Cleaning your digital camera sensor
A friend of mine new to digital asked me how I cleaned the sensor in my D3x. My response was that I avoid cleaning whenever possible—it makes me nervous, as I’ve been a klutz more than once. In fact, I haven’t needed to clean my Nikon D3 sensor in over a year with anything other than air.
Brushes run the risk of scratching, liquids can leave residue, which all makes me prefer to avoid it. Most particles can be blown away with air, but compressed air carries its own risks (oil, freezing the sensor), as well as being problematic for airline travel.
The solution? Air from a blower. The Giotto Rocket Air emits a powerful stream of air (it’s great for startling kids who won’t pay attention, too!). After opening the shutter with your camera’s sensor cleaning feature, insert the tip and blow away. I blow from all four corners/angles, multiple times, and this is usually sufficient to get rid of 90% of the crud—good enough for me.
The blower is also good for blowing dust off lens elements, lens caps, etc.
The Giotto Rocket Air is only about $15 and it can be carried onboard an airplane, squashes down nicely and lasts a long time. Get the largest model (7.5"), because it can emit the most powerful blast.
Keep it clean: keep the blower in its own sealed plastic bag so that it does not get contaminated.
