Dust on the sensor! How to get rid of it...

I was going through some of my pictures when I discovered dark spots showing up at the exact same place on all of them. After getting over the initial panic, I learned that this is NORMAL. The spots are caused by dust that collects on the sensor. To see if you have any dust, take a picture of a blank wall or the sky at F/22 (or stopped down even more). If you see spots, you've got them! So, the thing to do is to clean the sensor. But, if you don't see them in your "everyday pictures," don't worry. I try not to clean my sensor unless I really have to.

Click on the photo to see a full-sized crop taken at F/22 of yucky dust.



So, how do I go about cleaning? Well, different people have different theories. I do this in steps. If the first steps work, I stop there.

1. I use a blower (mine is a Hakuba that has a long tip). I take off the lens, hold the camera lens side down, set the 10D to cleaning mode, and blow away. This usually loosens things up. But, it won't get rid of everything. So, I end up doing the next step anyways.


2. I use the Pec Pad, Eclipse fluid and mutilated Rubbermaid spatula technique. I go through several (4 or more) pec pads to finish the job.

Some people suggest using a credit card instead of a spatula. I do not recommend this because you can get sharp edges when you cut the credit card. It freaks me out to have anything sharp touch my sensor.

Here are some more links:

• http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/sensor-cleaning.shtml


• You can buy Eclipse Fluid and Pec Pads at 2filters.com or B&H.