Sensor Cleaning Guide

DSLR Sensor Cleaning

What is it, do I need to worry about it, and how should I clean my sensor?

Whether you recently got your first DSLR camera or you’ve owned a DSLR for years,

sensor cleaning and maintenance is sometimes the last thing that we think about when

it comes to deciding on which camera accessories we need, and how to handle camera

care. Until, that is, we start seeing those annoying specs show up on our images and

wonder where they came from and how to get rid of them.

Because your DSLR image sensor is electronically charged, even the newest CCD and

CMOS sensors tend to attract debris from static electricity. If you’re very careful when

you change lenses and have a coated sensor that reduces static charge, your sensor may

stay clean much longer than someone who frequently changes lenses outdoors, however

inevitably even the most careful photographer will end up with debris on their sensor.

What does that mean for you? Specs of debris that sit on your sensor surface will usually

show up in your images as black or grey spots, which translates into your great shot of

the Grand Canyon looking like a dust storm blew past as you were capturing the shot,

or your beautiful bride ending up with dust specs scattered across her face that need

to be edited out.

What is Sensor Cleaning?

Sensor cleaning can be done automatically by a

built-in cleaner that’s a function of your camera,

or manually by removing your lens and putting

your camera into manual sensor cleaning mode

through your menu buttons. While built-in sensor

cleaning functions are nice to have, you may find

yourself needing a more thorough cleaning from

time to time to remove stubborn particles that

continually end up back on your sensor surface and

show up in your images. There are several tools

that are made specifically to address the different

types of debris that can end up on your sensor’s

surface.

First, Determine if Your Sensor Needs to be Cleaned

In the past you would need to set your camera’s F-stop to a specific number, shoot a

blank sheet of white paper or a blight blue sky, then magnify the image on your

computer screen to view your sensor and identify debris. Today, there are a handful of

different inspection devices that make it quick and easy to look at a magnified and

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DSLR Sensor Cleaning What is it, do I need to worry about it, and how should I clean my sensor? Whether you recently got your first DSLR camera or you’ve owned a DSLR for years, sensor cleaning and maintenance is sometimes the last thing that we think about when it comes to deciding on which camera accessories we need, and how to handle camera care. Until, that is, we start seeing those annoying specs show up on our images and wonder where they came from and how to get rid of them.
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illuminated view of your sensor’s surface and determine if cleaning is necessary in a matter of seconds. The Delkin SensorScope was the first DSLR sensor inspection device introduced in 2008, and still holds the original patent for inventing DSLR sensor inspection. The universal design drops onto any DSLR’s lens mount and provides a magnified and illuminated infocus view of your sensor’s surface so that you can determine if debris exists.
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that adhesion and wipe the contaminant away. Delkin has developed size-specific SensorSafe Wands and SensorSolution to address wet contaminants and safely remove them from your sensor’s surface. These are included as a part of the SensorScope System, as well as the Refill Kits that are size specific and match your specific sensor size.