Cleaning Digital SLR Camera Sensors Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Agenda • • • • • •
Why do SLR Sensors Get Dirty? Dirty Sensor Examples Overview of Cleaning Options Getting Ready to Clean the Sensor Cleaning with the VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly® Cleaning with Pec*Pad™ Non-Abrasive Wipes and Eclipse™ • Removing Dust from a Photo Taken with a Dirty Sensor • Questions 1
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Disclaimer • Cleaning your sensor may void the warranty of your camera. • If you are hesitant at all, do not attempt! • If you damage your camera sensor while attempting to clean it, Charlottesville Camera Club, the author of this presentation or any other entities are not responsible. You are responsible. 2
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Agenda • • • • • •
Why do SLR Sensors Get Dirty? Dirty Sensor Examples Overview of Cleaning Options Getting Ready to Clean the Sensor Cleaning with the VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly® Cleaning with Pec*Pad™ Non-Abrasive Wipes and Eclipse™ • Removing Dust from a Photo Taken with a Dirty Sensor • Questions 3
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Why do SLR Sensors Get Dirty? • Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras have removable lenses which allow for foreign material to enter the body of the camera. • If your lens cannot be removed then you can’t clean the sensor. • Even though the shutter is not open when switching lenses, particles can enter the body and migrate on to the sensor when the shutter opens. 4
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Why do SLR Sensors Get Dirty? • Oil from the shutter can splatter onto the sensor. – Difficult to clean off.
• Dust in the air and on the back of a lens can migrate into the body. • Particles, such as sand, in the wind be very harmful. • If you are extremely dirty, cleanup before changing lenses. 5
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Darn Sand Gets Everywhere!
Cocoa Beach, Florida After Hurricane Frances (September 18, 2004) 6
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Darn Sand Gets Everywhere!
Cocoa Beach, Florida After Hurricane Jeanne (September 28, 2004) 7
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
How Bad Can Sensor Damage Get? • Not only can particles build up… • They can do serious damage. • It is best to avoid hazardous situations.
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Agenda • • • • • •
Why do SLR Sensors Get Dirty? Dirty Sensor Examples Overview of Cleaning Options Getting Ready to Clean the Sensor Cleaning with the VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly® Cleaning with Pec*Pad™ Non-Abrasive Wipes and Eclipse™ • Removing Dust from a Photo Taken with a Dirty Sensor • Questions 9
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Sensor Dust • Dust on sensors shows up mostly in skies and in non-detailed portions of images. • The smaller the aperture the more impact sensor dust has on an image. • Very much like floaters in the eyes. – Floaters and spots typically appear when tiny pieces of the eye’s gel-like vitreous break loose within the eye’s interior. – Shadows from these floaters are cast on the retina as light passes through the eye. 10
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Dirty Sensor Examples Scene Shot at F/4
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Mike McCollister
Scene Shot at F/22
September 23, 2009
Dirty Sensor Examples Scene Shot at F/4
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Mike McCollister
Scene Shot at F/22
September 23, 2009
Dirty Sensor Examples Scene Shot at F/4
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Mike McCollister
Scene Shot at F/22
September 23, 2009
Agenda • • • • • •
Why do SLR Sensors Get Dirty? Dirty Sensor Examples Overview of Cleaning Options Getting Ready to Clean the Sensor Cleaning with the VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly® Cleaning with Pec*Pad™ Non-Abrasive Wipes and Eclipse™ • Removing Dust from a Photo Taken with a Dirty Sensor • Questions 14
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Overview of Cleaning Options • Sensor Swipe or HomeMade Swab and with Pec*Pad™ and Eclipse™ • Wet Swab & Dry Swab Sensor Cleaners • Sensor Cleaning Brush
• Arctic Butterfly® 15
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Overview of Cleaning Options
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• Blowing
• Scotch Tape (Ugh!)
• Sucking
• SpeckGRABBER™
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Overview of Cleaning Options • Built-in camera sensor cleaning. – Ultrasonic, vibrating dust cleaning system that keeps the sensor clean. – Some say that this works great, others say not.
• Professional cleaning. – Not only for the leery but sometimes you need to do it if the sensor is really dirty. – Pro Camera on Forrest St. and Preston Ave. will clean a sensor for $45.
• Do not clean your sensor with canned air! This could damage your sensor or shutter. • See http://CleaningDigitalCameras.com and click on “methods” for a more exhaustive list. 17
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Agenda • • • • • •
Why do SLR Sensors Get Dirty? Dirty Sensor Examples Overview of Cleaning Options Getting Ready to Clean the Sensor Cleaning with the VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly® Cleaning with Pec*Pad™ Non-Abrasive Wipes and Eclipse™ • Removing Dust from a Photo Taken with a Dirty Sensor • Questions 18
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Showing Dust on the Sensor • Use computer screen with full screen notepad application • Make sure cursor is out of view, otherwise it will appear as dust on the sensor • If you have dead pixels on your screen you might want to find another test target, such as a clear sky. • Make sure that your lens is clean. 19
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Showing Dust on the Sensor • Camera settings – Auto white balance – Manual mode – Smallest aperture (i.e. F/22) – Shutter speed set to good exposure – Lowest ISO (i.e. 100) – Autofocus off – No tripod is necessary. 20
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Showing Dust on the Sensor • Point camera to white portion of the screen and take picture. • Transfer image to computer. • Adjust image in your favorite photo editor to exaggerate sensor dust. – Contrast – Equalize – Curves 21
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Blank Notepad
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Dirty Sensor (Some Contrast Adjustment)
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Dirty Sensor (High Contrast)
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Dirty Sensor (Curves Adjusted)
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Dirty Sensor (Equalized)
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Using High Contrast on Image
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Using Curves on Image
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Get Ready to Clean • • • • •
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Be inside. Have a clean environment. Turn off any fans in the room. Have a fully charged battery. Learn how to expose your camera’s sensor for cleaning.
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Exposing the Sensor for Cleaning
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Before We Continue… • Cleaning your sensor may void the warranty of your camera. • If you are hesitant at all, do not attempt. • If you damage your camera sensor while attempting to clean it, Charlottesville Camera Club, the author of this presentation or any other entities are not responsible. You are responsible. 31
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
However… • The sensor is not fully exposed when the shutter is open. – There is an infrared filter over the sensor. – That can get scratched but is not an exposed CMOS or CCD substrate.
• This is similar to cleaning glasses. – You don’t want to clean glasses with steel wool or an ice pick. 32
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Agenda • • • • • •
Why do SLR Sensors Get Dirty? Dirty Sensor Examples Overview of Cleaning Options Getting Ready to Clean the Sensor Cleaning with the VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly® Cleaning with Pec*Pad™ Non-Abrasive Wipes and Eclipse™ • Removing Dust from a Photo Taken with a Dirty Sensor • Questions 33
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Cleaning: VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly® • Internal motor used to spin the brush to build up static electricity. – Much like rubbing a balloon on your hair.
• Spin the brush 3 times for 5 seconds each. • Gently sweep the brush across the sensor from one side to the other. Brush is not spinning. • You may want to use a flashlight or bright light to inspect the sensor for dust. • Most people should be comfortable with this method. 34
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Spinning the Arctic Butterfly®
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Cleaning: VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly®
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Arctic Butterfly® Results • Removes most of the dust. • Repeat process if dust is missed. • If dust does not come off then another technique should be used. – This can potentially be oil-based.
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Arctic Butterfly® Results
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Arctic Butterfly® Results (High Contrast)
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Review Dirty Sensor (High Contrast)
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Agenda • • • • • •
Why do SLR Sensors Get Dirty? Dirty Sensor Examples Overview of Cleaning Options Getting Ready to Clean the Sensor Cleaning with the VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly® Cleaning with Pec*Pad™ Non-Abrasive Wipes and Eclipse™ • Removing Dust from a Photo Taken with a Dirty Sensor • Questions 41
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Cleaning: Pec*Pad™ Wipes & Eclipse™ • There are kits at camera stores that have disposable sensor swipes and cleaning solution. – The swipes can only be used one time. – The swipes can be flimsy.
• A home made swab with Pec*Pad™ and Eclipse™ solution is a good alternative. • Swab made of small trimmed down rubber spatula. • Pec*Pad™ wipe is wrapped around the trimmed down rubber spatula. 42
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Small Trimmed Down Rubber Spatula Trimmed Down Spatula
New Spatula
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Pec*Pad™ Wipes & Eclipse™ Solution
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Wipe Wrapped Around Spatula
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Cleaning: Pec*Pad™ Wipes & Eclipse™ • Edge of wipe doused with Eclipse™ solution. • Do you use alcohol. Use only solution intended for cleaning sensors. • Gently sweep the doused wipe across the sensor once from one side to the other. • You may want to use a flashlight or bright light to inspect the sensor for dust. • Remnant liquid will need to dry. • This requires much patience. • Many people will not be comfortable with this method. 46
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Douse Solution at Edge of Wipe
On This Edge 47
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Cleaning: Pec*Pad™ Wipes & Eclipse™
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Wipes & Eclipse™ Result #1
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Wipes & Eclipse™ Result #1 (High Contrast)
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Wipes & Eclipse™ Result #2 (High Contrast)
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Agenda • • • • • •
Why do SLR Sensors Get Dirty? Dirty Sensor Examples Overview of Cleaning Options Getting Ready to Clean the Sensor Cleaning with the VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly® Cleaning with Pec*Pad™ Non-Abrasive Wipes and Eclipse™ • Removing Dust from a Photo Taken with a Dirty Sensor • Questions 52
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Removing Dust from a Photo • • • •
Clone Tool Healing Brush Tool Spot Healing Brush Tool Dust removal software is available. – Nikon and Canon include software with current DSLR cameras that provide this function. – ImageDuster Pro PhotoTeKNiK (http://www.PhotoTeKNiK.com/imageduster) for $50. – Search the Internet for more options.
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Agenda • • • • • •
Why do SLR Sensors Get Dirty? Dirty Sensor Examples Overview of Cleaning Options Getting Ready to Clean the Sensor Cleaning with the VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly® Cleaning with Pec*Pad™ Non-Abrasive Wipes and Eclipse™ • Removing Dust from a Photo Taken with a Dirty Sensor • Questions 54
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
Questions
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Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
References • http://CleaningDigitalCameras.com/metho ds.html • http://VisibleDust.com • http://PhotoSol.com/padproduct.htm • http://ProCameraUS.com • http://www.PhotoTeKNiK.com/imageduster 56
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
In Just Over a Month (October 30, 2009) • Be sure to watch the Monk episode “Mr. Monk and the Dog” on October 30 at 9:00 on USA Network. • The episode was written by my sister, Beth Armogida! 57
Mike McCollister
September 23, 2009
