Would You Clean The Sensor Of Your Digital Camera

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Would You Clean The Sensor Of Your Digital Camera

Posted by: admin Post date: January 4th, 2010

As an owner of a Digital SLR my worst fear has always been the cleaning of the sensor, or rather the cleanliness of the sensor. I’ve owned this fantastic camera for over five years and it’s a part of me. No other digital SLR compares to it in terms of quality or feel. It’s a canon 10D and I love it. OK it’s only 6 megapixels but who cares the quality is there. I also own a Canon 450D which just doesn’t feel right and I’m sure the focus is a little soft.

I upload quite a few images to the Microstock Photography market and I have had a few more rejections from the 450D for noise and quality issues than the ‘Built like a tank’ Canon 10D. I’ve spent hours testing and comparing the two. Each time I change my mind about which one will give the best results, it’s that close. How can a 6megapixel camera compare with a 10 megapixel camera in terms of quality? But the 10D delivers the goods and has never failed to.

Another plus for the 10D is that I can control it through my laptop and see the immediate results on the screen, very handy for still life. Anyway back to the sensor. It was whist I was shooting some isolated still life images, they always sell well in Microstock, that I met my worst fear. There on the screen of my laptop was an image of an old trainer which was pretty well exposed etc. But when I looked at the perfectly exposed white background it was covered in black marks. I went over to the set-up and expected the white paper to be covered in marks. It wasn’t, it was perfectly clean. Then it hit me the marks were on my sensor of my beloved 10D.

I’d not used the 10D in the studio for a while I had mostly used it for wedding and portraiture. Only because, rightly or wrongly, I have a theory that the bigger the Camera the more important you look. Anyway it must have been over three years since I had shot any isolated table top set ups on my 10D. The fact that I was shooting with studio flash at f22 highlighted the problem even further.

To cut a long story short I realised that I needed to get the sensor cleaned. It was a realisation that gave me that sickly feeling in the pit of my stomach. I started to search the internet for a easy but effective solution. Some of the info was good? Other searches supplied me with what I can only describe as horror stories. But I had to make a decision. Do I keep the 10D as a backup camera or do I attempt to clean the sensor with the possibility of ruining my camera. Decision made I decided to clean the sensor myself. I ordered a kit of the internet and dreaded the arrival of the equipment that could eventually kill off my beloved 10D.

A couple of days later the Postman arrived with a small package which I gingerly opened. Inside I found five spatulas with a fabric on the end a small bottle of fluid. The width of the spatulas was exactly the same as the sensor on my 10D I was assured. I read the very simple instructions and re-read the instruction book that came with the 10D, mainly to delay the actual act of cleaning the sensor.

It did emphasis that the battery in the camera should be fully charged so it would hold open the shutter and keep the mirror out of the way. I added four drops to the spatula and very gently dragged it across the sensor. I turned the spatula over and repeated the process. Looking into the camera I could see the solution evaporating rapidly. I turned the camera off and replaced the lens. Now was the time of truth!

I set the aperture to f22 a pointed the camera at the overcast sky and pressed the shutter. I took out the card and put it into my computer, opened up Photoshop at opened the file.

I was amazed the filth, or muck as we call it, had all but gone. There was an odd mark but far less than before. The sensor looked in perfect condition and I was delighted. I must admit that because of my new found confidence I did repeat the cleaning and the marks have now disappeared completely.

As a result my images are not only cleaner but they appear sharper, crisper but that could be my imagination, I don’t know. But what I do know is that after years of reading and hearing about the horror stories of sensor cleaning, never again will I hesitate to clean it. Of course I also believe in prevention rather than cure so I will take the extra care not to let the dust in as no doubt my confidence will diminish when the time comes to cleaning the sensor of my digital cameras.

From the age of sixteen I have worked in the construction industry developing an eye for design and an appreciation of fine architecture. But, my first passion is photography! I gained my Licentiate with The Royal Photographic Society way back in 1988 – A passion that has grown, over the years, into an obsession. It was inevitable that at some point my two main interests would become one. Because of my love of buildings, architecture and furniture and drawing on my experience gained in the construction industry feel that I am in a position to take images that fully justify the subject and show a knowledge and commitment of creative photography. However, I do shoot other subjects for my personal use. I now publish a newsletter aimed at the Microstock Photographer who wants to sell their photos online. Please view my latest stock photography and subscribe to my newsletter at http://www.gbphotostock.com or read my blogs at http://gbmicrostock.blogspot.com/