Sensor / Mirror cleaning - hoover?

[DJ_AS]

Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question but I'm new to this SLR business.

Could a hoover be (very carefully) used to clean the sensor and / or mirror? It seems to me that it may be more effective than using a blower which just shifts the dust around the camera.

Any opinions before I suck out the insides of my camera?!

[Rednut05]

I wouldn't!
But if you have the money to splash on another then it could keep you entertained for a few minutes.

So it really comes down to Bored and rich vs. find something else to do and save £££'s on a new body.

[lowdrag]

Only if you want to wreck your camera! I'd go here:-

www.bythom.com/cleaning.htm

to read about it or buy stuff here:-

www.morco.uk.com/latest/eclipse_sensor_swab.htm


The first time you do it you'll be terrified of causing damage but we all went through that. Don't worry and just follow the instructions.

Incidentally, I have two DSLR's, one a D70 and the other a D2X which has better sealing. I've never had to clean the D2X senson but many times the D70. To avoid the necessity don't where possible, change lenses outside when it's dusty and always hold the camera lens down to take a lens off so that dust won't fall into the body. Hope this helps

[fergusd]

lowdrag said:

Incidentally, I have two DSLR's, one a D70 and the other a D2X which has better sealing. I've never had to clean the D2X senson but many times the D70.

Snap - I had to clean my D70 a few times (no drama and it never needed anything other than a blow with some air) but have only cleaned the D2x once in nearly 2 years, 10000 images and lots and lots of lens changes, outside, inside, etc, etc . . . I think the lenses make a difference to how much you need to clean the camera . . . I think cheaper lenses tend to pull in dusty air . . . just a thought . . .

Fd

[DJ_AS]

Thanks for the links lowdrag. I thought better of the hoover idea and bought an 'air puffer' thingy and, although it took a few goes, it removed the pesky dust from the sensor and the mirror.

This whole dealing with dust business is one of the things that put me off an SLR for a long time (as well as having to change / carry more lenses) but hopefully it won't be too much of an issue.

My camera is a Pentax K100D BTW and I'm glad I did make the jump to SLR: the improvement in quality over even top end point and shoots like the Canon Powershot G7 is significant.

[mv6_stormer]

DJ_AS said:

Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question but I'm new to this SLR business.

Could a hoover be (very carefully) used to clean the sensor and / or mirror? It seems to me that it may be more effective than using a blower which just shifts the dust around the camera.

Any opinions before I suck out the insides of my camera?!

Yep. Get the narrow attachment and hold it near but not right in the camera body, and use a really soft new watercolour paint brush to gentley lift off the dust. Works fine for me.

[DJ_AS]

mv6_stormer said:

DJ_AS said:

Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question but I'm new to this SLR business.

Could a hoover be (very carefully) used to clean the sensor and / or mirror? It seems to me that it may be more effective than using a blower which just shifts the dust around the camera.

Any opinions before I suck out the insides of my camera?!

Yep. Get the narrow attachment and hold it near but not right in the camera body, and use a really soft new watercolour paint brush to gentley lift off the dust. Works fine for me.

I thought you're not supposed to actually touch the sensor surface at all... thats what it says in my manual at least.

[mv6_stormer]

"Sensor Brush: essentially a brush with extremely fine and soft bristles. You use compressed air (or CO2, or a very strong foot pump) to charge and clean the bristles. You must clean the edge of the brush with air after every pass across the sensor. Light dust (in dry climates) is held onto the sensor by surface tension and static buildup, and what you're trying to do is break that tension and transfer the dust to another surface (the brush)."

Taken from one of the above links. The Sensor has a cover on it, might be an IR filter i think, In my camera.

[Arif110]

I actually think the vac idea is an excellent one - & one that I've been using for a good many years, now.

I've got top-end Canons - and so it's not exactly like I get away with it on my £10 SLR.

I used to use an 'adaptor' that I made - with the pipe inside a Mr Muscle spray bottle taken out, and attached to a film can - the film can then fits nicely on the hoover nozzle. Result - vacuum-source from a nozzle with a bore of 2 to 3 millimetres or so. Helps if the vac has variable speed - otherwise the the motor will get very hot!

These days however I just use the nozzle straight-off.

For non-delicate bits - on near normal power (e.g. inside where the film goes, and where it winds on) - and for delicate parts low power - and holding the nozzle a good inch or two away from the thing you're trying to dust. You see dust just jumping out and away into the airsteam.

I even clean my shutter-curtains this way - but the camera has to be tilted and held firmly on a tripod - and I have to be sitting down, still. You find the suction works from a fair old distance away from the surface. Goes without saying that you can destroy your shutter in a jiffy, if you're not careful.

I just love knowing that this method will actually extract dust from places where you don't even know it's there.

The chamber at the front of the camera really benefits from this method, for me.

I'm obviously not advising this - but saying that it's the best principle for cleaning equipment like a camera's innards - rather than moving or blowing or transferring dust about.

[DJ_AS]

Arif110 - like you, I wasn't planning on sticking the vac on full power into the guts of the camera and sucking the whole lot out, but I wasn't brave enough in the end!

I just wasn't really sure how robust the mirror and sensor surface were. The manual says never to touch the sensor surface and yet I've found many brush and swab based cleaning systems on the market. I'm new to SLRs and can't afford to trash my camera.

I'm guessing the manufacturers are just covering their back in case someone tries to clean any grime off with a scouring pad or something

Hopefully I won't need to clean the camera too often as my 18-55 lens takes 80-90% of the shots with the 55-200mm doing the rest. So not too many lens changes to allow dust in I hope.

[mv6_stormer]

DJ_AS said:

The manual says never to touch the sensor surface and yet I've found many brush and swab based cleaning systems on the market.

Think what the manual is trying to convey, is that you shouldnt "touch" the sensor with your fingers. That will leave grease marks and such. Also, I wouldn't recommend that anybody touch the actual sensor surface, behind the filter fitted to it.

[Famous Graham]

mv6_stormer said:

Taken from one of the above links. The Sensor has a cover on it, might be an IR filter i think, In my camera.

Low-pass filter.

[windandwave]

Arif110 said:

I actually think the vac idea is an excellent one - & one that I've been using for a good many years, now.
...

I'm obviously not advising this - but saying that it's the best principle for cleaning equipment like a camera's innards - rather than moving or blowing or transferring dust about.

Not recommending it either, but if you are going down this road, one thing to watch is how much dust the vac. spews out in its exhaust. Unless you're using something like a Dyson with a HEPA filter, you might find a lot of dust put back into the air where it can easily settle on your sensor. Personally I'll be sticking to my Rocket blower for the time being.

Edited by windandwave on Tuesday 17th April 16:23

[V6GTO]

If you want a vaccuum device disigned for cameras go to Warehouse Express then Photographic>Cleaning Equipement>CCD Cleaning>Green Clean

www.warehouseexpress.com/

Martin.

[Arif110]

windandwave said:

Arif110 said:

I actually think the vac idea is an excellent one - & one that I've been using for a good many years, now.
...

I'm obviously not advising this - but saying that it's the best principle for cleaning equipment like a camera's innards - rather than moving or blowing or transferring dust about.

Not recommending it either, but if you are going down this road, one thing to watch is how much dust the vac. spews out in its exhaust. Unless you're using something like a Dyson with a HEPA filter, you might find a lot of dust put back into the air where it can easily settle on your sensor. Personally I'll be sticking to my Rocket blower for the time being

Indeed! And to this end I leave the vac outside in a different room - or outdoors with the pipe trailing back in somehow.

[budfox]

I use Henry to clean my D700, it works perfectly. Low suction setting, don't completely cover the lens mount, and 'tickle' the sensor with a soft paint brush.

A method I would much rather use than anything that involves dragging something across the sensor, or the use of fluids.