DSLR Cleaning

Hi... If you are reading this, there is a good chance that you are a photographer that is either interested in dirty cameras or you have a problem with one.

Either way, I am happy you are here. I am a photographer that spends most of my time shooting aircraft:- both full size and radio controlled models. It starts slowly at first... the odd dark shadow that I clone out with Photoshop during post-processing, not a problem, but for me, and I'm sure many others, grows into a significant problem resulting in lost images and hours of frustration digitally cleaning images.

My primary camera is a Canon EOS 20D DSLR and a host of L series lenses. I really do look after my gear and meticulously clean my lenses and my camera (or so I thought!) to capture the highest quality images that I can. I didn't spend all this money for crap!

Whilst post processing some images of a fully restored Chance Vought F4U Corsair, I lost several images due to the quality of the image as a direct result of dirt.

Needless to say I was very dissappointed and mad at the same time. I cleaned my lenses and camera with canned air and lens tissue, brushes and cleaning fluid until I thought it was perfect and then ran a well-known test to see how clean your camera is. Simply stop your lens down to f22 and shoot the sky. Then in Photoshop, run AutoLevels and tweak the Brightness & Contrast to reveal a horrifying image, thus...

But how can this be!?? That my friends is dirt on the sensor. Now I DO look after my equipment, so if you are a little less than careful, imagine what your sensor looks like!! Each time you take a shot you charge the sensor and that electrostatically attracts the dust that is floating around in your camera body. Canned air removes the loose particles but can't move the really stuck stuff.

Bear in mind my 20D is 5 years old and has never had a sensor clean. I have changed lenses probably tens of hundreds of times in environments from the beach, to the pits at race meets, to airstrips and airports with debris flying everywhere. I'm not too surprised by the image above (eek!).

I rang Canon and asked about their cleaning process. $200 plus freight, 8 weeks turn-around and no guarantees... you must be kidding! Then I started doing some research and read all kinds of stories that varied from an Ok job to coming back with more dirt than when it left. Now I'm not bagging Canon, I love their stuff and will never use anything else but there has to be a better alternative.

Then I discovered a guy called Nicholas R at PBase, a website with a significant amount of knowledge about sensor cleaning and the products needed to do so properly. I read it all and quickly decided to order the Ultimate care kit. It arrived just a few days later and I read all the supplied literature while laying in bed that night in association with the website.

The next day I tried it and holy crap! it worked! Lots of people write to Nicholas telling him how great the various products are and how they work, but few show you and thats what this page is for :). Lets go through it...

This nightmare is how my 20D looks before attempting to clean the sensor... unbelievable.

Then I cleaned my lens with the Ultra brush that came in my kit. No appreciable difference in the size and position of the dirt.

This is what the sky looked like after cleaning my lens with the Formula MC & Peca tissue from my kit, a small number of bunnies are removed.

Next my 20D is blown with canned air with the mirror locked up in Sensor clean mode. Again several bunnies dissappear but its still hell in here.

This is the improvement using the SensorSweep brush, air charged as per the instructions from the kit. This worked great for loose particles.

This is after the first sensor swab using the SensorSwipe, PEC pad and Eclipse fluid from the kit. Note how stuck this crap is...

This and the next 7 passes were made with the SensorSwipe & a fresh PEC pad each time. Better and better...

In this last pass, I swabbed top to bottom in 2 passes to remove the muck at the sides of the sensor. Ta-da!

Its at about this point I started breathing again and a smile returned to my face. As a first time swabber (of sensors anyways, Argh matey...) this could not be simpler. Based on these results I can't recommend any other product for cleaning your camera than the Copperhill Images Method. There is still a couple of very stubborn spots that won't move, but I am sure they will in subsequent cleanings as the Eclipse fluid softens up the little blighters.
Take a final look at a combined before and after image...

I can't begin to tell you how many painful hours of post processing this will save me... well perhaps you can guess :-)

Good Luck!

Goose...

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