I just ordered and received from www.americanrecorder.com a CO2 Duster. CO2 has the advantage that there are no solvent goo that will get on the sensor. I have also made my own dust swabs with stiff plastic cut to size (from all those hard to open plastic packs) combined with a PecPad and some methanol from the hardware store, or you can buy the ultra clean eclipse stuff. you can see a picture of the CO2 duster at: http://www.bythom.com/cleaning.htm
For those who don't know about sensor dust, it sits on top of the anti-alias filter in front of the sensor. Since it is not directly on the sensor, it only casts a shadow on the sensor. Therefore, to see it you need to set your aperture very small (pin hole small) so the dust shadow shows up on the sensor. Take a picture of a blue screen monitor or blue sky (F22) and then take a look at the photo, this will show you all the dirt. This means that sensor dust will be most problematic at f16-f32. (use MF, focus does not matter, only F22) There are some other online resources (google CCD clean) that mention the use of a PecPad wrapped around something. My experience cleaning the 5D is that the mirror box is tight and it is hard to get the edges with the PecPad wrapping method. I may experiment with cutting the pad smaller. It is very important to only put 1 or 2 drops of methanol on the pad, wipe immediately (evaporates quickly) and wipe in one motion, one time only. I cut the plastic to be the right size for 24mm (about 22mm). I've ordered some sensor swabs from http://www.photosol.com/swabproduct.htm but have not received them yet. I usually wipe one time, then re-test for dust with my blue monitor. Sometimes you make things worse, so it takes a few tries, and can be frustrating. Or wipe once with PecPad wrapped around thin plastic cut to size + 2 drops methanol. Then blow the loose dust with CO2. The need to clean the sensor depends on the photography. If you do a lot of macro, with high F stops, the dust will show up more. If you shot wide open a lot, you will never notice. If you look at this macro photo I shot with 180mm macro at F16, you can see a lot of dust specks. http://www.photosig.com/go/photos/view?id=1722932 You can edit them in PS but it becomes extra work. I shot this before I realized how much dust there was on the sensor. It is a real pain for macro work. I think the cut plastic and PecPad plus Hardware store Methanol is adequate, but I would avoid normal compressed air and recommend the CO2 Duster. I have not tried the static brushes. They may be nice in a pinch in the field. WayneS * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
