Sensor Gel Stick

Think its about time I got one of these for routine cleanings. I got some amount of spots when shooting in low apertures, but no idea whether its oil or just routine FX thing. Got about 36k clicks on the shutter since its replacement in spring, so definitely not pressed to try and mild Nikon for a new one using spots as an excuse. Far easier to clean them myself as needed.

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I think that would be a wise purchase. I'll tell you my limited experience story. I actually see more spots on my D7100 than my D600. I bought a gel stick to use for routine and stay with wet cleanings for a once or twice a year cleanup. Just recently I've noticed the spots on both and finally decided to give the gel stick a go. I have no idea if they were oil or dust bunnies or what... but the gel stick cleaned it up completely on both cameras.

Most spots are in the corners and that (for me) is the toughest to clean because when I "stamp" down I'm not exactly sure how close to the edge I can get before I'm off the sensor (not sure if that really even matters). Despite all of that I still get it very clean. After a couple of runs you can tell that the sensor is actually a fairly sturdy surface. I'm very pleased with my gel stick.

The next concern is how long does the stick hold its stickiness and how often can you use/reuse the white transfer strips. If those prove to last a good bit then the purchase price is well worth it in my opinion.

What brand are you using? I remember @Dave_W talking about using something like this but I have not seen him around here in a while. I think it is probably time to clean my D7100 and D7000. I had a spot recently but was able to blow it off with a rocket blower.

I actually see more spots on my D7100 than my D600.

Same here. I get more spots on my 7100 then I used to on my 300 or my 3100. However I only wet cleaned it once so far. A rocket blower takes care of it the rest of the time.

I've had my gel stick for almost a year. It's still got the same amount of stickiness as when it was new. The strips, of course, are not reuseable (cheap anyway).

Any difficulties with them?

Only know of one on the whole market, Eyelead, and from what I've watched online its VERY easy. Look at Photographylife or youtube. I remember PL or some other place saying these are what the repair centers use to clean, so it's like the best kept secret kinda deal.

I have used the eyelead and actually have two of them, I do find that they tend to leave marks and I end up cleaning the sensor with a proper sensor cleaning tool. But maybe its just me and the way I use it?

I used the Eyelead a couple of times. It is very easy to use and it removed most of the spots quickly, but left one or two quite persistent speckles. It took a lot of dabbing to remove them all when I used it the first time.

Right now, after using it for the second time, I have a visible particle of dust right in the middle of the sensor. I tried dabbing it with the gel stick perhaps a dozen of times, but it is still there. Just wouldn't budge.

I might be just unlucky with this one spot, but my impression is that you can sometimes hammer a speckle of dirt into the sensor this way. The gel is sticky and is supposed to collect dust, but if a dust particle happens to be more sticky towards the sensor, the gel will beat it into it instead of lifting.

I'm a bit worried about it now. My Eclipse liquid and swabs have just arrived, so I'm going to try a wet method and see if I can dislodge the persistent little bugger.

I don't want to dismiss the gel stick based on just one spot. However, if you use it and there is a persistent spot, don't keep dabbing it as I did. Use a wet swab instead.