Sensor Cleaning Woes.

[dugmar]

I've tried air bulbs, compressed air and a fine brush, but I still get these little dust mites on my sensor that are stubborn as a mule. I've read about the Eclipse fluid and the second is Sensor Swab cleaning wands, but $48 for just 12 swabs??? http://www.photosol.com/swabproduct.htm There has to be a better way! Anybody have any ideas as to what to buy that won't break the bank? Camera is a digital rebel.

http://dugmar.smugmug.com/photos/6984606-M.jpg

Look at those little bastards! Drives me up a wall.

Thanks,

Doug

[wxwax]

Doug, I'm in the same spot as you. I've tried blowing and vacuuming thus far, and things are either unchanged or worse. Two days ago I had a big clump visible in the camera's playback monitor - and it disappeared after the next mirror slap. That's entirely too much stuff floating around in there.

As I'm sure you know, the photo forums are filled with advice on how to clean sensors. The best solution is not a solution at all - just never change the lens! Failing that, most seem to recommend swabs with fluid.

But I found something called the Sensor Brush, (http://www.outbackphoto.com/workshop/phototechnique/essay05/essay.html)
which is a dry brush process. It sounds gentler. But it ain't easy, you have to blow the brush clean with compresed air for 10 seconds after every single pass. However, it's dry and it has a good review. So I've ordered their whole kit and kaboodle. It's coming down from Canada by regular mail, so Lord knows when it will reach me.

Here's the company's link. (http://www.visibledust.com/)

[pathfinder]

Doug, I'm in the same spot as you. I've tried blowing and vacuuming thus far, and things are either unchanged or worse. Two days ago I had a big clump visible in the camera's playback monitor - and it disappeared after the next mirror slap. That's entirely too much stuff floating around in there.

As I'm sure you know, the photo forums are filled with advice on how to clean sensors. The best solution is not a solution at all - just never change the lens! Failing that, most seem to recommend swabs with fluid.

But I found something called the Sensor Brush, (http://www.outbackphoto.com/workshop/phototechnique/essay05/essay.html)
which is a dry brush process. It sounds gentler. But it ain't easy, you have to blow the brush clean with compresed air for 10 seconds after every single pass. However, it's dry and it has a good review. So I've ordered their whole kit and kaboodle. It's coming down from Canada by regular mail, so Lord knows when it will reach me.

Here's the company's link. (http://www.visibledust.com/)Wxwax - I wondered when we would get to this here:rofl Not really funny!! - people seem to have al kinds of experiences. On my 10D I went almost a year without significant dust, even changing lenses in Bosque del Apache's gravel roads. But my experience with the 1DMkll is not nearly so kindly. I was at a local airshow shooting in the rain with a 100-400 zoom and found dozens of goobers on my sensor shield. Drat!! I broke down and used Eclipse and sensorswabs and improved it greatly. I think the trombone stye zoom lenses are the worst offenders.

Didger ( on the discussion boards at Luminous-Landscape.com has a long angry thread on the subject of sensor dust motes. He ended up scratching his sensor so BE CAREFULL OUT THERE. If you not comfortable cleaning very expensive optics, send the camera back to Canon or Nikon and let them deal with it. That said, I think if you use sensor swabs and Eclipse as directed - 1 pass per swab- then you can probably get along doing it yourself. That is what I do - but I do deal with optics at work. Sensor swabs are expensive, but ANY grit on the swab CAN scratch permanently the sensor, so careful out there folks. Or use one of the not interchangeable lens electronic viewfinder cameras like the Sony 828.

I saw the post about the Sensor Brush - Let us know your experiences with it. I think is may work for some stuff, but perhaps not for all.

[Baldy]

I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

[Andy]

I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

:thumb

[Andy]

it's really not a big deal, i do it now about every week or two.

copperhill is really the most extensive site / explanation out there:

check it out here (http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/ccd_cleaning)

i got the sensorswipe from them, and i use eclipse i bought from some vendor via google, all i remember is that it was 1/3 the price of b&h.

[dugmar]

Thanks guys.

Spending another $1K+ on another body isn't an option for most weekend warriors I'm afraid, so we are forced to change lenses when we need to.

Doug

[mercphoto]

I don't have dust on my senser in my 300D yet, but I do have a speck on the focus screen. Tried blowing it off, didn't work. Afraid to actually touch the screen with anything.

[wxwax]

I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.
I will never change my lens.

.
I guess that disqualifies you from the wide angle challenge, then. :D

[Andy]

I guess that disqualifies you from the wide angle challenge, then. :D

i'm not sure he has one! i don't think that 70-200 has been off his camera ever :D

[Baldy]

i'm not sure he has one! i don't think that 70-200 has been off his camera ever :DI kept my D60 to hold the wide angle. I walk around with two cameras over my shoulder — that's how much I hate dusty sensors.

[pathfinder]

I kept my D60 to hold the wide angle. I walk around with two cameras over my shoulder — that's how much I hate dusty sensors.
Dust motes are a fact of life.http://www.dgrin.com/images/icons/sad.gif But carrying two DSLRs is just too much weight for me, so I change as needed.

I have never developed the affection some shooters have for the 70-200 L. I bought one and it is probably my least used lens. It is sharp and precise but just not a length I go to.

I use the 28-75 Tamron (recently replaced with the 24-70 L) most of the time, the 100-400 L, occaisionally the 17-40 L, and the rest of the time with the 180 Macro. But the 70-200 rarely gets called by me - I am not sure what this says but I find the 70-200 too long on the 10D indoors and too short outdoors. Maybe if I shot candids and portraits more I would use it more frequently.

It sounds like Baldy is like my brother who rarely uses any other lens but the 70-200.

[Andy]

took me 3x this morning to get my 10d sensor clean "enough." there's still some specks at f/22, but i can't think of when i've shot at f/22 :)

important thing to remember is that when you clean, do a shot at f/22 and another shot at say, f/11. you'll likely never see the dust at f/11, if there is any left. you definitely won't see it with the lens wide open.

since i tend to shoot at the more wide apertures (f/5.6 and faster, mostly nearly all the way wide open) dust really really isn't an issue for me.

i still clean about once every two weeks now.

[wxwax]

And the 10D's supposed to be good about protecting the sensor! You rarely shoot at f22? I don't yet have a good sense of depth of field - I'm not really sure what depth I'll get from a given setting on a given lens. i.e. how far past my focal point the blurring will start. So when I'm concerned about it, I bracket the f-stop just for DOF. Light permitting, I'll try one at f22.