Emerald Bay Photo News and Updates

Yeah, I know - it's been a while.

But between work and travels up and down the West Coast, sometimes precious little time remains for creative writing (I should know - I'm soooo behind on writing an article for O'Reilly Media on digital image restoration ...).

Nonetheless, here's something that probably all folks who either already own a digital SLR or are thinking about owning one will be (and should be) interested in: The-Dust-On-Your-Sensor Issue.

For the uninitiated: the CMOS sensor is that delicate part behind your camera's mirror that digitally records the image in a dSLR. During lens changes or while working in dusty conditions, particles can slip behind the mirror and cling to the sensor. To gain access to the sensor, a function in your camera menu will lock up the mirror indefinitely.

Today, the Photography Blog posted a press release by a company named IMS (short for "Intelligent Mobile Solutions Limited"), trumpeting their new and fabulous "specially created cleaning stick for removing dust from digital SLR camera sensors". Supposedly, it works by "using a unique micro-pore swab to create a mini vacuum effect, gently lifting dust from both CCD and CMOS type sensors".

To that I say: Ha! They obviously don't know about those stubborn stuck-on oily particles!

You see - I've had my Canon 10D for roughly a year now. After the first few months of ecstatic shooting pleasure (with an utterly clean camera), I started noticing small and fuzzy dark spots appearing in my photographs. I blamed them on random dust on the lenses, and at first they were so insignificant, that I was able to simply and quickly rubberstamp them in Photoshop.

Over time however, the spots started to become a serious issue. Especially when I had a client project on a tight deadline, the luxury of removing spots from roughly 50-60 shots became a time-consuming chore I couldn't afford. I obsessively cleaned my lenses. To no avail.

Then I started hearing in forums and from fellow photographers about the one issue, camera manufacturers will rather swallow their tongues than talk about: pesky dust on the glassy sensor of your dSLR. Sure enough, it turned out, this was the very cause of the dark fuzz in my pictures. Guerilla cleaning techniques ranged from using cotton swabs with alcohol, to those little blow brushes, to the "Copperhill Technique" (see below).

I had a little blow brush, so I thought "what the hell", and very gently tried to blow-brush the dust off my sensor. The brush must have had a tiny bit of oily residue (no doubt from being handled by me) on its tip however, and it readily deposited it on my sensor. Great. Now I had a very visible oily smear on my sensor too.

Not knowing if I had scratched the sensor as well, I panicked. After all, a new sensor is rumored to run about 500 bucks.

For kicks, I emailed Canon Support for advice on how to go about resolving the problem. Sure, they got back to me within an hour - but their only lame suggestion was to have the very delicate sensor professionally examined and cleaned, i.e. send the camera in to their service center. Ha. Good one. Like I can do without my work tool for weeks on end. Besides - online horror stories abounded about sensors coming back from "cleaning" dirtier than they had been delivered. So - no.

Then, my buddy Luke suggested the Sensor Brush from Visible Dust, based on a favorable review by one of my favorite sites, Luminous Landscape. Desperate as I was, I rushed out and ordered the brush for 60 bucks (incl. shipping). Visible Dust turned out to be a very slow company for shipping, and so the brush took almost 3 weeks to arrive from Canada. (I've had gear ordered from Canada be at my doorstep within 3 days!)

Knowing the root of my problem now though, I went digging around online for a more immediate solution. And so I came across the Copperhill technique. The reviews were so glowing, I decided it would be worth the few bucks in supplies to try it out. It turned out to be the one and only (and sane) way for me to clean a sensor.

For 36 bucks (12 for the squeegee, 24 for the cleaning solution and 100 PecPads) I now had a kick-ass setup. Sure, rubbing the squeegee across the sensor was a bit unnerving at first. But I got the hang of it pretty quickly, and adhering religiously to the prescribed method yielded a scintilliating sensor - free of dust, oil, and whatever else decided to accumulate there.

The Sensor Brush turned out to be a dud though. Shipping was slow, there was no documentation included (not even an invoice!), and the brush did exactly zip. I tried it a few times, but not once did it make a noticable difference.

So for those out there with dSLRs: read the Copperhill tutorial. Sure, it's a bit long-winded, but it really works.

Either way - you're gonna have to bite the dust. Or the dust will bite you.