DSLRUsers.com

For those of us that use a brush as the second line of defence in the fight against sensor gunge (the first being air and the third being a wet clean), here is an excellent article....that actually works. Well worth the read.

http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/How_to/a_Brush_Your_Sensor/a_Brush_Your_Sensor.pdf

Cheers

Escapism

You brush your sensor

Yep, often, its nothing special....

I wouldn't touch my sensor with a 50ft pole let alone a brush

Hehehe...but people happily drag a wet spatula across it......

With a special pec pad and a wet one at that. Big difference to a dry brush ....in my opinion.

Hi All,

There seems to be alot of debate on this one... how do they clean them at Maxwells if you send the camera to them???

Tony

Oneputt wrote: Big difference to a dry brush ....in my opinion.

Read the article, do some research...with the "proper" brush, its a quick, very risk free and effective method of cleaning your sensor. The risks IMHO are far greater from a wet clean than using a brush...

Escapism

blaize wrote:Hi All,

There seems to be alot of debate on this one... how do they clean them at Maxwells if you send the camera to them???

Tony

Some crud simply cannot be removed without the use of a wet clean. But, if it can be easily removed I believe the brush is far safer...having said that though, a wet clean is unavoidable at some stage, depending on camera usage etc etc. I have no doubt that Maxwells would do what is appropriate for the gunk on the sensor, if its just loose dust why do anything more then brush it off?

Escapism, I can see your point to an extent. There has been glowing reviews of the 'arctic butterfly' on luminous landscape.

Is the CCD sensor cover glass or plastic?? I have some minor dust on mine but haven't been game to clean it!!!

Thanks

Tony

blaize wrote:Is the CCD sensor cover glass or plastic?? I have some minor dust on mine but haven't been game to clean it!!!

Thanks

Tony

Glass

I've got one of those Copper Hill brush kits. I think the idea is to almost "suck" any dust off the sensor/filter with a static charge rather than wipe it off. The brush should barely touch.

Another advantage is that you can carry it in a plane where flamable liquids and compressed gas may be rather frowned upon. Can be used more "in the field" by which they mean someplce clean (motel bathroom with a cold water shower running from memory rather than a tent dodging sand storms).


Cows Go Moo

If it is Glass then i fail to see how a very soft brush as he artical descibes and next to no pressure to remove loose dust could hurt anything??? I use a brush similar in my field pack to keep dust off my lens/filter so i can't imagine it being much different. I would love to hear the opinions of others though!!

Thanks

Tony

If the dust is as you say loose then it will blow off without the need for a brush.

I used the Air Rocket to blow dust off and use the wet method to clean the CCD if needed.
Pls note: The CCD is glass, imagine yourself a glass surface always has some contamination or something thin make the glass not clear or it's dirty after the humid day, or we didn't clean it.
It's the same of the CCD, Air Rocket or brush won't clean it off, do need wet cleaning to make the CCD clear and bright once again.

blaize wrote:If it is Glass then i fail to see how a very soft brush as he artical descibes and next to no pressure to remove loose dust could hurt anything???

I don't think it hurts anything but it leaves traces and in some time period it will add dust instead of cleaning. I've tried brush myself a long ago and, unsatisfied, completely switched to Giotto Rocket (usually) and wet cleaning (rarely)

blaize,
It's easy to try it out, go to one of the shop or find a glass cabinet with a dirty glass due to humidity and use the brush to make it clean and clear, if you can do that way, then the brush is useful with your thoughts

I heard some pleople claim blowing air into the camera might force the dust deeper into the camera. Also I think some air cans may expell small drops of contaminants if not held vertical.

Cows Go Moo

Brrrr, never use blower cans - they are too strong and they are chemical. That really can damage the sensor.
Now, just think about brushing sensor. Where the dust is going? Either to the brush or to the camera. In both cases there is quite good chanse for those specs to get back to the sensor

Oneputt wrote:If the dust is as you say loose then it will blow off without the need for a brush.

Yes you have a good point Oneputt. What do you use to blow the dust off as a matter of interest? I will need to bite the bullet soon and clean mine.

TIA

Tony

Thanks Birdy,

Yes i agree nothing will clean a dirty or filmy CCD like the wet wipes will but between times is what I'm interested in. Just to remove a spot of dust... i like the idea of a static charged brush to suck up the dust rather then wipe it off.

Thanks

Tony

blaize wrote:Thanks Birdy,

Yes i agree nothing will clean a dirty or filmy CCD like the wet wipes will but between times is what I'm interested in. Just to remove a spot of dust... i like the idea of a static charged brush to suck up the dust rather then wipe it off.

Thanks

Tony

Why don't you use just a simple toy as the Air Rocket and blow the dust off.
Using the brush, another means by sweeping the dust to one or other corner and when the movement of the camera happens, the dust will come back to the CCD. No brush will guaranteed to suck 100% of the dust.

Its all about the order these things are done in in my opinion...a blow clean is safe and easy, so I do that first. If still dirty I use my static brush (which as a couple of poeple have mentioned, hardly touches the glass), I have found this works wonders for matter a blower cant remove but yes, there will be times when the third line of defence is needed and that is a wet clean.

I just feel that Id much rather lightly run a soft static brush over my sensor than go for a full wet clean...and I have found the brush works very very well.

Blaize as Birddog has said an inmexpensive Air Rocket does the job 99% of the time.

Escapism - my concern with a brush is what may be hidden it it's fibres that you cannot see.

Oneputt wrote:Blaize as Birddog has said an inmexpensive Air Rocket does the job 99% of the time.

Thanks Oneputt... i will have to look out for one.

Also a good point regarding what may be in the bristles especially after it has been in your bag for a while!!!

Cheers

Tony

Escapism,

I have used the brush method and it works a treat.

Here's where I got them....

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/CleanSkies-SENSOR-CLEANING-Brush-Kit-For-Digital-SLRs_W0QQitemZ7553276856QQcategoryZ43479QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Putting something wet in my camera sucks just about as much as touching the sensor, but you got to get those f$%*ing bunnies off somehow.
Just a matter of which you feel most comfortable with I guess.

All well and good but how often and via what method do you clean the brush?
At least with Pec-pads we throw them out after each use so there's no chance of trapped particles being re-introduced to the sensor glass. Surely that's a very real risk if you use a brush of any kind.

I've used canned air carefully a couple of times to get a few nastys off my sensor and its worked very well both times.

Ive got a sensor brush here if i need to get something nasty off the CCD quickly but if something is stuck I Just go to someone I knows house and borrow his cleaning gear for a wet clean.

shinwood wrote:Escapism,

I have used the brush method and it works a treat.

Here's where I got them....

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/CleanSkies-SENSOR-CLEANING-Brush-Kit-For-Digital-SLRs_W0QQitemZ7553276856QQcategoryZ43479QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Putting something wet in my camera sucks just about as much as touching the sensor, but you got to get those f$%*ing bunnies off somehow.
Just a matter of which you feel most comfortable with I guess.

Thanks for that shinwood.... i have ordered some to try out. They will make excellent lens brushes even if they don't work out as CCD brushes.

cheers

Tony

blaize wrote:If it is Glass then i fail to see how a very soft brush as he artical descibes and next to no pressure to remove loose dust could hurt anything???

Very simple, really.

What is the quality of the brush?

What about its construction?

And in particular, the materials from which it is made?

Let's take, for instance, a nice, high quality camel's hair brush. Nice and soft.

And potentially, full of camel oil!

Would you like that splattered all over your sensor? (or anti-aliasing filter for the pedants amongst us?)

What about some of the residue from the adhesive used to keep the bristles together in the brush?

And have you ever seen a brush that does not lose its bristles?

Care to have a bristle lodges on your sensor?

What about one getting stuck in your mechanical shutter mechanism??

Now, how enthusiastic were you about using a brush on your sensor?

Some important points there that I had not yet thought of Gary.

Cows Go Moo wrote:I heard some pleople claim blowing air into the camera might force the dust deeper into the camera. Also I think some air cans may expell small drops of contaminants if not held vertical.

Absolutely correct.

Let's deal with each of these issues individually.

Blowing dust deeper into the camera: If you're using a Giotto, you're not likely to be using too much air pressure, and thus this is unlikely to be an issue. If it is, then where might it go? In amongst the circuitry? Who cares?

As for the air cans, yes, this is correct. But there's an easy solution here: don't use an air can anywhere near the guts of your DSLR. Seriously.

Air cans are a big no-no!

That's why we have the Giottos.

None of the problems you describe can arise with a Giotto.

Michael wrote:I've used canned air carefully a couple of times to get a few nastys off my sensor and its worked very well both times.

Ive got a sensor brush here if i need to get something nasty off the CCD

With all due respect, you're mad, and on both counts.

The canned air is ok for the outside of your camera, but don't let it anywhere near the sensor. All it takes one minor squirt of propellant - and that's entriely out of your control, no matter how you try to spin it - and your sensor's lightpath will be contaminated.

As to the brush ... see my earlier comments, and then answer the question: "do you feel lucky?"

gstark wrote:

blaize wrote:If it is Glass then i fail to see how a very soft brush as he artical descibes and next to no pressure to remove loose dust could hurt anything???

Very simple, really.

What is the quality of the brush?

What about its construction?

And in particular, the materials from which it is made?

Let's take, for instance, a nice, high quality camel's hair brush. Nice and soft.

And potentially, full of camel oil!

Would you like that splattered all over your sensor? (or anti-aliasing filter for the pedants amongst us?)

What about some of the residue from the adhesive used to keep the bristles together in the brush?

And have you ever seen a brush that does not lose its bristles?

Care to have a bristle lodges on your sensor?

What about one getting stuck in your mechanical shutter mechanism??

Now, how enthusiastic were you about using a brush on your sensor?

Have you done ANY research on this???? Who in their right mind would use a CAMEL hair brush on their sensor??? Residues.....again, have you researched this at all, cos it sure doesnt sound like it!

Escapism wrote:

gstark wrote:

blaize wrote:If it is Glass then i fail to see how a very soft brush as he artical descibes and next to no pressure to remove loose dust could hurt anything???

Very simple, really.

What is the quality of the brush?

What about its construction?

And in particular, the materials from which it is made?

Let's take, for instance, a nice, high quality camel's hair brush. Nice and soft.

And potentially, full of camel oil!

Would you like that splattered all over your sensor? (or anti-aliasing filter for the pedants amongst us?)

What about some of the residue from the adhesive used to keep the bristles together in the brush?

And have you ever seen a brush that does not lose its bristles?

Care to have a bristle lodges on your sensor?

What about one getting stuck in your mechanical shutter mechanism??

Now, how enthusiastic were you about using a brush on your sensor?

Have you done ANY research on this???? Who in their right mind would use a CAMEL hair brush on their sensor??? Residues.....again, have you researched this at all, cos it sure doesnt sound like it!

You're missing the point.

I just used camel as an example; the same would be true of mink, bear, buffalo, ferret, mouse, tiger, vogon, dog, cat, you, me, or any other animal you care to mention. The hairs contain oils; that's a fact of life.

You want oil on your sensor? Gopher it!

And again, I'll repeat what I've said above: Have you ever seen a brush that does not lose its bristles?

The answer to that question, in and of itself, should be enough to tell you that brushes and sensors simply do not play well together.

Now, what you choose to do - how you intend to destroy your DSLR - is entirely your own decision.

And yes, research has been done on this, and there's plenty of evidence of this available. Google is your friend.

[quote="gstarkI just used camel as an example; the same would be true of mink, bear, buffalo, ferret, mouse, tiger, vogon, dog, cat, you, me, or any other animal you care to mention. The hairs contain oils; that's a fact of life.

You want oil on your sensor?

And yes, research has been done on this[/quote]

It sure doesnt read like it......

As I said, Google is your friend. That's your choice to do your own research, or not.

And how you choose to destroy your camera is entirely your own business.

Make your choice, and live with it.

And please, do not come bleating here afterwards, when you have contaminated your sensor's light path; the sympathy vote will be deafening in its absence!

I guess what I am trying to get across here is that a wet clean is NOT the ONLY method one can employ when trying to clean a dSLR sensor. However, there are steps and precautions one must take...would you simply use a baby wipe wrapped around your finger to wet clean your sensor??? Of course not, you follow guidelines and tested practises using known good equipment. The same applies when using the brush technique. You CANNOT use any brush! You CANNOT use an ANIMAL hair brush...if fact there are very very few brushes you can actually use, they are hard to find. Each brush must be tested before use, each brush must be PREPARED before use and the brushes must be STORED correctly...then there is a process to follow when going about the job of cleaning. Sound familiar??? That's because its EXACTLY the same as the wet clean process...or using air, or flying, or base jumping!!!!

Escapism wrote:I guess what I am trying to get across here is that a wet clean is NOT the ONLY method one can employ when trying to clean a dSLR sensor.

And, with respect, nobody here has suggested that there is only one.

If you'd care to actually review and read the messages here, there are quite a few that very strongly suggest that using a tool such as a Giotto will be more than satisfactory in perhaps 99% of cases where your sensor requires cleaning.

If your experience differs, so be it.

If you want to risk getting hair from any sort of a brush, regardless of the preparations that you take, caught in your shutter or other camera mechanisms, than that is entirely your own business.

But can you guarantee that any and every brush that you use will not lose any hair?

Ever ??

Ask the manufacturer of the brush for that guarantee!

MattK posted a link to the same article some months ago...

It didn't seem to attract the same reactions at the time...

Im pretty pedantic when it comes to cleaning and stuff with anything I own and after reading a million bits and pieces over weeks I decided that IF i was careful that there would be very little change of anything really going wrong.

Now the important thing is My d70 still works as good as it did when I bought it so you may think Im insane though I think im perfectly sane.