Image Sensor Cleaning

I am conservative about sensor cleaning because I have seen too many unfortunate results with aggressive methods.

In order of my preferences:

- Don't clean unless it is really needed.  If you are shooting at maximum lens sharpness which is typically f/8-f/10, and you can't see any dust, probably best to leave it alone.  If you shoot a white field at f/22, and then go 'pixel peeping' for dust, you were surely find something - even on a brand new camera.

- If you do need to clean, start with the gentlest methods.  Blowing canned air on the sensor while being careful not to spray liquid on the sensor is a good start.  I use a Sno-Gun which blows CO2 ice crystals at the sensor.  The crystals do a good job of knocking off dust particles and then evaporating without a residue.

- Once you start physically touching the sensor, you will always leave something behind.  The only questing is if you are net better off.  If you can see the dust by shining a bright light on the sensor, you can work at removing dust that doesn't want to come off.  This is much easier if you have the sensor out of the camera.

- I will sometimes use the smallest artist paint brush that you can find.  I degrease the bristles with solvent.  Then I blow air onto the tip to remove dust and charge the bristles.  Then you can very gently remove dust particles.

- I watched a Leica video (which they have since removed) where they were manufacturing cameras.  They were using those small adhesive pickup sticks to remove dust.  They can work OK, but you also have to be careful about them getting contaminated with oils.  The goal is to just lightly touch the dust.

- Clean room swabs can be OK except they always leave particles behind.  If use them, I first use sticking tape to remove particles off the swab.   Again gentle use followed by air blasts.  A little humidity on the sensor can help.

- I really don't like wet cleaning.  They always leave something behind even with 99.999% lab grade solvents. Oils from the shutter, metal parts, etc, can be left on the sensor if you aren't really careful.  At that point, I would rather just take the camera apart so I can get to the sensor better.

At my shop, I also have tools like a vacuum plasma chamber, Class 100 clean bench, various solvents including lab grade 99.999% pure, different gases, ionized nitrogen, etc.  Even with all that, getting glass really clean is difficult.