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The Clean Sensor Manifesto—05/17/10

Pledge yourself to these six rules for unspotted shots

This Article Features Photo Zoom

You would think by now we would have figured this one out, but yet there’s still dust on my sensor on a regular basis. Perhaps I should employ what photographer Steve McCurry recently told me he does: He keeps the same zoom lens on his camera at all times, only changing to another lens if it’s "absolutely necessary." That’s dedication—or simply the result of someone who’s tired of spending his time removing bothersome dust from his best photographs. I’m also tired of removing dust from my photos, so I’ve created a manifesto that I’ve pledged myself to. If you’d care to keep your sensor clean, take this oath with me.

1. I pledge...that I won’t change lenses excessively. I’ll be absolutely sure not to do it in an iffy (i.e. dusty, windy, dirty, sandy) environment, either. Ever.

2. I pledge...to never (never ever) change lenses with the camera powered on. A charged sensor acts like a vacuum, sucking dust into the camera.

3. I pledge...to buy a camera with automatic dust removal. These nifty devices help you keep your sanity, at least partially, by shaking the sensor at a microscopic level to help remove debris.

4. I pledge...to check for dust before important shoots. My favorite approach is simple: Stop down to f/32 and shoot a white wall. Then zoom in on the LCD to look for spots.

5. I pledge...to clean valiantly. If I’m going to clean, I’ll clean with a strong, wet cleanser such as Sensor Swabs with Eclipse solution. This method isn’t inexpensive, but it also works wonders on the toughest sensor dirt.

2. I pledge...to keep the back of the lens clean, too. That rear element, when it’s in the camera and exposed to the charged sensor during exposure, is bound to transfer dust. But not if it, too, is kept clean and spotless...like my pictures will now be, too!

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