No matter how careful you are, every time you take your camera on a shoot and swap lenses, you are creating an opportunity for dirt, dust and hairs to get trapped in the camera or on the sensor. For optimum image quality, you should always have your sensor cleaned every time it gets dirty.
Here are a few tricks to help you identify whether your sensor is dirty:
- Step your lens down to T16 or lower
- Using a flashlight and an ExpoDisc (or another type of diffusion), place the ExpoDisc in front of the lens and shine the flashlight directly into the lens
- If you see black dots or blurry circles, you have dust and debris on the sensor
If you discover that your sensor is in fact dirty, we recommend bringing your camera to our service department for our professional cleaning services. While you can clean it yourself, without the proper tools, you run the risk of irreversibly damaging the sensor's coating. An improperly done cleaning can result in permanent scratches from the dust and debris.
We have found that many clients like to bring their cameras in for sensor cleaning, camera maintenance, and back focus checks between jobs to ensure their camera is producing the best images and is in perfect working condition. AbelCine camera and lens services start at $130 - please contact AbelCine Service with any equipment maintenance questions.
