Sensor cleaning
Sep 14, 2019 13:57:52 #
During a few of my overseas trips I’ve ended up with dirt on my sensor and, of course, spots on my photos. When I’ve returned off my D7100 goes to Nikon for a cleaning. While I always take a rocket blower with me it’s never solved the problem.
So now I’m off for three and a half weeks in China and I think I need to take a sensor cleaning kit with me. The question is, wet or dry. Visible Dust makes what looks like a perfect wet kit but I’ve also seen cleaners that look like a piece of jello on a stick. I don’t know if the spots are just simple dust or oily in nature.
I would appreciate any feedback from those of you who have dealt with this problem. Thanks for your help. BTW, the 7100 has no filter in front of the sensor.
So now I’m off for three and a half weeks in China and I think I need to take a sensor cleaning kit with me. The question is, wet or dry. Visible Dust makes what looks like a perfect wet kit but I’ve also seen cleaners that look like a piece of jello on a stick. I don’t know if the spots are just simple dust or oily in nature.
I would appreciate any feedback from those of you who have dealt with this problem. Thanks for your help. BTW, the 7100 has no filter in front of the sensor.
Sep 14, 2019 13:59:20 #
Get the VSGO kit for crop sensor cameras, which makes it really easy to clean.
Sep 14, 2019 14:11:40 #
Go to B&H, Adorama for a professional Sensor cleaning kit.
Make sure you designate if you have a APS-C (Crop-Sensor) or a Full Frame Sensor Camera. That will determine the size of the Cleaning brush for the Sensor.
Make sure you designate if you have a APS-C (Crop-Sensor) or a Full Frame Sensor Camera. That will determine the size of the Cleaning brush for the Sensor.
Sep 14, 2019 14:11:44 #
Alafoto
Loc: Montgomery, AL
rgrenaderphoto wrote:
Get the VSGO kit for crop sensor cameras, which makes it really easy to clean.
I am a crop sensor guy...more about the VSGO kit please. If this is a stupid question, please forgive. I just can't figure out what the initials stand for.
Sep 14, 2019 14:40:34 #
sinderone wrote:
During a few of my overseas trips I’ve ended up wi... (show quote)
I suggest that before cleaning your sensor you get a tool to inspect the sensor. There are many sensor magnifying tools available. Buy one of them so you can inspect the sensor before and after cleaning.
You can definitely clean your own sensor. Many do. You will want to do that in a clean dust free draft free room with an area where you can work.
I have see cautionary notes about the gel cleaning sticks. Some of them have resulted in damage to the fragile low pass filter covering the sensor:
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4176182
and
"You might find a similar looking item on Amazon from sellers in China. Please do NOT buy those – we have received some horror stories from people who had their AA filters ripped out from their cameras, thanks to using a fake Chinese version of this product. We are the only distributor of the Sensor Gel Stick in the USA and our product is proudly made in Germany!"
Source: https://photographylife.com/product/sensor-gel-stick
Sep 14, 2019 15:27:12 #
Sep 14, 2019 15:56:11 #
Rgrenader is correct. VSGO is a brand of cleaning kits. They make kits for crop and full frame sensors. Easy to use and do a great job.
Sep 14, 2019 16:17:45 #
sinderone wrote:
The D7100 has no low pass filter.
Won’t matter, there is still a protective layer above the sensor that can be pulled away with the gel stick.
I may have gotten hold of a counterfeit version and delaminated the filter stack on a friend’s camera . $250 to repair. I’m not going to use ANY gel stick product again.
Sep 14, 2019 16:36:52 #
Sep 14, 2019 16:41:43 #
sinderone wrote:
Thanks for the warning. It appears wet is the way to go.
The gel stick worked great for a while. Easy to use...until I damaged the camera. Some swear by them, but I’ve been burned once. I can usually wet clean a sensor with two swabs.
BTY, using the “Quote Reply” option is helpful when addressing a specific post.
Good luck!
Sep 14, 2019 22:20:51 #
RE Gel stick et. al. above, who reported problems, thank you.
That confirms my thinking, it just seems to me like a bad idea to jab a sticky covered stick onto a fragile sensor.
That confirms my thinking, it just seems to me like a bad idea to jab a sticky covered stick onto a fragile sensor.
Sep 15, 2019 07:10:58 #
Alafoto wrote:
I am a crop sensor guy...more about the VSGO kit please. If this is a stupid question, please forgive. I just can't figure out what the initials stand for.
https://digital-photography-school.com/vsgo-camera-sensor-cleaning-kit-review/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhBR0FNeg6c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcPAW-Y-ndw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9BGJsHfNb0
Other cleaning links -
https://www.adorama.com/alc/0013666/article/The-Secret-of-Effectively-and-Safely-Cleaning-Your-Digital-Camera-Sensor-Yourself
https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-clean-your-camera-sensor-in-3-easy-steps/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/how-to-clean-your-camera-sensor/
https://luminous-landscape.com/sensor-cleaning/
http://www.howtogeek.com/162413/how-to-cheaply-and-safely-clean-your-cameras-dslr-sensor/
http://content.photojojo.com/tutorials/digital-slr-sensor-cleaning/
Sep 15, 2019 07:42:58 #
jerryc41 wrote:
Thank you. I’ll check them out.
Sep 15, 2019 09:48:29 #
Give this a look, works well for me on FF and crop. Just make sure you purchase the real thing and not some knock off from China.
https://photographylife.com/product/sensor-gel-stick
https://photographylife.com/product/sensor-gel-stick
Sep 15, 2019 10:17:52 #
sinderone wrote:
During a few of my overseas trips I’ve ended up wi... (show quote)
I’d get Photosol Sensor Swabs sized for your 7100, plus Eclipse fluid, and a Giotto Rocket Blower 🚀.
The wet method is really the only one that gets oily stuff off a sensor. Lubricant and deteriorated mirror dampener foam are common pollutants generated by, and thrown around inside, a dSLR during exposures.
I start with the blower bulb, though.
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