# Sensor cleaning technique that actually works?



## Marsu42 (Apr 11, 2012)

... sorry to repeat something like this, but looking for a way to clean a sensor is hindered by the fact that there are so much offers and recipes for it ... and since there obviously are some guys around here who know their stuff, please give me a hint:

My 60d has spots on its sensor which show up when using f8+ and are not removable by sensor cleaning through the firmware. What way to you recommend to remove them other than giving it to Canon, paying lots of €€€ and having no access to it for some time?


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## prestonpalmer (Apr 13, 2012)

Use this :
http://www.visibledust.com/

Or even better yet, join Canon CPS. Send camera in for a free sensor cleaning when you receive your free clean and check coupons! Your sensor will be like new, and you don't have to worry about messing up the cleaning and turning your camera into an expensive paper weight!


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 13, 2012)

prestonpalmer said:


> Use this :
> http://www.visibledust.com/



+1. I use an Arctic Butterfly 724 Super Bright.


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## Marsu42 (Apr 13, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> +1. I use an Arctic Butterfly 724 Super Bright.



Thanks for you help - so the price tag for sensor self-service really is 100$+, right?


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 13, 2012)

Marsu42 said:


> neuroanatomist said:
> 
> 
> > +1. I use an Arctic Butterfly 724 Super Bright.
> ...



There are less expensive options, as well. I've heard good things about Visible Dusts' sensor swabs, too.


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## prestonpalmer (Apr 14, 2012)

Its almost worth getting the CPS membership and letting them do it for you...


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## Marsu42 (Apr 14, 2012)

prestonpalmer said:


> Its almost worth getting the CPS membership and letting them do it for you...



Ok, now you've got me hooked: How long does it take to get a body cleaned by CPS? I'm asking you about the average time because from my recent experience with the local Canon service, I don't really trust their predictions...


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## prestonpalmer (Apr 14, 2012)

Marsu42 said:


> Ok, now you've got me hooked: How long does it take to get a body cleaned by CPS? I'm asking you about the average time because from my recent experience with the local Canon service, I don't really trust their predictions...



If you go with CPS GOLD, its GUARANTEED to be fixed within 3 days of them receiving it, if its a larger problem and they expect the repair to take more than 3 days then they will overnight you a loaner to use free of charge while yours is in the shop. Everything ive ever sent to CPS has been back in my hands that same week. Case in point. I just sent my 16-35 into CPS as the zoom right rubber fell off. I overnighted it to them, as I am on location here in Hawaii and I needed it back ASAP. Canon received it at 10:30 am and shipped it back to me overnight the same afternoon. Total down time, 2 days from me shipping to having it back in my hands. FROM HAWAII! This has been my experience with ALL canon CPS fixes. Plus, with the gold membership you get 3 free clean and check coupons so you can send your camera in for a sensor clean FREE, or any other lens or whatever you need cleaned and checked. They always return items to you overnight at their expense. Ive had them clean and re-calibrate dozens of lenses, fix speedlites that fell from ridiculously tall heights and exploded on impact. Last year my 5D2 quit after a terrible ice cold rain storm that I was in for 2hrs. (It could not have been any more soaked if ran it under the faucet!) Buttons stopped working. They replaced the LCD, back panel, all buttons, wheels, ect ect, and I had that back in the 3 day limit. My camera was like BRAND NEW when I got it back, not a scratch or ding on that 3 year old beat to hell camera body. Total cost of that fix was only $150. My camera's resale value went up by more than that just cosmetically. Ok, did I mention that they also have a loaner program? Want to try out a 5D3 before purchase? no problem. Send them an email and they will mail you a 5D3 to use for two weeks as a trial, FOR FREE! Want to try out that $14,000 400mm lens for your brothers soccer game? FREE for 2 weeks. Plus you get a totally awesome CPS camera strap for registering, a EOS book, extra body and lens caps, ect ect. So basically, the $150/yr or whatever it is, is already paid for with the 2 free clean and check coupons. Canon, if you are reading this, feel free to hire me as a promoter for CPS... I guess I have nothing but good things to say. Ive been with them now for almost 10 years. I can't imagine not having this service. Oh, did I mention 24hr US based tech service for your equipment? YUP. call em at 3am with camera question, they will answer in seconds, and you will actually be talking to someone who knows whats up! Virtually zero hold time no matter when you call. 

Ok, so I am sure that I will think of more good things to say as soon as I press "Post" HA! If anyone else wants to share their CPS experience, I have a hunch it will be the same story... Now, go join!


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## Marsu42 (Apr 14, 2012)

prestonpalmer said:


> If you go with CPS GOLD


... this reminds me of the time when I was a programmer for a Microsoft "certified gold partner" company - excellent support/service that makes you use even the crappiest Microsoft technology because it's free or you'll need it to keep qualifying.

I'd only qualify for silver - thus if anyone has experiences with this level, too, feel free to comment... it's five working days repair turnaround time for repair w/o free backup loan service for this, no information on free cleaning coupons on the European cps site.


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## Old Shooter (Apr 14, 2012)

I found this very informative...

http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com

Basically their hierarchy is:

#1. Inspect - aka Visible Dust Sensor Loupe 7X
#2. Then if needed...Blow - aka Rocket Blower
#3. Then if needed...Brush - aka Visible Dust Sensor Brush
#4. Then if needed...Swab - aka Photographic Solutions Sensor Swab (APS-C is #2)

I had three chunks of crud on my sensor when I looked at it through the loupe. Blowing got rid of two. The third came off with the brush. Haven't had to swab yet...

Hope this helps!


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## keithinmelbourne (Apr 14, 2012)

I use primes mostly, so lens changes are frequent and my sensor gets dirty very quickly. So, I clean it a fair bit. Up until now I mostly use Arctic Butterfly brushes. When the dust gets sticky, I use Dust Aid cleaners, but rarely. The combination seems to be very effective. The thing is, don't be frightened to clean your own sensor. If you clean regularly you will get used to it, and save a good deal of time in PP.


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## lol (Apr 14, 2012)

Personally I use a blower as a first step. If that doesn't work well enough, I go to sensor swabs + eclipse solution.

I don't see the point of using a loupe to inspect for dust. Just DoF preview a small aperture in live view and you can see what you're dealing with.


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## colin1984 (Apr 14, 2012)

prestonpalmer said:


> Use this :
> http://www.visibledust.com/
> 
> Or even better yet, join Canon CPS. Send camera in for a free sensor cleaning when you receive your free clean and check coupons! Your sensor will be like new, and you don't have to worry about messing up the cleaning and turning your camera into an expensive paper weight!



but did canon accept the 60D for CPS? I´ve wanted to register my 7D + 27-70 2,8
and my flash and cps said i´ve not the permission to enter cps?

With friendly Regards


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## TexPhoto (Apr 14, 2012)

It stinks but sensor dust is part of the game with a DSLR. Learn to clean yourself, or you will suffer long and hard.


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## Raddy (Apr 14, 2012)

I did some cleaning myself using the Sensor Swab on my old 400D which worked really good.
http://www.photosol.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=4


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## Orangutan (Apr 14, 2012)

+1 on swabs, unless you have shaky hands.

I cleaned my 20D multiple times that way. I probably should get an Arctic Butterfly at some point, but I like the simplicity of the swabs. Plan to use 2-3 swabs per cleaning. Fluid lasts forever, and doubles as filter cleaner. (unless Neuro is aware of an undesirable chemical reaction between the reagent-grade ethanol and the coatings on the filter)


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## jmp2000 (Apr 14, 2012)

lol said:


> Personally I use a blower as a first step. If that doesn't work well enough, I go to sensor swabs + eclipse solution.
> 
> I don't see the point of using a loupe to inspect for dust. Just DoF preview a small aperture in live view and you can see what you're dealing with.



This works great, it's fast and cheap. Two things, you got to use the Eclipse solution inside, and I found that cleaning it under a 150 watt light helps so you can see everything.


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## agierke (Apr 14, 2012)

how old is the camera and how many shutter actuations do you have on it?

i ask only because my 5Dc shutter just blew up last summer after putting it through 180,000+ actuations so i had to send it in to CPS for repair. for 200.00 i got a brand new shutter installed, they cleaned out the very dirty viewfinder, and replaced the glass filter in front of the sensor. had the camera back in under a week and it was as clean as it was when i first took it out of the box.

i used to clean my sensor with the swabs and they were fairly decent but rather expensive. i took it to calumet once but they did an absolute horrendous job and charged me 50.00. in the end there was significant dust that just didnt want to be cleaned...it would always end up just getting pushed around the frame and typically settling in on the corners.

having CPS replace the filter and clean the viewfinder was worth every penny. if you have a couple years on a camera and the thing is retaining dust i highly recommend sending it to canon and getting a tune up. oh...and i wasn't a CPS member so $200.00 was the price without paying the annual dues. it probably would be cheaper if you dont get the shutter replacement like i did as well.


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## AJ (Apr 14, 2012)

Old Shooter said:


> #1. Inspect - aka Visible Dust Sensor Loupe 7X
> #2. Then if needed...Blow - aka Rocket Blower
> #3. Then if needed...Brush - aka Visible Dust Sensor Brush
> #4. Then if needed...Swab - aka Photographic Solutions Sensor Swab (APS-C is #2)



^^^this

Start with least invasive. Move on to more invasive techniques only if required.

The blower has always done the job for me, even in the days before auto sensor cleaning. I tip the camera with the mirror box opening pointed down, so any dust falls out.


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## Marsu42 (Apr 14, 2012)

agierke said:


> how old is the camera and how many shutter actuations do you have on it?



my 60d is about 1.5 years old (bought it when it was released) and has 70k actuations. 



colin1984 said:


> but did canon accept the 60D for CPS? I´ve wanted to register my 7D + 27-70 2,8
> and my flash and cps said i´ve not the permission to enter cps?



See here for the gear that qualifies - 60d & 7d are not "pro" and do not qualify for gold, but only for silver (see link for eu, buttons faq & "view qualifying products"): https://cps.canon-europe.com/

But Canon CPS seems to be vastly different in Europe because it's free. The FAQ says: "Nothing, its free. Canon Professional Services will continue to be a free service to European customers". But I guess that'll make them more conservative when repairing gear.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 14, 2012)

There are different levels of dirty sensors, the worst being baked on particles or grease spots from the mirror lubricant. Thats really difficult to clean off. When I get soil that can't be removed with a blower or lens pen, I use eclipse and sensor swabs. It usually takes me 5 swabs for a really dirty sensor.

Depending on how willing you are to buy expensive cleaning equipment, magnifiers, etc for do it your self cleaning, you might be happier to find a local camera shop that will do it, or even setup some sort of annual cleaning plan. Its not cheap, but a rocket blower is low cost and certainly your best method for a first try. Never use canned air!!!

microtools sells in the USA and Europe.

http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/index.html

http://www.micro-tools.com/


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## AJ (Apr 14, 2012)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Never use canned air!!!



^^^ and that, too.


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## victorwol (Apr 14, 2012)

I use sawbs and the solution. Send my camera to CPS twice. Never got a better clean that what I can do at home. In fact once came back pretty worse that what I sent.


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## prestonpalmer (Apr 14, 2012)

Yes CPS will accept the 60D.


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## eeek (Apr 14, 2012)

victorwol said:


> I use sawbs and the solution. Send my camera to CPS twice. Never got a better clean that what I can do at home. In fact once came back pretty worse that what I sent.



I've sent my stuff to CPS a lot- never had issues. They clean very well. At least in the 10 or so check & cleans that I've had done. I've also had repairs done- they'll clean it out at that point, too.



prestonpalmer said:


> Yes CPS will accept the 60D.



I think they do for USA CPS, but not Europe.


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## Marsu42 (Apr 14, 2012)

eeek said:


> prestonpalmer said:
> 
> 
> > Yes CPS will accept the 60D.
> ...



You're wrong - please see the link I posted above - the 60d qualifies for cps silver.


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## TexPhoto (Apr 14, 2012)

Pec pads + cut down small kitchen spatula = sensor swabs for pennies each.

Here is a great article: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Photography-Tips/Sensor-Cleaning.aspx


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## colin1984 (Apr 14, 2012)

Marsu42 said:


> eeek said:
> 
> 
> > prestonpalmer said:
> ...



when i enter cps in europe and add my eos 7d an my ef 24-70 2,8 the cps says i don´t have all needs to enter cps, either platinum nor silver but the site go further and jump to the second page

try to call canon an monday


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## lol (Apr 14, 2012)

TexPhoto said:


> Pec pads + cut down small kitchen spatula = sensor swabs for pennies each.


Photographic solutions do warn that the material they use in sensor swabs is not the same as that of a pec pad. Proceed at your own risk. Sensor swabs are somewhat expensive, but I don't use many of them. I got a box of the APS-C size ones while I had the Sony a350 (my first DSLR) and I still haven't gone through the box!


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## victorwol (Apr 14, 2012)

eeek said:


> victorwol said:
> 
> 
> > I use sawbs and the solution. Send my camera to CPS twice. Never got a better clean that what I can do at home. In fact once came back pretty worse that what I sent.
> ...




They apologized and did it again for free (no coupon) but even when received the camera the second time, cleaned by the "senior" technician... Even if clean of dirt visible by the eye and a loupe for such task, when tested the camera with photo and photoshop and levels, there was traces of the cleaning solution still on the sensor. While this is not visible in regular photos, when you take photos with a lens like the MP-E 65, it's very visible and should be totally cleaned when when done by a professional. I'm not bothering anymore sending the camera in for regular sensor cleaning.

They did a great job cleaning the dirt that got inside of the pentaprism area, but for regular sensor cleaning, I really saw no difference what what I can do at home, in fact, I get better results with the swabs. And faster.. May be I have to try another CPS center. 

A note on the side... When I received the 5D MKIII.. Brand new... Never used.. It was dirty.. Had some little hairs, like from a bad brush, and the sensor had a few speckles of dust....... Got a second unit.... Also dirty....


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## Marsu42 (Apr 15, 2012)

colin1984 said:


> when i enter cps in europe and add my eos 7d an my ef 24-70 2,8 the cps says i don´t have all needs to enter cps, either platinum nor silver but the site go further and jump to the second page



You'll need a browser with JavaScript enabled to view the page - it's a point system, and you'll need at least 2 Canon bodies and 3 lenses to qualify...


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## prestonpalmer (Apr 15, 2012)

Just enter a friends 20D serial # if you don't have another body. I think you have enough lenses? Correct?


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## Jamesy (Apr 15, 2012)

I got new filters this week and cleaned one of them prior to mounting yesterday. I started with a chamois type cloth that left particles on the filter and then a Giottos Rocket Blower. I could have sworn it was making generating a static charge. I tried to fix it with a lens pen and the brush on the other side of the pen. I finally got the new filter clean with a micro-fiber cloth after having put some lens cleaning fluid on a lens tissue.

My point being, can't rocket blowers induce a static charge where one did not exist before?

I cleaned the sensor on my 40D with a buddy who cam over with pec pads and Eclipse fluid. I thought he said he uses the Copper Hill method. It took at least three pec pads to get mine clean.


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## prestonpalmer (Apr 15, 2012)

Rocket blowers are not a good way to clean sensors.


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## Astro (Apr 15, 2012)

Marsu42 said:


> You'll need a browser with JavaScript enabled to view the page - it's a point system, and you'll need at least 2 Canon bodies and 3 lenses to qualify...



and not all lenses/bodys qualify (at least not here in europe).




> Just enter a friends 20D serial # if you don't have another body.



a 20D does not qualify here in europe.


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## Marsu42 (Apr 15, 2012)

Astro said:


> a 20D does not qualify here in europe.



Canon seems to re-evaluate their lineup each year and phase out old stuff for this very reason - you are supposed to have 2 current bodies as a professional, and not to enter your grandma's 10d. Again, here's the *direct* link to the list. Since it's free in Europe, no indication of free cleaning vouchers or such. And I have to correct myself: No point system in Europe, each lens/body except ef-s ones are equally valuable for cps.

https://cps.canon-europe.com/Public/QualifyingProducts

* Silver membership - the registration requirement is two qualifying camera bodies and three qualifying lenses. Turnaround time on repairs to registered CPS-serviced equipment is five working days.

* Gold membership - the registration requirement is two qualifying camera bodies and three qualifying lenses. Turnaround time on repairs to registered CPS-serviced equipment is three working days. Free back-up loan service, if the three-day turnaround time for repairs is exceeded.

* Platinum membership - the registration requirement is three qualifying camera bodies and four qualifying lenses. Turnaround time on repairs to registered CPS-serviced equipment is two working days. Free back-up loan service, if the two-day turnaround time for repairs is exceeded.


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## Matthew19 (Apr 15, 2012)

I've tried the wet visible dust methods. They work but can streak, which is frustrating. After tons of research I cam across this video and it has been perfect. I use the same tools except the arctic butterfly, I just use the visible dust brush and hit it with an air blower beforehand. 

DSLR Sensor Cleaning (The LensRentals.com Method)


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## lol (Apr 15, 2012)

For the "wet" cleans, you shouldn't get streaking unless you put on too much liquid in the first place.


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## Matthew19 (Apr 16, 2012)

I've always done just one drop and let that drop sit. It still can happen. The method above in the video has been much better for me. The lens pen sensor loupe makes things a lot easier.


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## Jamesy (Sep 6, 2012)

AJ said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Never use canned air!!!
> ...


That is what I thought as compressed air leaves residue - or does it??? Karl Taylor has been claening his 5D2 and Hassablad using this method along with wipes for years. Personally I have only done the swabs and liquid (Copperhill method) with a buddy who helped me do it on my 40D a couple of years ago.
How to Clean Your DSLR Camera's Sensor


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 7, 2012)

Cleaning a sensor is something that takes experience. It took me about 5 tries before I started feeling happy with the results. I first bought pre-moistened sensor swabs. They had too much moisture and streaked. Then I bought dry ones and learned the right amount of eclipse to use. I also learned to make just one swipe with a swab and toss it. Using it for a 2nd swipe made the sensor dirtier than when I started.
I now have Canon CPS gold, but have not had to clean my sensor, so my three clean and check coupons are about to expire.


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