How to clean dust off of a DSLR sensor

July 19, 2005 12:20 PM

Has anyone successfully cleaned dust off of a digital SLR's sensor on their own?

I have a Canon DRebel, and there is a dark spot that appears on every single image, no matter which lens I use, which makes me belive that it is, in fact, dust on the sensor. It's getting to be too frustrating to photoshop the spot out on every single image I take. I've tried using a blower bulb, like Canon recommends, but I haven't had any luck so far. I'd really rather not send my camera away to be cleaned unless it's absolutly nesicary, but at the same time, I'd like to avoid damaging it.

posted by almostbarefoot to technology (10 comments total)

You want the Copperhill SensorSwipe. And, no, I'm not affiliated with them but I do use their products.
posted by doctor_negative at 12:46 PM on July 19, 2005

Yes. I use the method described here. (on preview, I second the copperhill recommendation) Read all the instructions and follow them to the letter and you'll be fine. Don't skimp on the pecpads and methanol--use name-brand stuff.

They recommend using an external power supply while you do the cleaning. The reason for this is that if the battery dies while the shutter is open, the shutter & mirror will clamp down on the swab, leading to a costly repair. I have found this is highly unlikely as long as you use a fully-charged battery, and don't dawdle (you really only need to 5-10 seconds to do the job). Make sure you have a solid grip on your camera, and that your thumb doesn't slip off the shutter. That's the biggest risk, IMO.

Once you get the hang of it, you'll find yourself cleaning the sensor on a regular basis.
posted by Brian James at 12:53 PM on July 19, 2005

If you feel brave, there are people who make hacked firmware versions for the Rebel that have a mirror lockup feature. I think the new Rebel XT has it already. Much safer than trying to hold the shutter open yourself.
posted by knave at 1:04 PM on July 19, 2005

I personally use that one and I've been successful. If the spots are sticky, maybe a sensor swab would be better. Note that spots should appear a high aperture numbers and practically not a low aperture number -- check whether you can see the spot clearity/focus change as you move from a low fstop to a high fstop (for instance 1.8 to 22.)
posted by NewBornHippy at 1:10 PM on July 19, 2005

The cleaning will be much cheaper than the replacement sensor. If you must here are detailed instructions from a camera repair professional.
posted by caddis at 1:47 PM on July 19, 2005

I got the Copper Hill Sensor Sweep, basically a static-charged paintbrush. Works fine for dust. For more sticky things you'll probably want a wet system like the previously-mentioned SensorSwipe.
posted by kindall at 2:56 PM on July 19, 2005

I have a D70, which I cleaned by switching to Mirror Lockup Mode, holding the camera so that it faced down and gently blowing onto the sensor.

YMMV.
posted by bshort at 3:05 PM on July 19, 2005

I've been using Photographic Solutions Sensor Swabs and Eclipse fluid on my Nikon D1 for five years with no problems. These products are approved by Fuji and Kodak for use on their digital SLRs and are probably the absolute safest bet. Not cheap, though.

Just be sure to follow the instructions to the letter and never use a swab more than once - even if it means going through half a dozen of them in one cleaning operation.
posted by arc at 3:33 PM on July 19, 2005

is the best and easiest I've tried so far. They've been highly recommended on severable reputable, independent photography web sites (just check out their "testimonials" page) and their customer service is excellent.
posted by bobbeene at 6:16 PM on July 19, 2005

Oops, my comment above refers to www.visibledust.com
posted by bobbeene at 6:17 PM on July 19, 2005