# Self-Cleaning Sensors



## jclswv519 (Dec 14, 2011)

I've been giving it a lot of thought as to which camera to purchase.  This, of coarse, will be my first DSLR purchase.  One thing I've found is that the Nikon D3000 my wife likes (because of new price) does NOT have a self-cleaning sensor.  The D5000, however, does have a self-cleaning sensor.  I was advised by someone that a camera body would have to be sent off to get the sensor cleaned and would be around $100.  I've also seen kits online for sensor cleaning, but are also around $60-$100.  Is it me or would it be best to get the D5000 with the self-cleaning sensor?


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## MLeeK (Dec 14, 2011)

This is just opinion, but I'd upgrade out of that d3000 for a lot of reasons-probably the least of which is the self cleaning sensor, but that is definitely a point. There is a big jump from it to the D5000. Which I'd probably not purchase either. If at all possible I'd go with the D5100. SO many HUGE steps from the D3000 to the D5100. DEFINITELY worth the added $.
Snapsort rarely gives an accurate picture of the differences, but in this case it gives a pretty fair one. THere are even more reasons than these but... Nikon D5100 vs D3000

The big giant one listed there that is really major is the CMOS sensor vs the CCD sensor.


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## MLeeK (Dec 14, 2011)

why that all came out as a link I have no clue. Sorry!


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## Tony S (Dec 14, 2011)

The self cleaning sensor is kind of a mis-labeling of features. What they are is a small vibration of the sensor so that when the camera is held in an upright position it will vibrate dust off the sensor (note the upright position part, real important for it to have a chance to work). It's not really doing much, as often it still takes at least a blower of some kind to knock most lose dust off the sensor and anything that sticks to the sensor that can't be blown off then needs to be physically removed. 

So it's a minor feature, not worth chosing a camera over another... pick up on other more important features for camera choice.


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## Big Mike (Dec 15, 2011)

The self cleaning sensor probably just means that you would have to clean it less often, but you are still going to have to give it a cleaning every once in a while.  It's not hard to do, you don't have to send it in for cleaning.  Try the search feature, there have been many threads about sensor cleaning.


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## KmH (Dec 15, 2011)

But, but, but it says it's 'self-cleaning'. :lmao:

And auto mode makes perfect photographs too. :er:

Don't upgrade the wife's D3000, until the wife learns how to use the D3000 effectively, and discovers the D3000 is holding her back in some significant way.

Like Tony S says, a self-cleaning image sentsor is a minor camera feature.


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## bazooka (Dec 15, 2011)

I attempted to clean my sensor myself with those sensor swabs. I just managed to smear the gunk that was on the sensor so it looked like a scratch. I about had a heart attack. I'll just take it to the local camera repair shop and pay them $60 to do it right which is what I had to do anyway. Btw, that same repair shop said the sensor cleaning doesn't really help much and recommends turning it off.


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## tirediron (Dec 15, 2011)

I agree with the others; while Nikon's sensor dust-reduction system does work very well, it's not infalliable, and occasionally you will need to supplement it with a real cleaning.  It's also not enough of a feature, IMO, to base a purchasing decision on.  Mleek's advice to consider the D5100 is excellent.    That said, sensor cleaning is easy, and difficult to really screw up (That's NOT a shot at you bazooka!).  IMO, it's one of those basic maintenance procedures, such as de-fragmenting your hard drive, or changing the oil in your car, that if you cannot do, you have no business operating that piece of equipment.  

Here's my stock 'How to'...
Sensor-cleaning. It's easy to do and should be considered routine maintenance. Spending $50 - 75 for something that takes, literally five minutes, is foolish IMO. Do it yourself, save time and money, just be careful!

DON'T be scared of cleaning your camera! All you need are the right tools. I'll repost this just for info:

Contrary to popular belief, cleaning your own sensor is easy, and difficult to screw up. You should have a few tools though. My preference is for the Visible Dust line of products, in particular the Arctic Butterfly; it's a little pricey, but worth it.

Get a Giottos rocket, DO NOT use one of those cheap blower bulbs with a built in brush. They're dust/lint traps. Remove the lens, and holding hte camera at a 45 angle with the lens opening pointing down, thoroughly blow out the mirror chamber. Now, lock up the mirror and clean off the sensor. Once you've blown off the "big chunks" use the Arctic Butterfly to clean off the small stuff following the instructions provided. 

If that doesn't work, then you may need to go to a wet cleaning system, which is a still easy to do. In ten years of digital photography, I've never had to use a wet cleaning system on any sensor.

Remember that you're not actually cleaning the sensor, you're cleaning the low-pass filter in front of the sensor which is usually made of mineral glass or other very tough material. It's actually quite difficult to scratch or damage. It is easy to get streaky if you **** up with a wet-cleaning system, but that's not permanent.​


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## bazooka (Dec 15, 2011)

No problem, it still scares the heck outta me.


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## Dao (Dec 15, 2011)

Self cleaning sensor actually means -  y o u r SELF cleaning the sensor.

I saw an article that test this feature on different cameras (different brands), some brands work but not a whole lot while others ... forget about it.  

At the end, the camera air blower works much better than any of the system while the cleaning system works the best.


So, do not worry about not to buy the camera since it doesn't have a "self sensor cleaning" feature.


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## djacobox372 (Dec 16, 2011)

bazooka said:
			
		

> I attempted to clean my sensor myself with those sensor swabs. I just managed to smear the gunk that was on the sensor so it looked like a scratch. I about had a heart attack. I'll just take it to the local camera repair shop and pay them $60 to do it right which is what I had to do anyway. Btw, that same repair shop said the sensor cleaning doesn't really help much and recommends turning it off.



lol why pay someone else, whi is likely less cateful then youd be, $60 to do the exact same thing?  I swear people cant maintain or fix anything these days.


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