Dust Control Digital SLR Cameras |
Page updated: March 2008 |
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A dust control digital SLR camera ensures that every photo you take is perfectly clear. Why are more and more cameras including this special feature? It's because of one of the key differences between digital SLR and compact digital cameras: you can remove the lens. Every time you take the lens off your digital SLR, you're exposing the interior of the camera (and the digital sensor) to dust contamination. Dust in your home won't cause a lot of problems, but dust on your sensor appears as little black spots on every photo you take. |
The Issue of Digital SLR Sensor Dust
The Problem
Here's the 10-second summary:
- Dust can land on your digital SLR's sensor every time you change the lens
- The sensor is a charged plate that captures a digital image
- Dust appears in all of your digital photos as small black dots
A year ago, NO digital SLR cameras did anything about this: if you got dust on your camera's sensor, you had to clean it yourself (a delicate and dangerous operation) or you had to have it professionally cleaned (an expensive operation).
If you'd like to read more, I have another page that goes into more detail about digital SLR sensor dust.
The Solution
Olympus was the first to introduce what they call a SuperSonic Wave Filter - in laymen's terms, a sensor that "shakes off" dust particles.
Every time you turn an Olympus digital SLR on, the sensor vibrates to "throw off" any dust attached to it.
This dust control technology was soon adopted by both Canon and Sony, and has developed into a multi-faceted feature.
Today, dust control digital SLR cameras don't just shake off the dust, they actually repel it (with static charges) and include software that can identify the spots of dust in your images and automatically remove them.
Alternative Names
In an effort to make their version of dust control sound unique, each camera maker has a special name for it.
In the end, however, all of these names just mean that the camera can either repel or remove dust attached to the sensor.
| Manufacturer | Dust Control Technology |
| Olympus | SuperSonic Wave Filter |
| Canon | EOS Integrated Cleaning System |
| Sony | Anti-Dust Technology |
| Pentax | Dust Removal (DR) System |
New Dust Control Digital SLR Cameras
Listed below are the latest digital SLR cameras that include dust control systems.
| CAMERA | RELEASED | MP | OTHER FEATURES | AVG. COST |
| Canon Rebel xTi | Oct. 2006 | 10.1 | Picture Styles | $ 590 |
| Canon Rebel XSi | April 2008 | 12.2 | Stabilized lens | $ 900 |
| Canon 40D | Sept. 2007 | 10.1 | Fast consumer SLR | $ 1,150 |
| Nikon D60 | March 2008 | 10.2 | Smallest and lightest Nikon | $ 750 |
| Nikon D300 | Nov. 2007 | 12.3 | Fast consumer SLR | $ 1,800 |
| Olympus E-410 | June 2007 | 10 | Live view, small and light | $ 469 |
| Olympus E-420 | May 2008 | 10 | Smallest and lightest SLR | $ 600 |
| Olympus E-510 | July 2007 | 10 | Live view, image stabilization | $ 555 |
| Olympus E-3 | Nov. 2007 | 10 | Flip-out LCD | $ 1,699 |
| Pentax K20D | March 2008 | 14.6 | Weather sealing | $ 645 |
| Sony DSLR-A100 | July 2006 | 10.2 | Built-in stabilization | $ 592 |
| Sony DSLR-A200 | Feb. 2008 | 10.2 | Built-in stabilization | $ 700 |
| Sony DSLR-A300 | May 2008 | 10.2 | Flip-out LCD | $ 900 |
| Sony DSLR-A350 | April 2008 | 10.2 | Flip-out LCD | $ 1,000 |
| Sony DSLR-A700 | Dec. 2007 | 12.2 | Built-in stabilization, fast | $ 1,500 |
Discontinued Dust Control Digital SLRs
The cameras listed below were released so long ago that they are hard to purchase new from a retail outlet. You can still find them online, but the majority available for sale will be used.
| CAMERA | RELEASED | MEGAPIXELS | NOTES |
| Olympus E-330 | Jan. 2006 | 7.5 | Live view, flip-out LCD |
| Olympus E-500 | Oct. 2005 | 10 | Least expensive 8 megapixel SLR |
| Pentax K10D | Dec. 2006 | 10.2 | Weather sealing |
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