Using canned / compressed air on canon sensors

I am aware of the prohibition against using canned compressed air.

However, I am wondering if it is ok to use it just before cleaning a sensor with pec pad and solution. The logic being this: it is advised to blow off the sensor the best you can before a cleaning to avoid the possibility of the swab dragging a piece of grit across the sensor and scratching it.

However, the pocket rockets just don't blast that well. If a blast of canned air can remove more grit, and if the swab cleaning will successfully remove any (canned air) residue from the sensor, and if the canned air will harm nothing else in the compartment, would it be advisable? /Dan

I really dont think its a good idea, but then again, i havent tried it.

I would be doing a bit of google searching on forums to see what others have done;

the guy at my local (trusted) camera shop does it, but he uses a very light touch.

The short answer is never.

When you blow air into the sensor compartment, any dust, hair, sand grain will be blown out of the way and into an obscure recess that you don't have access to.

Repeated blowing in there will accumulate dust that eventually will find it's way into the pentamirror, shutter blades, etc.

A compressed can is essential for cleaning the sensor and camera "darkroom", but you also need a suction pipe - venturi type of contraption - that sucks air when you release compressed air from the can. Most sensor cleaning kits provide this as part of the kit and subsequently you can only buy the compressed air container.

You use this like a vacuum cleaner, to remove everything that is loose enough to be vacumed from the sensor plate.

You finish cleaning by wet-dry pads and that's it.

Another reason why you shouldn't spray compressed air into the sensor compartment is that this air detonated into the camera body get's really cold and can condence the humidity in the atmosphere, generating small droplets of water that will get into the sensor area and the shutter window. Eventually these water droplets will "fight" the lubrication in the shutter and that is not good.

Dont do it. There is a propellant in compressed air that I think the sensor wont get along with.

CannedHeat wrote in post #4306818
I am aware of the prohibition against using canned compressed air.

Dan, there is no such thing as "canned compressed air". The canned products like Dust-Off, Century Duster, etc., DO NOT CONTAIN AIR. The contents of these cans is usually difluoroethane which is a rather nasty liquid that can damage plastics and SLR camera mirrors. The stuff can be ignited as well.

In fact, the can of Century Duster in front of me has this warning printed on the can: CONTACT WITH PRODUCT IN LIQUID FORM MAY CAUSE PLASTIC MATERIALS TO PERMANENTLY DISCOLOR. DO NOT USE ON CAMERA MIRRORS. The all-capital letters are the way the warnings are printed on the can.

The only type of blower to use in a camera (other than a laboratory-grade filtered low-pressure compressor system which you will not find in retail outlets) would be a squeeze-bulb such as the Rocket Blower by Giotto's.

Skip, You could spray it on and burn the dust off, that would work great!!

Of course I am joking, please don't take my recommendation anybody. The blower is the best way to go.

SkipD wrote in post #4306879
The contents of these cans is usually difluoroethane...

Earth just called - she wants her ozone layer back.

I've had no experience with these products. Are there any "safe" ones, environmentally, that is?

I've had a 10D for four years now and during this time, I've wet swabbed it approximately every three months using Photosol and Sensor swabs. That's about 16 cleanings so far.

Wet swabbing has always taken everything off.. I've never had to blow anything off the sensor prior to using the swabs. Because of this, I can't see any advantage to using compressed air beforehand.

Jim_T wrote in post #4307066
...
Wet swabbing has always taken everything off.. I've never had to blow anything off the sensor prior to using the swabs. Because of this, I can't see any advantage to using compressed air beforehand.

The danger of wet swabbing before blowing off the sensor is that you have a speck of something harder than the coating on the low-pass filter. If so, like a tiny metal fragment from the shutter assemble or such, dragging it across the sensor can put in a real nice scratch. Therefore it is always recommended that first you give it a real good blow job, then give it a wet cleaning.

gjl711 wrote in post #4307634
Therefore it is always recommended that first you give it a real good blow job, then give it a wet cleaning.

You might want to rephrase that...

~mp

Megapixle wrote in post #4307733
You might want to rephrase that...

~mp

YIKES!!!

Didn't catch that. Now that i re-read it it does sound a bit naughty.

The easy answer is never. And you know what they say about never saying never.

My 30D sensor seemed to continually be a mess for the first four or five months and it seemed I was always wet cleaning. Lately however, a couple of quick shots with Dust Off generally does the trick, but I might add that I am able to read the directions on the label and follow them.

One other note; show me a lens that is at its very best at f/16 or smaller (by actual test). The reason is that for (my 1.6 crops at least), the loss of resolution from diffraction is taking over; this is about where the effects of dust start to show up. This doesn't imply they are connected, but I have less inclination to use an f/stop that will improve "dust view" while negatively impacting resolution.

Any comments?

Thanks all for the replies. The consensus is to not use the canned propellant. Gji711, thanks for your advice also. However, I am just not into that sort of thing with inanimate objects. (sorry, couldn't resist ).

CannedHeat wrote in post #4308095
...Gji711, thanks for your advice also. However, I am just not into that sort of thing with inanimate objects. (sorry, couldn't resist ).

Thank goodness the T.F. was sleeping. That could have led to an embarrassing title.