The best and worst ways to clean your camera's sensor 

You should always remove the battery before cleaning with the flame thrower.

Thank god, he didn't damage that ribbon cable, got scared there for a moment.

I tried the flame thrower method and it really got rid of all the dust. However, initially I had problems fixing my lenses on the body after the cleaning. I got really concerned! But I just used the flame thrower again, and put a lens back on right after. You must be a bit careful because of the heat, but the lens slipped right on then. Thanks!

I am a camera and lens tech. As a professional, I can assure you the flamethrower is the best way to clean the sensor. Clients are always suprised at how well it works. For some reason though, they are occasionally angry about it...I can't seem to figure out why that is though

Will my camera’s sensor get dirty if I take dirty pictures with it?

I work in a camera store and one day a customer came in with a camera and told us it was a bit dirty and needed a clean. When we took a look inside there was ants in the evf and sensor. We told the customer we couldn’t help him. That blowtorch would have been helpful though.

I just ordered the Pentax sticky sensor cleaner from The Camera Store, it looks like a good first step solution for me. Figured I had better get on right away because who knows how many might be left in stock after this video airs. Thanks for all the tips and helpful insight with this this mysterious task.

true ode to Kai when he was on digitalrev! well done

Still one of the best camera related videos of all time.

I really enjoy your sense of humor - now back to the show. I wasn't aware of that Pentax tac wand .. will order one. I've only had to use the swabs a couple times - but with my move to mirrorless, I'd think frequency may increase. Great video - something every channel should have. TY

Another great video! When I had Nikon D80 back in the day, I hated cleaning its sensor. Whenever I tried to do this, I would just end up with more dust that was visible even at f/5.6. I blame it on the felt that covered the inside of the camera around the sensor and collected dust like crazy. Nowadays with mirrorless cameras it's a lot easier to clean the sensor, as there are cleaning systems built in. And that rocket blower really does work like magic when you need it.

I hope DPReview is paying you guys well, you are both the entire reason I watch their videos and use their website.

10:03 This is my favorite Red Green episode.

I almost spit out my coffee when he said you want to be careful about that ribbon cable.

I find that soaking the sensor with battery acid for a few hours works well. Remove tough dirt on sensor with steel wool first. :)

Perfect, just brillant! Couldn’t have come at a better time as I was about to scan your library for exactly this topic. Spent a week at Disney and forgot to bring any cleaning stuff, got really mad at myself. Having the blower and a designated wet cleaning kit, your advice with the Pentax stick is greatly appreciated, makes all the sense in the world to me. As always, thanks so much, what you guys do is invaluable! I only wish you wouldn’t always be so dead serious, you know. A little bit of humor here or there might help.

Sometimes it’s very easy to mistake lens dust for sensor dust, especially on the back of wide angle lenses. Before you do any cleaning, it’s a good idea to switch lenses and see if you see the same dust spot.

I've actually used an Arctic Butterfly sensor brush for many years and it has dealt effectively with any dust problems I've come across. I did buy a swab system at some point but I've never had to use it so it's just collecting dust in my cupboard.

The first time I hit the sensor cleaning mode on my a6500, I was quite surprised to find my camera doing its best impression of a DualShock controller. Also, the Giotto's blowers are worth the extra expense, they're much higher quality than cheapo generic ones. I have a small one that hangs out in my bag, as well as a larger one that stays home. The Photographic Solutions kit is also great. No horror stories here, thankfully. I've even cleaned the delicate pellicle mirrors in Sony's SLT cameras, no sweat. OH! And one other thing you should get. I don't recall who makes it, but I have a goat hair brush that's designed specifically for sensor cleaning. You use a blower to both clean and build up a static charge on the bristles, then lightly drag it across the sensor. It works great for the few bits of dust that a blower can't get.

So happy u washed the nikon down the toilet. I dune just the same when My new d850 came back from its 5th in-warrnty, official nikon lab repair.

I didn't even flinch with the flamethrower, but when you threw dust at the sensor I physically winced in pain.

You didn't mention my favorite way of cleaning my sensor. Giving it a good wipe with my trusty t-shirt (while I'm wearing it, of course).

My favorite resource for cameras. Awesome, actually solved a problem I've had in my Canon 6D IR camera. The manual sensor cleaning was a huge help and now it is clean. Love the sense of humor too.

That flamethrower part was clearly stolen from Kai and Lok - they are definitely proud of this episode! Thumps up! Funny and informative!

I saw on another video that it was recommended to turn the camera off, wait 5 to 10 seconds before changing lenses because when the camera is on the sensor has an electric charge that attracts dust. Allow the charge to dissipate first.

That flamethrower technique looks tricky; I'd definitely recommend practicing on a friend's camera first.

I remember being at a press event a few years ago with people from maybe a dozen other outlets. We'd been going since early in the morning, and finally found ourselves on a lunch break. We finished eating and were sitting around waiting to get collected to go to our next stop, and were just killing time as best we could. One of my fellow invitees decided it would be a good time to do a little upkeep on his camera. He popped off the lens, grabbed a napkin from the stack in the middle of one table, and proceeded to dry-wipe the sensor with it. I, and the couple others sitting close enough to see what he was doing I think all about had heart failure at the sight. He said something like "you guys worry too much" and just kept at it until he was satisfied. Evidently the camera survived the experience just fine, but that was far more stressful to witness than anything in this video!

It's probably also worth raising the point that it makes sense to be selective, if you can, about where you change lenses, to reduce the risk of getting dust inside your camera. If you can, try to avoid changing lenses in dusty environments. Another point to note is that it is worth checking that the dust you are seeing on your images is really from the sensor, and is not dust on the lens. If that is the case, you may discover that no amount of sensor cleaning will help.

The toilet cleaning method is still the best method for deep cleaning your sensor. I’ve cleaned several camera’s using that method. There’s also an extra benefit because it improves autofocus because the electronics in your camera perform much better when they are soaking wet. Glad to see that there’s finally a proper RU-vid video of the process. I can HIGHLY recommend this method to other users.

In Thailand Sony Thai is cleaning your censor for free if you buy your camera in Thailand ( not grey market ) at every Sony store in bangkok. Feeling lucky to have such a good service. Some camera store also do it for 5-10 usd.

Instant classic 🤣 I haven't laughed that hard in awhile, thanks guys! I needed that.

It’s important, when drilling into the camera body to remove the lens, to drill a second hole to let the light back out (just as Bullwinkle’s approach to leaky boats).

So helpful...I'd been using the wrong sized pry bar.

I've found that for the really stubborn stuff a steel wool pad works wonders. Not the kind with the soap already impregnated into it, that will leave residue. Then, I use a little trick and soak it in carburetor cleaner for a couple of hours then scrub again with a scotchbrite pad. If all that doesn't work I'll spray it with flouroantimonic acid. That will eat ANYTHING on the sensor and the sensor itself if you're not quick. Not to mention the whole camera. And anything else it gets on. Two words of caution though if going this route. One, don't forget your hazmat suit and gas mask. It's somewhat toxic. Two, DO NOT use in conjunction with water. It has this small habit of exploding on contact with H2O. That could cause a mess. Other than that, have fun.

*The video that got me millions of views was with a camera cleaned by a panda head costume's fluffy ear on the sensor lol didn't have my pentax swab at the time in Osaka but it gave me the thought of whether it leaves residue as I start looking at buying a new one instead of using a brush or sunglasses cloth or even worse my hoodie*

First: make sure the REAR element of your lens isn't smudged or spotted by wiping it down with a microfiber cloth. To test: set to max aperture and infinity focus, then take a pic of a clear blue sky or a white screen on a monitor. Then go into Lightroom, Develop, hit Q, then click 'Visualize Spots' and crank the slider to visualize where you need to clean. Repeat after cleaning until you like what you (don't) see.

Nice, I like the how-to type videos! Good job

The bits in this video were great, but I also learned some helpful information. The Pentax sensor cleaner is new to me, and that seems like a nice intermediate tool for cleaning sensors. When I clean my A7Riii (no sensor lock mode) I just leave the camera off. Should I really turn the camera on and turn IBIS off? I thought keeping the camera on would invite additional dust to stick to the sensor immediately upon cleaning.

Best video ever! Now where's my flame thrower?

For those photographers who lack in-body stabilization ie those with shaky hands - you can protect the lens mount when using the flamethrower technique by attaching your macro extension tubes.

I followed your advice and for me the drill and pry bar was very helpful, since, i never needed to clean my sensor again. LOL.

“There we go, getting to the meat and potatoes there” while drilling into the point and shoot made me laugh harder than it should have

thumbs up for being able to keep a serious face all through out the video!

Well, i got the Canon EF/RF adapter with filter insert and got additionally a transparent glass instead of the polarizing filter. Since i use mostly anyways EF lenses my sensor is all time protected from dust (and its awesome since i switch lenses and telescopes nearly daily) Still, it seems my dust blower isnt enough and i should get only for the case such a nice wet cleaning tool too.

I’m fairly sure modern Sony cameras feature sensor dust attraction routines instead of cleaning routines. I suppose I can’t blame them… seems easy to mix those up.

Just done today my K3 III and K5 with the Pentax tool, it's so easy. And it is so small, it fits anywhere to take it during a trip. The per-imbibed swabs I used were always too wet, and it was a pain to have sensor dry without some trace on it. So much that I always avoided cleaning the sensor, if the dust wasn't that visible. With the Pentax tool, I don't mind cleaning it more often (really necessary when doing macro and stopped down).

There's a lot of meme material in this video to be used on facebook camera groups. Entertaining as always, let's hope everybody recognizes the humour and don't use a flamethrower on their camera.

What about the toothbrush and vacuum cleaner trick? Works wonders ;)

Important photoshoot for me tomorrow and I had all the equipment but terrified to ruin my sensor! Thank you for this. I only used my rocket blower in the end and that’s all I needed but thanks to your video I realised how simple it is! (Love the ‘delicate’ way you took the lens out -Impressive! 👌👌👌😂

I'm just thinking about cleaning my sensor, and this video helps a lot, thanks very much.

The most impressive thing is how you were able to keep a straight face all the time. Well done! xD

So my canon dslr had fallen into a river and didn't work for about a year. It's been workin', but it won't take photos (connection lens error) and when I take it outside the exposure is white out. Everything looks like snow. The video recordin' works, but still take it outside and everything is snow, indoors everything is not snowed. Tried the lens in another/new camera works fine. What can you tell me about this older cam? Also internal battery doen not hold a charge, thought id let you know. Thank you for your time.

Haven't seen this much destruction of camera gear since the old school days of Digital Rev with Kai and Lok!

My favorite technique is a combination technique. This is something I use for the more subborn dust and oil. I like to use some gentle rubbing with a cleaning compound but that can be expensive so what I do is the following: 1: Take the lens off, this is a no-brainer of course 2: Drive to a sandy road, anythin unpaved will do. The particulate material will serve and the cleaning compound. 3: Place the camera in front of one of the powered wheels. 4: Do a burn-out. This will burn out the dust and oil from the surface of the sensor really quickly and with some luck leave behind a protective film from the tire. The sand from the road will do a deep cleaning.

The flame thrower method seems great if you're using disposable digital cameras or cameras designed for use in a volcano (or hell). Haha! For me it's always initially the blower and if that's not effective it's the swab. These days I tend to shoot with two camera bodies if I feel I'm going to need to change lenses during a shoot. Changing lenses outdoors is always risky. I learnt the hard way many years ago to avoid changing a lens in a field with potentially lots of pollen floating around. It sticks to the sensor.

I can’t always tell when you’re being facetious. I almost put my camera in the toilet when, in the nick of time, I realized it was a joke.

I just got my Nikon Z9 a week ago and it already has a couple specs of dust on the sensor. I’m gonna try your flamethrower method, thanks for all the great tips!

I could not stop laughing at the drilling hole and then using a pry bar. Hilarious stuff to do that with a straight face.

BTW some brands have anti-dust shakers over their sensors that work :)

Plan to try out your cleaning techniques once I mange to stop laughing.

Great video in how to utilize your skills to put an end to all your past cameras..lol..

A lot of times I get cameras with dust in between the glass on the sensor. That is pure joy to clean... :)

Heading out to the garage, going to give my sand blaster a try at cleaning the sensor.

I know these cameras were already dead, but this still hurts to watch.

Humour? I use VSGO cleaning swabs & Visible Dust cleaning solution. Also an Arctic Butterfly dust remover & an LED loupe light. I used to go to the Nikon Service Centre in Sydney. My camera store in the city (Georges Cameras - the best) showed me how to do it and gave me complete confidence to do it myself. P.S. You are cleaning the protective film of glass in front of the sensor, not the actual sensor. Cheers.

Love it! Thanks for the sound and concise tips. Flamethrower ordered!

Terrific video. Very well done, thank you.

Awesome! Need that flamethrower!

For my part I use the dishwasher machine. My sensor comes out clean as a whistle. But I must admit that I need to replace the camera each time the sensor gets dirty. 🤣

I need to rewatch Nigel's video after watching this intro 😂

This video should be the first in a series. Other videos in the series could include attempting to go through airport security with a propane tank - and another set in court with a DP review TV viewer suing after following the advice in the video.

You are the Tim Allen of camera cleaners!

In December I bought a canon r6 mark 2, in less than a month & never removing my lens, I took photo of a bird in blue sky. After getting home noticed a couple spots in sky. Took back to local professional photography store I purchased from and they offered to clean the sensor for $75.00! I just bought it from them. I declined and bought a sensor cleaner kit but was too scared to touch it. A friend, professional photographer, said he would look & clean as needed. Got back a few days later & hoping smudges are gone. I’ll see when sky gets a bit more sunny. Very disappointed with Canon and my “Friends “ at photography store I purchased camera.

Is it just me or are lame dad jokes funny? Like... I know it's not funny but then the fake laughter begins and suddenly it is funny.

I tried drilling the hole, but unfortunately the camera isn't waterproof now. BUT it dried really well using the flame thrower method!

I wanted to replace my dad's camera for his birthday, he's been shooting with a Nikon D60 since that camera came out. I figured that a Nikon D7000 would be a wonderful upgrade both in resolution and usability as it would be able to fully use the lenses that my dad kept from the film era Got one in working condition for very little money, however the camera was FILTHY. I think I spent like 2 hours making this camera look half decent, removing all sort of human waste around the grips, buttons, dust between the buttons, broken part around the battery compartment, I made it look pretty good in the end. However, the sensor was the dirtiest sensor I've seen in a very long time, by that I mean that there was a lot of spots on the sensor, and that wasn't dust, I couldn't get it off with a dust blower, it looked like someone sneezed on it. I got it like the day before the actual birthday party so I did not have any time left to go buy some sensor cleaning stuff or order anything online. What I ended up doing (cause I wasn't about to give my dad a camera that couldn't do a photo at f4 beacause of the dust spots) is that I used some little wipes that you generally use for cleaning glasses, stuffed it on top of a cotton swab, and wiped the sensor this way. It was really effective, as most sensors are covered with a very hard layer of glass to protect it, and you don't have any change to damage it. Could have been a better job, but I didn't see any dust sports aven at f/32, so that's a checkmark for me ! Also, my mom shoots on a Panasonic LX 100, and that camera is known to be a freakin dust eater. I've seen pictures she took that had very clear hairs in the middle of the frame. The technique I use to clean the sensor there is just turn on the camera, cut a water bottle that more or less fits the diameter of the lens, then stick a vacuum cleaner to the other en of it, and leave it sucking air for like 2 to 3 mins, it gets all the biggest dust and air out of the lens system, and ultimately out of the sensor. The other method is to disassemble the whole thing, the process is very time consuming, with plenty of places to screw up, and it permanetly damage the back rubber grip. Get the bottle instead.

Will be interesting to compare with nitecore blowerbaby for example.

loved it, funny and very instructive!! more of these, please! :)

We woke up and choose violence today. Two thumbs up with a seal of approval. DIYes!

I have only one camera body left and already I'm out of propane. Might I suggest that it is much simpler instead to ask a neighbour to tie you into a new, large, clean plastic bin liner whenever you change lenses? For additional cleanliness it would be an idea if they were to suck the air out at the top before tying the knot. The only drawback as far as I can see is that they will need to go on holiday with you.

Visible Dust wet clean solution is very good. Have been using that for over 10 years without a single issue

I use shower for my G9 body cleaning. No problem sir !

My flame thrower got checked at the customs and they are bringing me in.. Still worth it.

I git a sensor brush over ten years ago. Still works, very quick and easy to use

About DPReview TV humor: Some times is nice and i smile. But some other times its so bad that i cannot stop laughing!! You guys are awesome! (no sarcasm) I just realized that its more than a decade, the first time i saw Chris talking in videos for The camera store.

Followed your guidance and used my Makita power drill on my Sony A1 and it’s no longer working. Any suggestions?

I've thrown mine into the washer machine on a Santaize/Bleach Mode, and then use the Gently Cycle in the dryer. In a pinch I've used the microwave to dry. For those not keen on using a flame thrower, I highly recommend a pressure washer. It's so satisfying to watch it blast away the dust! Use a Shop vac to suck up the excess water

been using giotto air blower for years. I would never mess with touching the sensor!

Gold.

I wish we had RU-vid back when I started out on a Canon AE-1. I had the worst luck with the sensor and I only ever used one lens that stayed capped and on the body. Back then, we didn't know until we paid for the film and the development.

Hey guys I've cottoned onto a product may by ULanzi. They do make an electric air blower now and it has three settings. The second setting is not too strong that you can simply turn it on and blow the dust off. You don't need to use the rocket, there's nothing wrong with the rockets by the way, but it just makes a little bit easier ..... I mean, the other one to do is just chuck it in the dishwasher....lol it does a perfect job and you don't have to do anything after

Honestly, a lot of dust on the sensor can be gotten rid of by a good solid dust blower it seems. Unless it’s the sticky type dust that just won’t budge, it’s a nice step to take with the blower before having to be physical with the sensor.

Took a swab to my camera however I didn't know the ibis had to be off before cleaning prior to this video; luckily I was gentle it enough to move the mechanism every so slightly like once or twice so no harm done. But now I know, thanks Chris 👍👍

Will a weed burner work? I don't have a flame thrower, the Army and Navy Surplus Store had sold out, just after your video was posted, apparently. Anyway, I do have a weedburner so I'll give it a go. I also have a swab kit on standby, just in case the weed burner isn't powerful enough. Thanks for the amazing tips.

if KaiW doesn't destroy cameras, Chris would happily take the Job.

How in the world do you not link the sticky thing he used? Because now I need it.

Lumix says their cameras are weather sealed… so I prefer to put mine in the dishwasher 😊 especially using cascade gets my sensor super clean and spotless.

I use silly-string spray. That's the best approach that combines the rocket-blower and chewing gum methods. Very effective.

I use an Invisible Dust magnifier to check for the dust first. Then the blower is about all I've ever needed. I don't know how any oil or similar would contact the sensor unless it was exposed and facing up to something that fell into it. There is also an invisible dust antistatic brush that spins around to clean before and after you use it. Works great without introducing smears or similar.

Top notch.