Sensor cleaning -- every month???

[Pugrpooh]

The guy at Circuit City today said a DSLR has to have their sensor cleaned monthly. I haven't gotten that impression at all from everything I've read. What's your experience? Are the sensor cleaning kits easy to use?

Thanks!

[ukcatfan]

Well, in two years I have only used the blower on mine a handful of times and never had to do a surface cleaning. Try to minimize the time it goes without a lens attached. I try to get the old one off and new one on in about five seconds. Also be sure that the lens you are placing on the camera does not have dust on it that you would then be introduced to the inside of the camera.

[My2Girls66]

I've had my D50 since Jan '06 and haven't cleaned the sensor yet. I'm very careful when I change lenses.

[InsertWittyNameHere]

Sounds like he was trying to make an additional sale on the cleaning kit.

[boBQuincy]

It depends. Sometimes I have to clean my 30D after every major photo outing. I try a rocket blower first, if that doesn't do it I then go to the Copperhill cleaning kit, which has always worked.
Except for the time I forgot to put a fully charged battery in the camera... :(

[jann1033]

i have a few smootches on my sensor after 18 months or so and never cleaned it although it's getting close to where i should...make sure you turn it off when you changes lenses( something about the charge of the sensor when it's onfrom what i read and i think it's true since i have noticed a new smootch the two times i forgot to do that) , don't change lenses where a lot of junk is blowing around, i always have the lens i am changing to ready to go before i take the lens off the body etc...so maybe he was trying to sell a sensor cleaning plan or was clueless or maybe both;) since many dslrs have cleaning modes now i am thinking it would be even less often you'd have to do it with the wipes

[Steve's Girl]

I've had my DSLR for 2 years and have taken over 20,000 photos with it. I have never had to do a sensor cleaning. I regularly use a blower, but that is it. I bought the sensor cleaning kit out of paranoia, but have never opened the box.

[mabas9395]

I agree that it only needs it when it needs it. For some people, that may be every month. If you only have the kit lens and never take it off, you might never have to do it.

But the first time I used my rocket blower, it actually made things worse. Seems like there was some particulate matter in the shutter box that wasn't doing any harm, but when I tried to blow off the shutter, it dislodged it all and got even more stuff onto my sensor.

[YesDear]

And you really believe what "the guy" from Circuit City says!!!!

You need to learn how to look at the sensor and see if it is dirty. You can take a picture of a white background then enlarge it 100% on the display screen to see dust and stuff.

I was always taught that you blow it off first and that will normally take care of 90% of stuff. A clean soft brush is second and the last thing you want to do is clean the sensor. Make absolutely certain you have the right chemicals and tools for your camera. Then follow the instructions or get someone to do it for you. I would not get a sensor cleaning kit from Circuit City either. Go to the MFG site or a professional supply house.

[handicap18]

When I first got my D50 almost 3 years ago I was terrible over the first 6 or so months with regard to dust. I easly had a very complicated connect the dots picture in dust. I went and got a cleaning kit from copper hill images. That cleaned it nicely. Since then I only had to do that type of cleaning 2 other times. Since I got a rocket blower a litte more than a year ago I haven't had to use the wet cleaning once. Usually once a month I'll take a picture of the sky at f/22 and in the LCD screen you easily see if you have dust.

Rocket blower once every other month or so has done me well over the last year.

[Furgus]

Hope you didn't come to my Circuit City (I work at one part time).....do it as needed and don't bring it to a big box store to clean it if you have to. Do it yourself or take it to a camera shop.

[Pugrpooh]

Hope you didn't come to my Circuit City (I work at one part time).....do it as needed and don't bring it to a big box store to clean it if you have to. Do it yourself or take it to a camera shop.

Maybe I did if you work at one in Louisville.:goodvibes I got a great price on the 520 with 2 lenses from CC, but I'm debating on whether to buy the protection plan from them, which would include one cleaning a year. From what I've been reading about CC, they're not doing well financially, so I don't know what would happen to my protection plan if they were bought out or went bankrupt. But they told me I have two weeks to make up my mind on it.

I kept delaying putting on the lens for the first time today because I was so scared a particle of dust was going to fly in! But I did it, and maybe tomorrow, I'll try out the 40-150 lens. I'm really looking to get the 18-180 in the future so I won't have to worry about it.;)

Lynn

[ukcatfan]

Pugrpooh, I might have already told you this before, but we lived in the Hikes Point area of Louisville for a few years before moving down to FL. My wife is actually from there, but I am from Ashland. I still miss the Derby season, but not the cold winters.

[Pugrpooh]

Pugrpooh, I might have already told you this before, but we lived in the Hikes Point area of Louisville for a few years before moving down to FL. My wife is actually from there, but I am from Ashland. I still miss the Derby season, but not the cold winters.

I'm in that area every day. DD6 goes to school in St. Matthews and I work near GE, so I'm on Hikes Ln. every day. We lived in Tampa for one year and I really missed the change of seasons.

So far, I've refrained from commenting on your screen name and your hat. ;)
(Maybe because of the football game this year?) I'm glad I gave our tickets away -- it would've been painful. Seriously, I was hoping UK would beat Alabama and I REALLY REALLY want them to cream Arkansas next week.

[Furgus]

Maybe I did if you work at one in Louisville.:goodvibes I got a great price on the 520 with 2 lenses from CC, but I'm debating on whether to buy the protection plan from them, which would include one cleaning a year. From what I've been reading about CC, they're not doing well financially, so I don't know what would happen to my protection plan if they were bought out or went bankrupt. But they told me I have two weeks to make up my mind on it.

I kept delaying putting on the lens for the first time today because I was so scared a particle of dust was going to fly in! But I did it, and maybe tomorrow, I'll try out the 40-150 lens. I'm really looking to get the 18-180 in the future so I won't have to worry about it.;)

Lynn

Nah, I work in one in NC :) I have only been there a month, and did not know anything about cleanings. They sure don't do it in my store.

[RBennett]

..... I REALLY REALLY want them to cream Arkansas next week.

Awww...... what's wrong with Arkansas?? Just kidding; I'm not too big of a Razorback fan. :rolleyes1

[Groucho]

I wouldn't trust CC to come anywhere near my camera sensor! :scared1:

The Rocket Blower takes care of most things.

Also, don't underestimate the effectiveness of the built-in dust cleaning systems on new DSLRs. It's not foolproof, but it's certainly better than nothing. On my K20D, I've got over 10,000 photos and change lenses very often (including using an M42 adapter which takes a few extra seconds to remove) and have only needed to use the Rocket Blower maybe 2-3 times that I can remember, and have never needed to do a full wet cleaning on it. It has a built-in function to take a "dust" photo to show you exactly where everything is, so it's pretty easy for me to tell if it's clean.

Just try to change your lenses with the camera facing down, do it as quickly as you possibly can, and have the camera off when you do it. That will help a lot. On my first DSLR, I was a bit cavalier and would pop off a lens and then reach for the replacement lens... needless to say, I had some serious dust spots after doing that for 10 days at WDW! On our last trip with the K20D, I don't think I cleaned it at all after a week and 4,000 photos.

[ukcatfan]

I'm in that area every day. DD6 goes to school in St. Matthews and I work near GE, so I'm on Hikes Ln. every day. We lived in Tampa for one year and I really missed the change of seasons.

So far, I've refrained from commenting on your screen name and your hat. ;)
(Maybe because of the football game this year?) I'm glad I gave our tickets away -- it would've been painful. Seriously, I was hoping UK would beat Alabama and I REALLY REALLY want them to cream Arkansas next week.

It is always a fun loving conflict in our household. Much more so in basketball season though!!! I am more of a football fan than basketball one, but I will always bleed blue. The only other school I even considered was FSU, but out of state rates were just too much. (SHHH, but I have always been a bigger Noles fan when it comes to football)

My oldest went to St. Matthews Elem. for a few years. We loved that school. I miss a lot about Louisville, but I think it has become a nice place to visit family for us now. I also lived out off Lyndon Lane before I met my wife. Back then I did double duty jobs at The Seelbach and Yucatan Liquor Stand.

[ukcatfan]

Seriously, I was hoping UK would beat Alabama and I REALLY REALLY want them to cream Arkansas next week.

Awww...... what's wrong with Arkansas?? Just kidding; I'm not too big of a Razorback fan. :rolleyes1

First, sorry for the hijack.

Just like every year, the SEC is eating itself alive! If UK had a competent QB, we would have beat The Tide. Hartline gave up one of the most pathetic fumbles I have ever seen to give them a defensive TD. He was also way off the mark on too many passes to be the starter. It would be nice to see KY have something to be proud of other than basketball. We did win two national championships while I was at school there though!!! Words cannot describe how incredible that was. :woohoo:

[Pugrpooh]

It is always a fun loving conflict in our household. Much more so in basketball season though!!! I am more of a football fan than basketball one, but I will always bleed blue. The only other school I even considered was FSU, but out of state rates were just too much. (SHHH, but I have always been a bigger Noles fan when it comes to football)

My oldest went to St. Matthews Elem. for a few years. We loved that school. I miss a lot about Louisville, but I think it has become a nice place to visit family for us now. I also lived out off Lyndon Lane before I met my wife. Back then I did double duty jobs at The Seelbach and Yucatan Liquor Stand.

It sure is a small world! DD6 goes to St. Matthews Elem. My first two went there (back when we lived in Lyndon) and when I got pregnant with my youngest, my oldest DD said I needed to send her to SME. When did your child go there? I wonder if it was during the same time? My two older DD's are 21 and the other will be 20 on Saturday. (Yay!! No more teenagers!) I was really hoping DD6 would have Mrs. Speevack (do you remember her)? I think she was the best teacher my two oldest had throughout elem., middle and high school. She didn't get her though, but I'm happy with the teacher she has.

Louisville is a nice place to live. DH is from Iran, left there when he was 15, way before the revolution, and he lived in London, New York, WV, FL and Mich. He said as soon as he got to Louisville, he felt like it was his second hometown.

As far as Arkansas goes, I have nothing against them whatsoever. It's just their coach.:mad: I hope he regrets ever having left UofL, although I don't think anyone would want him back. My cousins in Atlanta feel the same way about him after he left there.

Lynn

[JR6ooo4]

I have only needed to clean my sensor once in about 3-4 years. and unfortunately it was on day two of a seven day Disney vacation. You are not allowed to take the chemicals (in the cleaning kit) on an airplane so I had many shots with smudges in them.

When changing lenses (whenever possible) I take out the new lens and set it with the front end down. I loosen the rear cap but leave it on. Then I remove the lens on the camera, again with the front end facing down (and the camera off). Place the old lens down next top the other one and move the rear cap of the other lens over onto it, but don't tighten it yet. then with the open body of the camera still facing down I install the new lens. then tighten the rear cap on the remaining lens and put it away.

Open body camera time is about 5-10 seconds only and always pointing down so no dust can fall in.

But with that said, zoom lenses have to move the air in and out and that can bring in dust as well.

Mikeeee

[Pugrpooh]

Thanks for all your replies. I'll take your suggestions and see how well the self cleaning works in my Olympus. I don't think I'll be changing lenses too much, but once I get started taking pictures, that may change. Right now I'm trying to familiarize myself with all the buttons and symbols on the camera and screen.

Lynn

[ukcatfan]

It sure is a small world! DD6 goes to St. Matthews Elem. My first two went there (back when we lived in Lyndon) and when I got pregnant with my youngest, my oldest DD said I needed to send her to SME. When did your child go there? I wonder if it was during the same time? My two older DD's are 21 and the other will be 20 on Saturday. (Yay!! No more teenagers!) I was really hoping DD6 would have Mrs. Speevack (do you remember her)? I think she was the best teacher my two oldest had throughout elem., middle and high school. She didn't get her though, but I'm happy with the teacher she has.

She is 15 and a Sophomore this year. They might have had a year or two together there. I remember that teacher's name, but cannot remember if we had her. We will not have a break from the teenage girl thing for twelve years from now! :scared1:

[Pugrpooh]

She is 15 and a Sophomore this year. They might have had a year or two together there. I remember that teacher's name, but cannot remember if we had her. We will not have a break from the teenage girl thing for twelve years from now! :scared1:

DD#2's last year there was 4th grade. It was also the first year they started wearing uniforms. So I figure your DD was in kindergarten there the same year! Mine's a sophomore in college.

I've got a break from the teen years coming up, but I've already given notice that when DD6 turns 12 she's going to go live with her sisters. Probably DD#2should have her for the majority of the time.;) She can come back here at
18.:goodvibes