Rocket blower?

Winter

Winter

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Sheylara
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DSLR noob here. :love: Do I need a rocket blower, and if yes, does it matter if it's cheap or expensive? There's too many I don't know which to buy!
 
They are very good for dislodging the odd dust spot. No need for an expensive one !
 
Esential piece of kit, good for blowing dust off lenses.etc.
 
I've had a giottos rocket blower since I started photography 5 years ago. It's still working fine and I use it all the time. Best big of kit you can buy for cleaning the lens front elements and the camera sensor.
 
Cheaper is not always better IMO when it comes to rocket blowers intended for sensor 'blasting' ~ why, because if they have a high rubber content as they age there is a (small?) risk of the rubber degrading as it dries out.............so the risk is that debris may break away and then you will be blowing that onto the sensor. Perhaps the wisdom is to buy a decent one like the Giotto but keep an eye on how it ages.

Just an opinion in that not all rocket blowers are made equal and cheaper likely means cheaper materials & QC, as in all things caveat emptor!

Oh, for what it is worth I keep my Giotto in a plastic bag because it is no use risking it getting dusty or dust in it if just sculling about in a camera bag or drawer ;)
 
Box Brownie said:
Oh, for what it is worth I keep my Giotto in a plastic bag because it is no use risking it getting dusty or dust in it if just sculling about in a camera bag or drawer ;)
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That's a handy tip. Thanks! And I bought a Giotto. :D
 
Get the proper Giottos one, as it has a one way valve and filter to prevent it sucking dust inside the bulb (and hence blowing it inside your camera).

Box Brownie said:
Oh, for what it is worth I keep my Giotto in a plastic bag because it is no use risking it getting dusty or dust in it if just sculling about in a camera bag or drawer ;)
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Not necessary - See above.
 
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Pookeyhead said:
Get the proper Giottos one, as it has a one way valve and filter to prevent it sucking dust inside the bulb (and hence blowing it inside your camera).



Not necessary - See above.
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Yes they have a one way valve but a filter??? I have seen one I think (a giotto "like" one) called Koh-Tec with a hepair filter attached but the Giotto AFAIK is not made with a filter!
 
Box Brownie said:
Yes they have a one way valve but a filter??? I have seen one I think (a giotto "like" one) called Koh-Tec with a hepair filter attached but the Giotto AFAIK is not made with a filter!
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My Giotto rocket-blower doesn't have a filter either. (it's about 4 yrs old though. Have they changed, David?)
 
Okay, now that I've got a rocket blower, when do I use it? I mean, like, do I wait until I see smudges in my photos to start cleaning my lenses/sensor/whatever, or am I supposed to clean my equipment every so often on a regular basis?
 
If you use a rocket blower on really dusty things, as I did once, then it's not a bad idea to pull it apart and give it a good rinse out now and then. It's possible for it to suck up a little dust before the valve closes, and that then gets squirted out on to your lens or sensor - as I found out the hard way...
 
Winter said:
Okay, now that I've got a rocket blower, when do I use it? I mean, like, do I wait until I see smudges in my photos to start cleaning my lenses/sensor/whatever, or am I supposed to clean my equipment every so often on a regular basis?
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Use it when you need it, and don't get obsessive about dust - it's a fact of life. It's actually very hard to get a sensor 100% spotless, and even if you do, it'll soon be back. Live with it, clone it out, avoid highest f/numbers if it's bad, then clean.
 
HoppyUK said:
Use it when you need it, and don't get obsessive about dust - it's a fact of life. It's actually very hard to get a sensor 100% spotless, and even if you do, it'll soon be back. Live with it, clone it out, avoid highest f/numbers if it's bad, then clean.
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Okay, thanks!
 
Winter said:
Okay, now that I've got a rocket blower, when do I use it?
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As Richard suggests, only when needed. I use it on my lenses - only occasionally on the rear part (attaching to the camera) as I never touch that with anything and it's hardly open to the weather or anything. And on the front of the lens before cleaning with something else like a cloth or liquid I like to rocket blow it as if there's a tiny particle of grit it would be a little annoying to pick up a little piece and end up scratching the element while cleaning.
 
EdwardL said:
As Richard suggests, only when needed. I use it on my lenses - only occasionally on the rear part (attaching to the camera) as I never touch that with anything and it's hardly open to the weather or anything. And on the front of the lens before cleaning with something else like a cloth or liquid I like to rocket blow it as if there's a tiny particle of grit it would be a little annoying to pick up a little piece and end up scratching the element while cleaning.
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Great! Thanks for sharing that. :)
 
Box Brownie said:
Yes they have a one way valve but a filter??? I have seen one I think (a giotto "like" one) called Koh-Tec with a hepair filter attached but the Giotto AFAIK is not made with a filter!
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OldCarlos said:
My Giotto rocket-blower doesn't have a filter either. (it's about 4 yrs old though. Have they changed, David?)
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The valve is the filter; I probably wrote that badly. If an ordinary blower gets squashed in a camera bad, when un-squashed, it just sucks air in through the nozzle, which is probably pushed into a corner of bag where all the lint and crap is. The Giottos will only intake air from the rocket base, which is always kept off the surface of wherever it is by the fins. I've never kept mine in a plastic bag. Seems like overkill to me.
 
Pookeyhead said:
The valve is the filter; I probably wrote that badly. If an ordinary blower gets squashed in a camera bad, when un-squashed, it just sucks air in through the nozzle, which is probably pushed into a corner of bag where all the lint and crap is. The Giottos will only intake air from the rocket base, which is always kept off the surface of wherever it is by the fins. I've never kept mine in a plastic bag. Seems like overkill to me.
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Just tested my Giotto. Put my fingertip over the nozzle, it takes air through the base. Put fingertip over the base, it takes air through the nozzle, with no audible or other hint of any obstruction as might be caused by a one way valve yielding...

But I don't keep mine in a plastic bag, either. OTOH I don't put it in the bag; lenses can be checked before going out, and I get a brand new sensor every frame. :)
 
ChrisR said:
Just tested my Giotto. Put my fingertip over the nozzle, it takes air through the base. Put fingertip over the base, it takes air through the nozzle, with no audible or other hint of any obstruction as might be caused by a one way valve yielding...

But I don't keep mine in a plastic bag, either. OTOH I don't put it in the bag; lenses can be checked before going out, and I get a brand new sensor every frame. :)
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In normal operation it should expel through the nozzle (obviously) and intakes through the base, If yours is not doing that, it's faulty. Put your ear to the base as you let go of the bulb. Is air entering through the base?

The idea is, that because the inlet is never allowed to be in contact with the ground/surface (unless completely abused) it is far less likely to be sucking up crap if inadvertently squeezed in your bag. Having said that.... if it's getting squeezed while in your bag, you've got bigger worries I think.... like some fat b****** sitting on your bag :)
 
These things are a great thing to always have in your bag. Before you go on a shoot just give your lens a few blows to dislodge any bits. Does no harm.
 
Unless you need a blower along when you go out & about (do you go on long round-the-world trips?), I'd get what you can easily get, & keep it in a clean place at home. Mine lives in the camera cupboard. It's a Hama, but who cares?

Curiously, Giottos blowers seem hard to find. I just checked out Calumet, Speed Graphic, Robert White, WEX, Silverprint, & you name it - nowt. Just eBay, & who knows what 'valveless' counterfeits lurk there ... ?

A good blower should smell nice. You don't want to puff a hot-pressed rubbery smell into your nice £1,000 camera body - do you? But when you finally knock at the pearly gates, nobody's going to bother anyway about what blower you bought ... there'll be bigger things in the account.
 
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I have a Giottos rocket blower, but to be honest I use a lenspen more than the blower, especially the carbon brush. It moves dust way better IMHO
 
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