Cleaning Sensor in the Field

<p>I am in the middle of nowhere in Spain right now and find that my camera's sensor is a bit on the filthy side yet I have not got a blower with me, only a lenspen (with brush on one end, and little rubber thing on the end for cleaning smudges off a lens).  What can I do to clean the crap off my sensor?  Is blowing on it acceptable, or using the brush?  Big lesson learned here!

<p>Blowing on it will almost always deposit small bits of saliva. Don't use the brush unless you know that it is absolutely clean. If there is any oil or dirt on it at all it will smear on the sensor. Lens Pen does make a version designed for cleaning sensors, but I wouldn't use it. Any dirt particles on the sensor could drag across and scratch it. And I certainly wouldn't use a regular Lens Pen that had already been used to clean a lens.</p>

<p>You might go looking for a new nylon bristle cosmetic brush. Be sure to clean and test it thoroughly. Use a multicoated filter to do the test, and stroke the brush dozens of times to check for streaks. The idea behind a nylon bristle brush is that if you vibrate the bristles (canned air works well) it will develop a static charge that will attract and hold the dust particles.</p>

<p>If you have a camera that supports it, you might want to use the Delete Dust Data software function, which maps the position of the dust spots, then removes them via software.</p>

<p>Obviously it's better to remove the dust if you can, but if you can's and you have DDD available, you might want to use it.</p>

<p>Using a Giotto Rocket Blower to give it a coupld of puffs with the camera held upside down works superbly for a quick cleaning on the fly. It is also Canon's recomended method. I have found this to be etter quicker and easier than using Swabs and also the Sensor Sweep static brush.</p>

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<p>If you don't have a dedicated blower for this, don't blow with anything else.<br>

Don't use the brush on your lenspen ... you likely cannot tell how dirty or clean it is.</p>

<p>If I were you, I would either leave things as they are and correct as good as possible in post processing, or buy a blower in the next town (if possible), or go to an artshop and buy a small watercolor brush made of horse hair. (I used such a brush for years to clean the sensor on my 300D). Make sure, the brush has a protector for the tip, and also make sure you don't touch the tip with the fingers. (BTW ... the brush will only help with dust but not with oily residues ... the latter usually need a wet clean).</p>

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>If you are on the road, can't find a photo store that sells a proper blower.... and really, really and need something, buy a turkey baster (a bit big perhaps) or go to the baby department of a pharmacy and see if you can buy one of those "nose bulbs" they sell.</p>

<p>Obviously in either case, only use a brand new item, preferably one that comes sealed inside plastic, and never something that's ever been used for it's intended purpose.</p>

<p>In a pinch, I've very gently used a brand new micro fiber cloth folded carefully over a wooden "coffee stir" stick, dampened with a single drop of lens cleaner. That actually worked pretty well.</p>

<p>If you don't already have a new one in your camera bag, finding micro fiber cloth can be tricky, too, though. Optometrists often have them, if there aren't any camera shops around.</p>

<p>Rocket blower or leave it be and fix in PP rather than take the risk of damage.</p>

<p>Thanks for all your ideas! In the end, I found a pharmacy and was able to explain in my relatively limited Spanish that I wanted one of those little bulb blowers that are used with babies. I managed to get one and use it to clean out the dust, and after that I was assiduous in changing lenses out of the wind and as quickly as possible. Since then I have not had any more troubles. </p>