Sensor Cleaning Methods

Very interesting link. The Methods - Cleaning Digital Cameras - D-SLR Sensor Cleaning.

There are umpteen videos on Google on how to clean your sensor. Pick one.

I have and use the Sensor Swab (first method) and it works fine, but it's my "last resort" cleaning method. I have the camera set to clean the sensor every time I turn it on/off, and before and purposeful trip out to shoot I will lock the mirror up and give it a blow with an air bulb and then check for dust (shoot a white piece of paper at f22) - especially if I think I'm going to be shooting in the f11-f22 range when dust will become visible. If it's dirty I'll take the time to clean it. My D600 has been dirty early on and I'm hoping that it settles down, like my D7000 has. For now, it's part of the process - sort of like making sure my guitar strings were in good shape and the amp worked before going out on a gig.

I'd just like to tell you about my experience with wet cleaning. The first time I tried it, I ended up with streaks so I had to do it again and again.

The last time I noticed one rather large dust bunny on my sensor, I started with the blower. The dust didn't move. Then, I used the swab without the liquid with just a tiny little pressure, followed by a little more blower and voila, the bunny went to bunny heaven.

So, if any of you are afraid of the liquid, I think you can try the dry swab before going to the liquids.

It worked for me.

While Marcel's experience parallels mine in one instance, be very careful with a dry swab. The liquid is meant to help loosen the product and act as a small buffer between the swab and the sensor. A dry particle can be a scratchy particle, and if you slide that sucker across the sensor it's a major bummer.

From my readings, it's not the sensor that we're cleaning but the AA filter. I've read that it's quite hard to scratch. But I did say not to put pressure on the swab. I think that caution must be taken whenever cleaning the sensor. I like to put the camera on a tripod to have more control on the cleaning. This way, only one hand can move and I find I have more control on the swab.

By the way, I'm not in any way preaching, I was just sharing my personal experience.

I bought a cleaner - artic butterfly - and it is quite successful. I usually use it together with a air blower.

I haven't been shooting much lately but I noticed the dust issue right away. I've been good with locking up the mirror and blowing out the dust so far.