Fear of the dusty sensor



If you begin to notice dark specks in your photos when you're using a digital SLR don't become alarmed and wonder if you will need to shell out more money for a new camera. The problem is simply dust on your sensor. When you switch lenses on an SLR it is easy for dust to get inside the camera and settle on the sensor, which will, in turn, create small dark spots in the pictures you take.

Some cameras have a built-in sensor-dusting function, but most will require a careful manual cleaning.

1. Purchase a self-cleaning SLR.

Dust specks that collect on the camera sensor can create dark spots on your photographs. If you are unsure if you have this problem already you can enlarge your photographs or take a picture of a white wall.

Olympus makes two SLR cameras, the E1 and Evolt E-300, which have a Supersonic Wave Filter built in. Each time you turn on the camera or activate the filter, the Supersonic Wave Filter vibrates the sensor in order to shake dust off. Adhesive strips that run along the sides of the sensor collect the dust. From what I have seen, this system works pretty well. It's a pity other manufacturers don't offer something similar.

2. Clean your camera with care. If you don't own an Olympus SLR sooner or later you'll need to clean your sensor. You can send it to the manufacturer for a professional cleaning if you're apprehensive about doing it yourself. Unfortunately, that's not a very practical or cost effective way to handle the problem every time you seen a new spot. Although you should always be careful, the best solution to the problem is to clean the dust yourself.

Most sensors are covered with protective glass, and if you scratch or damage it, there's a good chance the manufacturer's warranty will not pick up the tab for repairs. So don't be cavalier about what you stick inside the camera. Never blow compressed air into your camera. It uses propellants that can leave a residue.

You want to find products that are made specifically for sensor cleaning, usually through any retailer who sells digital cameras. You can find a variety of products available from manufacturers such as Photographic Solutions and Visible Dust. Speck Grabber from Kinetronics' is a great product as it has a little light built in which is helpful for getting at particular bits of debris. If you own a Kodak camera you can use the Kodak sensor-cleaning kit which also comes with its own detailed instructions on how to clean camera sensors.

When you're ready to clean the sensor, put the camera into sensor-cleaning mode so that the sensor is exposed (check the manual about how to do this with your particular model) and remove the lens. You can use a bulb blower to blow dust off the sensor; just make sure you hold the camera up so that the dust falls out instead of settling inside again. Follow the instructions of the cleaning product you've chosen. Usually this will involve carefully swabbing the surface of the protective glass over the sensor.

To check that you have gotten rid of all the dust take a picture of a blank wall or piece of paper. Look at it at full size on a computer monitor and see if you can detect any remaining specks.