Dust Bunnies are Not Cute and Cuddly

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If you change your DSLR lens's its only a matter of time before you will see spots on your photos. It is a common reoccurrence for all photographers, so do not panic.  Tell tale signs are little black dots in the same positions on your photos, commonly found in the corners and edges. You may not notice them at first because they may be hidden in dark areas of your image.  A simple way to check before the next big shoot is to set your camera at f22 – f36 either in manual mode or in "A"perture  priority, then take a photo of a blue sky or white background, then view it on your computer at 100% magnification. Or a quick alternative method is to remove the lens and point the camera at a bright window or light looking thru the view finder. If you see the nasty dust bunnies in either method, no worries it is easy to remove them using safe steps and inexpensive tools

Recommended Cleaning Supplies:

Tools Required for a Dust Free Camera

  • Blower Bulb, I recommend Rocket Air Blower by Giotto, it is a powerful dust removing blower
  • A synthetic brush, I prefer my battery operated Arctic Butterfly electrostatic brush by VisableDust , it spins the brush creating an electrostatic charge that magically attracts the dust particles
  • A fully charged camera battery
  • A lint free lens cleaning cloth

 Use a Few Simple Practices to Help Reduce the Risk of Dust Entering the Camera Body

  • Clean your camera body and lens caps with a blower bulb and a synthetic brush prior to removing the lens, pay close attention to the lens mount area
  • Turn your camera off before removing the lens, the sensor has a small electrostatic charge that attracts dust particles
  • Always point your camera with the lens mount opening facing down ward, that way dust will not easily fall into the body opening
  • Make sure that the room or area you are in is free of air born dust particles, a good visual check is in front of a bright sun lit window, we all know how dust shines in bright light
  • Avoid changing your lens outdoors in windy conditions
  • Change the lens as quickly as possible, have your replacement lens end cap loose and ready to go

Steps to Cleaning Your Sensor and Mirror

Step 1

  • Ensure your camera body and mount are free of dust
  • Turn the camera power off
  • Hold your camera facing downward, remove the lens
  • Using your blower bulb carefully blast air repeatedly in and around the opening making sure not to hit the mirror, do this repeatedly with the camera facing down, holding it down makes it easier to for the dust to blow out
  • Next use a clean synthetic brush or the Arctic Butterfly and swipe the mirror carefully in a downward direction , take extra care to not scratch the mirror
  • Before using the Arctic Butterfly brush turn it on spinning the brush to create an electrostatic charge, then turn it off and carefully place it in the opening gently moving it around the chamber picking up any loose dust particle (again with the camera facing downward)
  • Place the lens or camera body cap on

 

Step 2

  • Turn the camera on and access the Setup Menu, high light the Mirror Lock Up function , note the camera battery must be fully charged in order to access this function, otherwise it will  be grayed out. Click ok and then press the shutter release button. This will lock the mirror in the up position  giving  access to the sensor for cleaning

  • Use the Arctic Butterfly electrostatic brush to gently brush the sensor. Again first turn the brush on to remove any excess dust and to electro statically charge the fibers, turn it off before inserting and using the brush,  be careful not to put pressure on the sensor, move the brush around carefully getting into the corners to pick up any loose dust particles
  • When finished cleaning press the shuttle release button, dropping the mirror back in place
  • Turn the camera power switch off
  • Place camera body cap on temporarily
  • Blow out and clean the lens glass with the fiber cloth before reattaching the lens
  • Make sure that the camera is pointing downward at all times during the cleaning operations

Alternative Cleaning Options

  • Nikon has a "Clean Image Sensor" option in the Setup Menu, it uses a series of vibration frequencies to dislodge any dust on the sensor, the dust falls into a reservoir storing it safely. Note not all DSLR's have this cleaning system

 

NIKON Prime Lenses CANON Prime Lenses SIGMA Prime Lenses
Nikon 24mm f/1.4 Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG
Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4G Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM
Nikon 35mm f/1.4G Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM
Nikon 85mm f/1.4G Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM
Nikon 300mm f/2.8G AF-S ED Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS Sigma 300mm f/2.8 EX DG IF
  • Wet/dry swabs, I do not recommend these options as if they are not performed correctly you could damage your mirror or sensor,  they do work but there is room for error if not performed correctly,  leaving a residue or smudge. I say leave this option to the professionals
  • Canned compressed air, I had it blow liquid leaving a residue on the mirror, I do not recommend it
  • Nikon has an option accessed thru the camera Setup Menu called "Dust Off" it is a Nikon software tool when activated can remove dust spots from  a RAW (NEF) digital image

Recommended Cleaning Supplies:

If you have dust on your sensor here are a few options after the fact.

  • Use Photoshop clone tool to remove the dust spots
  • Set your camera at a larger aperture (small "f" number) to minimize the spot visibility
  • Use the Nikon "Dust Off" option and software

Photos and Article by Mark McCulloch / www.photopaddler.com

Also Read: 23 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN PHOTOGRAPHY

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