Customer Reviews

Sensor Swab Type 2 (Box of 12)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

PROS: rocket blowers will remove light dust, but when you've got gunk you'll eventually need to use a sensor swab. Researched 3 other different swabs,much cheaper than Eclipes, but Eclipes was outright the best. Highly recommended but expensive slr cameras..
CONS: EXPENSIVE, EXPENSIVE, EXPENSIVE!!! You can only use the swabs once, but i've used one twice cause they're just to darn expensive.

I have been having a hard time convincing myself to clean my sensor and I finally did it. I tried it for on my Nikon D300 when I noticed some dust on the sensor....after one swipe I got rid of the dust that boosted my confidence. I went to check my other body Nikon D200 and there was also some dust on it....I honestly found it to be a bit expensive to use a new swab so I just tried to reuse the swab and got my D200 sensor cleaned as well.....I guess this thing can be reused at your own risk...what's the risk? well just getting more dust but then again you can always use a new one if this happens....so I guess you may opt to reuse and if it doesn't get the job done get a fresh swab and swipe it!

I purchased these from my local camera store for over $48. I had some dust and did the blower thing. I was able to remove the dust with the blower but it added a small hair that would not blow off. I purchased these and after the first attempt I was able to remove the small hair. Actually I think it was a micro metal shaving. The problem is I ended up with small light spots. I had to swipe three times to remove them.

Soooo.... It took me 4 swipes total. This could get real expensive if it has to be done more than a couple times a year. I plan on purchasing some pec-pads to attach to the wipes so that I can get serveral uses.

BTW you need the eclipse fluid as well.

All in all I succeesed but would go with some other aplicator and pec pads if I had to purchase all over again.

I purchased the Sensor Swabs for my Canon 5D (I am posting this review across all sizes of the sensor swab to share the review).

Have a look at the image I posted in the amazon image gallery for this item. I used the swab to remove some dust spots from my sensor. On the left side of the picture, if you look closely you can see that the sensor left a liquid-looking residue all the way down the image, covering fully the leftmost 15% of the sensor/image.

This is *much* worse than the original dust that I had intended to remove. To try and fix the problem, I opened up another sensor swab and tried to re-clean the sensor, to no avail. I ended up having to take my camera to a professional shop and pay $65 to have the sensor professionally cleaned.

Lest you think I did something wrong, I thoroughly reviewed the Sensor Swab website and am certain that I picked out the correct swab for my particular camera -- and then I followed the directions precisely.

So, using the sensor swab to try and save some money ended up costing me two sensor swabs (you know what they cost) plus $65 for the professional cleaning. I would steer clear.

The only thing I have found that actually *removes* dust rather than blowing it around the mirror box just to settle back on the sensor. Find a clean place to work. Take a deep breath, follow the instructions, don't over-wet the pad. Don't press too hard, however the handle should be flexing a little while you're squeegeeing the glass covering the sensor. Use another pad if the first one doesn't do it. Yes they're not cheap, but compared to a new sensor or camera it's a bargain.

I use this together with a spec grabber from Kinetronics. Usually if one or two dust specs settle on the surface after you make a pass - you can pick them up with a spec grabber. Don't waste the swabs to do that - they are for the stuck-on gunk.

Used pads can be re-cycled (with caution! - keep them clean) to clean less sensitive areas like the mirror. If you absolutely must, you can reuse them on the sensor but (a) do not re-use the first one - it probably has all the dirt on it and you risk dragging that across the glass and potentially scratching it and (b) do not over-wet the second time, since it likely still has some fluid on it: eclipse evaporates quickly, but you don't want actual droplets on the surface.

Regarding other reviews that claim it leaves the sensor dirtier - it can happen if you are cleaning for the first time and are not pressing it firmly against the surface. There really are only two tricks: (1) applying the right amount of fluid (enough to soften the gunk, not too much to leave droplets) and to do it in just two motions, edge to edge and back. If you lift in the middle (even one side), you will leave streaks or dirt. It can also happen if you're working in a dusty environment. After owning my camera for two years and cleaning it for the first time I had to use 5 (!) pads. That was through a combination of beginner's errors and a very dirty sensor glass that has never been cleaned.

I bought the swabs 4-pack version, available from another vendor on Amazon.com but identical to this product, to clean up my full frame sensor (Canon 1Ds Mark II). I have cleaned the sensor a number of times, usually with the same company's PecPads and Eclipse fluid, using the Copperhill wand to apply them (google that name since no web link is allowed). The big problem with this product is that the wand is much too weak and bends too easily to apply any significant pressure to wipe the sensor clean. This is possibly done to avoid undue pressure, but it does not get the job done.

Additionally, there was so much fluid on the swab that cleaning my sensor with FOUR swabs still left a large amount of residue on the sensor upon evaporation. This could have been oily/salty gunk left over the last 2-3 months of use (I often shoot near the beach), but you'd think four applications would completely eliminate the dirt. The excess fluid left behind by my successive applications simply moved the oily residue from front of the passing swab to behind it. I finally was able to clean the sensor with 5 applications of the PecPads/Copperhill wand softened with 1-2 drops of cleaning fluid.

Sorry, but this product is not worth the unreasonable asking price!

The problem is streaking. The swabs leave streaks of residue on my sensor (a Nikon D3), which is in my opinion worse than the spots that are removed. It's not difficult to fix spotting on images, but the streaks are a larger problem. The streaks are not always evident, but they are very noticeable in images having light sky, and if you do any HDR work the problem is magnified quite a bit. My advice - have a professional clean the sensor from time to time, and in between just use a blower to take care of the obvious loose particles.

This product left more debris after swabbing the sensor than I had prior to cleaning it! If you like to spend a lot of money for a product that does not deliver, this is for you.

I got these swabs (type 2) for my Sony A55 and put them to test with Eclipse cleaner for the sensor. These are good quality products. However, cleaning the sensor turned out to be a bit more difficult than I thought it would be. Five swabs later, I finally achieved an acceptable level of cleaning (tested via taking picture of a bright area at f/22 and wide angle). Initial attempts took care of old stuff but appeared to introduce new ones (mostly tiny specks flying around inside the house). At least there is a way to get what the camera's in-built sensor cleaning system won't get.

I purchased these Swabs after reading many reviews. I really didn't feel like sending my camera in to have the sensor cleaned. I purchased the Swabs and some cleaner and did it myself. It took the use of several swabs but the problem was the stuborn oil stain on the sensor and not the swabs. I purchased more swabs to have on hand. Worked great for me and I highly reccommend to the anyone with a DSLR.