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Camera Sensor Cleaning

Safe and simple ways to keep digital camera sensors clean

Camera sensor cleaning is not a difficult job, but it can seem a slightly scary prospect!

Despite the infuriating menace of dust specks on image sensors, many people choose not to risk sticking various bits of apparatus into the camera body for fear of doing more harm than good.

But a few pointers on how to clean digital camera sensors safely and effectively will be some of the most valuable tips on digital photography you'll read!

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It's true that you do need to treat digital camera sensors delicately and with great care.

But with ever improving cleaning equipment, and the relative simplicity of using it, there's rarely a need to part with £50 to have a professional cleaning job done. Digital camera sensor cleaning is actually becoming a basic digital photography practice.

A little investment in a squeeze-bulb blower, sensor cleaning brush and sensor swabs with cleaning solution, will enable you to banish the scourge of dust particles - that too often ruin pictures - for good!

Camera sensor cleaning is not the most riveting subject, but I wanted to write an article on it because it addresses such a common and maddening problem, that needn't plague your photography!

Before Cleaning Digital Camera Sensors

Before you dive in and attack the particles on the image sensor, take a test shot to get an idea of where they are and how numerous.

Set the aperture to its narrowest setting (highest f.stop - this will show the dirt at its worst) and focus on 'infinity'. Aim the lens at a bright, plain subject such as a white wall or clear sky.

Take a photo and upload it to your computer. View the image at 100% and have a good look at where the dust lies, so you can bear this in mind when cleaning.

(100% zoom on a picture taken with a dirty image sensor)

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1. Digital Camera Sensor Cleaning With Squeeze-Bulb Blowers

I had a digital camera for two years before investing in sensor cleaning equipment, and a squeeze bulb blower was the first item I bought.

I was immediately grateful for it, blasting away on first go one particular little 'U' shaped dust particle that I had grown to hate pretty intensely!

Squeeze-bulb blowers are the simplest camera sensor cleaning equipment. They can also be used the most frequently. I think getting hold of one must be one of the best tips for digital photography fans.

Essentially a soft bulb that sucks in air through a filter at one end and blows it out through a thin tube at the other as you squeeze it, their function is self-explanatory.

Always keep them in a clean pouch or air tight container to prevent them collecting dust which will find its way on to the digital camera sensor.

This should be your first line of attack to blow away loose dust particles, before applying the brush or swabs. Squeeze-bulb blowers can be used as regularly as necessary, even in the middle of a shoot. Here's what to do:

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Go to your camera's menus and select the 'mirror lock-up' or 'sensor cleaning mode' option.

Doing this will cause the reflex mirror inside the camera to move up and expose the image sensor. When you turn the camera off, the reflex mirror will return to its normal position.

Hold the camera pointing downwards (I've recently started fixing my camera to a tripod and pointing it down so that I have both hands free - worth doing if you can be bothered). Get your squeeze-bulb blower and move the tip towards the image sensor.

Do be careful, and make sure you don't bash into the camera's internal workings! Pump air on to the sensor for around half a minute, causing loose bits of dust to disperse and fall away.

If necessary, blast a bit of air over the two ends of your lens to remove any dust gathered there. Return the blower to its pouch and attach your lens if you have finished cleaning.

A quick warning: Don't buy cans of compressed air which are sometimes available as an alternative to the bulb-blower. They can propel tiny molecules of liquid which settle on the sensor and cause damage/show up in your pictures - not the plan at all.

2. Camera Sensor Cleaning Brushes

Camera sensor cleaning brushes are essentially brushes with a thin handle, for manoeuvring into the camera body, and very soft, fine bristles for brushing away particles of dirt on the sensor.

Generally, they are my second line of attack, when the blower can't quite deal with more resilient little specks of dust. You can buy electric sensor brushes, where the bristles whirl round at high speed on the press of a button. I use a simple manual one which works fine.

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Here's what to do:

If you have not just been using the bulb blower, prepare the camera as in step 1 above. As ever, point the camera downwards - you want the dust to fall out, not back in.

Carefully move your sensor brush into the camera body. Wipe it once across the surface of the image sensor. Take the bulb blower and pump air into the brush's bristles to remove any particles that were picked up - you don't want to put them back on again.

Wipe the sensor once again, clean the brush with the blower, and repeat several times.

As with the squeeze-pump blower, keep your brush in a clean protective case; it completely defeats the object if you are not painstaking in keeping camera sensor cleaning equipment dust-free.

3. Digital Camera Sensor Cleaning With Sensor Swabs and Cleaning Solution

This is the method of camera sensor cleaning that, understandably, people feel most concerned about. It's counter instinctive to go slapping liquid on to that precious looking little sensor where so much of your camera's value is contained.

But the little kits of swabs and solution you can buy are becoming ever more trusted and valuable. Many people use them, and remember, those fiendish little specks that ravage your pictures deserve some pretty harsh treatment!

(stubborn particles often require a swab and cleaning solution)

Only ever use the solution that comes with the swabs you buy (e.g 'Eclipse' cleaning fluid); don't be tempted to have a go with some other household cleaning solution - believe it or not some people do this! It'll usually be curtains for digital camera sensors.

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Here's what to do:

Having started off with the blower and the brush, the final stage in a thorough cleaning process is to get ready with the swabs. Point your camera down, with the sensor exposed.
Moisten a fresh, new swab with a little bit of cleaning solution. Don't drench it so it's dripping with the stuff, just apply enough to provide some lubrication to help free up the stubborn particles. Apply solution to both sides of the swab.
Be really careful to only touch the sensor with the swab. Wipe it smoothly and with some downward pressure across the face of the sensor. Then, turn the swab over and, with the clean side, glide it over the sensor once more.
Throw away the swab - only ever use new, clean ones.

Having gone through the above processes, take another test shot against a clear, bright background, and check it out on your computer.

It's very unlikely that these three pieces of camera sensor cleaning equipment won't have done away with many of the offending dust specks.

(100% zoom of picture after sensor had been cleaned)

If you do pick up something on the sensor that just will not budge, I would advise not to experiment and play around getting rid of it.

It may be tempting to be more aggressive and rough with the equipment, but you're almost certainly better off having it cleaned professionally through your local camera store.

I hope this article will help you. Camera sensor cleaning isn't some kind of brain surgery, you just need to look after the kit and work with a bit of care! Good luck - there's no reason not to banish this massively irritating aspect of digital photography once and for all!

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