Email: brqyvn@gmail.com
Hi Photographer friends.
Dust bunnies:
Some things are sure to happen in this world. We're all going to die, we're are all going to be taxed to death, and if we own a Digital SLR, we will get dust bunnies. The dust bunnies multiplies like rabbits, they live in small dark places, they are a pest, they are hard to eradicate, they jump into your photos, and they serve no useful purpose.
What are they?
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| If you get these kind of bunnies, they are good bunnies, but still leave you in the dust. |
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| If what you have on your sensor look like these above, frame the image and sell it to the Smithsonian museum. These are extremely rare. |
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| The image above shows the kind of dust bunnies you are likely to have. |
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| Here is a close up of what they look like... |
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| and here's a close up of the close up. Can you see them now? |
How to get rid of them?
- If you have several spare DSLRs or time to wait and the money to spend, send the DSLR back to the manufacturer for a professional sensor cleaning. It's guaranteed work and the safest way to clean your sensor.
- If you're like me, you don't have enough time to do half of what you'd like to do everyday but you don't want to spend your money for camera maintenance. You want to spend your money on lenses and camera equipment.
What I do first is activating the built-in dust removal system and repeat the operation at least twenty or so times in a row. On most Pentax DSLRs, you can set the dust removal system so that it activates each time you turn the camera on. You can also do it repeatedly when you want to. The Dust Removal feature is accessible from the (C) menu. When activating it, it is always a good idea to place the camera face down so the dust can fall away from the sensor.
If that is not enough try to blow the dust away from the sensor surface, I use my Giotto blower. Blow toward the sensor vigorously, making sure you don't hit the sensor. I found that holding the blower with three fingers and my thumb, while my index finger is braced against the camera lens opening, works best and keeps the blower tip from hitting the sensor. Check your results by using the manual focus function, and photograph a cloudless sky or white piece of paper, with the lens set to the smallest aperture. Take a few pictures and inspect the images on your computer. Dust bunnies might be hard to notice on your cameras LCD. Repeat this step until they are gone. With luck, that will be all you need to do. However, if the dust has been there for a long period of time or if humidity got in, they might have become stickies. These won't go away with the two methods described above.
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| I think that Giottos makes the best blowers. |
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| Blow the dust with the camea facing down. |
The wet cleaning method:
This is the best cleaning method, but it is also the most apt to damage your sensor surface. Are you sure you want to go through with this? If you don't have a steady hand, don't do it. If you don't have any mechanical aptitude, don't do it. If you have the money, let a professional service technician do it for you. He's probably messed up many sensors before becoming a Pro at it.
Seriously, almost anyone can do it, but it's your choice.
Sensor Swab™ and Eclipse™ - Eclipse/Methanol is the chemical of choice by the engineers and optical specialist of Pentax, Nikon, Fuji and Leica and other brands. You use a swab of one type or another, put a couple (2-3) drops of chemical on it and wipe the sensor. Actually, you wipe the low pass filter which is in front of the sensor. The eclipse kit comes with instruction on how to clean the sensor. The Internet is full of sites showing the steps to clean the sensor with a swab and methanol. Just Google Digital sensor cleaning, and you will have dozens of sites showing "step-by-step" instructions. I particularly liked this site: http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/cleaning.html
Read over and over until you are comfortable with the steps, then go for it. What have you got to lose other than your DSLR sensor?
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| The above shows what I use. It does a good job. |
Yvon Bourque
7 comments:
While my *istD requires cleaning my K7 has yet to show any dust issues...
wirrah,
The newer cameras are much better. I have the K-7 and the K-5. I don't have a problem with dust. I have both cameras set to where the dust removal is activated each time I turn the camera on.
Hi Yvon
I'll never blow air into my camera, any what direction you may hold it.
The only thing the dust blower does is clean dust from lenses, or it cleans my keyboard.
I never saw any improvement with it.
On the other hand I don't feel good going into the camera with liquids so I searched for the in between.
I have been using an Actic Butterfly now for the last 5 years and this is something you have to try before you believe it.
Haven't seen a dust bunny I couldn't get rid of, and I change lenses a lot ...
Ronny
The official Pentax O-ICK1 Image Sensor Cleaning Kit did a 100% perfect job on my K10d and K7. Since using it I haven't had any more rascally rabbits return for nearly a year now.
I haven't had to clean my K-5 yet in 4 months! My K10D did require frequent cleanings though.
Don't blow air into your camera. It will send the dust everywhere, notably on your viewfinder and it is trickier to remove dust there.
Otherwise a good ol' dry Q-tip has always done the job for me.
Those are some serious dust bunnies you have there, Yvon. How long since the last time you cleaned the sensor, 10 years? :-p
Miserere,
Those aren't really my bunnies. The first bunny was taken by my brother, The second photo are my imaginary bunnies, but the last are real dust bunnies found on my brother's K-x. Instead of writing him about how to clean his camera, I decided to make it a post.
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