Sensor Cleaning (again)

j3w3ll3r

j3w3ll3r

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Stephen
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Hi all

I made a post a couple of weeks ago about my brand new 60d having a hair in it, and this was rectified by the very helpful man at Cameraworld, however today all my pictures are blemished as shown below

This pic was taken at F22 against my ceiling and shows its pretty grubby as well as the big mark

Am i best with a sensor cleaner, pen or professional clean (Camera is now 2 weeks old and less than 1000 clicks)

maybe you could suggest a brand or even a youtube video showing what I can do, i'm loath to pick one myself as I wouldn't know if what I was watching was the correct way to do it or not

Also what precautions should i be taking to prevent this happening, i always have a lens or cover on it and its stored in my bag at all times

Thanks

Stephen

IMG_0457.jpg
 
When changing lenses I always turn the camera off, point it downwards and complete the change promptly.

Before going out for a days shooting I take a series of shots from small to larger aperture, I then review the results and take action if I think it's necessary.

The first thing I try is a rocket blower. If that doesn't get the sensor clean to my satisfaction I do a wet clean with a pec pad wrapped around a slice cut from a plastic card, onto which I put a drop or two of Eclipse cleaning fluid.

My DSLR's don't have auto cleaning but I've found that the methods I use do a good enough job.
 
its not also a good idea to take a picture of a white wall or ceiling as there could be marks on there that you may think is dust when you look back at your test pics, the best way is white smooth paper or the clear sky.
and not through glass like my mate did and he then come to me saying his sensor was dirty and showed me i was like wow thats dirty then looked at it for him and it was clean so i said it was clean how did he do the test then he told me,:bonk:

and that looks like a catapillar in your camera.
 
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Thanks

I have a rocket blower

Do I need to go into the menu and do anything as some of the videos I have seen suggest this though this was for a 7d admittedly
 
Try this. Take a shot of a sky on f22 or thereabouts. Shove it into PS and then cntrl or command i to invert. Voila all your dust bunnies stand out like a sore thumb or equivalent.
;)
 
scottthehat said:
its not also a good idea to take a picture of a white wall or ceiling as there could be marks on there that you may think is dust when you look back at your test pics,
Click to expand...

Well, yes, but if you ensure that the shot is completely out of focus any marks in paintwork will be invisible even at extreme aperture.

When I take a test shot I just use a white door and an exposure that'll give basically a grey rather than white frame.
 
Thanks guys,

i just locked the mirror up and used the rocket blower and the dust/Caterpillar :thinking: thing has gone

:thumbs:
 
j3w3ll3r said:
Thanks

I have a rocket blower

Do I need to go into the menu and do anything as some of the videos I have seen suggest this though this was for a 7d admittedly
Click to expand...

If you are using a rocket or doing a wet clean select sensor clean in your menu and this should hold the shutter open and the mirror up until you turn the camera off. Make sure that there is charge in your battery before starting as you don't want the power to run out and the shutter and mirror to close while you are in there.
 
Hi

I was told most important, not excluding changing in a hurricane, is to turn the power off, otherwise the electrical ness attracts all the dust.

John
 
Johnraiders said:
Hi

I was told most important, not excluding changing in a hurricane, is to turn the power off, otherwise the electrical ness attracts all the dust.

John
Click to expand...

Ok thanks, I have to be honest I dont do that, but I will from now on
 
I've taken a shot of a clear blue sky before now to check for dust and seen what looked like a blob on the sensor only to realise eventually it was a bird flying across. It wasn't immediately obvious. So it's best to take two shots, just to be sure. :)
 
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I have taken a few, the big blob has gone but there's still a few spots but nothing too severe, I will get some swabs next time im out and about
 
Do you shoot a lot with the lens closed right down? If not and it's not showing up in your pics then just leave it, otherwise you're going to be cleaning it every week......
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Do you shoot a lot with the lens closed right down? If not and it's not showing up in your pics then just leave it, otherwise you're going to be cleaning it every week......
Click to expand...

No, the large curly blob was a bit mad, the rest are fine as they are
 
woof woof said:
Well, yes, but if you ensure that the shot is completely out of focus any marks in paintwork will be invisible even at extreme aperture.

When I take a test shot I just use a white door and an exposure that'll give basically a grey rather than white frame.
Click to expand...
funny you should say that when pentax brought the sensor dust feature out i was using it with the lens cap on and it was showing dust lots of pentax told me to take the lens cap of and then do it so that what i did it was acting like an etch a scetch, so a few emails later pentax told me it must be a smooth white surface,
 
I don't really understand doing it with the lens cap on as I'd imaging that you'd have to have quite a long esposure to avoid getting a black image but I don't know as it's something I've never done but whatever works works I suppose.

Shooting a white surface completely out of focus so that I end up with a gray exposure works for me. I normally shoot a door from a distance of just a few feet and it's easy to get it so out of focus that no details can be seen even at f32, of course any dust can be seen despite how out of focus the image is.
 
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