DSLR sensor cleaning

[Kenny]

Has anyone cleaned the sensor on their DSLR before? Any tips or advice?

I've watched a few YouTube videos and have a cleaning kit. Seems straightforward enough. Just want to check 'locally' before I dive in and do something I might mess up.

[The Thing]

Fairly frequently.

My tips: make sure the battery is fully charged and when you use a blower with the shutter open make sure you have the camera facing down so dislodged dust falls out not in.

Also don't use more fluid than the kit says, you want the cleaning paddle to be damp, not the sensor wet or you may get liquid between the IR filter (the bit you are actually cleaning) and the sensor. You then have to dismantle the camera. If you ever need to do that you may as well do the filter reaplacement mod

[MarkH]

Duncan, what about a modded camera? 

[The Thing]

Modded camera is the same but you have to be more careful, if you have replaced the Canon filter with glass or another filter e.g. Baader then there is even more chance to get some liquid between the two as the seal cannot be as good. Also if there is no glass as on your (MarkH) 350D you don't want to scratch the sensor so be careful. I took the Edmunds Optics glass off because stuff kept getting behind it.

[MarkH]

Thanks Duncan.

[MarkS]

Duncan,

I thought you used Opticlean ?

Mark

[RobertM]

There is a way to keep the shutter open without the battery it - you don't want the shutter closing on you !  As I remember it, taking the battery out with the shutter open should do the trick.

Robert

[Mac]

If you set your camera to Bulb it will keep the shutter open,
the downside of this though is that the sensor is active and thus has a static charge upon its surface,
making it quite hard to lean all of the dust off.

Most DSLR's have a cleaning mode, whi do the same but turn off the sensor, thus no static charge.

Mac.