Housekeeping!

Originally Posted by MrsRobs

Thanks, got the whole kit ordered from Amazon and I will keep some in my bag for on the go. Another question, when you say you clean your sensor, what do you mean by that? I get its the inside of the camera, but what specifically are you cleaning? And when do you know it needs a clean?

If you start to see spots in your pictures then it probably means there is dust or something on the sensor. One way to check is to take a photo of a white wall.
Some people choose to have their sensors professionally cleaned as they fear doing any damage. However it can be done without any experience but you must follow the instructions very carefully. There are a few different methods and the safest is probably with a blower brush although this can just move the dirt/dust to another location on or near the sensor.
After that you are looking at using swabs over the actual sensor itself.
All sensor cleaning involves locking the mirror up and your battery must have a good charge when doing so.
I rarely do it, maybe once ever couple of years but dirt on the sensors can vary depending on what environment you are in, particularly when changing lenses.

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Ive not noticed any spots, so think for now Im ok. I dont think the lens has ever come off this camera so dont think there's been an opportunity for any dust to sneak in.

Originally Posted by MrsRobs

Thanks, got the whole kit ordered from Amazon and I will keep some in my bag for on the go. Another question, when you say you clean your sensor, what do you mean by that? I get its the inside of the camera, but what specifically are you cleaning? And when do you know it needs a clean?

When you check or clean the sensor, your camera battery will need to be at 50% or more - otherwise, the mirror won't move up out of the way. So be sure you have enough battery power before starting.

Sometimes the spots are from dry dust. Other times spots might be stuck onto the sensor kind of like a slightly oily substance. I've had both types. When I test for it, I tape a blank sheet of letter sized paper to the wall. My aperture is stopped down usually at f/16 or f/22 (no need to go beyond f/22 because spots will definitely show up at those apertures, and most people don't shoot completely stopped down very often). I take a photo then open it in either Lightroom or Photoshop (or some type of image editing software). If you don't see anything, you can adjust the contrast to make any possible spots stand out. But if you don't see anything initially before adjusting the contrast, you wouldn't need to do a wet cleaning. If I didn't see anything, I'd use a rocketblower anyway to blow off any possible dry dust particles.

Here is an article showing examples of sensor spots. The only thing that might be confusing is #6 under How to See Sensor Dust. He says, 'Set your aperture to the largest number available for your lens by rotating the camera dial. For example, the minimum aperture on the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G is f/16, so if I were shooting with this lens, I would set my aperture to f/16.' The largest number means a higher aperture number to stop down the lens for better depth of field. Just don't confuse it with a larger aperture (which would be shooting wide open).

Article showing sensor spot examples: https://photographylife.com/how-to-s...ur-dslr-sensor

Below is a very detailed video that @BackdoorArts initially shared with me back when my D600 kept having oil spots (the oil spot shutter issue that eventually required a recall). It goes through the process from start to finish. ALWAYS be sure to use a blower FIRST before a wet cleaning. If you don't, most likely you will scratch your sensor if there is any dry dust on it.

There will be two things you need in addition to the cleaning solution and the sensor swabs. One is a rocket blower. The rocket blower I use is by Giottos. Amazon also sells these. It has a filter on the back end so it doesn't suck dust into the blower and out into your camera. It used to come in 3 sizes: small (don't waste your money as this size barely gives off a poof), medium - which is okay, and large - which in my opinion is the best for cleaning the sensor.

Another item that is extremely helpful is a loupe. I use this sensor loupe by Carson although there are others that are equally as good. The first time I cleaned my D600 sensor, I didn't have a loupe. I didn't realize until I got started that a small flashlight wasn't going to work. It was very difficult to see what I was doing. A camera sensor loupe allows you to insert a cleaning swab down into the camera body while you look through the loupe to wet clean. The loupe has lights which is immensely helpful.

I use the Sensor Swabs like he uses in the video. They come in different sizes depending upon your sensor size so if you get any type of swabs, be sure to choose the correct size. And I use the Eclipse Optic Cleaning Solution for the wet cleaning.

There are other types of wet cleaning products out there. Choose whatever feels best for you. But this video is very helpful to see the entire process. After watching it a couple of times, the fear I initially felt faded away. Sometimes all you might need is just to blow dust off the sensor. A wet cleaning isn't always required.

Originally Posted by Zev

Whenever I get a new lens, the very first thing I do is attach a UV filter, which is never removed. Would never use a lens without one. Extremely easy to clean, and much cheaper to replace.

I am right there with you. The only exceptions are my "Beasts", 200mm f/2, 300mm f/2.8, 400mm f/2.8 and 600mm f/4 ED IF AIS Nikkors which already have a piece of multicoated flat glass in front of the first element (which is almost always soft ED glass). The front elements of the 600mm f/4 and 400mm f/2.8 are so huge there is not even filter thread.