How To Clean Nikon Camera Sensor

The idea of cleaning your camera's sensor fills many photographers with dread. It may seem difficult or complicated but it is actually much more than straightforward than you may think. In this article, I will requite you a elementary guide on how to check for sensor dust and how to effectively make clean your photographic camera'southward sensor.

Today I carried out one of the about daunting yet important tasks when it comes to photography: I cleaned my camera's sensor myself. Whilst I had previously taken information technology to a photographic camera store to have information technology cleaned, thought it was important to be able to do this myself. After researching numerous sources on the correct style to practice this, I decided to write one comprehensive guide on how to do it properly, effectively, and (most importantly) safely!

Apologies for the disclaimer but this is only a guide to best practices. You should take extreme intendance in carrying out this task as it is very like shooting fish in a barrel to harm your sensor rendering your photographic camera in need of vital and expensive repairs.

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Tabular array of Contents

What Is Sensor Dust and What Does It Look Like?

Every time y'all modify a lens on your camera, yous are exposing the inside to potential dust and clay contaminants.

You lot should endeavor to protect the inside of your camera as much equally possible when changing lenses—it goes without proverb that you should not change a lens in an environment that will lead to unnecessary dirt entering your camera, such equally a sandy beach or on a windy day—but plainly it is not always possible to practise this. Inevitably, clay and dust volition enter the photographic camera and ultimately bear witness up in your images.

Sensor dust will bear witness up in your images as blurry spots which will await something like the spots circled below:

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There are a few of import things to note:

You may see grit in your viewfinder but this dust will not show up on your images themselves.
It is worth pointing out that you may non come across whatsoever sensor grit if yous shoot at wide apertures (such as f/two.8) as the depth of field is wide enough to throw these spots out of focus rendering them very difficult to encounter (if you can see them at all).
You can tell that it is dust or dirt on your sensor when yous see the same spots appearing on multiple images in the same places.
Although a highly detailed scene may hide the dust, it is still there and will naturally become visible the next time yous take a photograph.
You may see grit on the mirror (if you use a DSLR), but this won't be recorded on an epitome and should be removed using an air blower. Exercise Non use compressed air as this is too powerful and may damage your camera.
Do NOT bear upon the mirror (or the sensor) with ANYTHING every bit both are extremely fragile and easily damaged, scratched, or marked.

How to Test to Run across Sensor Dust

A simple way to bank check and see if you take sensor dust is to set your camera to a modest aperture such as f/16 or f/22.
You should likewise set your camera to the lowest ISO equally y'all are not worried well-nigh noise at this stage.
Have a photo against something bright white (such as a white wall, piece of newspaper, or cloudy sky) and gently move the camera slightly as you take the photo to help blur the photo and make the grit more visible.
And so to check for dust, either inspect the back LCD screen at 100% or load the image into your computer to make this task a picayune easier.
If yous come across signs of dust (as described and shown above) and so you know yous demand to clean the sensor.

Y'all can reveal sensor dust by using a small aperture to shoot a low-cal surface or scene such as a wall or the sky. Dust spots are clearly visible in this frame. Photo by Ronald van der Graaf and licensed under CC Past 2.0.

Before You Endeavor to Make clean Your Sensor

I would propose that you lot outset try to use your camera's auto-clean style if it has one to meet if this makes a departure in removing dust or dirt. Some cameras exercise this automatically when turned on or off but it is worth trying starting time.

Of import: Brand sure that your camera'due south bombardment is fully charged equally information technology may turn off mid-make clean and damage the sensor if information technology runs out of power.

Things You lot Volition Need

Cleaning swabs that are lint-free and designed for your camera'due south specific sensor size.
Cleaning solution designed for camera sensors.
Bulb blower for manually puffing dust away with air.
Flashlight or headlamp to see inside the photographic camera and audit the body.
Sensor loupe, a nifty cheap item that is a magnifier with LED lights allowing you to clearly and hands see the sensor and inspect for dust and dirt.

How to Dry Make clean Your Sensor

Find an surface area that is as costless of dust and air current as possible.
If you lot are using a DSLR: With a full bombardment and no lens on your camera, expect for the menu option to manually make clean your camera. Check your manual if you tin't find this selection. When you select this mode, you will hear the mirror lock back and reveal the sensor if you lot are using a DSLR. Note that you just demand to power off your camera to release the mirror dorsum to its usual place in front of the photographic camera.
If you are using a mirrorless camera: Your sensor should be exposed when you have off your lens or body cap.
Belongings the camera upside downwardly and so the LCD screen is facing the ceiling, utilise the manual air blower to blow air into the photographic camera onto the sensor. Exist extremely conscientious NOT to bear on the sensor with the tip of the blower. The best practise is not to put the tip of the blower inside the camera at all. Once again practise not use compressed air.
Later on a few blasts of air, turn off the camera and replace the lens. You should accept another test shot (as above) to encounter if this has removed the grit or dirt that was on the sensor. If it has then there is no need to take whatsoever further steps. If it remains, then you will likely need to go on to a 'wet' clean of the sensor.

How to Wet Clean Your Sensor

Remove the lens and place the camera on a surface with the LCD facing the floor.
Select the transmission cleaning option to lock upwards the mirror on a DSLR. Remove the lens or trunk cap to expose the sensor on a mirrorless camera.
Remove a sensor swab and using the air blower a few times, blow air to remove any odd pieces of lint that may be stuck to the swab.
Add two (or three drops max) of the solution to the tip of the swab. Do not oversaturate the swab or you lot will go out streaks on the sensor. Less is definitely more in this case!
With bully care place the swab onto one side of the sensor and with not as well much force, gently move the swab across the sensor in i smooth motion. When you get to the other side, plow the swab over and repeat the procedure starting from the far side back to where you started. Again, do this in one smooth move with no swell forcefulness.
At this stage, I use a loupe and inspect the sensor to see if I can encounter if the dust has been removed. If you lot are not sure, plow off the camera and replace the lens and take a further test shot to audit for grit.
If you encounter some grit remains then you volition need to repeat the process but it is important to use some other clean new swab. Exercise non reuse a swab.

If you meet streaks on the sensor then this means that you have used too much solution. Wait a few minutes and then repeat the process with less solution. Two drops are usually plenty.

Y'all will at present have a clean sensor. When done properly with the correct equipment information technology is quite a unproblematic process to make clean the camera'southward sensor. Although a picayune daunting the starting time time y'all do this, yous will be saving yourself the unnecessary expense and inconvenience of being without your camera by using a professional cleaning service.

I hope this tutorial helps to explain how to make clean your sensor in a straightforward way.

About the writer: Antony Zacharias is a Florida-based Commercial and Art photographer with roots in London. To see more of his piece of work, caput over to his website or requite him a follow on Facebook, 500px, and Instagram.

Source: https://petapixel.com/how-to-clean-camera-sensor/

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