One of the annoying "features" of digital SLR cameras is the seeming ease in which the sensor gets dirty. Sure, you can clone dark specks out of a sky with your image-editing program, but it's often easier to practice good prevention measures. Following are tips and techniques from BetterPhoto's instructors, all experienced professionals:
The Extra Large Giottos Blower Bulb
© Peter K. Burian
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Ellen Anon:
I try to keep it clean by not leaving a lens off the body for more than a second or two as I change lenses. Also I change lenses when the wind is not blowing or cars aren't driving by, etc when possible, and if conditions are questionable I try to use my body to shield the camera body. Jenni Bidner:
I have my cameras cleaned and check regularly, regardless of how well they are operating. Regular checkups also catch mirror misalignments, lagging shutter speeds, software upgrades, etc. If I am doing rough travel or a lot of outdoor work, I have the camera checked more often. As in the old days of film, I am careful to change lenses quickly and in a protected area to reduce the chance of dust and debris getting inside or behind the mrror. Peter Burian:
The key to keeping a sensor clean is to be a fanatic about cleanliness. I frequently vaccum my camera bag to eliminate as much dust as possible, and take maximum care when changing lenses. It's at lens change time that most dust enters a DSLR camera so it's important to do so quickly, preferably in an environment without blowing dust. Frankly, prevention is preferable to the solution.
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Kerry Drager:
I turn off the camera and point it straight down when changing lenses. And I try to change lenses as fast as possible. I use the biggest blower bulb that I've found - the largest size Giottos - in order to blow off the back glass of the lens and to blow any specks dust out of the mirror/shutter area inside the camera. I avoid switching lenses outdoors if it’s windy or dusty - and, instead, go inside my car or a building ... Of course, if the light is getting great or the subject is moving fast, then I’ll keep my back to the wind, hunch over, change lenses, hope for the best, and start shooting! :-) Paul Gero:
I'm vigilant about changing lenses quickly and watching the direction of the wind when I am changing lenses. I try to use my body to shield the lens mount area. Using zoom lenses helps because it means having to change lenses less frequently. But there are times when I need the speed of primes and do have to change lenses, obviously. Jay Kinghorn:
I use the Olympus E system cameras. I've never had to clean the sensor - the camera does it automatically.
William Neill:
I turn off the camera when I change lenses. That's about it. Honestly, I am seriously lazy about this task and pay for it with lots of cloning. Ibarionex Perello:
Before each shoot, I use my Giottos Rocket Blower to clean the inside of the mirror box and sensor. Rob Sheppard:
I never leave a lens off the camera body for more than the time it takes to put a new one on. I am cautious about changing lenses in dusty conditions. I keep the camera body and lens clean. I keep my camera bag clean (I actually vacuum it out if conditions are bad). Finally, one of my digital SLRs is an Olympus E-330 and the Olympus dust removal system is excellent. Simon Stafford:
Here are my thoughts on helping to prevent dust settling on the surface of the low-pass filter: - Always keep a body cap on the camera body when no lens is attached.
- Tilt the camera body down when changing lenses and inspecting the low-pass filter.
- In dusty environments, store camera bodies in a sealable plastic bag, as an additional barrier to the ingress of dust.
Clean the base of the mirror box regularly to prevent fine particles that get worn off the lens mount flanges every time you attach or detach a lens from migrating to the low-pass filter.
Always store the camera body upright, or on its front – never on its back – make gravity your friend.
Periodically clean out the interior of your camera bag.
Keep your lenses meticulously clean (front and back) – much of the unwanted material that ends up inside a camera is sucked there through the action of zooming and focusing a lens, as the groups of lens elements are shifted small differences in air pressure are created, which draws dust into the camera. Scott Stulberg:
First, you need to carry a hand blower with you at all times. It will work for dust approximately 80% of the time. It is the best 7$ you could ever spend on your camera ... and it will also save your sanity. Also, I tell people to buy a 4X loop (not 8X) and and use that for the LCD monitor. I use it to always check my images during a shoot, because the LCD is not always big enough to really see what the shot looks like... and it works so well!! At Angkor Wat, on the steps of the temple at sunrise, I noticed - with my loop - that I had dust... But I got out my blower... and voila!!!! ... 2 seconds later, I had a clean sensor!
About Author / Instructor / Photographer, Kerry Drager
The content manager and an instructor for BetterPhoto.com, Kerry Drager is also the author of Scenic Photography 101. In addition, he teaches two online photography courses at BetterPhoto: Creative Light & Composition and Creative Close-ups. Kerry's Pro BetterPholio Web site offers an assortment of galleries and illustrated how-to articles on photography. In addition, kerrydrager.com was featured in Shutterbug magazine. His work has appeared in Outdoor Photographer and other major magazines; Hallmark cards and Sierra Club Calendars; and in advertising campaigns for American Express and Sinar Bron Imaging. He is also the photographer of the photo-essay books The Golden Dream: California from Gold Rush to Statehood and California Desert, and is a contributing photographer for the books Daybreak 2000 and Portrait of California. He lives with his wife, Mary, in the country near Sacramento, California, with their six Newfoundland dogs, six cats, two horses, and a mixed terrier.
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