Keeping Things Clean - The Ultimate Guide to Camera Cleaning & Maintenance

by McBain Camera | Thursday, May 30, 2024

Giving your camera and lenses a once-over before and after every shoot is a great way to ensure the best possible image quality out of your gear, while also prolonging their usable lifetime. Here are a few quick tips to cleaning your lenses, camera body and image sensor!

You’ll need:

Lens Blower
3x microfibre cleaning cloths
Lens Brush
Lens Cleaning Solution (Alcohol-Free)
Isopropyl Alcohol
Sensor Cleaning Kit
Cotton Swabs (optional)

Lenses:

Step 1: Remove the front and rear caps from the lens. Using the blower, dislodge any large, loose motes of dust from the glass elements.
Step 2: Use the lens brush in gentle, circular motions to remove any errant pieces of dust still stuck to the lens.
Step 3: Moisten a microfibre cloth with a small amount of lens cleaning solution. Wipe away smudges and fingerprints in gentle, circular motions.
Step 4: Using a separate cloth and a small amount of isopropyl alcohol, wipe away and smudges or residue on the lens’ barrel.
Step 5: Give everything a final once-over with the air blower before replacing the caps and repeating the process for every lens in your bag.

Camera Body:

Step 1: Place the body cap over the lens mount to prevent any dust adhering itself to the sensor (sensor cleanings covered below).
Step 2: Using a warm, very gently moistened microfibre cloth, wipe away any smears, residue or dirt away from the camera’s grip and body. Take care when wiping the rubber grip as to not leave any lint behind.
Step 3: Use the air blower in the card slot, battery compartment and ports to dislodge any dust. If the contacts for any of these are dirty, use a foam-tipped swab coated in a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to clean the contacts.
Step 4: Using the same cloth and small amount of lens solution as you did on the lens elements, wipe the display and viewfinder. Optionally use a cotton swab coated in lens solution to better get into the nooks and crannies of the viewfinder.

Image Sensor:

Step 1: Determine your camera’s sensor size and ensure that you have the appropriate size of sensor swabs (1.0x for Full Frame, 1.6x for APS-C, 1.3x for Micro-4/3). Ensure that your battery is fully charged.
Step 2: Since the camera is on, the sensor will be positively charged and will attract any dust motes in the air like a magnet. Ensure you are in a clean, dust free environment.
- Step 2a: For DSLR shooters, set the camera to manual cleaning mode (refer to the user manual to find this option for most models), or click the Live-View button to lock up the mirror and reveal the sensor.
- Step 2b: For mirrorless shooters, particularly those with in-body-image-stabilization (IBIS), ensure the camera is turned on to prevent the sensor moving around while cleaning.
Step 3: Holding the camera upside down so the LCD screen is facing the ceiling, use the air blower to blow air into the camera onto the sensor. Keeping the camera inverted will have the loosened dust fall out of the camera instead of deeper into the inner workings. Be extremely careful NOT to touch the sensor with the tip of the blower. The best practice is not to put the tip of the blower inside the camera at all. DO NOT USE COMPRESSED AIR!
Step 4: Add two (or three drops max) of the included sensor-cleaning solution to the tip of the swab. Do not oversaturate the swab or you will leave streaks on the sensor. Less is definitely more in this case!
Step 5: Place the swab very gently onto one side of the sensor and with not too much force, gently move the swab across the sensor in one smooth motion. When you get to the other side, turn the swab over and repeat the process starting from the far side back to where you started. Again, do this in one smooth motion with no great force.
Step 6: If you see any dust remaining then you will need to repeat the process but it is important to use another clean new swab. Do not reuse a swab.

Intimidated?