Sensor cleaning

[Rose]

The sensor on my Canon 5D MKII definitely needs cleaning and I need to get it done before I go away in a couple of weeks time. Has anyone the wherewithall to do it for me - or with me please ?

Many thanks

[davidc]

I have had this problem a few times and have a lens blower - each time it's sorted it admirably! I will bring it in and we can do it inside 10 mins.

If it turns out if it's too dirty for that then we lose nothing by trying and you can find a more "pro" approach but my little rocket blower is great

[Rose]

Thanks David I'm getting a lot of noticeable spots in my photos now, so it clearly needs cleaning.

[Mike Farley]

I can confirm that the blower method usually works well. I use the predecessor of the Koh Hepajet II blower as it filters the air which is being directed onto the sensor.

http://www.cameraclean.co.uk/product-de ... Air+Blower

[davidc]

I saw those filtered blowers and I'd question the efficacy that the filter has in real terms.

Though you may get a small volume of cleaner air inside the rocket, a) not all of that air will leave the rocket and b) there is a still the ambient dust in the room which you are still pushing onto the sensor. If dust in the room was so bad that a filter was needed I'm sure we wouldn't be seeing non-filtered dust rockets (otherwise using them would add MORE dust than it removed and the camera manufacturers would advise us not to use them) AND that those with filters could produce statistically significant evidence which would be plastered all over their websites (which it doesn't seem to be!)

I tried my non-filtered blower on a ridiculously dirty sensor and compared the before/after pictures and it made a huge difference, I'd be very interested to see a side-by-side comparison with a filtered one.

[Mike Farley]

I saw those filtered blowers and I'd question the efficacy that the filter has in real terms.

Though you may get a small volume of cleaner air inside the rocket, a) not all of that air will leave the rocket and b) there is a still the ambient dust in the room which you are still pushing onto the sensor. If dust in the room was so bad that a filter was needed I'm sure we wouldn't be seeing non-filtered dust rockets (otherwise using them would add MORE dust than it removed and the camera manufacturers would advise us not to use them) AND that those with filters could produce statistically significant evidence which would be plastered all over their websites (which it doesn't seem to be!)

I tried my non-filtered blower on a ridiculously dirty sensor and compared the before/after pictures and it made a huge difference, I'd be very interested to see a side-by-side comparison with a filtered one.

The filter is also supposed to remove static and humidity from the blown air as well as dust particles. Whether this makes any practical difference is difficult to know, especially since there will inevitably be some airborne dust in the region of the sensor. It might make more sense when using the blower in a dusty region. As ever, yer pays yer money ......

[Peter Boughton]

I had a non-filtered blower and after a few uses it didn't do its job - just adding/moving dust rather than removing it, and I'm sure I've spoken to a few people in the past who have said similar things.

I was assuming the previous praise was aimed at the filtered blowers because of that.

Of course, this was a while back, when I had my D70 - maybe newer or more expensive cameras with anti-static coating or whatever they have are a different story? (I haven't had significant dust issues with my D300s.)

[davidc]

Are you sure you can see dust on the sensor behind all the oil the shutter has sprayed on it

[Mike Farley]

I find that the sensor on my two Canons needs an occasional blast with my filtered blower (no sense in blowing dusty air onto the sensor, methinks), but neither of my Panasonics has ever had a problem with dust. The only problem I have had with the latter was when I managed to put my finger on the sensor when changing lenses and I had to do a wet clean. I recounted the experience on the forum in an earlier thread.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=572&p=2917&hilit=finger#p2917

I am not sure why this should be as I have never heard of Panasonic claiming to have technology that repels dust from the sensor.

[davidc]

My gut instinct would be that the Panasonic has no large mirror moving around pushing air in/out of the body, unlike an SLR.