What to buy to clean dust from sensor ?

The Jannie · 10-28-2011, 02:47 AM

I believe there's a lot of BS and overselling going on. I got to the stage with both my K10s where the built-in wobble didn't get rid of the sticky dust. I did what came naturally. The puffer didn't work but an unused high-quality paintbrush followed by the puffer solved it for me. I wouldn't recommend anyone who's hamfisted do anything other than get a professional to do it - and by that I don't mean the spotty counter monkey at your local appliance outlet.

BFN
David

SaikouShadou · 10-28-2011, 03:56 AM

Originally posted by boriscleto

Giottos Large Rocket-air - Lens blower

+1 to this, i had dust on the sensor months ago and i was looking for info for a good way to go and someone mentioned this.
Got it and my K7 and I cherrish it =D

GibbyTheMole · 10-28-2011, 07:01 AM

Originally posted by The Jannie

an unused high-quality paintbrush followed by the puffer solved it for me

What type of paintbrush do you recommend? I may pick one up to have in my anti-dust arsenal.

I was hung up on trying to get every last little speck off my sensor, which can drive a person nuts. Nothing I've tried gets the sensor absolutely, perfectly clean... and even if it did, another speck will invariably show up. These days when I have dust on the sensor, here's what I try in the order that I try them:

1) Giottos Rocket Blower - One of the best things a person can have in their kit, in my opinion. If you blow super hard, it's possible to blow even more crud on the sensor. Best to use it with a medium intensity squeeze. Usually a few puffs do the trick... If not:

2) Opteka SSC-10 TAC/GUM cleaning wand - Similar to Pentax "lollipop", only the Opteka is $15 instead of $50. I find it's best to locate the actual offending speck and go after it with the small wand. The larger wand covers the entire width of the sensor, but has a tendency to leave smudges. Best to gently but firmly press straight down on the speck and pull it off at a slight angle, which "peels" the TAC pad off of the sensor. It leaves less residue that way, in my experience. On the couple of occasions I've gotten residue on the sensor, I used the following to get the residue off the sensor:

3) A clean, dry cotton swab (Q-Tip) - I very gently buffed the smudge & it went away without scratching the filter. Take care not to touch the swab end with your fingers or anything else to avoid contamination.

If I only have a couple of tiny spots that only show up at f22 when I do a sky test shot & increase the contrast, I don't worry about it. They rarely show up during normal shooting conditions and if they do, the clone stamp in Photoshop makes quick work of them.

Cheers,
Bobbo :-)

The Jannie · 10-28-2011, 01:26 PM

Bobbo asked : What type of paintbrush do you recommend?

I used a number 6 sable because I had one which I hadn't used during my artistic period.

BFN
David

vario · 10-28-2011, 03:22 PM

Originally posted by mrclark321

A proper sensor cleaning kit is expensive but they work, Rocket blowers can actually blow dust onto the sensor. If you have grease on the sensor you will need to swab it. Lots of Youtube videos on how to clean but be careful, you ruin your sensor and the cost to replace it would be expensive.

You are not actually cleaning the sensor but the optical glass covering the sensor.

photoleet · 10-30-2011, 07:40 PM

Originally posted by boriscleto

Giottos Large Rocket-air - Lens blower

I have decided to start off with this and see if this cleans the sensor out a bit. What method should I follow to clean ? Do the mirror up thing and hold the camera down, while blowing air from bottom ?

richard balonglong · 11-04-2011, 04:35 PM

Ah, sensor dust...
Before using any other cleaning methods, be sure use any blowers (rocket blowers) first. If any blowers can't remove those sticky dust on your sensor, for me, use a Sensor Klear II. It is an inexpensive sensor cleaning pen made by LensPen. It's very effective, and I've cleaned my 3 DSLRs with it for multiple times. Although, the Sensor Klear II can only clean up to 100 times (according to its instructions).
And, if the dirt from your sensor can't remove using the Sensor Klear II, now use a wet cleaning method with the use of sensor swabs and methanol.
I use sensor swabs and methanol to clean off the sticky dusts on my sensors before, but when I've discovered the Sensor Klear II, I've never have the need to use of wet cleaning method. =)

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10-28-2011, 02:47 AM	#16
The Jannie Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: South Yorkshire Photos: Gallery Posts: 215	I believe there's a lot of BS and overselling going on. I got to the stage with both my K10s where the built-in wobble didn't get rid of the sticky dust. I did what came naturally. The puffer didn't work but an unused high-quality paintbrush followed by the puffer solved it for me. I wouldn't recommend anyone who's hamfisted do anything other than get a professional to do it - and by that I don't mean the spotty counter monkey at your local appliance outlet. BFN David

10-28-2011, 03:56 AM	#17
SaikouShadou Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 64	Originally posted by boriscleto Giottos Large Rocket-air - Lens blower +1 to this, i had dust on the sensor months ago and i was looking for info for a good way to go and someone mentioned this. Got it and my K7 and I cherrish it =D

10-28-2011, 07:01 AM	#18
GibbyTheMole Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Iowa Photos: Albums Posts: 2,275	Originally posted by The Jannie an unused high-quality paintbrush followed by the puffer solved it for me What type of paintbrush do you recommend? I may pick one up to have in my anti-dust arsenal. I was hung up on trying to get every last little speck off my sensor, which can drive a person nuts. Nothing I've tried gets the sensor absolutely, perfectly clean... and even if it did, another speck will invariably show up. These days when I have dust on the sensor, here's what I try in the order that I try them: 1) Giottos Rocket Blower - One of the best things a person can have in their kit, in my opinion. If you blow super hard, it's possible to blow even more crud on the sensor. Best to use it with a medium intensity squeeze. Usually a few puffs do the trick... If not: 2) Opteka SSC-10 TAC/GUM cleaning wand - Similar to Pentax "lollipop", only the Opteka is $15 instead of $50. I find it's best to locate the actual offending speck and go after it with the small wand. The larger wand covers the entire width of the sensor, but has a tendency to leave smudges. Best to gently but firmly press straight down on the speck and pull it off at a slight angle, which "peels" the TAC pad off of the sensor. It leaves less residue that way, in my experience. On the couple of occasions I've gotten residue on the sensor, I used the following to get the residue off the sensor: 3) A clean, dry cotton swab (Q-Tip) - I very gently buffed the smudge & it went away without scratching the filter. Take care not to touch the swab end with your fingers or anything else to avoid contamination. If I only have a couple of tiny spots that only show up at f22 when I do a sky test shot & increase the contrast, I don't worry about it. They rarely show up during normal shooting conditions and if they do, the clone stamp in Photoshop makes quick work of them. Cheers, Bobbo :-)

10-28-2011, 01:26 PM	#19
The Jannie Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: South Yorkshire Photos: Gallery Posts: 215	Bobbo asked : What type of paintbrush do you recommend? I used a number 6 sable because I had one which I hadn't used during my artistic period. BFN David

10-28-2011, 03:22 PM	#20
vario Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Photos: Albums Posts: 114	Originally posted by mrclark321 A proper sensor cleaning kit is expensive but they work, Rocket blowers can actually blow dust onto the sensor. If you have grease on the sensor you will need to swab it. Lots of Youtube videos on how to clean but be careful, you ruin your sensor and the cost to replace it would be expensive. You are not actually cleaning the sensor but the optical glass covering the sensor.

10-30-2011, 07:40 PM	#21
photoleet Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: DMV Photos: Albums Posts: 431 Original Poster	Originally posted by boriscleto Giottos Large Rocket-air - Lens blower I have decided to start off with this and see if this cleans the sensor out a bit. What method should I follow to clean ? Do the mirror up thing and hold the camera down, while blowing air from bottom ?

11-04-2011, 04:35 PM	#22
richard balonglong Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Baguio City, Philippines Photos: Gallery Posts: 350	Ah, sensor dust... Before using any other cleaning methods, be sure use any blowers (rocket blowers) first. If any blowers can't remove those sticky dust on your sensor, for me, use a Sensor Klear II. It is an inexpensive sensor cleaning pen made by LensPen. It's very effective, and I've cleaned my 3 DSLRs with it for multiple times. Although, the Sensor Klear II can only clean up to 100 times (according to its instructions). And, if the dirt from your sensor can't remove using the Sensor Klear II, now use a wet cleaning method with the use of sensor swabs and methanol. I use sensor swabs and methanol to clean off the sticky dusts on my sensors before, but when I've discovered the Sensor Klear II, I've never have the need to use of wet cleaning method. =)