Wanderer2 Loc: Colorado Rocky Mountains

Thanks Jerry for the tip on the sensor loupe. I did not know these existed made especially for this purpose.

I cleaned a sensor successfully using a kit I bought from Amazon, probably one of those listed by Jerry. It was not difficult, just use extreme care. If I could do it I think almost anyone can. :o)

Fstop12 Loc: Kentucky

I have never done this myself. Some good information flowing on this post.

Capn_Dave

Here is an old post of mine telling you about my first time cleaning the sensor:

I am with the majority and clean my own sensor. I'm an outdoor photographer in Florida. High humidity blowing sand we got it all. I will try to find shelter when changing lenses but sometimes that's impossible.
I had read and seen videos on the net about cleaning the sensor. I decided to give it a whirl pearl.
I was like a virgin on prom night. This was my first time and really nervous. I brushed and blew the outside of my camera off. Then removed the lens and took the Rocket Blower and shot a couple of blasts of air inside the camera. I put the lens back on went outside and took some pictures of the sky. Back inside I went downloaded the pictures and, nope spots still there mostly in the different places. I repeated the first couple of steps and then got the Rocket Blower out again and then I fired up the Artic Butterfly. I looked into the camera and stared at the (what everybody calls the sensor but is a plate over it) and with a shaking hand wiped the sensor in one direction and then the other. My heart was pounding like crazy, I could hear it in my ears. I put the camera back together and headed outside once more to shoot the sky. I then came back in downloaded the pictures and low an behold I was down to 3 spots. Here we go I know the third time is the charm Mr. Murphy loves threes, this was it the do it or die moment. Brushed off the camera took off the lens, hit the sensor with the Rocket Blower, hit the sensor with the Artic Butterfly. Now I opened the package of sensor swabs. I am starting to shake. Each swab is packed in a cellophane package. I fumble to get the package open, I am holding the swab in one hand, trying not to touch anything with it and knowing there are humongous particles flying around inside my house. The particles look like balls with diamond spikes sticking out and they are slamming into that swab, just waiting to scratch the hell out of my sensor. I open the bottle of sensor cleaner, and by now I am shaking like a canary trying to pass a peach seed, I gingerly try to get two drops of solution onto the swab. I empty about a quarter of the bottle on my hand and arm but do manage to finally get the couple of drops on the swab. Look out camera I going in. I notice the swab fits perfectly on the sensor, I swipe one way then the other, I remove my trembling hand, drop the swab, slap a lens on, light up a cigarette (I don't smoke) poured a glass of single malt scotch, and go outside to take pictures of the sky once more. Upon checking this time, Wahoo, no spots. Piece O' cake.
After that fiasco I bought a sensor loupe so I could look and see if any crud was on the sensor.

I clean my sensor about 3 to 4 times a year and just do it. No shaking, no sweats, and like the Virgin on prom night, I stop and think "Is that all there is?"

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

I use the Delkin cleaning kit

SteveG Loc: Norh Carolina

I swear by Joe Cristina's sensor swab kit. Extremely easy and effective. One perfectly sized for your sensor, two swipes across with the wet, in one direction, two swipes across with the dry and you're good to go!

khorinek

That was well written and funny. I still prefer to pay the $50 to have my sensors cleaned.

SteveG Loc: Norh Carolina

I love that!! You should write for a living, if you don't already!!!! Sounds EXACTLY how I felt my "first" time cleaning my sensor. Nothing really too it. Easy peasy

markinvictoria Loc: Victoria TX

Bad part about paying $50...sometimes it'll last several months...other times it might last one outing.

agillot

here we go again , i use a household vacuum cleaner hose end .remove lens , set camera to take 3 sec exposure , hold hose 1 inch or so away , take 2 or 3 shots , you are done .do rear of lens while you are at it .done this for years on various cameras , never a issue .i use a mini shop vac for this [ $ 25 ].do the car when you are done .do it and report .

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Five stars for humor that could have come from Dave Barry or P.J. O’Rourke!

This tale is similar to mine, and why I head for the Sensor Swabs and Eclipse Fluid first, after one pass of the Giotto Rocket Blower.

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

I use the Rocket Blower. I found that just using the Rocket Blower by itself cleaned off the sensor so I have not had to clean it using swabs. If you use the Rocket Blower be sure to lock the mirror, turn the camera lens side down (the lens will be off the camera), and blow three or four times. Put the lens back on the camera and photograph the sky and see if your sensor is clean.

I've heard that an enema ball is as effective as the Rocket Blower but the Rocket Blower looks a lot cooler and is not all that expensive.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

rjandreoff Loc: Hawaii

My d610/d4 combo have seen a lot of action (tens of thousands of shots) traveling the globe in far less than ideal conditions. Dirty sensors are a fact of life AND getting sensors cleaned by your local camera shop is not an option (i.e. there are none). So I watched the Tony Northrup and Angry Photographer YOUTUBE instructions, purchased the Altura kit from Amazon and learned to do it myself. There is a learning curve to make certain you don't use to much solution and leave smears behind. You must be careful and take your time. But now, not a problem. 1 to 2 minutes, 1 or 2 swabes, no smears, no specks. Good luck!

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com

Go to the above website and read every page!

If you still want to clean the sensor yourself, plan to invest about $100 in the correct tools and supplies to do it properly.

There is no single cleaning product and it's always a multi-step process.

Personally, for sensor cleaning I use:
- Bulb blower
- Lighted magnifying loupe
- Eclipse fluid
- Pec Pads
- Cleaning wands, several sizes
- Dust Aid adhesive cleaning kit
- Speck Grabber
- Sensor brush
- Sensor pen

The trick is knowing how and when to use each of them.

BTW, also don't use too small lens apertures. This can greatly minimize the appearance of dust specks in your images.

Too small an aperture also causes "diffraction", which robs fine detail from images. With a 24MP, APS-C format D7200 diffraction starts to occur at apertures smaller than f/5.6 (this assumes an 8x12" print of an uncropped image). It's very slight at first, but increases as progressively smaller apertures are used. f/8 is probably not any problem. f/11 is also typically usable with care. But I'd be reluctant to use f/16 and certainly would avoid f/22 or any smaller than that! Probably the only time f/22 or f/32 should ever be used is when taking test shots to see if your sensor needs cleaning!

EDIT: Incidentally, dust has always been a problem for photographers. It was an issue with film long before digital. Roll film sometimes got scratched while being run through the camera, when a grain of dust got in the wrong place. Or specks might get embedded in film as it was being processed. It also showed up during the enlargement process. And it was MUCH more difficult to retouch with film, than it is with digital!

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Yeah. The squeeze bulbs they use to clear mucus from babies' noses can be used, too.

HOWEVER, in both cases I'd recommend only using brand new, never-used ones!