Wiping dust off the sensor
If the specs on the sensor are still there after a high tech brush
cleaning of the sensor, the final “nuclear option” is to clean the
sensor with tissue and a solvent. Again there are companies who
specialize in providing materials designed for this task. One such
company is PhotoSol (www.photosol.com)
who have a line of solvents and tissues (Sensor Swabs) marketed under
the “Eclipse” name. Again the advantage of dealing with a company which
produces products designated for digital sensor cleaning is that you can
get technical support from them and their products are guaranteed to
cause no harm when used as specified. Cleanliness is paramount when
using swabs and cleaning fluids. Use the swabs only once and use the
minimum amount of solvent required to dampen the swab. Pressure is
generally not needed (and may be counterproductive), so a gentle wipe
across the sensor is the way to go. After one wipe check the sensor and
only repeat if necessary. As I said earlier, there’s no point in trying
to remove every last minute speck of dust. If nothing shows up in real
images, the sensor is clean enough.
Personally, I use conventional lens tissue and methanol to clean my
sensors, but again I have experience and I’m willing to take the risk.
So far I’ve had no problems, but I’d recommend going the commercial
product route to anyone who is at all nervous about sensor damage.
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