Where to get camera cleaned

Using a circular motion, work your way around the lens until all the marks have been removed. This may take several passes to achieve. Give the blower another quick go over, too if necessary. Just use the same circular motion and again, repeating the motion is preferred over applying more pressure. After Step 3, I am normally done cleaning the lens. This is when to use the pre-moistened lens tissues. Then I get a microfibre cloth generally, a different one that I use just for this purpose and give the lens a bit of a buff using the same circular motion.

If it breaks, it can leak into my gear and cause major damage. I also quite like their single-use quality. For me, using cleaning solutions is an absolute last resort and not something I do each and every time I clean my gear.

The front element is now clean. But for me, the process is still not yet finished. Before placing the lens cap back on, I have a quick look at it — there could be grit and dust on it that is about to put back on my newly cleaned lens. Giving it a quick once over with the blower and a paint brush will keep it and the lens cleaner. But dust can fall on it, especially when changing lenses and this dust, while it may not show up in pictures, can definitely make its way on to the sensor.

I give it a quick once over with the Rocket Blower making sure the bottom of the lens is facing down. Doing so will stop any dust from falling back on it. Some rear elements are further recessed into the lens than others. With lenses that have the rear element much closer, I also may give it a quick wipe with a micro fibre cloth or LensPen to clean it up. Notice with this lens, the rear element is very close to the surface.

Also, those gold bars are the lens contacts. For this, I just use a Tek Towel, although any clean towel will do. Find out how Canon inks and paper are designed to work in harmony with printers. Find out about all the WB settings on your camera and how to use them. Download drivers for your Canon product. Download a user manual for your Canon product. Download software for your Canon product. Browse our frequently asked questions.

Keep up to date on all latest product information. Find contact numbers or product support. Send your Canon product for repair. Expert services to keep your equipment working perfectly. Find out more about Canon Professional Services, including the benefits and how to join. CPS members can find the right contact for each country and get through to the experts who can help you.

Expert services to keep your equipment working perfectly, enhance its imaging performance or repair it. Download firmware for your Canon product. The sensor is the heart of your camera and one of the key factors in image quality. Sensors are very sensitive and cleaning them safely and effectively requires considerable experience and expertise.

But keeping your sensor in pristine condition can save you hours of touching up images, to remove the blotches that are caused by dust. This job is done to the highest professional standards, by fully trained Canon specialists, for an affordable single payment. Please note that, due to the nature of dust on sensors, there is no warranty on this service. You are advised to ensure that the body cap is fitted when the camera is sent for cleaning, and to check image quality as soon as it is returned.

All prices include VAT and return shipping. The more the dark specs of dust stand out in your reference photo the better. Be sure to zoom in and really look at the reference image. You can see the really big and irregular pieces of dust like the huge black one at the top.

Before we get down to the business of actually opening up the camera, there are a few important preliminary steps we need to go through in order to make the cleaning process safe, effective, and frustration free. Completely charge the camera battery. The majority of digital cameras will not allow you to perform the steps necessary for manual cleaning such as locking the reflex mirror in the up position unless the camera has well charged battery.

Clean off the exterior of your camera. It might seem painfully elementary, but take a moment to dust off the body of the camera. We find that a Q-tip or two dampened with the tip of the tongue or a drop of rubbing alcohol is a perfect tool for removing dust and lint from all the little curves and crannies around the body of the camera. Clean your work space. There are two principle steps to the no-contact phase of the sensor cleaning process: engaging the dust reduction system and using the blower.

If your camera has a dust reduction system, engage it now. Lock up the mirror. DSLR cameras, like the SLR cameras that proceeded them, use a mirror system to allow you to frame your photos through the actual lens. In order to clean the sensor, we need to get the mirror out of the way. Most cameras will give you additional instructions like to press the shutter button to lock the mirror up and to lower it down when you are done. Examine the sensor with the loupe. Once the mirror is locked up, remove the lens.

Now is a perfect time to examine it with your sensor loupe:. Keeping in mind that the lens produces an inverted image which the camera then flips for us, look at the bottom of the sensor in the photo above. That very visible white chunk of dust is the huge black spot that appeared in the upper-middle portion of our first reference photo.

Blow the dust off with the air blaster. After examining the sensor, carefully pick the camera up and invert it. Hold the camera firmly in one hand so that the opening of the camera body is pointed towards the floor. Pick up the air blaster in your other hand and vigorously blast air around the chamber of the camera and at the sensor. Really the only way to go wrong in this portion of the tutorial is to either drop your camera or slam the nozzle of the air blaster into the camera sensor.

Blast away and let the dust drift down and out of the camera body. That hulking monster of a dust bunny that was hanging out on the edge of the frame, for example, is long gone. Yes there are still some fuzzy spots and a few legitimately dark spots, but just blasting the sensor with air took care of the really big junk.

In the last section of the tutorial, we used filtered air to blast the loose bits of dust off the sensor glass. Before we proceed, there is really only one big caution for this portion of the tutorial. When using the sensor brush, your goal is to stay completely on the sensor and to not touching the surrounding area in the camera.

Work with a patient and steady hand to avoid making a mess. As long as you take care to aim the brush towards the sensor and avoid touching the walls of the chamber, you should have no problems at all. Just like in the previous section, we need to lock up the mirror and remove the lens to access the sensor.

Preparing the brush. The brush is self-charging; when the bristles rub together they generate the static charge necessary to lift the particles of dust off the sensor.

In order to charge it, use the air blaster to vigorously ruffle the bristles. Do not blow on it or touch the bristles! Cleaning the sensor with the brush. Charge the brush with the blaster and carefully lower it down onto the sensor moving from one side of the sensor to the other in a single motion. Remove the brush from the chamber. Blast the bristles again to blow away the debris it picked up and to recharge it. Repeat the process, examining the sensor with the sensor loupe to detect any changes in the visible dust particles.

Feel free to mix in a little air blast to the chamber along with using the air blaster to recharge the brush. Most times, the sensor brush will loosen dust particles that it may not catch with that pass or the subsequent one.