Over time every DSLR will collect dust on its CMOS or CCD sensor; there really isn't anyway around it. Cleaning your own camera's sensor with liquid wipes or other wet processes has always been a bit risky. Luckily the Sensor Gel Stick is a safe and easy product that top manufacturers like Leica, Nikon, and Canon have been using in their own factories for years. Now YOU can use it too!
Our good friend Nasim Mansurov at Photographylife.com called me up a few days ago and told me he was now the sole US distributor of the most revolutionary sensor cleaning product on the market. I have to admit, I've always been too scared to clean my own sensors. Trying to figure out which specific sensor cleaning swab to purchase has always made me question if we should even be cleaning our sensors in the first place. Maybe this is a task meant to be left for the true professionals.
Nasim laid all my worries to rest when he told me that this Sensor Gel Stick was the easiest and safest way to clean your sensor. Not only that, but professional camera manufacturers like Leica, Nikon, and Canon actually use this exact product in their own factories.
Being pretty handy myself, I asked, "If this is the exact same product being used to clean my sensor when I ship it to Nikon, then why in the world can I not do this myself?" Well I decided to clean my first sensor today on one of my own DSLR cameras....and I committed to it all live on video.
Here are the full res examples showing the dust spots on my Nikon D300s sensor before cleaning and after cleaning with the Sensor Gel Stick:
As you can see in the examples, my D300s camera was filthy. I bought this camera back in 2009 when it first came out. My Nikon D300s has now since been retired to only wedding photobooth duty. Since my photobooth setup uses studio lights, I'm often shooting at smaller apertures like f10 or f16. As you can imagine, these specks of dust can cause all sorts of editing problems when you have hundreds of photobooth photos with white backgrounds. As soon as I received the Sensor Gel Stick, I knew this was the first camera to test to see how clean I could get the sensor. The results are pretty amazing especially considering much of this dust has probably been on the sensor for years!
After having great success with a few of the D300s cameras laying around the Fstoppers office, I decided to see how much dust was on my year old Nikon D600 camera. I've heard a lot of horror stories about how dirty the D600 sensor can get and obviously there is also that notorious "oil stain" issue that many claim was the reason for the Nikon D610 release. To my surprise my Nikon D600 camera was even dirtier than my 5 year old D300s camera! Having become a pro sensor cleaning in just 20 minutes, I decided it was time to up the ante and clean one of my work horse cameras. You can see the results of the Nikon D600 below.
NOTE: AFTER INVESTIGATING THIS A BIT MORE, I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND CLEANING THE MIRROR WITH THIS DEVICE. SEE MY RESPONSE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW: After cleaning a handful of Nikon D300s, D600, and D800 cameras, I thought maybe this Sensor Gel Stick would help me clean the mirror and viewfinder on my older Nikon D300s cameras. After five years of heavy use, it was pretty embarrassing to look through the viewfienders of these crop sensor cameras. There was dust, dirt, and grime all over the viewfinder. As expected, the Gel Stick did a great job removing all the mess and restoring my oldest cameras to "like new" condition.
All in all, I have to say Lee and I were extremely impressed with this product. Cleaning a sensor used to seem scary as hell but now I would have no reservation cleaning any camera with a digital sensor in it. Obviously I do not have experience with how long each stick will last or how many pieces of sticky paper I might go through in a year (I'll probably only clean my cameras once or twice a year), but at $40 this thing is totally worth it.
If you have any questions or concerns, leave them in the comments below as I'm sure Nasim can answer a lot of the technical aspects of the Sensor Gel Stick better than I can. Also feel free to post your before and after images. I'm curious if anyone has a dirtier sensor than I did and how well it cleans up after the process.
Now I want gummy bears.
Really? You were surprised that the new D600 had more dust than your D300s? Welcome to the party pal! Seriously though, the D600 was terrible.
Agreed, the D600 was a disaster! Aperture blades scraping against each other and creating particles that end up on the sensor...Nikon should have recalled that camera.
Aperture blades? Are those not found inside the lens rather then the camera?
I think he mean shutter blades. Your shutter has blades similar to an aperture only they open like blinds.
Yes, thank you Patrick, that's what I meant :)
Yes - no way for this to happen unless the rear elements fall out of the lens. If the diaphragm blades scrape and leave crud somewhere it'll be on the lens. This actually happened in a studio where I worked. We had an old Hassleblad lens in which the diaphragm had scraped a turd of grease (lube oil and dirt) onto a lens element. A trip to the repair shop and $75 fixed the problem.
Oops, I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that sentence - it is shutter blades, not aperture blades! :)
Ah ok, that makes much more sense! :D
I had no idea this was as big a problem. Again I hardly ever shoot past f4 so I've never seen any dust on my images. The real question is how long will this sensor stay cleaned now that I've cleaned it myself? If all that debris was from the initial few months of "breaking the camera in" then it doesn't seem that bad....but yeah for the average prosumer who knows nothing about cleaning cameras, Nikon definitely messed up big time there. I've shot 1 1/2 wedding seasons with 2 D600s and a D800 and the thought of dust never crossed my mind.
You shoot everything at f4 or wider? Apparently you have little need for depth of field, or your shooting most things with a fairly wide angle lens. I've shot mostly products, so I usually had to work on the opposite end of the f stop scale. As in my earlier comment, most DSLRs from the past several years are self cleaning. That's another reason for you're not seeing dust spots.
In the past I've mainly shot portraits, events, weddings, and products at longer focal lengths. Even at f4, you can get fairly large DOF depending on your distance to your subject and focal length. For most applications 1'-4' of DOF is plenty for me.
As for the self cleaning sensors, they really don't work that well. All my cameras have had that feature for the last 5 years or more and over time they still get dust. Maybe it's because I live in a high humidity area but once damp dust gets on your sensor and dries, no shaking of the sensor's anti dust feature is going to remove that....at least not in my experience.
Bob, I really wish the self-cleaning cameras had a different way to clean sensors than simple micro-vibrations. Unfortunately, dust often gets stuck on the sensor and shacking does not really do anything to remove it. Plus, whatever falls off circulates in the chamber when the mirror flaps up and down and pushes air, so those particles could still end up on the sensor...
So does this leave any of that sticky gel residue or oil on the sensor? also, I had a question about it sticking and pulling off the sensor, do you think this is bad to have pulling pressure on the sensor? Think this is a great consumer Idea because the main worry with the way we clean sensors now is scratching the sensor. I compare cleaning a sensor with swabs is like getting your finger wet and dragging it across a dirty car.. The dirt builds up and scratches the paint. With a simple press your now pulling the dirt off and its not being dragged. If anyone has used this product message me up.
No residue is left, as long as you do it properly and do not touch the gel part of the stick with greasy/dirty fingers. Pulling pressure does not harm the sensor in any way - the AA filter that gets touched by the stick is attached strongly to the sensor. Plus, it is not like you need to apply a lot of force to get it to un-stick.
And yes, this product greatly minimizes chances of scratching the AA filter. I would still recommend to use a blower first to get rid of large particles that easily come off, so that you are not moving big stuff across the sensor.
So far we have shipped the product to over 1000 customers and the feedback we've received is very positive...
Thanks, I just placed my order.
And all this time I've been using a Gummy Bear on a toothpick.
LOL :D
Yeah, but does it leave a sticky residue? Joking of course :)
Just bought one, I'll be posting my review on my youtube page when it arrives. Search for me my name is JifferRiffic on youtube
Thanks Jimmy, looking forward to seeing your review!
Any issues with mirrorless models from Olympus or panasonic?
No issues. The sensor gel stick will work on any sensor, including on mirrorless cameras.
Dear Nasim, I would seriously caution about using the stick on Sony NEX/ALPHA ILCs cameras. Please see my earlier comment to Richard Steinberger. My experience has been the same as Richard's. It worked like a dream on my Nikons through.
HanDuHi, I had a very detailed email communication with Richard. The problem is, he was using it on different cameras and then he used it on the Sony. Please note that when using the sensor gel stick, you have to keep in mind that different AA filters have different coatings applied to them. Sony's coating on the NEX-7 is much stickier than Nikon/Canon in some cameras, so if you use it on multiple sensors and pick up some stuff, you might end up with that stuff on the stickier AA filter. That's why my advice is to use the sensor gel stick on a single brand system and not across all brands. I am sure if you used the stick on the NEX first, you would not have had any issues. Just keep 1 for your Nikons and 1 for your NEX and you should be in good shape.
I have written about this on the product page - different AA filters have different coatings!
Hope this helps.
P.S. Richard's NEX is not destroyed - it just needs to be cleaned well with a wet cleaning method most likely.
Anyway to buy this in the UK?
We ship internationally, but if you want to buy it locally, you can order from Amazon UK / Germany - please see links from John Flury below.
http://www.digitaltoyshop.co.uk/Eyelead_sensor_cleaning_kit_SCK-1_t2649_...
36.50 GBP inc. delivery even though the UK is an hour away from Germany and we are in the E.U.
Currently unavailable on Amazon UK / DE
I'd like to know how this product differs from Dust-Aid.
http://www.dust-aid.com/
I'm not associated with, or recommending Dust-Aid, just want to see a comparison.
I have used the Dust-Aid product a couple of years ago before I found the sensor gel stick. Dust-Aid uses silicon and it is nowhere as sticky as the sensor gel stick. It can do an OK job with removing stuff that easily comes off, but there are a couple of potential issues/concerns:
1) The silicon started coming off from my Dust-Aid unit after first use. Not sure if this is a common issue, but I ended up trashing mine as a result.
2) It is also known to potentially leave some residue. Not a big deal since you can use wet cleaning to remove it, but that can be a concern to those that do not want to wet clean.
The sensor gel stick has a smaller surface area, so it is a more practical tool to pick up dust spots from certain areas of the sensor. Once you do a thorough/full clean, you do not have to go back and re-clean the whole sensor - just the affected area(s). Think of it as a combination of LensPen and more sticky Dust-Aid...
Hi Nasim, thanks for the prompt response. I tried Dust-Aid years ago and both the issues you described occurred to me, so I ended up throwing Dust-Aid in the garbage and switching to the Copper Hill method of sensor cleaning. What is your return policy if I purchase from you and am unsatisfied?
Do
not use anything sticky on your sensor!! It will probably leave traces
of whatever makes it sticky. This could show up in photos. It will
also cause dust to stick to it, creating a problem that didn't exist
before the "fix" Same goes for your air ducts - never let a company
that uses a sticky brush clean them out. The adhesive residue will be
rallying site for dust, mold, and pollen Most DSLRs made in the past
several years are self cleaning, so no need to physically clean unless
you've been in a sandstorm or similar. But, for those of you who insist:
open the shutter in cleaning mode and use canned air, carefully. Hold
the can upright, bend the straw, and very carefully insert it inside
the camera body (after removing the lens of course) and VERY gently puff
some air onto the sensor. Don't touch the sensor. This should be
unnecessary if your camera is self cleaning. I've had my Canon XSi for 6
years and have had no problems with dust spots. They'll usually show
up as light spots in a clear blue sky or other smooth, continuous
background, especially darker ones. I've seen none of that.
The D300s, D600, and D800 all have anti dust shake features that I've enabled. They must do something but overtime they do not prevent all dust from building up.
As for leaving residue, I would have to imagine that if residue was transferred from the gel to the sensor in any capacity then it should be viewed on the after images shot at f22-32. The sensor looked perfectly clean so I'm certain nothing was left behind. Now only time will tell if an invisible residue was left behind that will allow dust to collect faster. But at the moment there is no reason to believe anything was left on the sensor.
I'm not sure how you seem to be the only one to ever be able to fend off every dust particle on your sensor. Perhaps you're a photographer for Intel clean rooms, I don't know. But every photographer friend I know, plus myself, plus countless individuals on the internet, all get dust particles settling onto their sensor over time. The anti dust shake feature works a bit, but it is not perfect. Nor is perfection achieved by rocket blowers. There are some particles that just remain stuck on there that you have to physically remove.
Most particles don't have a big effect on every day images (even then it depends on what you are shooting). Over 2 years of having my 5D2, I have 2 spots which are so bad that they are visible in almost every image I make, unless that area of the image is dark. Any picture with sky in it will show that dust spot.
So, congratulations on your luck, I wish I could be so lucky to be able to get dust off my sensor without any physical interaction. However, please realize that you are an outlier in the photography world.
Canned air must be special one, without liquid materials (I don't know the exact term for it). In film industry we were prohibited to use standard canned air, because it easily sprays the liquid propellant on surfaces (especially on mirrors and prism) and can permanetly cause damage.
No, you just have to make sure you don't shake the can, and fire off some gas before using it just to be safe. Perfectly safe.
Do not use conventional canned air on your sensor ever. That's not what it is for.
I don't know who told you that, or why. I've never had an issue with it.
Nikon Canon and Leica actually use this product when you mail your camera in to be cleaned. It's specifically made to NOT leave a residue. There is a fake Chinese version floating around for $5 that looks the same but will leave a residue.
This looks like a handy thing to have on the road. I have no problems wet-cleaning a sensor, I can do it in my sleep. I own a D600 after all. ;-) I would wet-clean my sensor after using this when I get home however. I wouldn't trust sticky residue lingering on my sensors. Definitely a good thing to have in your camera bag tho.
They have a similar product that is made by the Etsumi corporation which I bought about a year ago from a local camera store in Okinawa, Japan. As you can see it comes with two different sized, and shaped gel heads. There is also a small rectangular cleaning mat attached inside the case.
Hello, i can't seem to find it on Amazon UK site, and links to find it in the UK?
Any joy Daniel?
Hi Martin... sorry, still no luck :(
Is this available in Australia?
I can see the value in doing it yourself, however if the sensor/mirror is damaged, they foot the repair bill. not you.
That's why I've never done this myself. After watching Pat do it I do feel like you can't really mess it up. The "gel" doesn't seem to leave any sort of residue. That being said, you shouldn't follow patricks lead and use it on the mirror. Apparently that could permanently damage it.
the mirror is a thin sheet of glass with about a micron of silver on it, its not like a normal mirror, its very thin, and the mirroring is easily scratched,
I would completely agree if the gel stick only worked once. I'd assume it will outlast the life of your camera though.
I bought one of these after seeing this review and it worked fantastically! I highly recommend this product to anybody fearful of using the wet methods. Air blowers honestly don't do the trick for me..this definitely does. One thing to note, the corners were a little tough to get to but I worked it to get in there and got, I would say, about 98% of the gunk off my sensor. I have attached my results below. As you can see there were a few pesky particles that just didn't want to come off. I haven't clean this camera once since it was bought in around 2009. I use it for time lapses and recently haven't been able too because of the dust (as you can see). Tried all sorts of things to clean it and didn't feel like spending $35 to get it cleaned at my local shop. Saw this for $40 and it payed for itself in its first use. Cleaned both my cameras very well. I am very satisfied and thank you for sharing!