jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

There's a new type of cleaner - gel on a stick.

http://www.amazon.com/Eyelead-Sensor-Gel-Stick/dp/B00JPD0UQW/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1423580991&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=gel+sensor+cleaner

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Brenda,

Of the two popular methods I have heard about, soaking in gasoline or boiling the camera in soapy water, which did you use? I had my two cameras professionally cleaned so have never done it myself. I probably will next time though.

Don't let Douglass see this or I will get another, Bad Dog...

Dennis

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

I got a D200 many years ago. It developed spots. However, since it was at the time the most expensive camera I had ever bought, I didn't want to risk cleaning the sensor.

Eventually I bought a bunch of lenses and other stuff. So my investment was significantly higher than just the camera body. Further investment netted me a D3.

When the D3 developed spots, I decided it was time to do something about it. So I bought a rocket blower and a bunch of swabs and some E2. I had the D200 full of spots and I wasn't using it much so I figured I'd try cleaning that to see how much I could damage the sensor.

The rocket blower didn't do much after so many years but it did do something. I then tried the swab after looking at several posts on how to do it. The first swab got about 90% of the spots off. The second got all the rest (at least all that I saw). Total time agonizing over the spots and the possibility of damaging the sensor: about 3 years. Total time looking at how-to videos and reading posts: about 4 hours. Total time spent cleaning with the swabs: 3 minutes.

After seeing how easy it was I went out and got some swabs of the right size for the D3 (FX) sensor. Another 5 minute job (including the rocket blower) and the D3 was clean. Total cost about $25 for the rockst blower and the swabs.

Since then I clean my sensor when it needs it. I use the swabs only once (once on each side). They're not expensive and if they pick up anything that might be abrasive it's best not to make another pass with one.

sinderone

While in China last summer I noticed the same problem with my 7100. Keep in mind that the spots can by and large be removed in Photoshop. That being said I contacted Nikon who had me send my camera back to them. I received it back in about two weeks and no more spots. They were a bit vague about the problem but I suspect it needed a sensor cleaning. I would suggest you send yours to them as well. Give them a call. They'll have you send some examples and then send you an RA. It's the best way to go. Good luck!

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I fixed mine.

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-283103-2.html#4776245

:oops:

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Have your sensor cleaned. You can get a rocket blower and most of the time just blow the crud off the sensor.

BeachLady Loc: Surfside Beach, SC

Since I see you are a specialist in dirt, I'm feeling braver already - THANKS! Watching youtube how-tos now.

tomeveritt Loc: Fla. + Ga,NY,Va,Md,SC

As jerryc41 said, Sensor dust is a fact of life for DSLR's.

Go to the d7100 "SETUP MENU", WRENCH on left, to find the following.
- "The Book" will only show how "Cleaning Sensor", pg. 313.

"Do Not try "Setting Camera to B (bulb), etc."

- Manual Cleaning requires "Locking the Mirror Up", pg 315.

To easily see if you have Sensor Dust, (Test for Dust), set camera to F22, take a picture of a white wall or white paper, take 3 exposures with exposure compensation pg. 86, set +1, 00, -1. When you view the exposures you will see dust if it exists..

When I clean my 2-D7100s, D7000, and D70, I take a few steps in the following order, after each procedure I do another "Test for Dust" exposures.

If you feel uncomfortable with technical procedures, "Do Not Clean your own sensor", it is Unforgiving if touched incorrectly!!!

After each step, "check for dust", if gone (removed) you are finished.

1. Clean Sensor – pg. 313

2. Blow of the sensor with mirror locked up, pg. 315. Use Giotto Rocket Air blaster, B&H, Adorama, Amazon, etc….

3. Sensor Sweep, Copper Hill Images, or Amazon. Copper Hill sells Kits.
http://www.copperhillimages.com/?pr=Copper_Hill_Products

4. I have also had luck with Lenspen+SensorKlear II, w Articulated Tip – B&H, Amazon.

Proceed with Caution, as "mborn" said, there are excellent videos out there.

Good Luck, remember, every time you Zoom with most lenses, you are pulling and pushing air around.

:thumbup:

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/ is a website maintained by a couple professional camera repair techs... one of whom has literally "written the book(s)" on many repair subjects. They also are one of the largest suppliers to professional repairers, stocking many of the tools and supplies (and with no particular bias toward one or another, other than what works and what doesn't). Their sensor cleaning flow chart at http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/15.html is especially good, showing what's involved in doing the job correctly. All the other pages of the website explain the tools used and the steps on the chart more fully.

http://www.copperhillimages.com/ offers a lot of information and their main focus has been a convenient kit to do "wet cleanings" (tho they have added and offer other tools now, too). It's good and important, but IMO wet cleaning is one of the steps in a cleaning process.



Maybe a new brand, but not really a new method... Speck Grabber has been around a long time, uses essentially the same thing. And the Dust Aid system uses similar "slightly adhesive" method to pick up specks of dust, but with low cost, non-reusable pads.

There are a number of items used to clean sensors. But, side from a non-contact method such as a puff of air from a bulb blower (which won't remove adhered dust)... The first cleaning of any camera must be a "wet cleaning".

This is because there are always spots of oil on the sensor. The shutter and other mechanisms were lubricated when new, and some of the excess that's thrown off ends up on the sensor. If you don't do a wet cleaning first, any other type of cleaning will just smear the oil, causing a lot more problems with adhered dust specks in the future and potentially contaminating any tool being used on the sensor.

Cleaning is not difficult.... But you do need a small array of tools and supplies to do it well and properly.... And doing it wrong risks damaging the camera, resulting in expensive repairs.

The cost of properly setting up to do your own cleanings is probably 2X to 4X the cost of having a single cleaning done professionally. If you are at all concerned about your own abilities to do the cleaning, consider having the cleaning done professionally.