Sensor Cleaning: Stay Focused with Doug McKinlay
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- www.adorama.com
In this episode Doug talks us through the Sensor Cleaning process for DSLR cameras.
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Photos by Doug McKinlay
/ dougmckinlay
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Like, share, and comment on the video below...let's get the conversation started!
If you have questions, please share them below.
Thanks for a very well produced video.
I would add one thing. Everybody says hold the camera upside down when
blowing it out. I would say that the particle size is so small that
gravity would have a negligible effect on the direction in which the
displaced particles would move. To those particles, the air is like
thick soup.
They are more likely to be carried upwards in the warm air currents from
your hands or lights.
Because of the danger of damaging the sensor with the blower I suggest
holding it in whatever is the best position for you to handle it and see
inside and get the most light into it so you can see what you are
doing.
Worcester Exchange Valid point and it also prevents you from accidently hitting the sensor with a blower, I always put my camera on the table sensor facing foward when cleaning the sensor.
A modern idea and something that was never done with chemical film cameras obviously :)
Good info. My favorite part of the video was the hand washing demo using dramatic tilted framing.
I would suggest checking with the camera manufacture's guide on cleaning the sensor. While this may work for some/most mine says do not use cleaning solutions, may cause fogging and damage. Also only one direction and change the cloth each pass. That is just mine, I'm sure others have different approaches. Great video on how to do the general procedure and taking the test shots. Thank you.
This guy knows what he's doing.
Greetings from the Sahara, my camel didn't hold still but I got it done. Thanks.
RIP I’m actually in the Sahara rn
Only issue I will add to this video is that each time I remove a lens I hold the camera upside down. When replacing a lens, I also hold the camera upside down. It is important to remember that dust is always floating around in the air and that it is crucial to keeping it out of our equipment. Many thanks for the video, enjoyed it very much. Regards, Tony
By this do you mean holding it facing the ground?
Yes
Why would you expect him to hold the camera down in a demonstration video? it's pretty hard to film that way.
Thank you! I thought I would have to send my camera in to get professionally cleaned but this worked! Much appreciated!
A UV flashlight is cheap on ebay and makes a huge difference in what you see on the sensor
Thanks for sharing your thorough technique. 💯
Thanks for that very comprehensive tutorial. You gave me the confidence to try cleaning my camera's sensor myself.
I would recommend doing this in the bathroom, run the shower as hot as you can for a good 10 mins before to get it steamy so all the dust in the air will settle to the ground after run your bathroom fan to take the extra moisture out of the air
I would recommend you don't make claims without proof. Geez Louise.
Thank you! This is one of the best and well explained and narrated videos!
Claude A
I was afraid to touch the thing until you mentioned that the front of the sensor is glass. I got a cleaning kit and now my D70 shoots like new again. I love that old camera and now I can take her out for a spin again. Like driving a classic car :)
As a novice to photography and new to dslr cameras i thought it was an eccelant video as i had noticed small marks in photos and wondered how to clean it myself excellent and saved me some money .Scotland
Excellent presentation and explanation, thank you.
Thank you very much! This will help in cleaning my sensor for the first time. Thanks again!
enjoyed the video, this worked well for me. cameras all clean now and ready to shoot
just done the dry method and it worked perfectly! thank you so much and I will subscribe to you! all the best, John.
Good video. Thanks. I use a nice Sensor Loupe to see the the dust on the sensor. It saves me tons of time rather than shooting a photo to see the dust.
thank you Sir for sharing
excellent video. Well explained, so now I'll get the kit and have a go.
I agree with everything in this except leaving all the caps off in your bag. But that's a choice.
Everything is a choice
Exept for taxes and death.
I stopped watching at that point. Makes little sense.
@@577buttfan taxes and death are still a choice
Though I cringed at such an idea, each to their own.
Awesome explanation
very helpful...thank you
Awesome tutorial - Thanks so much
Excellent Video...I am going to have a go at cleaning my sensor. Thank you.
Great job explaining each method!
thank you doug for this you really help my
Thankyou so much will give this a try
very detailed! ty so much! im a horse trainer / riding instr and have taken thousands of jumping pics over the yrs and this was so helpful! I like to call myself an amateur photographer as I take what I do seriously, I dont mess around lolol
TRANSCRIPT, with edited and corrected text:
For this video we'll be looking at how to clean DSLR sensors.
AdoramaTV presents 'Stay Focused' with Doug McKinlay.
For this video we'll be looking at how to clean DSLR sensors.
I think it's a necessary task and one that every photographer should
know how to do it correctly.
It might seem a little daunting at first but with the right care and
attention it's relatively easily done. Yes you can have your sensors
professionally cleaned but it's not cheap, at least not where I live
so by following these simple steps you should be able to get the
sensors clean for most environmental conditions.
First the essential tools I Will need to get the job done.
1. A blower
2. A statically charged cleaning brush
3. Eclipse cleaning fluid
4. Cleaning swabs
5. A lens cloth
6. Aa small headlamp or torch, flashlight
7. A bright white surface or a clear blue sky shooting backdrops and;
8. Either a small zoom or a 50mm lens.
You can add a can of compressed air to this list but just remember
never blast it directly into the camera as it can damage the mechanisms
Personally, however, I just stick with the blower.
Before we get into it, though, let me just point out that for the most
part you're not cleaning the sensor itself but the low-pass filter that
sits in front of the sensor.
For argument's sake we will call it sensor cleaning here.
Now there are two methods to cleaning a camera sensor.
The dry method and the wet method.
The dry method is one that you should be doing most.
It's easy and fast.
As for the wet method, it is something that may be needed only once or
so a month, depending on how much shooting you do.
Now, just a couple of things to be aware of...
A very important first is; Make sure the camera battery is fully
charged. If not, the mirror could drop and the shutter could close
just as you have the cleaning instrument inside the camera.
Thus potentially causing damage.
Secondly. Do the cleaning in an environment that is as dust and wind
free as possible. There is no point in cleaning the sensor while
mounted on the back of a camel in the Sahara Desert.
Most kitchen table tops with good light should suffice.
Make sure you wash your hands before you begin cleaning.
Just remove any grease or dirt that you may have picked up doing your
normal day.
When taking on the task of cleaning the sensor you should really be
thinking about cleaning all of your camera equipment at the same time.
How dirty your gear becomes depends on your photography style and the
environment you work in.
For instance, when I'm working, I take all the lens caps and back covers
off of my lenses when they are in my camera bag.
The reason why is that I can change the lenses faster.
The downside is that they collect dust and even though I always carry
a lens cloth in my back pocket for a quick wipe, I don't get anywhere
near as clean as when I do a dedicated proper cleaning session.
So before popping the lens off the camera body, give it a good wipe
down, we don't want to introduce any extra grime into the camera.
OK, it's time to get started...
First things first. Get a blank memory card, insert it into the camera
and take a picture of a bright background.
For me, it's the white side of a reflector.
To get this right and see the visible dust you need to shoot at a low
ISO. We are not looking for the noise here, and use a small aperture,
f/22 for instance. We're not worried about things such as diffraction
or tack-sharp focus. In fact, if the shutter is a little slow it will
work in your favor. When taking the test picture, move your camera a
little bit, even pan a little.
This will blur any marks on your shooting surface, so only the dust and
dirt on the sensor will show up.
Once zoomed into 100% use the navigation tool and start in the top left
corner and work your way across and then down and backward and forward
all the way to the bottom of the frame.
By doing this you should be able to see how dirty the sensor really is.
OK
The camera is wiped down and the lens has been removed.
Now on the menu, find the camera cleaning setting and switch to manual.
This will lock the mirror in the UP position when the release button is
pressed, making the sensor visible.
It will close again once the camera main power is turned OFF.
Take the blower, invert the camera body lens facing down, and carefully
blast a few shots of air into the cavity.
** DO NOT ** touch the sensor with the tip of the blower.
It will damage the sensor.
When this procedure is completed, snap the lens back ON.
Take another picture as done previously.
Have a look at the LCD screen again and if dust is still visible, move
on to the dry clean method.
For my dry cleaning needs, I use a statically charged brush.
Keep in mind these brushes come in different sizes for different size
sensors. There are two ways to charge these brushes.
The cheap and the more expensive way, such as canned air.
I use the cheap way, the blower.
Simply take the brush, give the bristles a couple of whacks on the edge
of the table, just to loosen any collected bits of dust, then blast it
with the blower, a few times and the brush will be electrostatically
charged.
Insert the brush into the camera body.
This is where a headlamp, or torch/flashlight comes in handy.
Draw the brush across the sensor from one side to the other with only
the tips of the brush making contact, and then without turning the
brush over, draw it back again.
This should remove most surface dust.
To be sure, fit the lens back on, take another picture and repeat the
zooming method. If it's all clear or relatively clear, that's all you
need to do. Keep in mind that the depth of sensor cleaning to be matched
to what you shoot.
If you are a documentary photographer or the apertures you use are
relatively big, say f/8 to f/2 and small specks of dust probably will
never show up in the final image, but if you are into a small aperture
landscapes etc, f/11 to f/22 and you will most likely need to give
the sensor a deeper clean... A wet clean.
Wet cleaning is definitely a more invasive method of getting the sensor
dust-free, and with a little care and the right equipment it is not
that difficult.
For me, I always start with a dry clean, even if I intend to do a wet
clean.
Now for the wet clean.
The most important tools are the swabs and the cleaning fluid.
** Don't cheap out on the cleaning fluid.
Personally, I use 'Eclipse' as it has always been reliable.
Next; before applying the cleaning fluid, give the end of the swab a
few blasts of air from the blower. This will help get rid of any errant
pieces of lint and then place small drops of your chosen fluid across
the tip of the swab.
Make sure you have the right size swab for the particular sensor.
Two or three drops should be more than sufficient to cover the whole
tip, no matter which swab side you use.
** Be very careful to make sure you do not over moisten the swab.
Too much fluid on the swab can cause fluid to leak into unseen areas
of the sensor chamber and cause serious damage.
If the swab is inadvertently over moistened, gently dab the tip on a
clean piece of lint-free paper.
** Don't be tempted to touch the tip to check if it's damp, as grease
and natural body oil from your fingertips can be introduced to the
swab and then to the sensor. To efficiently swab the sensor, hold the
swab like a pen. Place it on one side of the sensor and move the swab
from one end to the other, in a single, continuous, firm, and slow
motion.
Do not put too much pressure on the swab against the sensor.
Remember the glass is very thin.
Allow the sensor a moment to dry and repeat the process, but starting
on the opposite side of the sensor this time.
Two sweeps should be enough to remove the vast majority of dust.
If you can see a smear on the sensor, a third pass is sensible.
Be sure to turn the swab over as you move across, so the cause of the
smear no longer presents an issue.
When finished, suitably discard the swab as it intended to be used
ONLY ONCE.
Just to finish up... Remember there are a number of different products
in the market for cleaning sensors, some really good, some not so good.
Ultimately the choice is up to each photographer depending on a number
of factors such as budget, shooting environments, and the end-use of the
images for example.
Like a lot of photographic products you may have to work your way
through a few to find the products that suit you best.
So that's it for this week, and I'm Doug McKinlay for AdoramaTV.
Don't forget, you can also subscribe to AdoramaTV for more great videos
And we really want to know what you think, so send your comments or
like and share this video.
You can also check out the Adorama Learning Center for more great tips
and techniques.
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Be sure to visit our easy to use online printing service.
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For a quick turnaround on photos, cards or ...
Leaving the caps off during a shoot could be the end of your shoot if the location is windy and dusty, something I would not recommend personally.
I take my cameras in for cleaning but its always better the more you can do yourself, that way your never stuck! good tutorial.
Thank you!! You just saved me $100!!!
Thank you doug I had a commercial clean once and found that when I got it back it still had spots.
Thanks a lot! Just what I was looking for. Finaly got rid of the dust :)
Thx so much for this video. But just to clarify when you are either dry or wet cleaning the sensor is that with the mirror up? Thanks
what kind of camera bag is that at 2-44?
Thank you Doug! Super informative!
Your're a good teacher fella!
I know a lot of camera assistants who simply use lens tissue and a cleaner like Pancro to clean camera sensors on studio cameras with great success and without damaging the sensor. However, I've noticed everything on the web says to use special swabs and cleaning solutions to clean much cheaper dslr sensors. Is this because dslrs have a different coating on the sensor or is Pancro actually a suitable replacement for eclipse cleaning solution? Hard to believe you'd have to baby a $2000 dslr more than a $30000 studio camera.
Don't blow air on the swab, it will NOT have any lint on it right out the package it comes in. Blowing air can blow particles away OR introduce new particles on the sensor.
Don't whack the electrostatic brush over a table edge, find a clean, smooth, sharp edge like a blade to scrape some of the particles off the brush.
In this entire process, it is difficult to achieve 100% zero defects. Choose some threshold you can live with.
And dont prepare the tools over the open and exposed camera sensor 🙄
I never know about that thank you so much for teaching!
This video was intense !!!!
Good tips... I thought my sensor smudges but actually the LCD screen got dead pixels.
Hi Doug! I looked through 10 videos, before I found one that was specific, to my camera that went at a speed that allowed me to understand, and follow along. Kudos to you I do have a question though. in using a high magnifier and looking in my camera the mirror appears to have some dust underneath it. I'm not able to get it off what would be recommended?
You made it look very possible, even for me, thanks.
I like how he blew the swab with the hand blower right over the open camera setting face up. Huh?
I noticed that.
useful video!
Thanks Doug... big help. Thumbs up...
Did i hear that right wet clean once every month or two? Bit excessive isnt it. I check for dust on sensor like every time i shoot. I clean like once a year. The auto sensor clean on the 5Dmkiii does a good job at keeping dust off. But i always blow back off lens when changing.
Nice one Doug, thank you.
Thanks you sir
Well he called f22 a small aperture and he is actually telling you that you want a large depth of field. So that part could be confusing if you don’t know that aperture is reversed when considering the f stop.
Canon is very specific about not using compressed air. The photo shop I used had been using it routinely, on my camera. Every time they cleaned the sensor with compressed air, by the next day, there would be loads of sensor dust. What the compressed air was doing was overriding the way the sensor had been designed. And Canon's Dust Delete Data does not seem to work at all. So, I am needing a for-sure method to rid my camera's sensor of ever- present dust. I may have to get over the fear of using swabs on the sensor.
Using rubber blower is much safer . Never use compressed air. It may damage the sensor.
Ask them to use only blower for your camera. Swab is next step to clean and this is preferable by professional.
Ms. Serio, you can easily clean the sensor as I have just done. First, I run the camera's dust removal feature up to four or five times, then use the blower without the brush while holding the camera upside down. I then take a Q-tip and apply two drops of Isopropyl Alcohol on the cotton tip and gently move the swap over the sensor until the sensor is dry. I then use the dry end of the Q-tip and again apply gentle pressure on the sensor, being careful to cover the entire area. I take a few shots, upload them and check for any signs of dust or debris. It worked out fine for me and my Pentax k-50 and I saved myself approx., $100.00 in the process. Hope this helps. Tony
Can't fault your vid, very informative. Cheers
Hi, I took glass before sensor, to shoot infrared. Would I damage sensor if I clean it? I'm talking about actual sensor not the glass/filter in front of it. I'm having some kind of white shodow when I'm zooming in and it disappears when I'm fully zoomed out. Did I du something with sensor or just lenses needs to clean as it is old canon sx50. Thanks
Interesting that I had just finished watching a digital camera cleaning tutorial produced by Canon. The instructor very much stressed that when cleaning, we must never directly touch the sensor with anything, not even swabs, fingers and blower tips. Also never to use canned air because it is under a great deal of pressure and can therefore damage the sensor. Any thoughts on this Mr. McKinlay? Thanks, Tony
Yeah, the swabs actually have small fiber tendrils that attract the dust off the sensor itself with a charge, and the moisture helps the dust get stuck to the swab. You're told never to touch the sensor at all. And it makes sense, because there are tons of microscopic structures that can easily get scratched up, even if you're using something soft. Wet cleaning does add lubrication to help things glide across more smoothly along while picking up oils. Over time, this could become an issue with enough scratches though. So no matter what, once you touch a sensor, it's getting scratched. It's just how bad the scratches get that determines if you've done enough damage to be considered damage.
Automatic cleaning sensors use 100hz vibration and negatively charge the sensor to repel dust, but that doesn't work with things like oils that dust can bring, which causes dust to stick to the sensor no matter what you do, and large pieces of dust that may have a sticking force greater than a static charge can lift them off with. And since oil won't lift off with vibration or a negative charge, there obviously needs to be a physical contact to absorb the oils from the sensor.
It can also depend on what the sensor is to begin with. Older sensors usually recommend to never touch the sensor with any kind of brush. Whether this is just a precaution or a hard limit due to the fragility of the sensor, isn't really clear. But I would say that to be on the safe side, a dry brush should never ever be used on the sensor. Especially since brush bristles are typically cut to a hard edge, which means the edges will be microscopically sharp.
Unless you're in a clean room and your camera is air tight, it's basically impossible to really clean all the dust off a sensor. The moment you're done cleaning a sensor, dust in the air will come into contact with it. It's actually better to clean a sensor outdoors than indoors, because indoors usually have more dust because most of the dust in a home is dead skin, and your home acts like a dust trap, catching every bit of dust that seeps through the smallest cracks....and once the dust is inside your home and settles, there's not really any strong enough wind indoors to remove it. Thankfully, camera's can still perform fairly well even with a fair amount of dust on the sensor.
SL1
Good Afternoon Sir;
I am having the most awkward moment.
I cleaned, the prism, mirror, and sensor. What A Beautiful Difference........BUT.
Looking rhrough my viewfinder, i still see all the speckles, but much much clearer. It looks as if i had used an electric beard trimmer, and all the tiny shaving landed on my sensor.
Dry cleaning, nor Wet cleaning did anything but give me much more beautifully clean photos, BUT with "beard trimmings".
Would this be the moment to consider a professional cleaning?
Thank You For Your Help in Advance 😊
Ur a lifesaver
Thanks
I put my camera body on my tripod for hands free cleaning.
This is brilliant idea. Thanks!
Thank you.
This isn't a sensor related question but I was cleaning the mirror with my lens cloth and it's left with a smear like oil. In through my view finder there is grey dots which I assume are dust or dirt. I used a blower like yours but these dots in the viewfinder is this there.
Thanks, great help!
What you going to if you find oil spots instead of dust
Thank you so much
good video, what about the canon 7d dslr that does not have a manual cleaning option?
Good battery, and BULB mode.
Thanks for that... Good video.
What about blowing some air in there after you run the brush?
Thanks so much!!
I sent a camera back to the store because it had dust spots and now my second one is doing this maybe that brush method might help me
Just starting out here...so can you use a NEW makeup brush for the cleaning...it is very fine bristle...
thanks my friend
Thank you for your detailed and helpful explanation. However I have one question. Is there a risk that by using mirror lockup with the shutter open you will allow dust to fall on the sensor? If so, is there any way that this can be prevented? I tried your test by taking a picture of a white reflector at F22 and I could only find 3 tiny specs of dust on my sensor so is it really worth the risk of making it worse by leaving the shutter open with the mirror locked up?
Oh man! I always put the lens cap on the part that attaches to the camera. This guy’s crazy by just leaving his lenses in his bag without caps.
Hi Doug. I have a Canon 5D4 and need to start doing the cleaning myself. What brush can I use for the dry cleaning part. Do you have a preferred name?
Thank you!
Thank you, thumbs up..
After choosing manual clicking.. how to turn it back? Thank u
In the Dry Cleaning method, do I have to use a special brush?
thanks for the info
Great video! Thanks :)
will not dry cleaning sensor pen or q-tip create micro scratches on the sensor filter and show as small dots on the images
What do you call the the clear thing above the camera sensor mirror that connects to the view finder it has mark that I want to clean but idk how
I just got my 5D Mark II and found three dead, red pixels that show up when the ISO is under 100. Now here's the interesting part. They only show up when I'm shooting video. Also in one separate shot I took, one of the pixels started dancing. How can I fix that? This is bugging me!
Sir i have Canon 5dm iii i clicked around 10000 images i have a big issue of grainy images and foggy image so which technnique i have to use wet or dry ???
Doug: There's no point in trying this while mounted on the back of a camel in the Sahara desert
Me: Oh * dismounting the camel
Thank you. Excellent tutorial. The only thing I would add is to use bar soap instead of liquid soap when washing your hands before you perform your lens cleaning. Bar soap disperses better on your hands, is washed off more easily and leaves much less residue on your hands. Liquid soap leaves much more residue on your hands - surfactant - and leaves your hands more tacky.
Surgeons use bar soap before and after surgery because it is much better and less harsh than liquid soaps. Ivory is a good choice for bar soap. Don't over soap your hands. But use enough to clean well without leaving sticky soap ingredient residue on your hands.
What kind of cleaning swabs are those?
very helpful 👍
Thank you :-).
very good
How can aperture in any way affect visibility of sensor dust? (5:35)
Thanks for the Info...
Thanks a lot!
Newbie question, *is it safe to use a dust blower can at the sensor*? I really thank you for your time!
Not safe. The pressure can do damage internally.
2:35 Nice, that looks like Ireland.
Was wondering what will happen to newer sensors that dont have filter on top, after several uses of wet solutions.
Even these sensors have an InfraRed filter that sits in front of them
Sir I have eos m50 mirrorless camera how to clean my camera please!
Super tutorial except slapping the brush against the table is not a good idea no matter how clean you think your table is. I followed your steps and have a clean as can be sensor just waiting for me to muck up again. Thanks, Doug!
Exactly correct. ✔
The brush will only pick up dust and skin particles off of the table
and introduce them into the camera.
The brush is sufficiently clean straight out of the packaging and should
not be re-used for camera sensor cleaning.
Perhaps one can repurpose a used brush for another purpose, and purchase a NEW
and clean brush for each cleaning operation.
Brushes cost $20 each. They can be successfully cleaned and re used.