Digital Survival KIT - Sensor Swab Type 2 (w/Eclipse)
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Digital Survival KIT - Sensor Swab Type 2 (w/Eclipse)
Customer Review: It works, you need at least 2 -3 swabs to clean
Summary: 4 Stars
It works as expected. But this pack of 4 swabs is good for max 2 cleaning.
I was terrified seeing all the articles - never to clean the sensor by yourself. But glad I took the risk of doing it myself.. I had to use 3 swabs to wipe clean and it does work as expected. I applied a fair amount of pressure on the sensor (filter).
I would recommend this.
Customer Review: Neat little pack, Shame about the quantity though
Summary: 4 Stars
Excellent if you want to carry cleaning supplies around with you or you just want something portable.
Got my sensor clean in no time (you do have to get the hang of it first though)
This is exactly why I give it 4 stars. You are a GOD if you manage to properly use the swabs the first time around. This pack doesnt bring much, so be careful!
Customer Review: Not so scary
Summary: 4 Stars
I think anyone who considers cleaning their own sensor probably has read up on all the scary things one can encounter. I bought this kit mainly as a sample to see if it was something I wish to continue to do as camera maintenance. My sensor was very dirty mainly in the upper corners which is of course where the sky would be in most photos. So, you take some shots at the blue sky as a baseline. You apply the liquid to the pad and swipe once over your sensor. I took another set of test images of the sky, realized I had definitely moved the dust, but made huge smears (rather dust globs) with it! So, I repeated the procedure, shot some more tests and found that the sensor was nearly all clean. I left about 3 specks of dust. I am not going to go crazy getting everything off, and I have been fine with the results. So, two swipes was enough to satisfy me.
I would recommend watching the video first that the company provides online. Then my only recommendation to the company would be to provide a cheap plastic or cardboard "sensor" to use for practice first. That is basically what I learned. It is easy enough to do, but it takes a "certain touch" to get it right. Mainly the right amount of pressure and the flow of the direction. I probably could have done the job with one swipe had I been experienced with the feel of it. But certainly don't think you are apt to hurt the sensor unless you are wildly aggressive with the swiping technique.
I bought this little kit mainly to keep all the supplies neatly together, when I run out I will buy more in bulk to refill it. Just makes it handier. If the instructions had been a little more detailed about the feel of the swipe, I would probably have given this product 5 stars. It is way more convenient to do it yourself in a few seconds than to send your camera off and hope to get it back in two weeks.
Customer Review: Phew! I'm relieved. This is the one to get! My D5000 is clean again :)
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm going to write this review for people who have not cleaned their image sensor before. I just finished using this product minutes ago and HAD to leave a review.
For starters, if you've read your manual and/or things online, you've no doubt noticed that image sensor cleaning is filled with dire warnings about ruining your camera. It seems that more is written about how awful you're going to screw up your camera than how to actually clean it. After reading all of these things, I was very nervous about cleaning my Nikon D5000. Afterall, it's my first DSLR and I've only had it a few months. I mostly shoot outdoors and have to frequently swap between my telezoom and macro lenses. So it's no wonder that my image sensor was full of dust. I cleaned my sensor according to the instructions (as well as you tube videos I watched on the topic). The process took less than a minute and worked like a charm. Seriously.
I bought the large rocket blower separately because I wanted to try that first before using the wet method. I gotta tell ya people. Even though everyone gushes about the rocket blower, I found it to be useless for a camera that has a built-in sensor cleaner. I have my D5000 set to clean at startup and shut down. If your built-in sensor can't shake the dust loose, chances are pretty good that the rocket blower isn't going to dislodge it either. I am just NOT impressed with the rocket blower at all. I did the auto-levels test in Photoshop to see all the dust spots. The before and after results using only the rocket blower were virtually the same. My advice is to not buy the more expensive version of this kit that comes with the blower. If your camera doesn't have a built-in sensor shake cleaner, then maybe. But otherwise, save your money (I'm sure I'll get flamed for saying this, but oh well).
Now then, onto this kit. I put 3 drops of the Eclipse solution on one of the swabs, went back and forth across my sensor, and voila! The numerous dust spots are no longer there. The auto-levels PS test shows nothing. I just can't believe how quick and easy it was after reading all the gloom and doom warnings. Kitchens tend to be less dusty than other rooms, so I setup my tripod in the kitchen, pointed my camera down, and did the job. It seems common for people to have to repeat the process, so if that happens to you, don't worry too much. My advice is to just use a good amount of force when swiping to avoid having to repeat the process.
This kit comes with 4 dry swabs but you can use the pec pads as replacements to cover the plastic swab. This kit seems a bit pricey but it does come with quite a bit, and a nice case to boot. I could keep writing about this product and the process, but just know that it's very quick and easy. Mine came from Micro-tools and they include a good color instruction brochure. I give this seller and the product two thumbs up.
Customer Review: Saved the day.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a Nikon D70 that had a couple of spots on the sensor. Camera shop wanted over $100 to clean it.
After using this product according to instructions (which means very carefully), I could get the spots to move around on the sensor but was not able to remove them.
After 7 attempts, at cleaning the sensor, I finally just bared down on the sensor and wiped the heck out of it. Finally, finally, finally, the spots came off.
I don't know what the heck was on the sensor as I am generally quite careful with the use and care of my camera equipment, and I did cringe a bit when did this, but I saw it as a last-resort attempt when I rubbed a bit hard on the sensor.
I went way beyond what the instructions recommended, but the cleaning swab did not damage the sensor at all, and the spots came off, so now the camera is now as good as new.
While I don't recommend going beyond the instructions, its pretty apparent to me that when following the instructions, you'll not likely damage your camera.