Learning how to clean a camera lens and its camera sensor is an important skill, as it will preserve optical quality in your projects.
Before you learn how to clean a camera lens and its sensors, you should learn this first: you are not supposed to clean your camera lens on a regular basis. Why? Well, these optical devices are made up of small, sophisticated parts with coatings of different materials, which can be damaged with repeated physical interaction, especially during cleaning.
As time passes, the dust and dirt will eventually find a home in your gear due to exposure to the outer world. The stock innards of your camera and lens were shipped with will also attract dust within themselves, which in turn will introduce it to your camera lens. That is why you will have to clean both of them occasionally—not frequently.
Dust, smudges, and fingerprints can all land on your lens, which negatively impacts your shots. It is always hard to deal with dust; in fact, it is impossible to get rid of it. But it should be noted that a few specs of dust here and there on or inside your beloved lens will have no effect on image quality. If that was the case, we would literally be surrounded by dust all the time, and your camera lens won't be able to work.
Smudges and oily fingerprints are the real culprits, especially when they are on the rear end of your lens. So, learning how to clean a camera lens and the camera sensor to deal with both dust and smudges is essential, as it will help you avoid unwanted optical performance issues. First, to clean sensors:
1. Remove the camera lens from the camera body.
2. Set your camera body to cleaning mode for the sensor (some cameras don't have this feature, so skip this step for them).
3. Hold the camera body facing downward.
4. Use a small air blower to blow air on the sensor and let gravity do its thing to remove dust.
5. For stubborn dust particles, gently sweep with a sensor cleaning brush in one direction.
6. If still not cleaned properly, apply a small amount of sensor cleaning solution with a sensor swab and clean it with slow motions. Let it dry to check if it's clean.
How to clean camera sensors:
1. Grab rubber gloves, a microfiber cleaning cloth, a lens cleaning brush (with camel hair), and a lens-cleaning solution suitable for your lens (not acetone).
2. In a "dust-free room," use an air blower to remove any dust particles on the lens. Never blow your mouth air on the lens.
3. Apply the solution on the microfiber (never put solution directly on the lens) and start wiping in concentric circles. Avoid wiping from the center to the edge, as it will move debris to the edges of the lens.
4. Use a soft lens brush to sweep away all the remaining particles on the lens.
Tips to Take in Consideration:
1. Don't overclean your lens; it packs sensitive stuff. Overcleaning can hurt your beloved gear.
2. Never use tissue paper to clean your camera lens and sensors; it will definitely leave lint or scratch the surface, doing more harm than good.
3. The cleaning solution should be from the OEM or made by a third party especially for your camera lens type. Harsh or improper chemicals can damage the camera lens casing and its coatings. If you’re looking for a durable and high-quality cine lens that’s built to withstand frequent use, the SIRUI Night Walker S35 cine lens features next-generation aluminum alloy construction, offering both protection and professional-grade optical performance.
4. The most expensive part of a lens, which is always exposed to the external environment, is its front element. It can be protected by keeping it covered with a UV filter, which is inexpensive as compared to the lens itself and is a great way to at least protect the front of the lens from dust and other stuff.
Now you know how to clean camera lens and its sensor; the next thing to know is that once cleaned, how can you make sure that they remain clean for longer periods of time? Well, that can be done by using caps all the time, using your camera gear in a cleaner environment (not possible for outdoor shoots though), trying to use clean hands when using your camera and its lens, not opening the lens unnecessarily, and keeping the gear in protective bags.