flexible spatula. Overconfidence reigned and I managed to leave some residue of surplus eclipse which dried into a rain pattern on the sensor glass. A couple more passes with freshly assembled swipes and clarity is restored.

When you are looking at the results of cleaning at f22 and looking at the sensor you realise how near invisible the smallest specks are.
 
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