Automatic cleaning of sensor when turn on camera: I have a Nikon D7200 that has spots on the sensor. I have not turned on auto clean when camera is turned on. Is there any reason to...

Colosij

I have a Nikon D7200 that has spots on the sensor. I have not turned on auto clean when camera is turned on. Is there any reason to not set it to clean the sensor each time I turn on the camera?

juan_uy Loc: Uruguay

Not that I can think of.
It may consume more battery or take longer to be ready to shoot, but I can guarantee that if so, neither are noticeable.

I always configure it to "on" when turning on and off if available.
Currently I have a D7200 also.

Maybe is there some other reason I am no aware of.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

juan_uy wrote:

Not that I can think of.
It may consume more battery or take longer to be ready to shoot, but I can guarantee that if so, neither are noticeable.

I always configure it to "on" when turning on and off if available.
Currently I have a D7200 also.

Maybe is there some other reason I am no aware of.

same here, always set to on and off.
Doesn't do a bit of good for some spots, but it sure does make it longer between sensor cleanings.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

If the camera has the option, yes, have it run automatically when the camera starts. Some cameras even have an option for turn-off. Now in 2020, this technology seems 'old hat'. But, in the scheme of DSLRs, it's a relatively new technology and it's been implemented in different ways over several different models.

My experience is really dirty sensors don't recover from the auto-shake function. Rather, you need at least a blower, if not a full-fledged wet cleaning. The auto shake is then rather helpful for keeping a clean sensor clean. Ideas on a Giotto Rocket-Air here: An exercise in sensor cleaning

Magaliaman Loc: Magalia, CA

Colosij wrote:

I have a Nikon D7200 that has spots on the sensor. I have not turned on auto clean when camera is turned on. Is there any reason to not set it to clean the sensor each time I turn on the camera?

Have it clean during startup and shutdown, however don't expect it to be 100% fix for sensor spots. It helps yes, but frankly I've never seen it really clean a dirty sensor. It certainly wont clean oil spots. There is no negative effect to having it perform this cleaning. Sensor spots are a fact of life to photographers. Learn to "wet clean" it with a swab and you'll be much happier. If you're the least bit coordinated there's little risk to wet cleaning with the proper tools.

-Gary

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Colosij wrote:

I have a Nikon D7200 that has spots on the sensor. I have not turned on auto clean when camera is turned on. Is there any reason to not set it to clean the sensor each time I turn on the camera?

On all of my Canons I have it set to clean on power on and power off. 6 different cameras for years and no problems.

As to the small amount of battery charge used - well if that becomes critical I have more problems than sensor cleaning. (I use battery grips on my bodies and have 3 sets of batteries for each (3 bodies currently + one for my wife w/o grip but I got her 4 batteries).

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Colosij wrote:

I have a Nikon D7200 that has spots on the sensor. I have not turned on auto clean when camera is turned on. Is there any reason to not set it to clean the sensor each time I turn on the camera?

I will ask the question differently back to you. If it had been turned on would you still have spots on the sensor?

I.e., what is the cause of the spots?

juan_uy Loc: Uruguay

I agree with what others said. The feature won't clean spots, it may help preventing them if turned on from scratch.

John Lawrence

CHG_CANON wrote:

If the camera has the option, yes, have it run aut... (show quote)

I just read your link and found it very helpful. I’m going to give it a try. I appreciate all the helpful information you share with everyone on UHH. Thank you very much.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I'd say that if your sensor is dirty, it won't help much. But if you turn it on so it shakes every time you switch your camera on, it just might shake off a little bit of dust at a time, and if you start with a clean sensor then every time you turn it on it might just shake something off so your sensor will stay clean longer.

Some dust gets stuck on, particularly when there's oil around, and is difficult to dislodge by just shaking.

Leave it on. It won't run your battery down significantly unless you turn your camera on and off a lot.

Seabastes

When I bought my GX85 the salesman said they could clean the sensor for $90 , I expect someday I will use this service or try with my blower. I partially resolved the cleaning by buying a second body so I don't change lenses. I use the cleaning function regularly and only have seen very slight dust on the sensor when I opened a photo of a snow field. Otherwise I haven't seen any dust marks when enlarging to 200 per cent.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Seabastes wrote:

When I bought my GX85 the salesman said they could clean the sensor for $90 , I expect someday I will use this service or try with my blower. I partially resolved the cleaning by buying a second body so I don't change lenses. I use the cleaning function regularly and only have seen very slight dust on the sensor when I opened a photo of a snow field. Otherwise I haven't seen any dust marks when enlarging to 200 per cent.

Dust spots generally only show at higher fstops. Take a shot of the sky at f16 or higher.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Small dust specks really only show up when you use small apertures because the dust is really on the AA filter which is slightly ahead of the sensor. To see the dust spots look at a uniform field with the camera set to a small aperture. The shutter speed is irrelevant. If the camera moves, the dust moves with it.

While a snow field might be a good uniform surface, it could have shadows from branches or structure in the snow. A better uniform field would be something indoors, that you can place right at your desk where you would be cleaning the sensor. I use a white page on a word processor. Set the lens at infinity and set autofocus off. Place the camera right near the screen. The monitor structure (RGB dots) will be out of focus and it will look quite uniform. And since you're sitting right next to the computer, it's easy to download the image and look at it.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Colosij wrote:

I have a Nikon D7200 that has spots on the sensor. I have not turned on auto clean when camera is turned on. Is there any reason to not set it to clean the sensor each time I turn on the camera?

It might delay your start up. Try it and see.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I have two Olympus bodies that I have owned for several years. NONE of them ever required sensor cleaning.
I cannot say the same of my Nikon bodies.