DSLR Sensor Cleaning – My Approach

Update: June 14, 2023I just returned to this article after not reading it for quite some time, perhaps years. I still think it contains useful information, and the steps I describe still represent more or less what I would do today. However, things really have improved when it comes to the dust issue. Back when I had a Canon 5D, dealing with sensor dust was a major issue that required frequent cleanings (often with wet cleaners) AND a lot of spot removal in post. But today that is hardly ever the case. It is actually pretty rare to encounter visible spots, and when they do show up the cameras dust reduction system often takes care of them and they disappear a few frames later. I still firmly believe in tolerating a tiny bit of dust and dealing with it when necessary by using the least intrusive methods first.

When I got my first DSLR (1)  I was very upset if I got any sensor dust in a shot. I was also very paranoid about cleaning the sensor (2), having read too many posts about how one can damage the sensor during cleaning. Now that I’ve used digital cameras for quite some time I’ve gotten over it and life is much, much easier.

Here is a summary of my approach (3) to dealing with sensor junk…

Rule #1: Modern cameras typically include dust-reduction systems that vibrate the sensor to dislodge dust particles. I set mine to operate automatically each time the camera is turned on or off. In addition to ensuring that the process runs regularly, this automatically runs it after every lens change, the time when you are most likely to pick up dust. You can also manually trigger a dust-reduction system cycle from the control menus, and I do this if I notice a dust spot while shooting. (If you have ever shot for a day or a few days without checking, only to realize that you had picked up a big dust bunny on day one and that it appears in all of your several hundred or more photographs, you will adopt this practice!)

Rule #2: I don’t worry too much about a small amount of dust in my images. I rarely can get a sensor clean enough to get perfect, dust-free shots at smaller apertures, and when I do the dust will soon return. Rather than obsess about dust-free perfection I quickly fix most small spots in post-processing. I can usually deal with most dust spots in a matter of a few seconds in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) or Photoshop. (My preference is to do this in ACR during the raw conversion process. This fits better with my workflow which relies on the use of smart layers in Photoshop.)

Rule #3: When the dust gets to the point that dealing with it in post is no longer efficient, I try the easiest thing first. I use a blower to try to clean out the worst of the stuff. More often than not this is enough and I can go back to relying on rule #2. Point the tip of a good blower bulb into the chamber but keep the tip itself just outside. As you blow a few dozen puffs into the chamber and toward the sensor, change the angle of the bulb to ensure that you get full coverage. It is probably best to hold the camera with the open chamber facing down. (Don’t overdo it, since the blower can move some dust onto the focus screen of some cameras, leaving annoying bits of dust that do no real harm and will not affect your photographs but which are very difficult to remove.)

Rule #4: Sometimes rules #1-#3 aren’t enough and a more direct cleaning of the sensor itself becomes necessary. At this point I used to try a static charged sensor brush, being very careful to avoid letting the brush touch anything but the sensor* glass itself. Yes, the brush can pick up other stuff in the chamber, and I have learned from experience to avoid this. I still occasionally use the brush, but with the availability of the sensor gel products (4), these days I’m more likely to try them before I try a brush, though the brush can still be useful sometimes for stuff caught right up against the edges/corners of the sensor.

Rule #5: On rare occasions rule #4 fails, too. If the contamination is adhering too firmly to the sensor surface I resort to wet cleaning with Eclipse fluid and PecPads. I can rarely get it right in one attempt, so I plan on having to work at this a bit, but eventually I get a reasonably clean sensor with no streaks. Be very cautious to not use pressure, to not “scrub” the sensor glass, and to not use too much liquid. Let the fluid loosen and/or dissolve the material and gently wipe it off with the pad attached to the “spatula” tool. Read the instructions for this cleaning method very carefully before attempting it. It isn’t terribly difficult but there are a few ways you could go wrong including: pressing too hard and damaging the coating on the sensor glass, transferring lubricants to the sensor from other parts of the camera chamber, leaving streaks on the sensor.

Rule #6: On very rare occasions a combination of methods is required. Often the wet cleaning works well for me but leaves a few spots of dust on the sensor. For this reason I frequently follow the wet cleaning with a quick once-over with the static charged brush and/or the sensor gel stick.

From all of this, it might sound like I’m sensor-obsessed. I’m not. Remember rule #1 is the one I follow most. I usually go many months between real sensor cleaning sessions, and it is very rare for me to have to resort to a wet cleaning.

In my opinion, it is not necessary to fear the sensor cleaning operation as long as you are reasonably careful. Once you do it a few times it becomes quite quick and easy. Taking your camera to the shop or sending it to the repair facility is going to cost you a significant sum, take considerable time, and probably not result in a cleaner sensor in the end.

However, one photographer pointed out that he has a service plan that includes six free sensor cleanings per year. A few years ago, I would have counseled against relying on this – since early cameras without sensor cleaning systems often needed to be cleaned frequently and on short notice. However, the newer cameras rarely need a serious sensor cleaning – and in this case I can see how simply sending the darn thing in (while you keep shooting with your backup camera) could make sense for some people. (I still feel that you should be able to clean the thing in the field if necessary.)


Notes

(1) Interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras have become widely available since I first wrote this article about sensor cleaning. I use one along with my DSLR system, and both need occasional sensor cleaning — to the techniques described here are also broadly applicable to mirrorless cameras, too.

(2) I’ll anticipate that someone might feel obligated to write, “You aren’t really cleaning the SENSOR! You are cleaning the glass cover over the sensor, you nitwit!” Yes, I know that. It is just easier to refer to the whole assembly as “the sensor.” :-)

(3) Disclaimer: This report describes what I do, but I am not any sort of certified expert on these things – as I wrote, this is “my approach.” I strongly urge you to seek out and learn from other official sources of information on sensor cleaning and related issues. The inside of your camera contains fragile and sensitive electronic and mechanical components and it is possible to cause damage while working there. You should read and carefully consider warnings from the manufacturer of your camera and any accessories and tools you use on it. If you are not convinced that you are competent to do this work on your camera, you can always take it to a professional. I do not claim that my methods are the best or most appropriate, nor that they meet the standards of the manufacturers of the camera equipment nor do I recommend that you use my methods in place of manufacturers’ official recommendations.

(4)  The Sensor Gel product (available here) is a cube of a sticky gel attached to the end of a plastic “wand.” The gel cube is placed in contact with the surface of sensor’s glass cover, and the dust adheres to it. Since the cube is smaller than the sensor, this process is repeated across the sensor surface. Press the cube against a supplied sheet of “sticky paper,” to clean it. I tried the Sensor Gel Stick partially out of desperation, as my aging Canon 5DII had picked up a ridiculous number of dust specks that were resistant to other methods of cleaning. After the first cleaning there were no noticeable spots left on the sensor. I continued to use it during a four-day shoot in Death Valley, a location known for dust—and, again, the result was impressive. The product is not cheap, costing about $50 for the gel stick and the sticky papers. Frankly, I think it is overpriced—but because it works so well I was willing to pay the price. I have recently seen similar products online from other distributors at lower prices, though I cannot vouch for their quality.  I understand that two versions are currently available. One is the “blue” version that I have. The other “pink” version is apparently designed for certain camera brands, particularly for some Sony cameras. Check the product descriptions and make sure you get the right version for your camera.

(Most recent update: June 2023)

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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14 thoughts on “DSLR Sensor Cleaning – My Approach”

  1. Dan,
    I regularly read and am inspired by your blog and your work. Thank you!
    I’ve bookmarked this post as cleaning the sensor is something I’ve never dared to do – always take it into the shop – but would like to do myself. Have you considered making a little video of yourself cleaning the sensor with close-ups of each point? For those of us who are visual learners it would be very helpful.

    Again, thank you for the ongoing inspiration

    1. Janice: Thanks for your kind words, and I’m glad to hear you enjoy the blog and my photography!

      The video sounds like an interesting idea, but I’m not sure I’m equipped to make a video of that tiny little sensor while I work on it! I can share a few observations from my own learning curve on sensor cleaning.

      1. Do be careful. While I think it is perfectly safe to do your own sensor cleaning and that damage is unlikely, I have heard stories of people damaging sensors by means of overly-aggressive “scrubbing,” getting a bit of “sand” or similar caught in there, and so forth.
      2. Recognize that you’ll become better and more comfortable with the process after you do it a few times. Frankly, so much is made of this that many people feel a lot of fear about it the first time they try – I did! But after doing it a few times it just becomes another task to take care of.
      3. Start with the easy stuff. While a full-fledged wet cleaning might seem daunting, using the bulb blower isn’t, and then trying the sensor brush might be a good second step.
      4. If you do feel that you are getting in over your head, you can still take it to the shop!

      Good luck!

      Dan

      1. Dan,
        Thank you! I do use a bulb blower but likely not as often as I should – I’ll carefully plunge it next time before taking it to the shop. Thanks so much for the reply and the blog. Did not even know that oily whatever could get on the sensor.

        1. I’ve heard of a few ways that oil (or what appears to be oil) might get on the sensor.

          There have been some reports of cameras arriving with some of the internal lubricants on the sensor. Also, it may be possible to accidentally pick up some of this oil when using a brush (!) or a sensor cleaning pad and allowing it to stray from the sensor and touch other internal components. Some also say that using the wrong types of “canned air” can put oil or moisture on the sensor.

          Dan

  2. I agree with most of your points Dan. I have manual wet-cleaned my 5D sensor once and sent it for sensor cleaning once, that makes it twice over a period of 6 years! That too in a dusty country like mine! I prefer cleaning up whatever dust that shows up in post processing.
    Thanks for your excellent post!

  3. I had my own dust issue while in Death Valley this past week. I was picking up a spot that was noticeable even in the LCD – fortunately very near the edge of the frame where I could crop if necessary. I decided to clean it there while “on the road.” Death Valley is not exactly a dust-free “clean room” environment. (The understatement of the century, right?) So I gathered my camera, my brush, and my blower and got in the front seat of my car and waited for things to settle. Fortunately, a couple shots of air from the blower followed by a couple of iterations of the “clean” cycle on the camera, and the spot went away.

    I get my Nikon models confused, but the D3 is full frame, right? We had the same issue when the 5D became so popular. It seemed like a regular dust magnet compared to some of the earlier cameras. My theory is that it is primarily just that the full frame sensor has more surface area and is therefore that much more likely to acquire dust. I became very adept at sensor cleaning when I owned the 5D!

    I wonder if you could clean the brush with some alcohol or similar? I suppose it might be worth a try, though getting a new brush might be the safer bet.

    And don’t worry, once you start doing your own cleaning and succeed a couple times, the whole idea becomes a lot less daunting. (Witness my willingness to try it in Death Valley!)

    Dan

  4. Thanks for the reply, Dan. I use the blower first and if it doesn’t look clean, only then will I resort to other modes of cleaning. I tried getting the D3 professionally cleaned a few times. Given that it is a dust magnet (D300 is amazing for some reason – no dust), I figured I will have to pay quite a bit to do that regularly.. So, the only option is to clean it myself. I guess I have to get the brush cleaned professionally or get a new brush !!

    Vidya.

  5. Great post, Dan. I wish the Nikon D3 had a dust-reduction system. D300 has it but D3 doesn’t :-(.
    Here is something that happened to me….I bought a Visibledust Arctic Butterfly brush and tried cleaning the sensor. On my very first attempt, the brush picked up some grease from the sensor borders and I ended up with grease on the sensor. I know, horrible. I went to Keeble and Schuchat and they asked me to use a solution to clean the brush (plus, a solution to clean the grease off the sensor). I got the sensor cleaned and also cleaned the brush with the special cleaner. It now leaves a streak residue every time I use the brush. I invariably have to use the wet-cleaning method.
    Why I mention this is, on one of my trips, I ended up with some really good compositions but have streaks on the sky area. I tried to use the healing/ clone tools but I am unsuccessful. These photos have some unique light. Is there a way to “clean” the sky now?

    1. Ah, that’s no fun at all! I once had a similar problem when I first started using a sensor brush (a different one than you used) on my 5D. I managed to drag a small amount of something that seemed like oil onto the sensor, and It took careful multiple wet-cleanings to get rid of the smear.

      I try to avoid wet cleaning as much as possible. Even with the 5D, which was a dust collector, I tried every other method before resorting to the wet cleaning, reserving that for only the worst stuck-on dust. My sequences was to first learn to live with a little dust (fixing it in post is easy), then to escalate to a blower alone, and then to do a “dry” cleaning with an air charged sensor brush. The latter method would be the sensor very clean as long as the problem was not stuck on “stuff.” Once I learned this, I rarely did a wet cleaning – certainly no more than twice per year.

      If I recall correctly – and I’m not certain I do – the “oil on sensor” problem necessitated a series of wet cleanings. One wasn’t enough, and I had to repeat the process a few times to get rid of the mess. In one case, I found it useful to use a brush after doing the wet cleaning. I wonder if that might help in your situation?

      Also, I suspect that it might just be a good idea to pay someone to clean this for you. If they could get it back to a good baseline, you could probably keep things reasonably clean after the initial fix.

      As far as fixing the photo goes, this sounds like an opportunity to do some careful work with the clone tool.

      Dan

    2. I too encountered a grease problem the very first time I ever cleaned the sensor in a Canon 5D2. As Dan did, I did eventually clean it all myself using multiple wet clean (Sensor Swab). Each iteration, start anew with a new/clean swab. It was frustrating; Sensor Swabs ain’t cheap and the box of swabs was approaching empty.

      – Kevin

      1. Kevin, thanks for the reminder about the special case of oily material on the sensor. That can be frustrating and, as you point out, require some patient work.

        Dan

  6. Good post Dan. I agree with what you wrote. I have a few spots, but they only show up in the sky or water at f/16 or smaller. In other words, no need to spend $50 just yet to get it cleaned professionally. I do wet cleaning every few months, but not sure if it’s that effective. Dust still shows up regardless.

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