Clean up your camera sensor

Banish dust spots with a pocket blower

There’s a huge advantage to Nikon’s DSLR and mirrorless camera ranges – they both allow you to take your lens off and attach one that meets the needs of your subject. A wide-angle for landscapes, macro for extreme close-ups, or a super-telephoto lens to turn distant animals into frame-filling shots.

But as good as the systems are, they aren’t without fault. Every time you swap a lens there is a chance that dust might creep onto your Nikon camera sensor. These can then show up in your shots as dark orbs, also called ‘sensor spots’, and is a sign your camera and optics need a clean.

Your Nikon DSLR or mirrorless camera will by default be set to use vibrations to knock dust off the sensor every time you turn the camera on or off. But you can go into the Shooting menu then select Clean Image Sensor and choose Clean Now to do this manually. While this might be worth a go, most of the dust that shows up in shots will be more stubborn and need extra force.

Some of the following techniques require touching the glass optics and the sensor, which you’ll be doing at your own risk, so if you don’t feel confident in doing your own maintenance you can send it off to Nikon for servicing at a fee. But it’s more practical to be able to clean your kit as and when. If you’re up for giving it a go, here’s how to do it…

Take a test shot

Go to Aperture Priority, use an aperture of f/11, an ISO of 400 and adjust your exposure comp to around +1EV. Use a focal length of 50mm and fire at a white wall. The shot will be bright, but zoom in and you may see small dark circles. If you can, your kit needs a clean.

Tackle stubborn dirt

The blower may not be able to remove all of the grime – in this case you’ll need to use a lens pen or microfibre cloth. It’s best to touch the glass as little as possible, so only do this if air power has failed. You can also breathe on the optics to create clean condensation and wipe it off with your cloth.

Sensor cleaning swabs

Sensor swabs can be bought online for around £10/$10 and are what you’ll need if air power proves unsuccessful. Kits with cleaning fluid are best – these help free up the dirt. Follow the supplied instructions, then switch off the camera to restore the shutter and mirror back to their default positions. Take another test shot to see your progress and repeat if necessary.

Use air power

Before touching the sensor it’s best to look at the optics – these are easier to clean and could be the source of the dust. Remove the lens and take a look at both ends. Use a hand blower to knock off any dust – remove screw-in filters and give them a blast, too.

Sensor access

For Nikon’s mirrorless you just take the lens off the body and the sensor is ready. For DSLRS go to the Setup Menu and scroll down to find ‘Lock mirror up for cleaning’. If this is greyed-out your batteries may need charging, this will make sure you have juice to keep the mirror up as you clean it.

Give gravity a go

Hold the camera up to a light, so you get a good look at any spots. Remember, that dust in the top left corner of your sensor will appear in the bottom right of your frame, as the image is inverted. Hold the body facing down with one hand, and use the blower in your other to blow a jet of air at the sensor.