Ever notice those little dark circles on your photo files? We all get them but how do you get rid of them? You clean your sensor! Those spots usually appear due to condensation inside your camera. After shooting all day in cold weather you set the camera down to warm up…viola spots appear. One way to minimize the problem is to place your camera in a plastic bag or camera bag while it warms up. Of course the opposite is also true. While shooting in Vietnam’s heat and humidity I forget about air conditioning. All my shots after this gaff produced spots which added a lot of time to post production. Big mistake! Now I carry cleaning products on every shoot.
I recently ran out of fluid so I checked for a refill at Amazon.com. To my surprise I found the Sensor Swab Digital Survival kit. The portable pouch neatly holds the swabs, fluid, and cleaning pads all in one place. No more searching for the swabs and bottle of fluid! You may view the kit via the “Stuff I use” link.
Disclaimer: Always read the instructions first. Camera manufacturers will warn you not to clean your sensor by yourself. Manufacturers will request you to send it to them for cleaning.
This is how I clean my sensor
Disclaimer: Always read the instructions first. Camera manufacturers will warn you not to clean your sensor by yourself. Manufacturers will request you to send it to them for cleaning.
This is how I clean my sensor
I use sensor swab for cleaning my sensor. Actually you just clean the glass cover not the sensor itself. To clean I set my camera shutter to “bulb”. Following the directions I add a few drops of Eclipse cleaning fluid to the swab, press and hold down the shutter, then swipe across the sensor. I Remove the swab stick from the camera and release the shutter. I Take a shot of the sky or a white background to check my sensor. Repeat if necessary. I have had stubborn spots that required additional cleaning. Always follow the instructions!
The full frame sensor size swabs came with the kit. At first the full frame swabs seemed too large. I previously had used only the smaller size swab. I soon became comfortable with the larger size. The large swab allows one pass cleaning. I have read about streaking but I have never had that problem. The only minor problem I have had is some occasional fiber debris left after cleaning. A dust brush or blower easily takes care of that.
What is your experience cleaning your sensor? Post a comment to share your thoughts and opinions.
Everyday presents a new photo opportunity…so keep looking and shoot!
