How Do I Clean the Image Sensor?
When making the switch from point and shoot cameras to DSLRs, one aspect of the DSLR that can be confusing is understanding how to clean the camera's image sensor. After all you cannot access the image sensor with a sealed fixed lens camera, as you can with an interchangeable lens camera, so many photographers have never had to deal with image sensor cleaning.
You can think of the image sensor in a digital camera as the equivalent of the film from the days of film photography.
The image sensor is the silicon chip that records the photograph you've shot, just as the film recorded the photograph a couple of decades ago.
When using a fixed lens camera -- one where you cannot swap out the lens -- the image sensor is sealed inside the camera body, and you cannot clean it. However with an interchangeable lens camera, such as a DSLR or an ILC, the image sensor chip is exposed to the elements each time you change a lens, as the image sensor sits directly behind the lens. Because of static charge on the image sensor chip, it often will attract dust and other particles out of the air over time.
A clean image sensor is important for your DSLR camera because any dust that builds up on the sensor can negatively affect the quality of your images. Such dust will show up on your photographs as tiny out-of-focus white spots, although you might not see these tiny spots unless you magnify the image on your display screen. Larger dust particles will appear as larger spots.
You can manually clean the image sensor using chemicals and tools.
Or you can tell the camera to automatically clean the image sensor, using the five steps outlined below.
Finally, if you're uncomfortable with the idea of trying to clean the image sensor yourself, you can take the camera to a repair shop for a more thorough cleaning. Most repair centers will be able to complete this task for you for a reasonable cost.
Explaining the Image Sensor
You can think of the image sensor in a digital camera as the equivalent of the film from the days of film photography.
The image sensor is the silicon chip that records the photograph you've shot, just as the film recorded the photograph a couple of decades ago.
When using a fixed lens camera -- one where you cannot swap out the lens -- the image sensor is sealed inside the camera body, and you cannot clean it. However with an interchangeable lens camera, such as a DSLR or an ILC, the image sensor chip is exposed to the elements each time you change a lens, as the image sensor sits directly behind the lens. Because of static charge on the image sensor chip, it often will attract dust and other particles out of the air over time.
A clean image sensor is important for your DSLR camera because any dust that builds up on the sensor can negatively affect the quality of your images. Such dust will show up on your photographs as tiny out-of-focus white spots, although you might not see these tiny spots unless you magnify the image on your display screen. Larger dust particles will appear as larger spots.
How to Clean the Image Sensor Automatically
You can manually clean the image sensor using chemicals and tools.
Or you can tell the camera to automatically clean the image sensor, using the five steps outlined below.
- Activate a menu command. Look for a "clean image sensor" command from the camera's menus with certain brands and models of cameras. Look in the Setup menu for the "clean image sensor" command.
- Look for the message. Once you select the command and tell the camera to begin, it should display a message on the camera's LCD screen notifying you as the cleaning process occurs and when it is completed.
- Camera will be disabled. You cannot use the camera's buttons while the automatic image sensor cleaning is occurring. Attempting to use the camera during this process may cause the cleaning process to be halted.
- Other automatic cleaning options. You also may have a few other automatic image sensor cleaning options, depending on your camera model, including the ability to clean the image sensor each time the camera starts up or shuts down. You can look through the menus to see whether these options are available, but, unless you use your camera for several hours at a time, this option might result in more frequent cleaning than you need.
- Manual cleaning may be needed too. Keep in mind that your DSLR camera's automatic image sensor cleaning function might not completely clean the sensor. If a little dust is left behind, you may want to clean the image sensor manually.
Finally, if you're uncomfortable with the idea of trying to clean the image sensor yourself, you can take the camera to a repair shop for a more thorough cleaning. Most repair centers will be able to complete this task for you for a reasonable cost.
