Camera is a Canon20D. Been with me for a year an a half or so but what started out as a simple spec of dusk only visibile at f/22 now has turned into many spots.

Ideally I'd love to give it to Canon for fixing, but I can't have it away for 2-3 weeks so I'd need to fix it locally or do it myself.

Any experiences with the DIY methods? Recommendations?

TIA

I still don't trust myself in swapping it though it's probably the best solution. I have a few dots at very small aperatures.

You think your photos are bad, should look at some of the audi media photos, horrible spots at F11!

DIY with a couple brushes from a crafts/art store and a clean source of compressed air.

j/k

Probably will pick one up tomorrow after I see what RKA has to say. :D

Maybe it will in a day or two? It's below...in case it does start working. I found the link on fredmiranda. Just do a search under the canon gear forum for sensor cleaning, and you'll dig up a bunch of info.

The short version...go to an art supply store and pick up 2 Windsor and Newton Cotman 777 brushes. They have a flat end, and are about 1/2" wide. They are about $10 ea.

Wash the brushes thoroughly in soap and water to remove the stuff they put in brushes to keep them stiff prior to sale.

Shake them off and let them air dry for a day. Then brush them across a CLEAN clear lens filter a couple hundred times. You're doing this to determine if there is any leftover gunk in the bristles that needs to be washed out. If you do find some residue transferring to the glass filter, rewash the brushes, and repeat the steps above until you can brush it across the filter a couple hundred times and NOT pick up any residue on the glass.

When the brushes are ready, go to a camera shop and get a can of compressed air. They usually sell some filtered air that won't release any crap provided you keep the can upright in the next step.

Once the camera is in cleaning mode, press the shutter release to gain access to the sensor. If you can, keep the camera pointed down...preferably mounted on a tripod so it's stable. Grab a flashlight or something so you can see what you're doing. Blow some compressed air (2-3 seconds) over the brush (NOT on the sensor). The idea is you want to create a static charge on the brush. Then lightly run the brush over the sensor for one pass. The idea is the brush should act like a magnet and pull the dust off the sensor...so pressure is NOT needed here! Repeat with the compressed air to blow out any dust you've picked up on the brush, and refresh that static charge. Continue until you've swept the entire surface of the sensor.

The second brush should be used for cleaning around the insides of the camera when needed. Put some tape or something on this brush...as this will NEVER be used on the sensor. It may pick up oils and other things from other parts of the camera, and you don't want to transfer that to the sensor accidentally.

That's about it. Store the brushes in a manner where they will stay clean, straight, and dust free. Test the camera at f22 pointing at a bright blue sky. You may need to repeat the procedure if the sensor is particularly dirty. If you find that you've got a stuck piece of dirt that this method won't address, the next step is wet cleaning.

Wet cleaning (Use Eclipse cleaning fluid and Pec Pads designed for your sensor...most camera shops will sell this stuff). I keep the supplies handy, but have not yet had to use them. I don't want to resort to this unless the dry cleaning method absolutely will not work (so far that has not been the case). There are articles on the net that cover this method...if and when you need to resort to it.

To prevent dust accumulation on the sensor, avoid changing lenses in dusty environments, and do NOT leave the camera ON when you're changing lenses. I've found the sensor becomes a dust magnet if you leave the camera on and change lenses.<ul><li><a href="http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/How_to/a_Brush_Your_Sensor/a_Brush_Your_Sensor.html">http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/How_to/a_Brush_Your_Sensor/a_Brush_Your_Sensor.html</a</li></ul>

<center><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/nogarohiro/picwithdustsmall.jpg"></center><p>Dust looks like this in f/16 pic. Photoshop CS2 has a good repair tool but some pain.

I could not clean the dust perfectly with my hand blower and took my 5D to a QR center in Tokyo for cleaning presensor filter last week.
I read some photo magazines, watched and tried some EF lenses there while waiting for 30 minutes. They cleaned the filter perfectly without any payment.<ul><li><a href="http://cweb.canon.jp/e-support/repair/center-list.html#qr">link for Canon QR center: quick repair center in Japan</a></li></ul>

One in the LA area, and on in central NJ (Jamesburg). So for most this involves shipping the camera.

If you bought locally, most shops will probably do this for their customers, as it only takes a few minutes, and it really does give the customer another reason to come back for the next purchase. Ask if you bought locally.

I'm too chicken to swab my sensor also.

Why is everybody so timid about this? The sensor is covered with glass...you're just removing the dirt/dust from the glass. Unless you've been porting and polishing your camera with a bag of sand, you shouldn't run into any issues cleaning the sensor with the method I've detailed below.

The bottom line is the day WILL come when you'll do it yourself because you don't want to deal with the inconvenience of sending it to someone, or the cost associated with paying someone to do it. And when that day comes, and you sac up and do it, you'll look back and wonder why the hell you didn't just try it sooner.

my camera doesn't have a sensor.

=)

viva la film!

The bottom line is the day will come when you WILL own digital! :)

Kodak. We can read it now.<ul><li><a href="http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/professional/tib/tib4232.jhtml">http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/professional/tib/tib4232.jhtml</a</li></ul>

<ul><li><a href="http://xylocopal.exblog.jp/2925003/">http://xylocopal.exblog.jp/2925003/</a</li></ul>

basically you buy eclipse cleaning fluid and pec-pads and then fashion your own swab (i cut a supermarket rewards card to size). do it carefully the first time, but after that it takes 5 minutes and you're done. i've done it on 4 separate bodies over the years without any probs (D30, 10D, 1D MKII, 1Ds MKII).<ul><li><a href="http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/ccd_cleaning">http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/ccd_cleaning</a</li></ul>

<ul><li><a href="http://www.prime-junta.net/pont/How_to/a_Brush_Your_Sensor/a_Brush_Your_Sensor.html">http://www.prime-junta.net/pont/How_to/a_Brush_Your_Sensor/a_Brush_Your_Sensor.html</a</li></ul>

Some still remain but I dunno if I want to try the Copperhill method just yet.