Digital SLR & CSC sensor cleaning.
Digital SLR sensors get dirty - this is a photographers fact of life. If you change lenses regularly or even only from time to time, dust gets into the camera body and onto the sensor. If you have a zoom lens, every time you zoom in and out, the pump action of the lens can draw dust into the camera body and onto the sensor.
Under normal circumstances you won't necessarily see the effect of dust on the sensor but, if you take a shot of a light area such as a grey sky or a white wall at a small aperture (f-16 to f-22), you will see blotches on your photograph if it has been affected. Sometimes even oil and debris from a shutter mechanism can be thrown onto the sensor giving a similar, blotchy effect.
If these marks appear on your images they can be removed from the final image in many imaging software programs, but this can take a lot of time in post-processing and isn't really necessary - have your sensor cleaned.
Under normal circumstances you won't necessarily see the effect of dust on the sensor but, if you take a shot of a light area such as a grey sky or a white wall at a small aperture (f-16 to f-22), you will see blotches on your photograph if it has been affected. Sometimes even oil and debris from a shutter mechanism can be thrown onto the sensor giving a similar, blotchy effect.
If these marks appear on your images they can be removed from the final image in many imaging software programs, but this can take a lot of time in post-processing and isn't really necessary - have your sensor cleaned.
DSLR Sensor before cleaning (click on photo to enlarge)
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DSLR Sensor after cleaning (click on photo to enlarge)
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There are 4 - 5 stages that I apply to cleaning sensors:
- Sensor inspection (using a high magnification illuminated sensor loupe)
- In-camera image sensor cleaning ( only if supported by your camera)
- Air blowing
- Sensor brushing
- Wet cleaning
The in-camera system vibrates the sensor at a high frequency to shake dust off which is then collected in a small built in sticky tray. This may be all your camera needs so try this first, checking the result afterwards by taking a shot of a white or grey area at a small aperture.
if that hasn't removed the offending dust, the next stage is to blast the sensor with air from a bulb style blower (not canned compressed air which is too fierce for delicate sensors and can project liquid), which, again, may be all that is needed.
If that hasn't worked the next step is to brush the sensor, but that has to be done with a specialist tool to avoid potential damage. I use a state-of-the-art electrically super-charged fibre brush which attracts dust using static electricity so there is minimum contact with the sensor.
For welded-on dust, water spots (often caused by condensation) oil spots (from the camera's lubricants) or other hard to remove debris it is time for a wet clean. I use an industry standard methanol-based cleaner which I apply using specialist factory sealed lint-free swabs which are carefully wiped over the sensor's surface (usually just two passes) which will finally leave the sensor sparkling clean.
Sensor Cleaning Equipment
My sensor cleaning service is:
- Safe
- Reliable
- Inexpensive
Just contact me for an appointment - you'll be pleased you did.