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DSLR Sensor Cleaning

The best part of landscape photography is getting out in nature. That is what draws people to it, and that is what led me to pursue landscapes over other genres of photography. The smell of the trees, the crunch of a good trail under my feet. The dirt, dust and wind.  Well, most days I can do without dirt, dust and especially wind. But they are inevitable facts of being outside in nature.  Without a doubt, when I spend enough time outside, I get dirty. The same goes for my gear. Then I start to notice odd spots in my photos. So I check my lenses, clean them and take another shot. Still there. Uh oh.

Photo with sensor spot in sky

What Causes Spots in Photos?

Spots on a photo can come from many sources (as I have learned while processing film), but the two most common for digital photography are dirt on the lens and dirt on the sensor.  I have become meticulous about keeping my lenses clean and carry microfiber cloths and lens cleaning wipes in my bag at all times.  These are great for cleaning the front element of the lens, and any filters I put in front of the lens. Lenses are easy enough to clean as long as you take the right steps.  Just a quick google search can get you on your way to clean glass.  

Sensor spots are tougher to clean. Good practices such as changing lenses in an area where dirt wont get into the body and keeping a cap on the camera will help avoid this problem, but eventually everything will get dirty. I found an easy method to determine just how dirty my sensor was. I set my camera to aperture priority and the smallest aperture setting on my lens (f/22 in my case) with the lowest ISO. I took a photo of a clean piece of paper on manual focus with the lens out of focus. The resulting image didn’t need processing to show me the dirt on my sensor, but I brought it into photoshop, fixed the white balance and adjusted the curves to really show the dirt. It can be tough to see the dirt, but zooming in in photoshop will really show just how dirty a sensor is.

Blank image showing dirt spots on sensor

What Options Are There?

Yikes! The good news is there are options.  Sending the camera to the manufacturer for a good cleaning will get the body back into tip top shape, but comes with the cost of "repair" and downtime for the camera. The same goes for using a local camera repair place.  I decided to clean the sensor myself.

Warning: Cleaning the sensor is delicate work and NOT recommended by most camera manufacturers. By cleaning the sensor at home, you do so at your own RISK!

Cleaning The Sensor At Home

Cleaning the sensor can be a daunting task. I made sure to do as much research as I could before undertaking the task. I found useful resources online and there are plenty of YouTube videos on the subject.  I liked Peter McKinnon's video on sensor cleaning, as he made it look really easy and very realistic.  So armed with knowledge, I went to Amazon for supplies. I purchased a pack of swabs for a crop sensor, some cleaning solution, and a rocket blower, which I have needed for sometime.
My sensor cleaning supplies

I referenced my Nikon manual on how to lock up the mirror for sensor cleaning, took a deep breath and got after it.  I started by using the rocket blower to dislodge what I could, then put a few drops of solution on my swab.  This was my first time even seeing my camera sensor, and here I was about to touch it! I wiped it with the wet swab and could see the difference. Then I used a fresh, dry swab to wipe it again and was done. Whew! Now to see if it worked or if I just ruined my D7200. I took a photo as before to check for dirt and was amazed with the results! Well mostly I was relieved it still worked, but then I got to enjoy the fruits of my labor. 

Blank image of sensor after cleaning

I noticed that I missed a few spots but they are small enough to not be a problem for now.  A sensor scope or loupe would help to ensure I get every spot in the future. Overall I was very pleased with the results, as I got the main trouble spots clean. A few things I learned is to always check the camera manual on how to lock the camera mirror up and the warnings issued.  Always have a full battery in the camera, so it doesn’t die halfway through and bring the mirror crashing down while you are working on it.  Having good light to see what you are doing is extremely helpful as well.

I had a good experience cleaning my sensor. It was much more cost effective to buy the supplies and do it myself, and I think this is a valuable procedure to know how to do.  Again, cleaning the sensor is done at your own risk and if you don’t feel up to it, by all means have it sent in to be cleaned professionally. If you need a sensor cleaning and want to do it yourself, be sure to have the right supplies, research the proper techniques and be careful. Good luck and good shooting!

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