´best way to clean a 5D (not markII) sensor...

<p>Hi. i just started doing some landscapes in HDR on F22 and my god the sensor is dust spotted all over - simply to much to clean up in PS. Now ive been googling a lot before posting this and there is alot of oppininos out there but im not sure if there isnt a lot sites saying "use our stuff- its the best ....". So i wanted to heare from you guys what you use to clean your sensors. Until now i have the sensor swab and eclipse E2 on my mind - dont know really if its any good. Thanks anna</p>

<p>I use a blower and a brush ... cleaning usually does not take longer than 5-10 minutes. As a result, no visible spots are left up to f/16. I never did a wet clean so far ... it was simply never necessary.</p>

<p>As was suggested, use a bulb blower first and check. If that does not work, you can try one of the specifically designed sensor brushes. Be careful, use one designed for the purpose. I use Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly. The risk is that there may be oil or other gunk which may be smeared across the sensor with a brush.</p>

<p>If that does not work, see these two sites:<br>

<a href="http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/">http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/</a><br>

<a href="http://www.copperhillimages.com/index.php?pr=Tutorials">http://www.copperhillimages.com/index.php?pr=Tutorials</a></p>

<p>Rocket blower first, if that does not work than the Arctic butterfly Brush, if that still does clean it, I use the wet method. I have not had to use the wet method on my 5D, the 1Ds about twice a year. </p>

<p>I posted a summary of my approach to sensor cleaning (written when I was shooting a "5D classic") at my web site: <a href="http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2007/10/20/my-approach-to-dslr-sensor-cleaning">http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2007/10/20/my-approach-to-dslr-sensor-cleaning</a></p>

<p>I would always first try to simply get things "clean enough" (more on that in a moment) using a blower. If that isn't enough, the blower plus a sensor brush will virtually always get thing very clean - sometimes, so it would seem, perfectly clean. You may have to work at it a bit, and in the worst cases you might have to repeat the clean/test cycle a few times. ("Test" means to shoot a pure white subject with the lens OOF at f/22 and view the result on the screen.)</p>

<p>In very unusual cases, which would occur no more often than once per year, I use the Eclipse/PecPad method, though in my experience this has its own issues. You have to be very careful to avoid leaving subtle smear marks on the AA glass. Again, you may have to do it more than once, especially if these techniques are new to you, and I often followed the wet cleaning with a once-over with the brush and blower.</p>

<p>Finally, a couple practical conssiderations. First, as you probalby have figured out, the dust spots are generally more visible at the smaller apertures. While you have to use them on occasion, don't overuse them when not necessary. Also, it is quite normal to have a few dust spots on the sensor. Don't obsess too much over a few small spots - it is actually easier just to take care of them in post.</p>

<p>Dan</p>

<p>Astrophotographers use an image called a flat field, taken of a white, uniform target using the same focus and aperture. This can be then used in post processing to help remove the dust shadows and also help deal with vignetting. An image of a uniform blue sky can be used as well, and then de-saturated. The key is to choose an exposure where most of the pixels are near the center of the histogram. Search on flat field correction for further details.</p>

<p>In the past I've done wet cleaning with the Copper Hill Pec Pad wrapped paddle with Eclipse Fluid method. It always takes 5~6 tries, with some attempts introducing more than they clean. By the time I'm done I'm in a sweat, and exasperated by the process.</p>

<p>The last time I noticed a significant "booger", I just used a bulb blower, checking with out-of-focus shots of our ceiling in between attempts. I only reviewed results on the LCD, only zoomed in enough to show about one quandrant of the overall. It took 2~3 tries to get it near pristine, and I've not checked it since. Much easier on the nerves.</p>

<p>I use a very simple, very inexpensive method - you can read it about it <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/canoneosusers/how-to-clean-your-dslr-sensor">here</a> .</p>

<p>to late Giampi :) i just ordered a blower and a arctic butterfly bush - hope it works. thanks everyone</p>