How Do You Clean Your Camera Sensor?

  • by Michael Zhang on November 23, 2009
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Here are the results from our previous poll regarding high dynamic range photography:

How do you feel about HDR photography?

  • Love it! (88 Votes)
  • Enjoy it when done correctly (379 Votes)
  • It's usually done incorrectly (172 Votes)
  • Shouldn't be considered photography (31 Votes)
  • What's HDR? (26 Votes)
  • Hate it! (45 Votes)

Total Voters: 740

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The results were somewhat surprising to me, since I assumed a much greater percentage of people hated HDR based on comments I’ve read around the web.

Maybe HDR haters are simply much more vocal about their hate of HDR than HDR lovers are about their love.

Our new poll has to do with cleaning your DSLR camera’s sensor. Over time, dust collects on the sensor and dark spots begin to appear in your photographs. How do you deal with this issue?

How do you deal with dust on your DSLR camera's sensor?

  • It's never been an issue (73 Votes)
  • Ship it to the repair center (14 Votes)
  • Third-party pro cleaning (25 Votes)
  • Blower bulb (81 Votes)
  • Specialized brush (24 Votes)
  • Wiping using solvent (43 Votes)
  • I ignore the problem (11 Votes)
  • Cover it up in post-processing (24 Votes)
  • Other (13 Votes)

Total Voters: 308

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If you’ve never looked into cleaning or having your sensor cleaned, be sure not to do anything until you’ve read up on it. Photo.net has a good guide you should read through before making a decision. Cleaning your sensor incorrectly can have disastrous and permanent effects if done improperly!

If you use a method not listed in the poll choices and chose “Other”, please share your methods with us! Otherwise, feel free to share your experiences in general on this subject.

Image credit: Sensor Klear Loupe by m.toyama

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  • joeyjuviyanigmailcom
    Cameras are often exposed to extreme conditions. They work as long as they should if they are thoroughly cleaned after each major operation. Read from the whole guide on "How to clean your camera, so they live longer!" at: http://forums.techarena.in/guides-tutorials/129...
  • I made a post about how to DIY clean up on the cheap (and good / safe)
    http://www.canon5dtips.com/2009/06/diy-sensor-c...
  • The Olympus self-cleaning system has worked perfectly for me. No dust on the sensor even after a trip to Africa without a sealed camera.
  • Tim
    I remember the first time I took a blower to my Nikon D70's sensor - was in a hotel room on holiday, getting bored of cloning the spots out... I was shaking all over in trepidation after having done it before re-testing :)
  • I chose other because I'm lucky enough to live within driving distance of the Canon Service Center in Irvine, CA. Drop it off and get it back in a couple of hours. They've done a great job each time.
  • Wow. Lucky =)

    How much does a simple cleaning cost?
  • It used to be free but earlier this year they started charging $30.00.
  • Used a vacuum cleaner a couple of times.
    Not directly on the sensor, of course.
    Worked quite well.
  • Where's the wire brush option?

    I use a combination of blower bulb and really soft watercolor brush. Could it be better? yeah...
  • Although both my bodies have self cleaning sensors (D300 and D700), I went through a prime lens phase and so my bodies gathered little UFO's. I hate to send the D700 in because I depend on it so much. The blower bulb kinda works, it's more of a way to vent frustrations than to blow out dust. I used to clean my D200 with wipes, which caused more problems that it solved. The only other option would be to send it out, which could take weeks.
  • Name
    Bought the Arctic Butterfly from VisibleDust. Great service and though a little pricey, did a great job. Felt they knew what they were doing and was safe using the product.
  • Come to think of it, I tried using canned air a few times before.

    Bad idea.

    The last time I did it, a glob of liquid shot out from the nozzle and landed squarely on my sensor. After it had evaporated, there was a huge stain on the sensor that showed up in all subsequent photos.

    After a couple days, I finally decided to see if the stain was permanent, and found that I was able to wipe it off with solvent.

    Wheew.

    Don't use canned air! ;-)
  • I responded to the poll with "third party pro" but it would be more correct to say that my sensors desperately need cleaning, I've located said third-party pro, but am ignoring the problem until I find the two free days in a row that it will take to drive down there with my camera and drive back again the following day to retrieve it. Do you have a category for "only ignoring it temporarily until I finally manage to work the logistics out"?
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