Question regarding DSLR's - Steve, Tom, Buzz, anyone?

[MN Shutterbug]

Has anybody that has done a lot of shooting with a DSLR had a problem with dust in the CCD? An editor at PC World claims that she has had to have the CCD on her Nikon D70 cleaned three times. I understand this a problem with most digital SLR's except the Olympus.

[buzzsaw]

I know my name isn't on the post, but isn't Olympus the company that has the system that has a "Supersonic Wave Filter" that cleans CCD at each camera start-up to shake off any dust. I think the response to that was well when you turn on your camera all that dust that shook loose will immediately cling (magnetize) to the camera. If your thinking about an Olmpus let us know how it works out. I'd recommend Canon or Nikon and I put them in that order for Steve.

Here's a link to read.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/e1/feat_quality_filter.asp

[Steve Foss]

Hey X:

Just for the record, the term "sensor" is used generically. CCD is the sensor type used by Nikon and a couple others. CMOS is used by Canon and a couple others. They are different types of sensors that accomplish basically the same things using different systems of technology. Like Mac and PC do the same thing using different philosophies.

There is no sensor in the world that won't collect dust. When the camera is on, the sensor has a static charge that attracts dust particles. When dust clings to the sensor and you bring the camera from a cold environment into a warm environment without leaving it in your camera bag or putting it in a ziplock bag to slow down warming, condensation forms on the lenses and sensor. That condensation can embed any clinging dust particles to a sensor, making it more difficult to clean. Even the brand that has that anti-dust shaking deal isn't doing a lot of good.

Dust on the sensor will show up as blotches or little circles on your image. It can be cloned out in photoshop or other programs, but it's better to keep you sensor clean than to have to Dick with it during post processing. I've owned my Canon 20D for just over a year, and I've cleaned the sensor myself 11 times.

One way to reduce the amount of dust attracted to a sensor is to shut off the camera before changing lenses. A charged sensor attracting dust has a lot more dust to attract when those lenses are changing.

Most DSLR manufacturers don't recommend aftermarket sensor cleaning kits, but I bought one and it works great. It cost about $25. I can't post the link here, but do a Web search for DSLR sensor cleaning kits and look at what you find. And be sure to use the words "pec" and "copper hill." If you send your body into a service shop certified by your camera maker, you can expect to wait from one or two weeks to as long as a month to get it back, not to mention the cost.

Another tip is to keep your lenses as free of dust as possible. There are cleaning pens available from a number of makers that have retractible soft brushes on one end to get rid of dust and a rubbing surfaces on the other to get rid of spots.

[buzzsaw]

[MN Shutterbug]

Actually Buzz, you replied too fast. About 30 seconds after I posted this I went back and added your name to the post. Sorry, didn't mean to exclude you.

Steve, thanks for the info. I did actually find instructions on the web for performing this procedure. I understand that Nikon offers a sensor/CCD cleaning kit but it's only available in Japan. If I buy a Nikon, do you know of anybody going to Japan in the near future? One drawback that I read about when sending the camera away, is that during return shipment more dust gets dislodged and it comes back no better than when it went out possibly.

[Steve Foss]

X, if it's available in Japan, it's available online. Somewhere.

But I've been told the kits you buy online work just fine on Nikon CCD sensors. That's according to a few Nikon shooters I know. I've never used one on a Nikon, so I can't speak from personal experience.

If you send a body away for a sensor cleaning, make sure to specify a total cleaning of interior and exterior camera spaces. That way, it's totally clean BEFORE the sensor is cleaned, if the service folks know their onions, and then after the sensor is cleaned they seal it up and send it back. No dust to get dislodged that way.

But, practically speaking, if you do much shooting you're going to want to learn how to clean the sensor yourself. Dust gets in in devilish ways, and you can't be sending the body in every time you get a few specks on the sensor.

[hobbydog]

Most cameras come pretty dirty from the factory. You can buy the cleaning kits online or you can just make one out of a pecc pad and use a drop or two of eclipse (not too much) I have cleaned mine onle twice in two years, once after I got it and about a year later. Steve has a Canon so it has to be cleaned more often (just kidding) If you are going to have a DSLR you will need to learn some basic maintanence....sensor cleaning is just part of the job.

[MN Shutterbug]

Hobby,

What else should I know? You mentioned cleaning the sensor is just part of it. I've owned several Nikon 35mm cameras and all I needed to do was clean the lenses occasionally.

[Steve Foss]

I've put nearly 20,000 shutter actuations on my 20D in the last 14 months, and the only camera body maintenance I've had to do is clean the sensor (keeping the body/lenses clean is no different a task than on traditional film SLRs) and download one or two firmware upgrades from Canon. I don't imagine Nikon's any more labor intensive.

Dog? Tom? Buzz?

[Tom Wilson]

X,

You just can't get better information than everyone else has given you already, but I'll put in my two cents. I have never, with two D70's and now the D2X, touched my sensor in any way. I have a can of compressed air that I use when I start to notice the spots. I open the shutter, and give it one or two gentle blasts from the can (8-10 inches away) and it knocks the dust off. I have shot in some of the nastiest, dustiest environments (horse shows) and have never had to do anything more. I think the problem comes when people don't pay enough attention, and they leave the dust on the sensor long enough for it to adhere due to moisture conditions. It isn't difficult, but touching the sensor with anything is not something to be taken lightly. If I couldn't blow it off, mine would go in for a cleaning, but that's just me. The Giottos rocket bulb blower also puts out a lot of air (buzz has got one of those), but my issues with those are that every time you release pressure off of the bulb, you suck air (and dust) back into the bulb, which means the next time you use the bulb, you blow that dust right back into the camera. There is no science behind that, just my thought. That's why I use the canned air. Careful with the canned air though, the very first shot can often have moisture in it.

Tom W