Sensor cleaning can be quite terrifying for a photographer to try on his or her own. Considering how much you paid for it, delving deep into your digital camera’s inner sanctum is the last thing most photographers want to do. Luckily, as we’ll show you below, there are safe methods of sensor cleaning, which are also quick and easy to accomplish.

First, why do we need a sensor cleaning tutorial like this? Dust and dirt can be your digital camera’s downfall. The interchangeable lens system makes it impossible to stop foreign particles entering your camera, and it doesn’t take long for them to stick to the sensor.

Most of the time you won’t notice them, but when you’re shooting blue skies or white studio backdrops with a narrow aperture, dark flecks will become all too visible (download our cheat sheet on when to use a wide or small aperture).

Back in the days of film there was no such problem – you quite literally started each exposure with a clean canvas. However, with digital cameras, a spot of dust on the sensor will blight every shot until it’s removed.

It’s only a matter of time until your digital camera’s sensor will need to be cleaned manually. The more you change lenses, the more you zoom and the dustier the places you go, the quicker this moment will arrive.

To clean one of the most delicate parts of your camera, you do need to exercise caution. However, anyone with steady hands can do it.

There are lots of specialist tools and solutions available for cleaning sensors, but they can be split into two camps – wet or dry. You should think of sensor cleaning as a two-stage process: use a dry system first, then move on to the wet process if necessary.

For both tasks, you’ll need to use a special setting on the camera so that the delicate shutter and mirror mechanisms stay out of the way. This means you can reach the sensor and clean to your heart’s content. Here’s how to do it…

Sensor cleaning made easy

Before You Start

Before you start the sensor cleaning process, shoot a piece of white paper before you start, to see how dirty the sensor is. Shoot in Aperture Priority (A) mode at f/22; you can use the pop-up flash.

Take a similar shot after you’ve finished your sensor cleaning, comparing the images and seeing the improvement. It’s possible to zoom in and review these shots on the camera’s LCD, but a computer is better.

01 Dry clean
To reach the sensor you need to get the mirror and shutter out of the way. On recent D-SLRs, go to Setup, then ‘Lock mirror up for cleaning’. This option will be greyed out unless the batteries are fully charged. Press OK, then OK again. Press the shutter release.

02 Use a light
You need good light to see the sensor – a head torch is ideal, but a desk lamp can be used instead. Remove the lens and use a hurricane blower to blast dust from the sensor. Be careful not to touch the sensor or other internal components with the blower tip.

03 Add the solution
Use a specialist cleaner designed for the size of your camera, and read the instructions. Pre-impregnated swabs are good when you’re travelling, but a dry swab with a separate cleaning solution tends to give a more effective clean. Don’t use too much liquid.

04 Sweep up
Drag the swab slowly and smoothly from the left of the sensor to the right. Use a single movement, and don’t rub or scratch at the sensor. Turn the swab 90 degrees and drag the clean side from right to left. Throw this swab away. Turn the camera off to reset the mirror.

Top tips: more sensor cleaning ideas

01 Shake away
If your camera has it, try using the built-in vibration cleaning system to clear some dust. Do this before you start a manual clean.

02 Charge up
Charge your battery before cleaning the sensor. Full power will be needed to keep the shutter open and mirror raised.

03 Blast off
Keep your hurricane blower in a plastic bag when it’s not in use, so that it doesn’t suck up dust as you carry it.

04 Know the options
Dry cleaning alternatives to a blower include special brushes such as the Arctic Butterfly, or sticky pads like Dust-Aid.

05 Wipe down
Carry a microfibre lens cloth to clean the outside of the camera. This can reduce the amount of dust getting to the sensor.

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We all know that when you change lenses, dust can enter the camera and be deposited on the filter in front of the sensor. Dust can even be generated inside the camera by the friction between moving parts.

Whatever the cause, the result is the same: blotches in the same place on every frame. When you consider that the imaging sensor inside your Canon DSLR is packed with millions of receptors, yet isn’t much bigger than a postage stamp, you can imagine how much detail a minute piece of dust can potentially obscure in an image.

Sensor dust is most noticeable in areas of smooth, pale tones such as skies, particularly if you’re shooting with narrow apertures, and it becomes particularly obvious if you use a narrow aperture and slow shutter speed during a panning shot.

Bear in mind that it’s only once you’ve taken a picture and you’re looking at it on the rear LCD or on a computer that you’ll spot sensor dust. If you notice other specks when you’re looking through the viewfinder, it’s either the viewfinder window or the mirror inside the camera that require a quick blast from a rubber bulb blower.

The Integrated Cleaning System inside your Canon DSLR does a fine job of vibrating most of the offending particles away from the sensor, but it isn’t perfect. Image-editing programs such as Photoshop make removing any shake-resistant spots relatively simple, but it’s better to remove the dust from the sensor directly.

If you’ve got the right tools and lots of patience you can have a go yourself; although bear in mind that you’ll void your warranty, and replacing a scratched sensor doesn’t come cheap! If in any doubt, leave it to a Canon-approved service centre.

What you’ll need to clean the sensor in your EOS camera

A whole industry has built up around camera care products, with sensor cleaning devices in particular taking many different formats. But which items do you really need?

We’d recommend that a minimum on-the- road cleaning kit comprises a bulb blower, brush and microfibre cloth. You can add a set of wet/dry sensor swabs and a sensor loupe if you’re confident of removing dust manually, although with the EOS Integrated Cleaning System doing a genuinely fine job of removing dust particles automatically, this should be a relatively rare requirement.

It’s also a good idea to keep a pack of lint-free Pec-Pads or lens tissues in your camera bag to help remove marks from lens mounts, buttons and LCD screens.

Warning: dust-spotting your Canon camera’s sensor requires a gentle touch and the right equipment.

How to clean the sensor in your EOS camera

Step 1: Try auto cleaning
Make sure the camera battery is fully charged, then select the ‘Sensor cleaning’ option in the second Setup (yellow) menu. Choose the automatic option to start with.

Step 2: Switch to manual
If dust persists, return to the sensor cleaning menu and select the manual option. This locks the mirror up and opens the shutter. Remove the lens to get access to the sensor.

Step 3: Use a blower
First, use a manual air blower to dislodge any particles – face the camera down so that these fall out of the body. Avoid using a compressed air can. Now take a test shot.

Step 4: Start dry cleaning
If dust remains, charge a sensor brush for ten seconds and carefully drag this over the sensor. If dirt is stuck to the sensor, do a wet clean with a swab and sensor cleaning fluid.

After you’ve finished your Canon sensor cleaning…

When the sensor has been cleaned – either automatically by the camera or manually, by you – take a test shot to check that all is clear. Switch the camera to Av mode, and set the smallest aperture available on the lens.

Photograph a bright, clean area – a piece of white paper is ideal – with the lens manually focused at a close distance. Upload this shot to your imaging software and apply Auto Levels or the equivalent to show up any specks.

The bottom of the image actually represents the top of the sensor, so flip the image vertically prior to cleaning your sensor to find out where on the sensor the dust lies. A sensor loupe – a device incorporating a magnifying lens and lights that fits over the lens mount – is also a great aid here.
 

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Canon DSLRs
Camera Tips

Most cameras and lenses will give you years of problem-free use, so long as you look after them. Read our top tips to ensure your kit stays clean and safe.

Carrying

Modern SLRs are reasonably robust, but ‘consumer’ models don’t have the battleship build quality of professional cameras. If you were to drop a camera with a plastic body onto a hard surface, it would probably break. Fit the neck strap that came with your camera, and – most crucially – use it.

Temperature

Excessive heat can cause lasting damage to your camera, so it’s a good idea not to leave it in direct sunlight. At the other end of the scale, condensation can quickly form when bringing a camera from the outdoors into a warm room. One way round this problem is to seal the camera in a plastic bag before bringing it inside (so that condensation forms on the bag instead) and let it warm up naturally.

Camera cleaning

Take care when cleaning LCDs and viewfinders. Use a blower brush first to gently remove dust, lint and other small particles, then rub everything down with a microfibre cleaning cloth. Make a point of cleaning your camera with a slightly damp cloth after every trip to the coast, because salty sea spray can be corrosive.

Lens cleaning

Be especially careful when cleaning the front and rear glass elements of lenses. Use a blower brush first to dislodge and remove any particles that could scratch the elements when subsequently using a cloth. Consider a specialist implement, such as the lens-cleaning pens sold by Hama (among others).

Sensor cleaning

To check if your sensor has any dust spots, zoom the lens to its telephoto end, focus on infinity and take a few frames of a clear blue sky or a sheet of white paper at a small aperture, then zoom in on the images to check for dark blobs. To remove them, you’ll need to take off the lens and expose the camera’s sensor (charge the camera battery fully first, then head to the set-up menu and find the sensor cleaning function). Initially, try blowing the dust off the sensor with a blower. Don’t touch the sensor with the tip of the blower, and keep the lens opening facing downwards to prevent dust from landing on it. When you’re done, switch the camera off and refit the lens.

Cleaning kits are effective, but you should use them with care

Changing lenses

Many photographers are paranoid about changing lenses, but that’s one of the main attractions of SLR photography! There are some precautions you should take though. Switch the camera off to remove any static charge from the sensor, which can attract dust. Shield the camera from the wind and weather, and make sure you have the replacement lens ready. Finally, keep the camera’s lens opening pointing downwards.

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