sensor cleaning

I've been using my D200 for a few months now and so far seem to have managed to change lenses without harming the sensor.It can't last forever though...a friend of mine has a dirty sensor which seriously affects his images...too much to shop out really.Does anyone have advice on this?Sooner or later I might need to address this question.

Well I have been using digital SLR cameras for about four years now, with a wide range of lens, so these do get changed regularly. So far I have never got anything on the sensor filter that cannot be removed by my "Rocket Blower". OK maybe I've just be lucky, but I'm always careful when changing lens, by blowing on the rear element of the lens that I am about to fit after removing the cap and keeping the camera body pointing down when actually changing the lens.

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Nikon User
Beacon Images - last updated 29th June

I got some wierd grease on my sensor a while ago and panicked thinking I would have to send it off to Nikon and be without it for 6 weeks!

In the end, after some advice from people at the local camera club, I did it myself. I ordered a kit from ebay for about £12. It was just some swabs and some cleaning fluid and was really easy. Not half as scary as I thought it would be!

If you are near London, my brother uses these guys and they are great if you don't want to take the risk yourself Fixation - D I G I T A L - S A L E S

There is a video here
Nikon D200 Sensor Cleaning / Nikon D200 Sensor Cleaning

As you know there are few cleaning systems around at the moment.
My personal choice is the visibledust system, using sensor brush and spinning device.
plus using the sensor swabs with the visibledust cleaning fluid.
The system is very expensive at £199 for the whole kit.

I photograph a lot of motor sports and extreme sports so the enviroment can by very dusty and with lense changes you cannot help but attract dust to to the sensor.

I found that just using the sensor swab and eclipse cleaning fluid just moved the dust to the edge of the sensor when you swipe it across.

But as i said my sensor needs cleaning often , and not everyone is in the enviroment that i work in. so for general use i would go for the sensor swab and eclipse cleaning fluid.

And as BETH pointed out you can always use fixation, they repaired a canon 1d for me a few months ago cant fault them there service is first class.

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Cameras: Canon 1dmkII x2
Canon lens: 17-40 f/4 L, 24-70 f/2.8 L, 24-105 f/4 L, 70-200 f/2.8 L, 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L
Other Lens: Sigma EX 105 Macro
Accessories: Elinchrom skyport
Flash: 580ex, 430ex.
Studio Lighting: Elinchrom strobes, prolinca and Elinchrom softboxes.

I need to clean the sensors in both my D200s. These eBay swab kits, are there a few different kits or is there a particular kit that people go for?

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Paul

Hi Paul,

As long as they are sterile swabs, they are all about the same. There is a temptation to keep them and reuse as they are so expensive, but that is a bad idea, if dust were to get on the swab, then you drag it over the sensor ………. enough said

Alistair

I'll take a look at ebay later. Thanks guys.

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Paul

Thanks for posting the link

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Paul

I used these
Find Digital SLR Sensor Cleaning "STARTER KIT" NEW PRICE on eBay within, Digital Cameras, Photography (end time 17-Nov-07 12:30:44 GMT)
They're cheaper now!

Thanks to everyone for your helpful comments,much appreciated.The rocket blower does'nt sound too scary(cheers Barry),I think I'll start with that.