There are few things more frustrating in photography than having taken the perfect picture, only to discover a little speck of dirt on your lens created a huge blotch in the middle of your image. Fear not: You have options. Some of them are even affordable.
Instructions
Cleaning the Camera
1. If you're looking through the viewfinder of your Canon DSLR and you see dirt, you should clean your camera as soon as you can. With luck, it could just be that there is grime on your viewfinder--the small part on the back of your camera you look through to see your subject.
Your finger and a damp cloth should clean your viewfinder nicely, though even this step isn't essential --- if the only dirt on your camera is on your viewfinder, it will not affect your image. If you aren't sure where your dirt is, check your images for dark, blotchy spots. If you see any, it's probably not just your viewfinder that's dirty, and you'll need to use a more expensive option.
2. Due to the risk of scratching or otherwise ruining the lens and/or the sensor, all but the confident expert is better off bringing his camera to a qualified technician. Standard camera cleaning will most likely cost at least $50.
If an inexperienced user scratches even the smallest part of a lens during cleaning, it will be forever unusable, and you may have voided the warranty.
3. If you are determined clean your lenses, buy and use a lens-cleaning cloth and a special lens-cleaning solution--available as a point-of-purchase buy at almost any camera store, and about $5 to $10 each--to wipe down all glass surfaces on your lens and its filters.
4. Take another test image. If you still see dirt or grime and are determined to clean your equipment, there's only one option left. Sensor Swabs are most likely available at the same camera store you bought the lens-cleaning solution.
5. A 12-pack of Sensor Swabs costs between $30 and $50, while the cleaning solution specific to your camera sensor costs just under $10. Though Sensor Swabs come with a warranty protecting any damage from your lens, it is voided if you do not follow the provided instructions.
6. If the Sensor Swab instructions change and are different than those below, follow those directions instead.
Using Sensor Swabs
7. Set the dial of your Canon to M, AV, TV or P, then access the menu. Select the "Sensor Cleaning" option.
8. Remove your lens. (Press the half-circle-shaped button on the camera's body, right next to the lens. As you press this button down, twist the lens clockwise.)
9. Prepare the Sensor Swabs as instructed, without removing the rubber band or touching the swab to any surface.
10. Brush the swab against your camera sensor from one side to the other.
11. Flip over the swab and repeat, in the same direction.
Tags: Sensor Swabs, your camera, clean your, your lens, your viewfinder, camera sensor, camera store
