photoshack Loc: Irvine, CA

That would be an ideal situation actually; wide, normal, long lenses on three bodies. All you need is cash :-)

I think dust bunnies are not as problematic if you aren't shooting stopped down against contrasting sky, etc. very often. I get them when doing beach long exposures stopped down to F16ish and they bug me.

juicesqueezer Loc: Okeechobee, Florida

I change lenses all the time myself and take as much care as I can, but sooner, rather than later, you will have to clean the sensor or send it in to be cleaned.
I do my own, but ordered the magnifier to make things easier and it isn't helping. So, this was the reason for the original question. There are many loupe's out there and they range from $20 to $150 or so. If anyone out there has one that they really like, please advise. Thanks to all who responded.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I'm pretty sure this is the magnifier I use.

http://www.amazon.com/Carson-SensorMag-Cleaning-4-5x30mm-SM-44/dp/B0091SS310/ref=pd_sim_sbs_p_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1EG539FR2DQ0RWTFGQ70

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

You will always get dust on your sensor if you use any zoom lens. The best thing is to just clean it regularly, or at worst, as needed.

Buying multiple cameras to avoid dust spots is a waste of money and pretty illogical when a sensor can be cleaned in 10 minutes...

juicesqueezer Loc: Okeechobee, Florida

Thanks Jerry; I had been looking at this one today and just ordered it from B&H. It has great reviews, adjustable focus for the eye and cheap as well. Some of the $100 ones had some really bad reviews, so will see how this one goes. I know the one I received from Copper Hill is terrible. I can't focus it and tried several angles to no avail.
Oh, I bid on your D610 several times. Looks like you will be getting a good price for it, as you have a few more days to go! Good luck!

Bill Houghton Loc: New York area

That's your opinion, I find it quite contrary to my needs. Try being in a desert where the dust is finer then talcum powder, and the UTV your riding on has over 1/2 dust on the seat next you. I have found opening any camera body in that environment is an open invitation to trouble. And to clean a sensor in dust storm isn't something one wants to do on a routine bases. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

juicesqueezer Loc: Okeechobee, Florida

:thumbup:

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

Well in extreme situations anything goes. But that isn't what we are talking about here....

bibobe Loc: NYC

I have used "Visible dust britevue sender loupe 7x" plus with the cleaning kit from Visible Dust from a few years and it has always worked. Changing lens and cleaning the sensor should be the normal things to do with any DSLRs, like changing the oil and oil filter in the cars. So far, I had to change the batteries once and have to press the on/off button a bit hard to turn on the LED lights inside but it has worked pretty well so far. They use it at Adorama rental to check and clean the sensors on rental bodies when customers return them...

MMC Loc: Brooklyn NY

I have Cooper Hill cleaning kit and I am not happy with loop. I am using Optivisor Binocular Magnifier wearing my regular reading glasses and small LED flashlight. This combination is working good for me. I do not remember where I bought and how much I paid for Magnifier. This link shows almost the same one.http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/171764248279?item=171764248279&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&rmvSB=true

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

I have a loupe... but just clean the entire sensor. Each time, usually twice to be sure.

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

Hi Juice, if you see them doing the f22, you know exactly where they are. My loupe, I only used once, waste of My time. Dust brush 1st, 2nd, if still there, wipe.

I change lens several times on each session, no problems.

You got the right stuff - "Out Damn Spots" good luck

RRS Loc: Not sure

Yes, more money then brains!

bibobe Loc: NYC

This is what I use:
1. Magnifier LED loop: http://www.amazon.com/Visible-Dust-BriteVue-Sensor-Loupe/dp/B0085TBFNO/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1430495204&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=visible+led+magnifier+loupe
2. Sensor cleaning cotton swab & liquid - make sure the cotton swab FITS your camera' sensor size (full frame or APS-C):
http://www.amazon.com/Visible-EZ-Sensor-Cleaning-Cleaner/dp/B0033UQM6K/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1430495220&sr=8-3-fkmr2&keywords=visible+dust+cotton+swab+for+camera+sensor
3. Motorized brush - OPTIONAL, not use frequently:
http://www.amazon.com/VisibleDust-Arctic-Butterfly-Super-Bright/dp/B004DAE7UC/ref=sr_1_fkmr3_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1430495426&sr=8-2-fkmr3&keywords=VisibleDust+SD-800+Arctic+Butterfly+Pro+Kit
4. Air compressor can or rocket blow.

Hope they help. Yes, they are pricey but do the job. Or pay a service do it but I would rather do them myself. Plus with the cleaning kit, I can do this anytime without rely on someone else to clean and that a HUGE convenience.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

First of all, what you see in the viewfinder are specks on the focus screen, mirror or trapped within the camera's pentaprism assembly itself and these HAVE NO RELATIONSHIP AT ALL with spots on your images. When you take a shot with a DSLR, the mirror flips up, covering and sealing off the focus screen and pentaprism above it before the shutter even opens to take the image by exposing the sensor to light.

There is some small risk that dust specks on the mirror or focus screen might eventually migrate around inside the camera and find their way onto the sensor. But this isn't very likely. It is also possible to have the mirror/focus screen cleaned, but I recommend you leave that to professionals because both these items are very easily damaged and you can end up with an expensive repair if cleaning is done incorrectly. Dust on them is just a minor nuisance anyway, for the large part.

IMO, it's utterly silly to be afraid of changing lenses, too. I do it all the time in quite dusty conditions...


I try to not change lenses under the worse conditions. I may move to a clearer area, make the change quickly, holding the camera face down, etc. And, yes, I'm usually shooting with at least two cameras, and that minimizes lens changes. And I use common sense. But I also don't hesitate to swap out a lens because of some "fear of dust".

It's not all that big a deal. Cameras can be cleaned. Plus modern digital cameras with self-cleaning sensors are pretty amazing. Dust has always been a minor issue for photographers, even with film! But even if dust gets on the sensor and ends up in an image, it's usually very easily retouched. Much easier with digital than it ever was with film!

Regarding cleaning... The Copperhill Method (wet cleaning) is good, but is only part of the process. It is typical to need to follow up a wet cleaning with a Sensor Pen to polish away some slight haze that the wet cleaning fluid inevitably leaves behind. Before and after that, it's common to need to use a bulb blower to puff away loose specks and/or a device such as a Speck Grabber to lift away any individual specks that find their way back onto the sensor.

The loupe you got may not have enough magnification. You may need to get stronger, or just use magnifying eyeglasses in conjunction with the loupe. Be aware that what you see in the image is upside down and backwards on the sensor... for example if you see a speck in the upper, lefthand corner of your image, when you go looing for it you'll find that speck is in the lower, righthand corner of the sensor.

But, even with great care you still may see some tiny specks remaining when you do a test shot at f22, f32. If enough, redo the wet cleaning, polishing and puffing... or use a dry method such as lightly adhesive strips (Dust Aid, etc.) and/or an anti-static brush (Arctic Butterfly, etc.). It is common for more than one method of cleaning or repeated cleanings to be needed.

Another solution... don't shoot at f22! Such a small aperture is going to detract from your image due to diffraction anyway, so keep to f8, f11, f16 at about the smallest. Any dust specks will be minimized or completely invisible at larger apertures.

Also stop evaluating your images at 100, 200% or larger! That's silly... with modern DSLRs it's like making a five or ten foot wide print and viewing it from 18" away. At that level of magnification, nothing looks very good and every tiny flaw will be visible... Stuff that's so tiny it really won't matter when you actually make a print in a more normal size or make a low resolution, smaller image to be shared and viewed online. It's fine to zoom in to high magnifications when retouching your images... just back off a bit and be less overly critical when evaluating the image for other things.

For more info about cleaning processes, I'd suggest you visit www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com. Read all of it! This site is maintained by several very experienced camera repair techs (one of whom has literally "written the books" on many repair topics), is a very thorough discussion of the cleaning processes. It's also tied to the www.micro-tools.com website, which is one of the key suppliers to the camera repair industry, where virtually all the cleaning tools and devices are available individually or in bulk.

Copperhill Images themselves also have a lot of good cleaning info on their site, though they tend to put the most emphasis on the specific tools and processes they offer.

EDIT: several VERY important warnings...

NEVER use common cotton swabs inside a camera. These shed tiny, tough, cotton fibers that can get into and jam up fine shutter and mirror mechanisms. That can mean an expensive repair!

NEVER use "canned air" inside a camera or anywhere near optics. The blast from canned air is too strong around delicate, high precision shutters and mirror mechanisms. It also can spray liquid propellants onto surfaces which especially can make a mess of optics of any type.

BE CERTAIN your camera battery is charged up before starting a cleaning and work efficiently to complete the work in a timely manner. Also be careful not to accidentally turn off the camera mid-cleaning. In most cameras holding the mirror up and the shutter open during cleaning uses power continuously. If the battery doesn't have enough power or the camera is accidentally turned off, the shutter can close onto any tool being used to clean the sensor, causing damage to the shutter or mirror. With most cameras, a full battery charge will give at least a half hour to complete the work, but I try to finish in 10, 15 minutes or less.

If at all uncertain about doing the cleaning yourself, take the camera to a shop that offers cleaning. This will usually cost about 1/4 or 1/3 what it would cost to buy the supplies and tools to do the cleaning yourself. So it would be basically the same cost to have 3 or 4 cleanings done professionally, or to buy the stuff to do it yourself. OTOH, it can be good to know how to do the cleanings yourself and have the necessary stuff on hand, in case it's ever needed in an emergency.