Visible Dust

[PB&J photography]

I've personally not heard many good things on the Artic Butterfly. The action over time tends to mess up the bristles. This is just what I've heard, not from personal experience.

I brush and wet clean.

Brushing is easier and quicker. Think of it as vacuuming your carpet.

Swabbing is more like deep carpet cleaning with an extractor. It is much better, yet more time-consuming.

I take a brush with me and do my swabbing at home.

I use the products at Copper Hill Images. The wet method was pretty much invented and perfected by this guy.

Also, the site may answer a lot of your questions.

You can use the same brush/ swab on all your cameras if you like, the difference in them relates to the size of the sensor. Full frame vs. smaller size. Hence, a larger/ wider brush for full frame sensor.

Sensor cleaning is fun and addictive.

[Doug_Kerr]

Hi, Tim,

Originally Posted by TimRucci

With that in mind, my preference is to just do a wet cleaning instead of purchasing the brushes (most of them expensive) when they may not complete the task. I have only cleaned my sensors typically 2 to 4 times per year, and I'm always able to get them spotless with pec pads and eclipse, used with a home-made cleaning tool fashioned from a rubbermaid spatula. With a little bit of practice, you can perform the cleaning in only a few minutes.

That's what we do here, except that just recently I've switched from the spatula-and-Pec-Pad swabs to the prefabricated Visible Dust green swabs (mostly because it is simpler).

[Richard_Coyle]

John's advice is what I suggest as well, with the addition of a Hurricane Blower Bulb, or equivelant. While you may need the wet cleaning method sometime in the future, it all depends on you usage and shooting environments. While most pros end up needing the wet cleaning due to the conditions encountered and a generally more laid back approach to equipment care (just remember, it's only a tool), most other users rarely have the need for wet cleaning.

A combination of blower and sensor brush cover your needs most of the time. Besides VisibleDust.com, you might also visit Copperhillimages.com. They have essentially the same technology as VisibleDust, and also carry the full line of Photographic Solutions products which include Eclipse/E2 fluid and PecPads, etc. They also carry blower bulbs, lens cleaning products/kits and other accessories that are useful.

Personally, I use a combination of products from both suppliers, depending on which I think will provide the best results and at the best price. They both have quality products, from my perspective, so it's really just a matter of preference. As for the results you'll see from sensor cleaning with the dry methods, here is a link to a post I made on another website that compares the D200 cleaning with the new D300. Hope it's helpful:

Discussion Forums @ Nikonians - D300 vs D200 Sensor Cleaning

And here's a much more extensive discussion on this issue:

Discussion Forums @ Nikonians - how to clean D3 sensor

[PB&J photography]

I would agree. Get the wet cleaning method. Doesn't matter which camera you have or which you plan to get.

I use the sensor swab. Copper Hill Images is where I bought them.