Sensors & dust

[GrumpyOne]

How big a problem is sensor dust in a dusty, polluted environment? If you were living in a dusty area with a lot of air pollution and particulates, would some sort of automatic sensor cleaner become a desirable feature?

[MarkBarbieri]

In theory, yes. However, now that several manufacturers have had anti-dust systems out for a while, they aren't getting great reviews. It sounds like the help, but they don't come anywhere near eliminating the problem. I wouldn't worry (for sensor issues) about the air pollution unless it is particulates; ground level ozone isn't going to stick to your sensor.

Invest in a good sensor cleaning kit with a static charging brush, a gentle scrubbing solution, and a sticky pad solution. Once you get some practice (and you will), it only takes a couple of minutes to do a thorough job. The best time to do it is shortly after a shower in a well ventilated bathroom. Let the moisture in the air pick up all the dust particles but don't do it while it's so damp that you have to worry about condensation.

[handicap18]

You'd be better served with a rocket blower and a sensor swiping kit. I use the rocket blower every few weeks and it gets my sensor about 98% clear of dust. Every few months or maybe 2 times a year depending on bad things get I'll do a sensor swipe with the kit from copperhillimages.com

Dust on the sensor of todays dSLR's is a fact. The in camera technology of dust removing isn't very effective. Rocket blowing is very easy and does a very good jog. Sensor swiping is even better and one you get the hang of it will probably be just about 100% effective.

[Groucho]

Like they said.

Sensor-based dust cleaning is certainly not a bad option to have, but you'll still have to go in there with a Rocker Blower and sometimes even with a complete sensor cleaning solution, which are not as scary as they sound and not very expensive if you go the pec-pad plus wand solution.