etee's Photo Blog

Like many who have DSLRs with interchangeable lenses, I have been having a spot of trouble (pun intended) with specks on my photographs. While I am able to (mostly) get rid of them through use of the Clone Stamp tool and the Spot Healing Brush in Photoshop Elements, they were still an annoyance. That is, until Saturday.
While I was in my local camera emporium, I spotted a box containing a product called the SensorScope System. Made by Delkin Devices, SensorScope combines a lighted magnifying scope the same width as the lens opening in a DSLR with a mini-vacuum and some wet/dry swabs to help the digital photographer remove those specks from the surface of their sensor.

Out, Damn Spot!

When I got the box home (sort of), I immediately opened it up and looked at the sensor of my EOS-5D. Sure enough, I found several specks which had to date proven elusive. I proceeded to assemble the mini-vac, and run it over the sensor. It took several tries to get every last spot, but eventually I met with success.

Yippee!

The scope fit snugly over the lens opening, and it was easy for me to look through - even while wearing trifocals. The mini-vac had just the right amount of suction, and combined with the brush on the tip and the light it was fairly easy to swipe the areas where I had seen the specks. I didn't have to use the swabs this time, so I can't really comment on them.

Here is a test shot I took, into some gray clouds, after completing the sensor cleaning. Several specks that were very noticeable in earlier shots are no longer present. While I still see a faint smudge in the upper-left quadrant, it isn't all that obvious - and if the background brought it out, a quick application of the cloning tool would stamp it out (again, pun intended.)

Test shot after sensor cleaning

I have several caveats, though, before you go out and spend your hard-earned $$$$MONEY$$$$$ on this wonderful system:

1. Cleaning your own sensor is not for someone with really shaky hands.
2. Read the freakin' manual before you start!
3. If you aren't careful (and maybe even if you are), you may damage your sensor. If you do this, I am not the one responsible - you are.
4. If in doubt, you can always take your DSLR to a professional for a cleaning.

Anyway, I found it to be a really useful tool. If you just want to see whether or not you have spots on your sensor, they also sell the scope as a standalone unit.

In my opinion, this is well worth the cost. Highly recommended.