Keeping Your Camera Sensor Clean

Certainly some photographers do a better job at this than others, but keeping your digital camera sensor clean is important.  Lets consider it excellent preventative measures; unless of course you love spending all that extra post processing time cloning out spots on your photos!  It’s not a lot of fun to look at the images you have just taken, and to especially see those sky shots with nasty spots all over it.  Sure there are some great image editing software applications available, but why bother when you can prevent most of it.

Here are some great tips on what you can do to help prevent those pesky dust particles from landing on your sensor:

• Keep your camera bag clean!  It’s a great idea to get in the habit of vacuuming out your camera bag.  I admit that I am lazy about this and should be much better about it.
• Turn off your camera before you change your lens.
• Point your camera body down when changing lenses.
• Try your best to change your lenses as quickly as possible (of course all the while being careful how you do it).
• Sit or kneel down and try to hunch over your camera while you are switching lenses.
• Be aware of the wind!  Watch the direction of the wind and do your best to avoid the wind blowing right at camera area that you want to protect.
• Use your body as much as you can as a shield.
• Keep you lens caps on as much as possible.  In fact, it’s a smart idea to always have extra lens caps in your camera bags.  I think every photographer at some time (alright, well maybe not every photographer, but I sure have) has lost a lens cap.
• Purchase a great bulb to use to keep the sensor area clean and blow the dust particles out.  Many professional photographers prefer Giottos Blower Bulb.  They come in various sizes and most photographers would recommend the largest one.

I should also add that some camera manufacturers will state in the owners manual that they do not recommend that owners clean the sensor.  It can be nerve wrecking if you have not done it before.  Many photographers, including myself, take their cameras in to have them professional cleaned regularly.  If you are unsure if there is someone or a shop in your area that can do this, my suggestion is to call your local camera shops and ask them. Chances are that your local camera shop offers this service.  Typical turn around time is typically half day, or drop if off one day and pick it up the next.

I hope that reading this article has helped to motivate you to focus on some preventive measures that will help keep your digital camera sensor clean.  I can tell you that when I first started my photography business, I wasted too much time in post processing cloning out those ugly spots!  I am happy to say that I have gotten better about this, and I hope you will too!