Digital SLR Sensor Dust
Real Issue or Camera-Maker Hype?
If you've read anything about digital SLR cameras, I'm sure you've heard someone harping about digital SLR sensor dust.
- The destroyer of all photos!
- The end of your camera!
- Avoid at all costs!
While I agree that digital SLR sensor dust is an issue, I'm not sure that I would go to the extremes that some others do.
Let's take a closer look at what's going on here.
The Problem Identified
Before I talk about solutions to the digital SLR sensor dust problem, let's identify just what the problem really is.
Here it is in a nutshell: you can take the lens off of your digital SLR camera.
Since you can remove the lens, you are exposing the digital sensor to the elements.
This is why dust is never a problem for compact digital cameras: since the lens is fixed in place, the sensor is never exposed to open air. No exposure, no dust.
When a dust particle finds its way onto your digital SLR sensor, it shows up in every photo that you take as a small round smudge.
Before you start thinking that one particle of dust can ruin every photo you take with a digital SLR, let's put things into perspective.
Take a look at the image to the right. Can you see the dust speck?
No?
Now click on the image to see an enlarged view that really shows off that nasty little dust mote. There you have it: that's the result of getting dust on your digital SLR sensor.
If you don't find that very offensive, then don't worry about getting small particles of dust on the sensor. This is the only effect they will have on your photos.
However, if you tend to take photos in dusty conditions (i.e. the desert) and also enjoy changing lenses a lot, then you are creating a situation where you can get a ton of dust on your sensor which will impact the quality of your photos.
Simple Solutions To Sensor Dust
There are two easy ways to control the amount of dust that you get on your digital SLR sensor.
- Never change the lens
- Swap lenses as quickly as you can
The first solution is possible if you purchase a mega-zoom lens that goes all the way from wide angle to telephoto.
It's also possible if you know that you want to take portraits with your camera, and won't ever be compelled to photograph wildlife (in which case one lens will do).
The primary drawback to this solution is that you are eliminating one of the major advantages of owning a digital SLR: the ability to change lenses.
Since this solution is not ideal, I recommend the second to avoid digital SLR sensor dust.
While this approach may border on the obsessive compulsive, it has kept my sensors clean for the past 5 years and I change lenses a LOT.
Here's how it goes:
- Hang the camera from its strap around your neck
- Prepare the lens you want to put on the camera by removing the protective cap
- Loosen (but don't remove) the lens attached to the camera
- Grasp the lens you are removing in one hand and hold the new lens in the other
- Quickly remove the old lens and attach the new one in one swift motion
This approach to changing lenses ensures that the digital sensor is exposed for a limited period of time, greatly reducing the opportunity for it to collect dust.
Dust-Reduction Sensors
If neither one of those solutions sounds all that great to you, there is a third option.
Some digital SLR cameras include a dust-reducing sensor.
These sensors vibrate every time you turn the camera on or off, and shake off any particles of dust stuck to them.
There are only a handful of cameras that offer this feature: it's standard in every Olympus digital SLR, and also in the Sony ALPHA lineup.
Does it work? Hard to say.
Unless you are willing to deliberately expose your expensive digital SLR to dusty environments, this is not a feature that is easy to test.
Presumably a sensor that tries to shake off dust is better than one that doesn't. If you get dust stuck to a non-vibrating sensor, then you have no other option but to clean it.
But if you're careful when you exchange lenses (or rarely exchange lenses at all) then you will minimize the dust problem to begin with and whether or not the sensor self-cleans will make little difference.
Help! I've Got Dust On My Sensor
If you are noticing little black smudges in all of your digital SLR photos, then you've got a dust problem.
You've now got two options:
- Attempt to clean the sensor yourself
- Take the camera in to a service shop to get it cleaned
While option one will certainly save you money, I will freely admit that it scares the daylights out of me.
The sensor in your digital SLR is delicate, and without proper care and handling you run the risk of really damaging it.
Once the sensor is damaged, then you have no choice but to have it profesionally replaced (an expensive undertaking).
However, if you're feeling bold enough and really don't want to pay someone else to clean your sensor, then you're going to need some guidance.
Since I have never cleaned a sensor myself, I will turn you over to the experts at CleaningDigitalCameras.com.
Good luck!
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