New guy but old topic

[Donald Mackie]

New here and glad I found this site. I switched from my Cannon world to a Sony A7 iii a few months back. Migration has been relatively painless and I’m getting more comfortable/familiar with the camera with each passing day. My first question is an age-old but with a slight twist. 

I was on a pre-dawn shoot up in the mountains Saturday morning and in the cold and dark I managed to get a spattering of dust on my sensor. 97% of it came lose with the in camera cleaning mode and a slight squeeze of the Giotto. There is the usual one speck that’s not coming off unless I take another step. I have both the PhotoSol and VSGO cleaning swabs that I’ve used in the past and I’m certainly not afraid to use them, on the other hand I don’t like to use liquid unless my hand is completely forced.

Just wanted to pick your collective brains about what you’re using between easy off Giotto cleaning scenarios and the more invasive VSGO swabs cleaning. Success stories of something effective in between?

[Lescatalpas]

Arctic butterfly by visibledust. It's a static brush (the brush is motorized to rotate it before use. It gets a static charge that way) It's more powerful than a blower and it's still a dry operation. I have used it many times with success.  Make sure your sensor is blocked by switching off the in body stabilization. 

[Chrissie]

1 hour ago, Lescatalpas said:

I have used it many times with success.

I'll give that a try, since I'm suffering from dirt/dust issues a lot.

[OpenWater]

Good idea. I have used the Arctic Butterfly with success on other cameras, but haven't gotten (yet) any visible dust on my sensor. Thanks for the tip about switching off IBIS.

[tinplater]

I don't really understand the fear folks have about using a swab.  I've never had an issue removing stubborn spots.  If Donald has the swabs, use them!  (why have them otherwise).  I like the idea of swabbing over dusting with a brush anyway. (kind of like using a power wash instead of a broom to my mind!)

[Donald Mackie]

I thought the Artic Butterfly would be what most folks suggested. I’ve used one in the past but don’t currently have one. Tinplater: For me it’s not really so much a fear. No matter how you look at it the sensor (and frankly everything in and around the sensor) is pretty darn delicate. I’ll use my VSGO swabs but only when I’m out of choices. I’m not new to cleaning camera inners, just new to Sony Mirrorless. Just wanted to make sure

 

Thanks everyone!

[chardinej]

Agree that a special sensor brush should definitely be tried before swabbing. Cleaning the sensor is all about a graduated approach from less to more invasive. I would not hesitate to use Visible Dust swabs and their cleaning fluid if the need arose and as a last resort. Just follow their instructions and you will have a clean sensor. On the topic of brushes, I find the Visible Dust stand-alone brushes a bit firmer than the Arctic Butterfly and therefore more effective.

Edited February 10, 2019 by chardinej