Sensor Swab Ultra 17mm Type-2 Digital Imaging Sensor Cleaner Swabs for Cleaning APS-C Mirrored or Mirrorless Cameras. Sensor Dust & Oil Remover (Pack of 12)

I rarely leave reviews, but I felt compelled to share my experience. First off, these swabs are definitely pricey—currently over $3 per swab, which seems steep. But here’s the thing: they work, and they work exceptionally well, especially when used with Aeroclipse. I had some very stubborn spots on my sensor that a blower and even a carbon sensor tool couldn’t budge. These swabs, however, handled them with ease. Yes, they are expensive, but considering the cost of sending a camera out for sensor cleaning and the downtime involved, it’s worth it. Regarding streaking, I did notice some, but the trick is to use more fluid—about 10 drops. If you do see streaks, they can be easily cleared with a LensPen SensorKlear. In short, while the price is high, these swabs offer a reliable, effective solution that saves both time and hassle for the working pro or avid amateur.

I noticed that my sensor had a lot of dust on it when I shot some images using f/22 - f/45 (long telephoto images). I spent a great amount of time on PhotoShop removing the dust images from my shots. It was actually quicker to clean the sensor than to edit the images. I was uncomfortable to clean the sensor but after doing some reading I learned that the sensor as a protective coating and if you read the instructions for these products it's OK to clean the CMOS chip. You must read the information and do everything suggested. If you put the swab down on a table it's "dirty" and cannot be used. You should not use any other cleaner than those recommended. You must clean the mirror box and outside of the camera before working with the sensor. If you have dust in the mirror box, it's just going to get into the camera... This swab is the right size for my Canon EOS 5D Mark II. It took a couple wipes to get all the dust off the sensor, but it left the CMOS chip perfectly clean, and solved my problem of dust on the sensor. It took a few tries to get everything. I just cleaned, made a couple exposures at f/45, checked them, re-cleaned, until it was done. There are some dumb examples of cleaning on the web - for example there's this one guy that is in a desert, opening his camera and cleaning it from the back of his truck... That did not impress me - I'd rather be in a closed environment with no dust floating around. Another guy used the swab to scour the sensor - he literally rubbed dozens of times - that did not seem like a good idea either... This swab must be used with some form of cleaner - I used Eclipse. This cleaner evaporates very fast and does a good job of cleaning.

I've sent my camera bodies in to CPS (Canon Professional Services) for their "clean and check" service many times in the past. They do an OK job, but sometimes the cameras still come back with dust on the sensor. These seem overpriced for what they are, but so far I haven't found another option that beats it in terms of simplicity, effectiveness, efficiency (I can do it on the spot,) and doesn't require me to ship my camera somewhere. Follow the directions closely, and it's pretty simple. Don't fool yourself into thinking you can use the same one to clean a second camera, or make multiple passes on the same camera. More often than not, it just ends up smearing the junk it picked in previous passes.

These are essential for any digital photographer. They are great when using alongside the cleaning fluid they also sell. Just remember to move the swab one way against the sensor, then back the other way using the other side. Two motions, that's it. Use only once. Do not reuse.

First time ever doing a wet cleaning on any DSLR for me...I was quite scared but watched a bunch of videos and read the directions. Be sure to also buy the AEROCLIPSE Digital Sensor Cleaning Fluid (NOT the lens cleaning fluid) for use on the camera sensor. Before/After shots attached, to see the dust set the slowest aperture your lens allows (mine was f/22), focus manually to the farthest distance, zoom to maximum, put the camera close up pointed at an even light source like an all-white page of a computer monitor. This gives you the most even lighting on the sensor (out of focus, avoiding any lens/lighting imperfections and hilighting sensor-imperfections). Then use photoshop to boost the contrast by about 70% and brightness by 10-20% and that should be a worst-case for dust spot identification. Couple things...get a nice medium-bright flashlight to see down into the camera well. Also consider using only 1 side of several swabs, and "wet" both sides with drops until they appear to be "damp" about half way up the swab head. I couldn't get rid of streaks doing a swipe each direction like the box says in my first two tries...but I ultimately decided to try 2 fresh swabs doing only 1 direction pass and that did result in a streak free sensor in the flashlight and got rid of my bad dust spots.

At first glance these seem very expensive, however, if it takes two swabs like it did me it is only slightly over six bucks to clean the sensor. That is a far cry from what it costs to send a camera off and have it done. I suggest looking at the video on the Photographic Solutions web site for a good review on how to clean the sensor. It may take several attempts to get the procedure down but it is actually fairly easy to do. A note of caution, the swabs look clean after one use, however, I introduce particles onto the sensor after reusing one. And yes, the instructions say discard after use! The Photographic Solutions web site is also a good source for determining the Type 1,2,3 swab that you need for your camera. They have all brands of cameras listed.

My image sensor (Nikon D700) got cleaned with two swabs. The most common complaint about these swabs is that they are too expensive. Well, as long as my sensor gets cleaned, they are well worth the money. Professional photography has never been known to be an inexpensive hobby. And to be fair, I imagine they probably don't cost a lot of money to manufacture in mass production, but the fact of the matter is there simply aren't that many users of the products, so they most likely have to make them in smaller batches, which cost more money and they have to make a profit beyond their business overhead to stay in the business. The resellers do not move so many of them in a month, so unless they can make enough profits on them, they probably would not want to keep them in stock. So if we don't pay enough to keep them in business, they may not be there when we need them next time, in which case we would be left with only two choices: Send the camera to the original manufacturer for cleaning or buy a new camera. Trust me, either one of these two options would make the swabs look soooo cheap!!!! And you have to do without a camera for a while if you send it back to the manufacturer. Buying a new camera won't make the problem go away either. I just purchased the new Nikon D800 less than a year ago and the spots have been appearing already after about 12,000 shots. According to some bloggers on the web, they say the manufacturers are oiling the camera bodies too much, that's why the spots are showing even in the new cameras. I don't know enough about camera construction to confirm their theory, but there seems to be no way of escaping it.

As described.