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Archive 2019 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

chez
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

Frogfish wrote:
I run the auto cleaning mode of the camera and blow the sensor with a rocket blower before I go off on a shoot. If I am going on a international trip (3-4 times year) then I have it professionally cleaned just before I leave, ditto if I return and have a lot of dust showing up (during the trip I'll be doing the auto-clean and rocket daily).

I'm lucky as living in Shanghai I have an old guy who's been doing this for decades and he charges me US$10 to clean two cameras.

That's a great price, hard to pass up as long as he stands by if damage occurs during cleaning.

I have a good relationship with a camera shop that gets all sorts of damaged sensors due to cleaning.

Jan 24, 2019 at 09:06 PM

GMPhotography
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

Don’t do what I do only because it is totally not recommended unless you have done it a thousand times which I have. I use compressed air in a can which is not recommended but I’ll also do a wet clean with no qualms about it . I’ve done that a thousand times too in every system. If you every owned Medium format backs than you become at expert out of the gate especially with a tech cam as that sensor is exposed all the time. So you really have to learn how to deal with dust and wet cleaning too as they are constantly dirty. Every workshop I taught I’d clean everyone’s sensors the whole week .

Jan 24, 2019 at 09:47 PM

jstrawman
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

Gunzorro wrote I rarely change lenses outdoors, preferring to take two bodies with lenses mounted. When needed, I carefully keep the open camera body pointed downward, and change only in calm conditions.

This what I do, also. In fact, I never change lenses outdoors. Never have had to clean a sensor in 50+ years of shooting.

Jan 24, 2019 at 10:42 PM

jhinkey
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

I blow it clean with a can of canned air - a no-no thing to do according to some, but I really make sure no liquid is coming out first with a few practice squirts, then do it for real making sure the can stays vertical.

This seems to not let stuff build up.
I use one of those spot brushes to get a really stuck on particle if possible.
Wet cleaning is only if necessary.

Jan 24, 2019 at 11:31 PM

Greg Campbell
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

After getting an A7s to compliment my old Drebel, I soon learned to stash a can of air in the car, and to use it before every shoot! Serious cleaning, physically wiping the sensor, should be done as infrequently as possible. I use small polyester clean room swabs wetted with half a drop of methanol. Just as effective as Pec pads and the like, and vastly cheaper.

Edited on Jan 25, 2019 at 11:17 AM · View previous versions

Jan 25, 2019 at 12:38 AM

Younjulius
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

Greg Campbell wrote:
After getting an A7s to compliment my old Drebel, I soon learned to stash a can of air in the car, and to use it before every shoot! Serious cleaning, physically wiping the sensor, should be done as infrequently as possible. I use small polyester clean room swabs and a drop of methanol. Just as effective as Pec pads and the like, and vastly cheaper.

You’re not being serious, right?

Jan 25, 2019 at 12:54 AM

Frogfish
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

chez wrote:
That's a great price, hard to pass up as long as he stands by if damage occurs during cleaning.

I have a good relationship with a camera shop that gets all sorts of damaged sensors due to cleaning.

I'm not sure he'd do that (or indeed if anyone would in China, it's not the USA / Europe with consumer protection) ! However he's cleaned my cameras for as long as I've been using DSLRs (and now ML) so that's 8-9 years, with never an issue, always clean and smearless.

Jan 25, 2019 at 02:46 AM

Frogfish
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

Gunzorro wrote:
..........I rarely change lenses outdoors, preferring to take two bodies with lenses mounted. When needed, I carefully keep the open camera body pointed downward, and change only in calm conditions.

Whilst in general that's what I'd do in the mountains if I really need to change lenses in adverse conditions then I keep a large, light, plastic bag hand to hand and change inside the bag. You can see what you're doing and there is far less chance of any dust/wind getting into your camera.

Jan 25, 2019 at 02:49 AM

airfang
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

jstrawman wrote:
This what I do, also. In fact, I never change lenses outdoors. Never have had to clean a sensor in 50+ years of shooting.

+1, I use zooms whenever possible and avoid changing lens in the field.

(still some dust managed to get stuck on my Sony a7R3)

Jan 25, 2019 at 02:54 AM

Chaliel
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

Did you see the video where they clean the inside of the Leica camera with a special small vacuüm cleaner?
They say that the blower just blows the dirt In the camera..., there is some logic in that statement...

Jan 25, 2019 at 04:50 AM

chez
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

Chaliel wrote:
Did you see the video where they clean the inside of the Leica camera with a special small vacuüm cleaner?
They say that the blower just blows the dirt In the camera..., there is some logic in that statement...

I turn the camera upside down when using the blower. Don't know if it helps, but in the end I have a clean sensor.

Jan 25, 2019 at 09:28 AM

GMPhotography
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

chez wrote:
I turn the camera upside down when using the blower. Don't know if it helps, but in the end I have a clean sensor.

I do the same when I use compressed air cans. I don't move the can as that can spray propellent but move the camera and it is upside down. I think having it upside down is a good idea. Also I spray into a corner and not on the sensor so it goes across the sensor

Jan 25, 2019 at 09:40 AM

LBJ2
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

A subject near and dear to all of our hearts. I only clean when I need to and it usually starts when I see a spec and then I usually clean the front lens element, if that doesn't do it then I pay attention to the sensor glass cover.

Like others I am very careful when changing lenses and frankly been a long time since I had to clean my Sonys.

**
-Camera mount always face down when changing lenses.
-I close my mouth and don't breathe when I change the lenses (sounds crazy I know)

Jan 25, 2019 at 09:50 AM

LBJ2
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

Chaliel wrote:
Did you see the video where they clean the inside of the Leica camera with a special small vacuüm cleaner?
They say that the blower just blows the dirt In the camera..., there is some logic in that statement...

Yes! Very interesting video. I was never able to find a suitable vacuum pump myself, still on the lookout for something reasonable. But I disagree with the advise about a blower. Use a blower! The goal is to remove debris off the glass sensor cover mainly so you perhaps don't have to clean the sensor cover or if you do clean the glass sensor cover you don't scratch.

For reference:

https://leicarumors.com/2017/04/05/how-to-clean-a-leica-m-camerasensor-video.aspx/

Edited on Jan 25, 2019 at 10:05 AM · View previous versions

Jan 25, 2019 at 09:56 AM

nekrosoft13
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

Imagemaster wrote:
JFYI: If you learn to use the Search feature on this site, it will bring up a number of threads on this subject, and you can just click on the threads you want to read. This search feature is at the top right corner of every forum.
And?

Pretty much 99% of topics already been discussed.

But this is exactly what discussion forums are for. If you don't like a topic, don't click on it.

Jan 25, 2019 at 09:58 AM

Greg Campbell
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

Younjulius wrote:
You’re not being serious, right?

Well, yea. https://www.ebay.com/itm/TX761-TEXWIPE-Alpha-Polyester-Cleanroom-Swab-with-Long-Handle/302521309864
These are used to clean zillion $ optics and work great on photo gear.

Jan 25, 2019 at 11:16 AM

Chaliel
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

nekrosoft13 wrote:
And?

Pretty much 99% of topics already been discussed.

But this is exactly what discussion forums are for. If you don't like a topic, don't click on it.

Yes & No...
Yes à forum is for discussion,
But if you want to know something it's more handy if things stay together so you do not have to search at many many places.

Jan 25, 2019 at 05:03 PM

chiron
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

I very rarely have to clean my sensor, but I don't change lenses in dust-prone environments.

Jan 25, 2019 at 09:51 PM

ZoneV
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

My Sony A7II sensor is quite dirty - I see it when I use slow iris settings like f/5.6 or such. I should really clean it

At least before I do some micro images.

I do use the automated cleaning mode ~ weekly. Now and then I use a blower, like 3 times in a year. I think I have wet cleaned it one or two years ago, with swaps. That was not 100% clean for f/32 or such.
Now I see the camera is likely near 4 years old, I think I should clean it again.
Not sure wheter I will use the swaps,Discofilm fluid, or Isoproyl alcohol, ether and such.
I do a lot of sensor (not only AA and IR filter) cleaning at work at a machine vision camera company. But in case I really mess up a sensor, there are some real pros (former Zeiss staff) as backup.

For my kind of photography with most times f-stops from f=0.95 to 2.8 I still dont really need it. And I change lenses often, have sometimes the camera some minutes open, cause I forget it during some tinkering on the lens I want to mount.

Jan 29, 2019 at 02:45 AM

Melindra
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p.2 #20 · p.2 #20 · How and how often do you clean the sensor?

I now clean the sensor before every job which is almost every day.

I use a solution as dry cleaning (blowing) doesn't remove oils and such.

I've become fed up with most solutions available, too sticky or leave smears, so made my own.

Jan 29, 2019 at 03:23 AM

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