This probably belongs in a general photography forum, but here goes it.
Originally posted by Dani Has anyone tried to clean the sensor successfully - do? don't? pros? cons? best practice? thanks ~
Yes. Since between my wife and I we have five crop sensor bodies, it could get pricey to take them all in to be cleaned. On Amazon I purchased the following products:
Lighted magnifying loupe: Carson SensorMag 4.5x30mm DSLR Camera Sensor Magnifier Cleaning Loupe - current price is $17.99
Get the swab sized for your sensor: (cost varies depending on quantity purchased)
Camera Sensor Cleaning Swab Type 2 (VSOG DDR15) for APSC Sensor - current price is $12.19 for 10 swabs.
UES VSGO Camera Sensor Cleaning Swab Type 3 (VSGO DDR23) for Full-Frame Camera Sensor - current price is $16.99 for 10 swabs.
Photographic Solutions Eclipse 0.5 oz. Optic Cleaner for Sensors and Lenses - current price is $7.59 (Will probably be purchasing more swabs before this is gone.)
Our camera club gets a discount from a local camera repair shop, but after the discount it is still $35 per camera. This stuff was nearly paid for after one sensor cleaning. The solution goes a long way. The swabs are disposable and should only be used one time on one camera. The Carson sensor loupe has very bright led lights that light up the surface of the sensor to the point you can see any minute dust particles that may be on the sensor. Be very gentle when cleaning. Just put a couple of drops of the cleaning solution on the end of the swab and very gently wipe in one direction and then flip the swab over and repeat in the opposite direction. Of course you will need to lock up your mirror before starting. I have cleaned all five sensors several times as needed over the past two years.
I like to equate having your sensor cleaned to getting a front end alignment on your vehicle. You can hit a pot hole driving out of the alignment shop and knock your front end right back out of alignment so it is something done only as needed. Even if you are very careful when changing lenses and face your camera body down when removing and replacing the lens, dust can still enter the body. Always try using a bulb type blower first and the sensor shake before attempting the cleaning. The loupe can verify if these two methods get it clean.
Another way to check if your sensor needs cleaning is to mount a 35 or 50mm (or zoom in that range) lens to your camera, place it on a tripod a known distance from a blank white or light surface and set your aperture to as high a number (f/16 or f/22) as the lens is capable of at ISO 100 and focus to that known distance. Take a properly exposed photo, even if it means a longer exposure. Load the photo on your computer and if you see spots on the photo and you know your lens and any filters are clean then your sensor probably needs to cleaned. The high aperture gets everything in focus and that should include dust particles on the sensor.
This is what I have learned and it has served me well.