If you're trying to locate dust on a sensor, keep in mind that the image is flipped upside down by the camera's electronics. Dust at the top of the image will be at the bottom of the sensor and vice versa.
I have a youtube folder: "photography masterclass." Before I found this channel it was a hodgepodge of content creators, but lately, every entry has been "Simon d'Entremont, Simon d'Entremont, Simon d'Entremont...". Today I gave up. I now have a "Simon d'Entremont Masterclass" folder.
I live in the Yucatan and have the opposite problem. Inside, with air conditioning, the storage environment is cool and dry. But, as soon as I go outside, with the tropical humidity, my lens elements immediately fog up. So, I leave my gear in the bag outside for about an hour before I use it, so it has time to slowly acclimatise to the outside environment before I can use it. 😅
I had to do that when I visited Florida. I think I only had one kit lens at the time, but it was still pretty bad for fog. I live in Canada, and haven't had any problems here, especially as I usually go from location, to car, to house, so there's that middle step of a vehicle that has some heat or air conditioning, but not as extreme of a difference.
I have the same issue traveling in South China and Southeast Asia. I purchased one of those "dew heater strip" devices that wraps around the lens and warms it. It plugs into an external battery via USB and warms the lens to a similar temperature as the ambient outside. In this environment, I have found that the lens needs to be warmer than the dew point coming from the humidity cabinet. This may not be the best solution, though. If someone has better advice, please do let me know. One downside to the dew heater strip, it is not a smart device, so it doesn't have a timer or cutoff. It will continue to warm the lens if you forget about it and leave it turned on.
You live in a beautiful place to photograph Macaws! While visiting Costa Rica in 1992 I was eating breakfast on the beach at my hotel. I looked up and saw a Scarlet Macaw in a palm tree about 12' from my table. I stood up, held out my arm and the Macaw flew down and landed on my arm' We shared breakfast I was allowed to preen a few head/neck feathers! Living in CO with four large Macaw companions, maintaining humidity indoors with humidifiers and outdoors with a misting system maintains beautiful feathers and happy emotional states for all of us. How long have you lived in the Yucatan?
@@MacawAviculture Hi! To be honest, I haven't seen macaws here in the wild, only in captivity. I live in the northern Yucatan ... about 40 minutes south of Playa del Carmen. There are, however, plenty of other, gorgeous tropical birds to see in the area. While they aren't common, I've even seen keel billed toucans around the neighbourhood, though I've never had a camera with me when it happened. HOWEVER, my wife is from Caracas, Venezuela, and that's been, for me, the place to see macaws. They're everywhere down there: downtown, ... in the suburbs, ... along the highways, absolutely everywhere. Big blue ones. Lovely looking, and very noisy. You always know when some are near. They always travel in pairs, too. So you never see just one. I'd love to see a scarlet macaw, though. How wonderful for you to have one keep you company for breakfast. Thanks for the note.
Good tips with one exception. While cleaning the camera body lens mount is a good idea it should probably be done before cleaning the sensor itself, not afterwards, as it may dislodge dust particles that then fall on the previously cleaned sensor.
An important point often neglected is cleaning of lens and camera body caps. Over time they can collect a lot of dirt, particles that then transfer to lenses and sensor. So regularly also blow the inner surfaces of these caps, and as they are made in plastic you can even simply wash them with soap and water.
@williamstrachan get some low tack adhesive discs and put them on the back your lens caps and camera body caps .dust will stick to these keeping them from the lens elements and sensor .
You are by far the most effective photography teacher on UA-cam! Thank you for these tips and taking the time to thoroughly review topics that are probably not as exciting to you, but as you can see in the other comments, super helpful to us.
One little tip I do when I’m going out to shoot in cold and humid environments is that I take my camera body and lens(es) I plan to use and put them into ziplock bags. Especially going into very humid climates. Then I place those items into my camera pack and place my camera pack into the truck of my car for my drive to the location. This allows the gear to acclimatize to the temp change as I drive without any humidity affecting them. If it is really humid and I have issues with fogging of my lenses, I also keep a power pack and a lens warmer in my pack. I put them on my lens and it keeps my lens’ front element warm enough to keep moisture from building up on it. It also helps heat the lens barrel enough to help create a warm zone inside the camera to help keep the sensor from fogging up as well. The power pack I carry is a 50k mah. I also have a charging cord in my pack for charging up on the drive. The lens heater comes in handy when working in very humid climates even when it isn’t cold. I do a lot of photography on the beach for sunrises and sunsets. Those times get very humid. My lens wrap as allowed me to get shots other photographers have missed because their lenses kept fogging up where mine didn’t. A lot of those photographers see me out shooting and know me now. They would see my shots taken the same times they were out and ask me how I got the shots when their lenses kept fogging up. I told them. Now most of them also have lens warmer wraps. I have a motto that I live by in my photography in the almost 40 years I have been shooting. Knowledge gained that isn’t shared is knowledge wasted. We should be teaching what we learn and always strive to continue learning. We will never learn it all.
Condensation is the enemy of electronics. I live in a bus with a couple of desktop computers, sometimes out in the arid west where humidity is seldom a problem, but sometimes back east or even along the coast where humidity is usually high. The worst condensation problem I ever had was a two-week period when the bus interior reached the dew point. It stopped both computers from working. It was so bad that when I pulled a memory stick out while drying to dry the system, there was just a bit of water dripping off the contacts. Since the bus is usually dusty too, I basically end up with a muddy motherboard. One thing I've done to fight dust is keep my good camera and lenses in a case, and then I put that case is a clear plastic trash bag. It seems to help a lot.
Thanks. I live in Vietnam. It's hot and humid here so I keep my camera and lenses in a dry box to reduce the risk of mold growth and to provide a clean, organized place to keep my gear.
I once shot an interview where the image from one of the cameras was blurry. It took me a while to realize that although I religiously clean the lenses before shooting interviews, I had only been attending to the front element and ignoring the rear - which turned out to be where the smudge was. So, now I clean the front and rear elements before attaching the lenses to the cameras and heading out. I hope that isn't excessive...
One other tip for changing lenses is to turn off your camera. Your sensor is an electronic device (obviously) but with this, has a bit of a charge to it especailly when powered on so this can sometimes attract dust particles, so you should also turn off your camera when changing lenses (it's strongly recommended anyway, not so much for dust, but because it could cause the camera to not recognize the lens in some cases - although I've never really had this happen, but more importantly, some in-lens stabilization systems need the camera to be turned off first so it "parks" the lens stabilization motors in their place). Another tip is when you have spare body and lens caps, screw them together so they seal so dust doesn't get into them while in the bag (also make it a point to blow out lens caps before putting them back on, as any dust in the caps will just get dumped into the back/front of the lens, and possibly then onto your sensor the next time you use the lens -- if it's the rear lens cap.
turning off/off the camera may also trigger the electronic cleaning process too, I have had that clean the sensor without needing to do anything, or just some air then the electronic to get the dust out, and not needing to use the sensor swab
I noticed my sensor had dust just by looking at it and Came looking to see if you had tips cause you definitely take your gear in some dusty environments. Thanks showing how easy it is to actually clean it. I feel like some people make it seem like a high risk scary thing to do. Definitely need to be careful, but its not that bad. Now my sensor is dust free, for now anyway.
Humidity has killed so many of my lenses. The most recent was a Canon EF 100-400 L Mk 1 with a bloom of mould across some of the inner elements. If you live in a humid country or just have a damp problem in your ancient house, like I do, keeping your gear in a big plastic box with a rechargeable silica gel container is a cheap way of keeping your lenses and bodies from dying.
One additional tip that could fall under the maintenance category, check for firmware updates once in a while, especially if you have never done it before. Mainly for your camera, but newer lenses can also sometimes get some updates to fix issues ore for compatibility to new camera bodies.
Condensation leads to another very serious problem that grows worse as you move into warmer, more humid climates, and that is fungus. Getting fungus inside the elements not only clouds photos (getting worse over time), the fungus will actually eat away lens coatings and lenses.
I chuckled at the "hold the camera to your body" when swapping lenses. Not only is there a sizeable amount of dust, dander, and dreck--the difference in electrical potential can actually cause static electricity to drive rubbish into the well body where the sensor and/or mirror are located. Also, it's a good idea to discharge brushes or cloths prior to using against something grounded. Once upon a time, antistatic brushes using Polonium-210 such as StaticMaster were all the rage. You can still get these, but they are only good for about a year.
Just returned from Borneo. My way to protect my gear from condensation was to put the camera in a plastic zipped bag and throw in a couple of silica gel bags. Worked perfectly and cost me 5 USD.
During winter, I do not use heat in the car on way home. When I get there, the camera bag is wrapped with my parks. in 6 hours all gear is at room temp.
Another I do, having a UV filter on the front of the lens. By using that, it protects the front of the lens from damage and needing to be clean. It is also much cheaper to replace a cracked/damaged front filter than the lens.
4:07 keep in mind the dust that usually gets on the protection layer of the sensor now gets inside the shutter mechanism, the most fragile part of the camera. Its the first thing i turn off when handling a new camera.
I’m so glad to have found this channel. I’m just beginning my photography journey and to find a seasoned photographer with such great photos sharing tips… I’m surprised this channel hasn’t blown up yet. It will. Thank you Simon for your tips for the next generation of photographers!
@@simon_dentremont So did you make it through your trip without getting a lot of problems with dust on your sensor? I live in a dusty climate and it is a constant battle with me. Oddly, my father doesn't have problems nearly so much this way, the only difference being my camera is a Canon and his a Nikon.
One important thing is that sensor cleaning with IBIS are usually done with camera turned on and IBIS off to stabilize the sensor and not to move around the delicate IBIS mechanism while cleaning. Idk if that's the case for newer Canon R5 and R6 cameras.
Simon is such a brilliant photographer and communicator. My go to video for wildlife photography tips every week. And he has also got great taste in music! I love his theme music. If you don’t know it is a track called “Nicer” by Houses on the Hill and Rue Rosa. I had never heard the track or the artists, but it complements Simon’s tutorials so well. And I am always left with the feeling that the world is actually Nicer for hearing the track and because of Simon using it. Looking forward to the tips from the trip to Botswana.
Good tips Simon i keep my gear in good condition in camera Bags i never clean my sensor self i always go to a good store and let professionals clean it once a year
Just discovered little spots taking practice shots of trees and sky. Realized I needed to clean the sensor. Came right to this channel to wander through the videos and sure enough I find exactly what I need. All this stuff came with the kit, but would have been a tidbit nervous with a little guidance from Simon. Thank you, Simon! From me and my Canon.
The tip I heard about looking for dust on the sensor is to remove the lens and shoot a image against a white wall. Becuse you don't have a lens on the image is evenly white and nothing disturb the image.
I've found that Mountain Dew is perfect for cleaning my sensors. For our local environment with all the air pollution from the East Palestine industrial accident, I typically clean it with mountain dew once a day. A few swipes with a typical kitchen sponge and I'm off!! Thanks great video!
I'm always surprised by how much dust and pollen is floating around as evident when i'm outsise at night with an LED hedlamp on my head. Learned to clean the sensor a few years ago as i would hate to send it in for servicing. I find a good lighted loupe helps. If I can see it i can probably clean it. Sometimes theres some stubborn dust particles, maybe pollen. Although i have a few lenses i try to leave my 28-300 on so i don't have to swap.
Condensation has a counterpart: thermals. Bring a warm lens (lens hood) into the cold and it will start to warm up the air in front of the lens. This then can produce thermals that distort your images. I was watching Morten Hilmer shoot his wildlife shots of musk-oxen in Norway (the last time he did that) and surprised he placed his camera/lens combinations in the snow - the thermometer indicating -20C (-4F). Then, getting back to his tent, he left the kit outside. My initial thoughts summarised as What The Fotography (WTF) and then, ah thermals and condensation. My next concern was, his camera is guaranteed to work down to 0C (32F) and I hope his memory cards can deal with this too as most are only guaranteed down to 0C as well.
I ruined all my lenses years ago when I was starting out with photography, extreme temperature changes was the main cause, not storing the gear properly allowing fungus build up in the lenses. I learned the hard way. thank you for another video.
I use an additional trick for condensation - i keep a dessicant pouch in my airtight camera cases. It will reduce condensation in temerature changes and reduces the possibility of fungus growing in and on your camera parts and lenses.
2:01 adjust lens focus/zoom so that rear element is as close to the mount as possible, to minimize gaps where dust can get into the lens. 6:40 if you clean your mount, do this before cleaning the sensor.
Good video...but I will offer advice; reduce as much as possible circular cleaning motion on any glass lens, or mirror. I routinely worked on laser systems in my +20 years in the US Navy; and then I worked (and retired) from Intel Corp, maintaining and repairing lithography equipment (the 40 lb lens in the Nikon Body 12 litho toolset 20 years back was a +million dollar lens). Cleaning of all mirrors and glass on those laser systems and lithographers was was specifically done in directional movement; circular cleaning lends a heightened risk of swirl scratch and was prohibited. Same goes for telescopic glass, avoid circular movements to the maximum extent possible. Of course, consumer camera lenses are not quite as sensitive...while a nice lens at 2-10K seems expensive to us as consumers (and it is), it is basically chump change for what is used in weapon systems or industrial uses (hence, the stringent cleaning procedures).
Some great tips there, thank you. Yes I too do what you do with changing lenses. Good to know about bringing a camera in from the cold to a warm house. Thank you again.
Many thanks, very usefull! When I change lens, usually blow with a pump, but not with this such tiny pump, but with medical pump. At home 1) blow the sensor 2) clean with a Lenspen sensorcleaner 3) blowing out again. Sometimes wet cleaning.
Good points. Remember to clean camera mount before cleaning sensor.. also if you have a DSLR also clean the mirror, and maybe the semi-transparent mirror below it used to send light to the AF sensor. Plus battery door and pop up flash mount. For rainy conditions old fashioned shower caps can help but look, well old fashioned.
Good tips. Something I like to do before selling my gear is to look at my cameras and lenses under a light with a magnifying glass. Even after cleaning I'll find a couple more dust particles that I couldn't see with my eyes alone. I know these particles don't matter much. But, I like to get my gear as clean as possible before passing it on to the next person.
Oh I so need that lens, I'm so poor.😂 Your videos are so helpful, I have been watching them almost every day and are so helpful to someone new! Thank you for the content, it's been helping me step up my game to with the hardware I do have!
Good tip! Sensor dust is the nemesis - especially in video!! I'm a big fan of the Visible dust Arctic Butterfly - the mild static charge for the brush "grabs" the dust - better to me than just blowing the dust around, though a good blower has it's place too. The only thing you have to be careful is not touching the sides of the camera putting the brush in - can place oil on your sensor and then you will absolutely have to do a sensor swab clean. But don't fear it!
Excellent video, thanks a million. A few years ago I had a new Nikon D7200 and somehow managed to get dust on sensor. I then successfully managed to ruin the sensor trying to clean it. Thankfully a local camera specialist did a fantastic job and saved the sensor. Best £30 I've ever spent, still use the D7200 to this day.😊
I just buy a winter coat large enough to fit me + camera, keeping it at body temperature when not shooting (my favourite subjects are salsa and tango so the indoor climate can get a bit 'steamy' 😊)
Not sure if anyone else mentioned it, but for those using the big lenses with drop-in filters, those filters get surprisingly nasty dirty. I clean the one on my 500mm f/4 II once in a while and always surprised at how much filth gets on there, even with a lenscoat covering its location on the lens barrel!
Simon, once again you continue to impress me with your very useful and "to the point" photography tips! One thing I noticed in your video and is something I do regularly is to change out your lens/camera cleaning cloths. They get dirty quickly and there is no excuse to try to clean a lens or camera with a dirty cloth and transfer the dirt/grime. Make sure you clean them too or just replace with new ones when cleaning your gear.
Bonjour Simon, many thanks for the tip, I was about to bring my camera at the store for taking care of those spots. With this cleaning tool, I safely got rid of those nasty spots I was raging about for months. I probably saved at least $50 by doing it myself.
Thanks for the video. I live in Sweden and during the cold winter months when the shoot is over for the day I put the camera(s) with mounted lens in zip lock bags and as I zip the bags shut I push out as much air as possible. Then these go in a large transparent plastic box. This way I can carry all the gear indoors at once. This is a modification of suggestions from Jake Sloan's channel. Perhaps a bit of overkill but better safe than sorry!!
Thanks, Simon! Yet more great information and tips! I will add: those rain jackets protect well in dusty conditions, and, if in dusty conditions and you use a zoom lens extended, wipe the barrel before retracting the lens to help keep dust from being sucked into the inner lens. I have dust inside my 100-400 MK II which is supposed to be well sealed--can't get it out.
Sony Cameras, full frame in particular, seem to be prone to dust collection on the sensor. Especially if you leave the camera in the "on" position when swapping out lenses. Don't ask me how I know this, suffice it to say experience forces this post. Great channel Simon!!
Another sensor dust tip: Nikon & Canon allow you to set a dust cleaning on shutdown. This works by jiggling the sensor after neutralizing the static on the sensor! The last item is what makes this work. No static; no new dust dust!
Pentax has that feature as well, and a dust detection mode that generates a black and white image you can use as a mask for dust removal in post. (And a hot pixel detector, but that just maps hot pixels so that they don't get into the RAW)
Great tutorial! Every photographer should watch this. I baby my gear because I know down the road, I will sell it to buy new. It is inevitable that my lenses and camera get dirty photographing birds on trails and at wildlife refuges. I live at the coast in NJ. Lots of shooting by salt water, so I like to give the outside of my camera and lens a wipe down with a water dampened cloth after a day at the beach due to the salty air. I've really enjoyed the photos that you've shared so far from Botswana. Remarkable!!! Thank you, Simon!
I used to own a 1970s Pentax Spotmatic and it was an absolute tank of a camera. I wish someone told me that DSLRs have focusing screens made of plastic and not glass so it's best not to touch them even with cotton swabs.
Wonderfully concise and thorough video! Nicely done! If I may, one suggestion... As a final step when cleaning lens optics and sensors, gently use a "lens pen" or a "sensor pen" to polish the surface and remove any trace of the cleaning fluids that may have dried on there. It is important this be one of the last steps, after the "wet cleaning", so that the surface has no dirt on it that might cause a scratch. Be very gentle, anyway. Doing this will super clean the surface so that the lens or sensor stays clean longer. Any dust is less likely to adhere, more likely to just fall or slide off the surface. One more puff from a blower after this "polishing" will remove anything loose still on the surface. The only difference between the lens and sensor pens is their shape. The sensor pens are square to get into the corners, while the ones for lenses are round. P.S. I live in a mild, dry climate now, but used to do a lot of photography in Colorado winters. I carried two large, plastic garbage bags and would seal up my gear inside those (doubled up) before bringing it inside and letting it acclimate before unsealing. Small items such as film (today it would be memory cards) I would remove first and put in a pocket to already be warmed up. Which reminds me... shooting out in winter cold, take two sets of batteries and keep one in a warm pocket. As the batteries in the camera get cold they will appear drained faster than usual. Swap them with the warm ones. Once warmed back up, the 1st set of batteries will come back to life and can be reused for a while. At least until the cold gets to them again. Often it was possible to swap and warm the batteries several times this way, to get a lot more use out of them in really cold conditions.
I actually will suggest against polishing the sensor with a "lens pen" after using the cleaning kit, the swap of the kit itself should be sufficient to dry off the fluid or else too much was applied. When done correctly, the fluid should have left no marks on the sensor after the cleaning. The kit's instruction actually suggest dripping on only one side of the swab, and the other side is supposed to be used for drying the fluid. On the flip sides, a lens pen usually come with a carbon tip which will leave carbon residue on the sensor which then requires a brush to brush off the carbon residue. I have done this and it wasn't working too well for me on the sensor, i.e. something will likely stay if a lens pen is involved, even though I have tried a brand new pen. Surely we maybe referring to a different "lens pen" here. Immediately after the cleaning, I usually put the camera up-side-down on the table to let the fluid dry further. Then, I will also use a blower to remove any remaining dust in the cavity of the sensor. If I blow immediately after the wet cleaning, dust is very likely to stick to the sensor and they won't come off easily as the dust was dried on the sensor. Allowing the sensor fluid to fully evaporate first is helpful. One last observation in my case is, there is actually some dust trapped somewhere in the shutter or the camera cap, even though i tried to clean them as well. As a result, once I think the cleaning is finished, I close the cap and turn off the camera, and then if I turn it back on and look at the sensor, there maybe a bit of dust now deposited onto the sensor. So I usually clean twice: the first time a complete wet and dry cleaning, and the second one is simply dry cleaning with blower. Then the third time I look at the sensor there should be really no dust.
@@SandboChang I live in a very dry, dusty climate and dust on the sensor is a constant battle with me. That being said, I've never had to use a wet swab to clean it. I've been able to get the dust off in every case using just a dry brush and then using a filtered blow bulb to get the dust off the brush. Maybe because it is rarely humid I've never had to use the "wet squeegee" brush to remove dust. Well, it is humid in winter but it doesn't so much swing from dry to wet so it doesn't really "set" the dust on the sensor very firmly. At least that's my theory.
I clean my lens front elements with a dry microfiber cloth - not eyeglass cleaning cloth, but one with actual microfiber pile (I live in Canada and find Norwex cloths to be the best). This is a much more effective cleaner of glass (or any other shiny surface, ex. chrome) than any sort of chemical cleaner.
Using a proper sensor cleaning swab. I had an old Sony a5100 sensor where light cleaning didn't remove all dust particles. Didnt care so gave it a good clean with pressure and it cleaned it up. YMMV but I've found the outer sensor coating a lot more resilient than you might expect
One thing about modern digital photo sensors: they are really robust. The filter on top of the sensor is pretty much the same as your typical UV screw filter as used on a lens. The Challenge is to clean it without anything left, not to not damage it. However: unlike a lens front element the protecting sensor filter is one of the more expensive repairs to be performed on a camera. So dont force it.
I hope you're right about this. The main IL camera brands are Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus?, Panasonic and Sony (am I missing any?). I'm curious how you know that all these brands deal with that filter atop the sensor in the same way...that they are all, in fact really robust. Like I said, I hope you're right!!!
Hello Sir Good Day. Your videos are very helpful to us beginners. Sir may i ask if this sensor cleaning procedure can removed fungus. Thank you. More power
@@simon_dentremont thank you sir. I was able to removed the fungus using the swab sensor cleaner aps-c luckely the fungus was on the front surface of the sensor.
If you're trying to locate dust on a sensor, keep in mind that the image is flipped upside down by the camera's electronics. Dust at the top of the image will be at the bottom of the sensor and vice versa.
Thanks for posting that!
yeap and if you know what you doing you will buy a good loop and not waist time on shooting images and looking something what might not be there
...and mirrored. (Dust in upper right on the image is at bottom left on the sensor).
But not on a mirrorless.
@@katjathelion The lens flips the image so it'll be true regardless of mirrorless or DSLR.
I have a youtube folder: "photography masterclass." Before I found this channel it was a hodgepodge of content creators, but lately, every entry has been "Simon d'Entremont, Simon d'Entremont, Simon d'Entremont...". Today I gave up. I now have a "Simon d'Entremont Masterclass" folder.
Haha too kind!
I live in the Yucatan and have the opposite problem. Inside, with air conditioning, the storage environment is cool and dry. But, as soon as I go outside, with the tropical humidity, my lens elements immediately fog up. So, I leave my gear in the bag outside for about an hour before I use it, so it has time to slowly acclimatise to the outside environment before I can use it. 😅
I had to do that when I visited Florida. I think I only had one kit lens at the time, but it was still pretty bad for fog. I live in Canada, and haven't had any problems here, especially as I usually go from location, to car, to house, so there's that middle step of a vehicle that has some heat or air conditioning, but not as extreme of a difference.
Our AC in Tamaulipas only cooled the bedroom to 80 degrees, but anyway I didn't have a digital camera then and never knew of these issues :)
I have the same issue traveling in South China and Southeast Asia. I purchased one of those "dew heater strip" devices that wraps around the lens and warms it. It plugs into an external battery via USB and warms the lens to a similar temperature as the ambient outside. In this environment, I have found that the lens needs to be warmer than the dew point coming from the humidity cabinet. This may not be the best solution, though. If someone has better advice, please do let me know. One downside to the dew heater strip, it is not a smart device, so it doesn't have a timer or cutoff. It will continue to warm the lens if you forget about it and leave it turned on.
You live in a beautiful place to photograph Macaws! While visiting Costa Rica in 1992 I was eating breakfast on the beach at my hotel. I looked up and saw a Scarlet Macaw in a palm tree about 12' from my table. I stood up, held out my arm and the Macaw flew down and landed on my arm' We shared breakfast I was allowed to preen a few head/neck feathers! Living in CO with four large Macaw companions, maintaining humidity indoors with humidifiers and outdoors with a misting system maintains beautiful feathers and happy emotional states for all of us. How long have you lived in the Yucatan?
@@MacawAviculture Hi! To be honest, I haven't seen macaws here in the wild, only in captivity. I live in the northern Yucatan ... about 40 minutes south of Playa del Carmen. There are, however, plenty of other, gorgeous tropical birds to see in the area. While they aren't common, I've even seen keel billed toucans around the neighbourhood, though I've never had a camera with me when it happened. HOWEVER, my wife is from Caracas, Venezuela, and that's been, for me, the place to see macaws. They're everywhere down there: downtown, ... in the suburbs, ... along the highways, absolutely everywhere. Big blue ones. Lovely looking, and very noisy. You always know when some are near. They always travel in pairs, too. So you never see just one. I'd love to see a scarlet macaw, though. How wonderful for you to have one keep you company for breakfast. Thanks for the note.
Good tips with one exception. While cleaning the camera body lens mount is a good idea it should probably be done before cleaning the sensor itself, not afterwards, as it may dislodge dust particles that then fall on the previously cleaned sensor.
An important point often neglected is cleaning of lens and camera body caps.
Over time they can collect a lot of dirt, particles that then transfer to lenses and sensor.
So regularly also blow the inner surfaces of these caps, and as they are made in plastic you can even simply wash them with soap and water.
I once made the mistake of putting my lens cap in a linty pocket 😅 discovered my mistake the next time I took the lens cap off 😬
@williamstrachan get some low tack adhesive discs and put them on the back your lens caps and camera body caps .dust will stick to these keeping them from the lens elements and sensor .
Basic but important concepts that I will strive to keep in mind. In the past, sometimes I have and sometimes not!
One last step with lens cleaning is use the blower to blow dust off the lens facing side of your lens cap.
You are by far the most effective photography teacher on UA-cam! Thank you for these tips and taking the time to thoroughly review topics that are probably not as exciting to you, but as you can see in the other comments, super helpful to us.
I agree with you Zachary 100%. I love the way he explains the subject. Thank you Simon
A great resource 😊
One little tip I do when I’m going out to shoot in cold and humid environments is that I take my camera body and lens(es) I plan to use and put them into ziplock bags. Especially going into very humid climates. Then I place those items into my camera pack and place my camera pack into the truck of my car for my drive to the location. This allows the gear to acclimatize to the temp change as I drive without any humidity affecting them. If it is really humid and I have issues with fogging of my lenses, I also keep a power pack and a lens warmer in my pack. I put them on my lens and it keeps my lens’ front element warm enough to keep moisture from building up on it. It also helps heat the lens barrel enough to help create a warm zone inside the camera to help keep the sensor from fogging up as well. The power pack I carry is a 50k mah. I also have a charging cord in my pack for charging up on the drive. The lens heater comes in handy when working in very humid climates even when it isn’t cold. I do a lot of photography on the beach for sunrises and sunsets. Those times get very humid. My lens wrap as allowed me to get shots other photographers have missed because their lenses kept fogging up where mine didn’t. A lot of those photographers see me out shooting and know me now. They would see my shots taken the same times they were out and ask me how I got the shots when their lenses kept fogging up. I told them. Now most of them also have lens warmer wraps. I have a motto that I live by in my photography in the almost 40 years I have been shooting. Knowledge gained that isn’t shared is knowledge wasted. We should be teaching what we learn and always strive to continue learning. We will never learn it all.
Condensation is the enemy of electronics. I live in a bus with a couple of desktop computers, sometimes out in the arid west where humidity is seldom a problem, but sometimes back east or even along the coast where humidity is usually high. The worst condensation problem I ever had was a two-week period when the bus interior reached the dew point. It stopped both computers from working. It was so bad that when I pulled a memory stick out while drying to dry the system, there was just a bit of water dripping off the contacts. Since the bus is usually dusty too, I basically end up with a muddy motherboard.
One thing I've done to fight dust is keep my good camera and lenses in a case, and then I put that case is a clear plastic trash bag. It seems to help a lot.
Simon says, good camera maintenance, makes for good photography!
Thanks. I live in Vietnam. It's hot and humid here so I keep my camera and lenses in a dry box to reduce the risk of mold growth and to provide a clean, organized place to keep my gear.
Thank you for teaching me how to clean my sensor safely!
have a great trip. I will be there in September with Pangolin for the migration in Kenya
I once shot an interview where the image from one of the cameras was blurry. It took me a while to realize that although I religiously clean the lenses before shooting interviews, I had only been attending to the front element and ignoring the rear - which turned out to be where the smudge was. So, now I clean the front and rear elements before attaching the lenses to the cameras and heading out. I hope that isn't excessive...
One other tip for changing lenses is to turn off your camera. Your sensor is an electronic device (obviously) but with this, has a bit of a charge to it especailly when powered on so this can sometimes attract dust particles, so you should also turn off your camera when changing lenses (it's strongly recommended anyway, not so much for dust, but because it could cause the camera to not recognize the lens in some cases - although I've never really had this happen, but more importantly, some in-lens stabilization systems need the camera to be turned off first so it "parks" the lens stabilization motors in their place). Another tip is when you have spare body and lens caps, screw them together so they seal so dust doesn't get into them while in the bag (also make it a point to blow out lens caps before putting them back on, as any dust in the caps will just get dumped into the back/front of the lens, and possibly then onto your sensor the next time you use the lens -- if it's the rear lens cap.
turning off/off the camera may also trigger the electronic cleaning process too, I have had that clean the sensor without needing to do anything, or just some air then the electronic to get the dust out, and not needing to use the sensor swab
Botswana is beautiful! I look forward to seeing your photos.
The only tutorial that I keep watching it from the start to the end every single time. Great work thank you
Awesome, Enjoyed the photos you have been able to send. Looking forward so much to your returning home, and sharing your Amazing Talents.
I noticed my sensor had dust just by looking at it and Came looking to see if you had tips cause you definitely take your gear in some dusty environments. Thanks showing how easy it is to actually clean it. I feel like some people make it seem like a high risk scary thing to do. Definitely need to be careful, but its not that bad. Now my sensor is dust free, for now anyway.
Humidity has killed so many of my lenses. The most recent was a Canon EF 100-400 L Mk 1 with a bloom of mould across some of the inner elements. If you live in a humid country or just have a damp problem in your ancient house, like I do, keeping your gear in a big plastic box with a rechargeable silica gel container is a cheap way of keeping your lenses and bodies from dying.
If you have such expensive gear you need to invest in a dry cabinet.
One additional tip that could fall under the maintenance category, check for firmware updates once in a while, especially if you have never done it before. Mainly for your camera, but newer lenses can also sometimes get some updates to fix issues ore for compatibility to new camera bodies.
Condensation leads to another very serious problem that grows worse as you move into warmer, more humid climates, and that is fungus. Getting fungus inside the elements not only clouds photos (getting worse over time), the fungus will actually eat away lens coatings and lenses.
I chuckled at the "hold the camera to your body" when swapping lenses. Not only is there a sizeable amount of dust, dander, and dreck--the difference in electrical potential can actually cause static electricity to drive rubbish into the well body where the sensor and/or mirror are located. Also, it's a good idea to discharge brushes or cloths prior to using against something grounded. Once upon a time, antistatic brushes using Polonium-210 such as StaticMaster were all the rage. You can still get these, but they are only good for about a year.
Just returned from Borneo. My way to protect my gear from condensation was to put the camera in a plastic zipped bag and throw in a couple of silica gel bags. Worked perfectly and cost me 5 USD.
During winter, I do not use heat in the car on way home. When I get there, the camera bag is wrapped with my parks. in 6 hours all gear is at room temp.
Another I do, having a UV filter on the front of the lens. By using that, it protects the front of the lens from damage and needing to be clean. It is also much cheaper to replace a cracked/damaged front filter than the lens.
Same here! Simon, if you read this thread, any thoughts on UV filters? It looks like you don't use them!
4:07 keep in mind the dust that usually gets on the protection layer of the sensor now gets inside the shutter mechanism, the most fragile part of the camera. Its the first thing i turn off when handling a new camera.
Safe travels...
Wow didn't know about the lightroom trick!!
Excellent advice...this is my favorite photography channel. Clear, concise , and to the point. Five stars.
Mister 8th video in a row, I'm learning a lot, high ISO is something new for me.
Brilliant and one f the best and clearest advices on 😊Photography I have seen!!!!!!😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
I’m so glad to have found this channel. I’m just beginning my photography journey and to find a seasoned photographer with such great photos sharing tips… I’m surprised this channel hasn’t blown up yet. It will. Thank you Simon for your tips for the next generation of photographers!
Mr D' is no doubt the best Wild Life Photographer, and Presenter of his work, and Educating those of us that love Photography.
too kind!
@@simon_dentremont So did you make it through your trip without getting a lot of problems with dust on your sensor? I live in a dusty climate and it is a constant battle with me. Oddly, my father doesn't have problems nearly so much this way, the only difference being my camera is a Canon and his a Nikon.
Nice tips, I've had no end of trouble with dust on the sensor or my new mirror-less camera. Seldom/never cleaned the sensor on my DSLR.
That dust locator in LrC is an eye opener. It also highlights how bad LrC's UI scaling is adapted to hi-res (like 4K) displays.
Thanks for the tips. Have a safe and fruitful trip.
One important thing is that sensor cleaning with IBIS are usually done with camera turned on and IBIS off to stabilize the sensor and not to move around the delicate IBIS mechanism while cleaning. Idk if that's the case for newer Canon R5 and R6 cameras.
no, it’s off during cleaning.
Simon is such a brilliant photographer and communicator. My go to video for wildlife photography tips every week. And he has also got great taste in music! I love his theme music. If you don’t know it is a track called “Nicer” by Houses on the Hill and Rue Rosa. I had never heard the track or the artists, but it complements Simon’s tutorials so well. And I am always left with the feeling that the world is actually Nicer for hearing the track and because of Simon using it. Looking forward to the tips from the trip to Botswana.
Too kind! Thanks!
And how many of those moronic Jump zoom cuts did you dodge before the actual message of the video!! LOL
Another nugget..... Fantastic advice again Simon. 👍
Good tips Simon i keep my gear in good condition in camera Bags i never clean my sensor self i always go to a good store and let professionals clean it once a year
Just discovered little spots taking practice shots of trees and sky. Realized I needed to clean the sensor. Came right to this channel to wander through the videos and sure enough I find exactly what I need. All this stuff came with the kit, but would have been a tidbit nervous with a little guidance from Simon. Thank you, Simon! From me and my Canon.
Glad it helped!
Great advice! Thanks!
The tip I heard about looking for dust on the sensor is to remove the lens and shoot a image against a white wall.
Becuse you don't have a lens on the image is evenly white and nothing disturb the image.
I've found that Mountain Dew is perfect for cleaning my sensors. For our local environment with all the air pollution from the East Palestine industrial accident, I typically clean it with mountain dew once a day. A few swipes with a typical kitchen sponge and I'm off!! Thanks great video!
I'm always surprised by how much dust and pollen is floating around as evident when i'm outsise at night with an LED hedlamp on my head. Learned to clean the sensor a few years ago as i would hate to send it in for servicing. I find a good lighted loupe helps. If I can see it i can probably clean it. Sometimes theres some stubborn dust particles, maybe pollen. Although i have a few lenses i try to leave my 28-300 on so i don't have to swap.
Thank you for the reminders! 👍
Recently found your page and you really are the best at giving clear and helpful information.
Not only was this a very useful video, but it also removed a lot of stress about cleaning the sensor, thank you for posting!
Glad it helped!
Condensation has a counterpart: thermals. Bring a warm lens (lens hood) into the cold and it will start to warm up the air in front of the lens. This then can produce thermals that distort your images. I was watching Morten Hilmer shoot his wildlife shots of musk-oxen in Norway (the last time he did that) and surprised he placed his camera/lens combinations in the snow - the thermometer indicating -20C (-4F). Then, getting back to his tent, he left the kit outside. My initial thoughts summarised as What The Fotography (WTF) and then, ah thermals and condensation. My next concern was, his camera is guaranteed to work down to 0C (32F) and I hope his memory cards can deal with this too as most are only guaranteed down to 0C as well.
THANKS FOR THAT LIGHTROOM TIP!!! That's awesomely helpful. Great video Simon!
I ruined all my lenses years ago when I was starting out with photography, extreme temperature changes was the main cause, not storing the gear properly allowing fungus build up in the lenses. I learned the hard way. thank you for another video.
That was Lightroom Classic that you used to find dust spots, Lightroom does not have that feature.
Super tips, thank you. Hope you enjoy your trip and bring back some great images!
Thanks Simon.
There is a sensor brush whose use comes between blowing and swabbing. I've never needed to go beyond it.
I use an additional trick for condensation - i keep a dessicant pouch in my airtight camera cases. It will reduce condensation in temerature changes and reduces the possibility of fungus growing in and on your camera parts and lenses.
Thanks so much for sharing another wonderful video like always 👍🤗
2:01 adjust lens focus/zoom so that rear element is as close to the mount as possible, to minimize gaps where dust can get into the lens. 6:40 if you clean your mount, do this before cleaning the sensor.
Good video...but I will offer advice; reduce as much as possible circular cleaning motion on any glass lens, or mirror. I routinely worked on laser systems in my +20 years in the US Navy; and then I worked (and retired) from Intel Corp, maintaining and repairing lithography equipment (the 40 lb lens in the Nikon Body 12 litho toolset 20 years back was a +million dollar lens). Cleaning of all mirrors and glass on those laser systems and lithographers was was specifically done in directional movement; circular cleaning lends a heightened risk of swirl scratch and was prohibited. Same goes for telescopic glass, avoid circular movements to the maximum extent possible. Of course, consumer camera lenses are not quite as sensitive...while a nice lens at 2-10K seems expensive to us as consumers (and it is), it is basically chump change for what is used in weapon systems or industrial uses (hence, the stringent cleaning procedures).
This is a very interesting video. And the cold environement tip is awesome. Thank for all this.
Awesome tips even for the experienced, thank you…
Some great tips there, thank you. Yes I too do what you do with changing lenses. Good to know about bringing a camera in from the cold to a warm house. Thank you again.
Glad it was helpful!
Many thanks, very usefull! When I change lens, usually blow with a pump, but not with this such tiny pump, but with medical pump.
At home 1) blow the sensor 2) clean with a Lenspen sensorcleaner 3) blowing out again. Sometimes wet cleaning.
Good points. Remember to clean camera mount before cleaning sensor.. also if you have a DSLR also clean the mirror, and maybe the semi-transparent mirror below it used to send light to the AF sensor. Plus battery door and pop up flash mount. For rainy conditions old fashioned shower caps can help but look, well old fashioned.
fantastic tips as always Simon. Keep it up
All nice tips, thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Good tips. Something I like to do before selling my gear is to look at my cameras and lenses under a light with a magnifying glass. Even after cleaning I'll find a couple more dust particles that I couldn't see with my eyes alone. I know these particles don't matter much. But, I like to get my gear as clean as possible before passing it on to the next person.
Oh I so need that lens, I'm so poor.😂 Your videos are so helpful, I have been watching them almost every day and are so helpful to someone new! Thank you for the content, it's been helping me step up my game to with the hardware I do have!
Glad you like them!
Good tip! Sensor dust is the nemesis - especially in video!! I'm a big fan of the Visible dust Arctic Butterfly - the mild static charge for the brush "grabs" the dust - better to me than just blowing the dust around, though a good blower has it's place too. The only thing you have to be careful is not touching the sides of the camera putting the brush in - can place oil on your sensor and then you will absolutely have to do a sensor swab clean. But don't fear it!
Well done. Fantastic tutorial.
Thank you! Cheers!
5:52 I would suggest setting your lens to its minimum focusing distance for this if you use the sky as your "subject".
Brilliant!! Thank you very much from London UK
Another great informative video! Thanks!
Excellent video, thanks a million.
A few years ago I had a new Nikon D7200 and somehow managed to get dust on sensor. I then successfully managed to ruin the sensor trying to clean it.
Thankfully a local camera specialist did a fantastic job and saved the sensor. Best £30 I've ever spent, still use the D7200 to this day.😊
Good tips again Simon
Amazing...thank you! 👍
Ur videos are my go to for photography tips...thanks
Happy to help!
I just buy a winter coat large enough to fit me + camera, keeping it at body temperature when not shooting (my favourite subjects are salsa and tango so the indoor climate can get a bit 'steamy' 😊)
This is awesome. Thank you
Not sure if anyone else mentioned it, but for those using the big lenses with drop-in filters, those filters get surprisingly nasty dirty. I clean the one on my 500mm f/4 II once in a while and always surprised at how much filth gets on there, even with a lenscoat covering its location on the lens barrel!
Great tips! I’m one of those who has been afraid to touch the sensor!
Simon, once again you continue to impress me with your very useful and "to the point" photography tips! One thing I noticed in your video and is something I do regularly is to change out your lens/camera cleaning cloths. They get dirty quickly and there is no excuse to try to clean a lens or camera with a dirty cloth and transfer the dirt/grime. Make sure you clean them too or just replace with new ones when cleaning your gear.
Yes they’re cheap so I replace them often
Bonjour Simon, many thanks for the tip, I was about to bring my camera at the store for taking care of those spots. With this cleaning tool, I safely got rid of those nasty spots I was raging about for months. I probably saved at least $50 by doing it myself.
Thanks for the video. I live in Sweden and during the cold winter months when the shoot is over for the day I put the camera(s) with mounted lens in zip lock bags and as I zip the bags shut I push out as much air as possible. Then these go in a large transparent plastic box. This way I can carry all the gear indoors at once.
This is a modification of suggestions from Jake Sloan's channel. Perhaps a bit of overkill but better safe than sorry!!
Thanks, Simon! Yet more great information and tips! I will add: those rain jackets protect well in dusty conditions, and, if in dusty conditions and you use a zoom lens extended, wipe the barrel before retracting the lens to help keep dust from being sucked into the inner lens. I have dust inside my 100-400 MK II which is supposed to be well sealed--can't get it out.
Sony Cameras, full frame in particular, seem to be prone to dust collection on the sensor. Especially if you leave the camera in the "on" position when swapping out lenses. Don't ask me how I know this, suffice it to say experience forces this post. Great channel Simon!!
Another sensor dust tip: Nikon & Canon allow you to set a dust cleaning on shutdown. This works by jiggling the sensor after neutralizing the static on the sensor! The last item is what makes this work. No static; no new dust dust!
Pentax has that feature as well, and a dust detection mode that generates a black and white image you can use as a mask for dust removal in post. (And a hot pixel detector, but that just maps hot pixels so that they don't get into the RAW)
Thanks Simon. This is extremely useful!
Great tutorial! Every photographer should watch this. I baby my gear because I know down the road, I will sell it to buy new. It is inevitable that my lenses and camera get dirty photographing birds on trails and at wildlife refuges. I live at the coast in NJ. Lots of shooting by salt water, so I like to give the outside of my camera and lens a wipe down with a water dampened cloth after a day at the beach due to the salty air. I've really enjoyed the photos that you've shared so far from Botswana. Remarkable!!! Thank you, Simon!
Great video! Thanks Simon!
Great tips! Have a great trip to Botswana!
I used to own a 1970s Pentax Spotmatic and it was an absolute tank of a camera. I wish someone told me that DSLRs have focusing screens made of plastic and not glass so it's best not to touch them even with cotton swabs.
Wonderfully concise and thorough video! Nicely done!
If I may, one suggestion...
As a final step when cleaning lens optics and sensors, gently use a "lens pen" or a "sensor pen" to polish the surface and remove any trace of the cleaning fluids that may have dried on there. It is important this be one of the last steps, after the "wet cleaning", so that the surface has no dirt on it that might cause a scratch. Be very gentle, anyway.
Doing this will super clean the surface so that the lens or sensor stays clean longer. Any dust is less likely to adhere, more likely to just fall or slide off the surface.
One more puff from a blower after this "polishing" will remove anything loose still on the surface. The only difference between the lens and sensor pens is their shape. The sensor pens are square to get into the corners, while the ones for lenses are round.
P.S. I live in a mild, dry climate now, but used to do a lot of photography in Colorado winters. I carried two large, plastic garbage bags and would seal up my gear inside those (doubled up) before bringing it inside and letting it acclimate before unsealing. Small items such as film (today it would be memory cards) I would remove first and put in a pocket to already be warmed up.
Which reminds me... shooting out in winter cold, take two sets of batteries and keep one in a warm pocket. As the batteries in the camera get cold they will appear drained faster than usual. Swap them with the warm ones. Once warmed back up, the 1st set of batteries will come back to life and can be reused for a while. At least until the cold gets to them again. Often it was possible to swap and warm the batteries several times this way, to get a lot more use out of them in really cold conditions.
I actually will suggest against polishing the sensor with a "lens pen" after using the cleaning kit, the swap of the kit itself should be sufficient to dry off the fluid or else too much was applied. When done correctly, the fluid should have left no marks on the sensor after the cleaning. The kit's instruction actually suggest dripping on only one side of the swab, and the other side is supposed to be used for drying the fluid. On the flip sides, a lens pen usually come with a carbon tip which will leave carbon residue on the sensor which then requires a brush to brush off the carbon residue. I have done this and it wasn't working too well for me on the sensor, i.e. something will likely stay if a lens pen is involved, even though I have tried a brand new pen. Surely we maybe referring to a different "lens pen" here.
Immediately after the cleaning, I usually put the camera up-side-down on the table to let the fluid dry further. Then, I will also use a blower to remove any remaining dust in the cavity of the sensor. If I blow immediately after the wet cleaning, dust is very likely to stick to the sensor and they won't come off easily as the dust was dried on the sensor. Allowing the sensor fluid to fully evaporate first is helpful.
One last observation in my case is, there is actually some dust trapped somewhere in the shutter or the camera cap, even though i tried to clean them as well. As a result, once I think the cleaning is finished, I close the cap and turn off the camera, and then if I turn it back on and look at the sensor, there maybe a bit of dust now deposited onto the sensor. So I usually clean twice: the first time a complete wet and dry cleaning, and the second one is simply dry cleaning with blower. Then the third time I look at the sensor there should be really no dust.
@@SandboChang I live in a very dry, dusty climate and dust on the sensor is a constant battle with me. That being said, I've never had to use a wet swab to clean it. I've been able to get the dust off in every case using just a dry brush and then using a filtered blow bulb to get the dust off the brush. Maybe because it is rarely humid I've never had to use the "wet squeegee" brush to remove dust. Well, it is humid in winter but it doesn't so much swing from dry to wet so it doesn't really "set" the dust on the sensor very firmly. At least that's my theory.
Have a great trip!
I clean my lens front elements with a dry microfiber cloth - not eyeglass cleaning cloth, but one with actual microfiber pile (I live in Canada and find Norwex cloths to be the best). This is a much more effective cleaner of glass (or any other shiny surface, ex. chrome) than any sort of chemical cleaner.
Using a proper sensor cleaning swab. I had an old Sony a5100 sensor where light cleaning didn't remove all dust particles. Didnt care so gave it a good clean with pressure and it cleaned it up. YMMV but I've found the outer sensor coating a lot more resilient than you might expect
that was so helpful! thank you ❤
I'm so glad!
Great as Always
One thing about modern digital photo sensors: they are really robust. The filter on top of the sensor is pretty much the same as your typical UV screw filter as used on a lens. The Challenge is to clean it without anything left, not to not damage it.
However: unlike a lens front element the protecting sensor filter is one of the more expensive repairs to be performed on a camera. So dont force it.
I hope you're right about this. The main IL camera brands are Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus?, Panasonic and Sony (am I missing any?). I'm curious how you know that all these brands deal with that filter atop the sensor in the same way...that they are all, in fact really robust. Like I said, I hope you're right!!!
Hello Sir Good Day. Your videos are very helpful to us beginners. Sir may i ask if this sensor cleaning procedure can removed fungus. Thank you. More power
I’d recommend a professional tackle that.
@@simon_dentremont thank you sir. I was able to removed the fungus using the swab sensor cleaner aps-c luckely the fungus was on the front surface of the sensor.