About D200 Dust Removal

Digital single lens reflex camera sensor filters can be cleaned using simple tools.

Camera manufacturers often recommend against cleaning the sensor filters of a camera, such as the Nikon D200, by touching the filter. But photographers may find it necessary to do so, if they wish to remove dust affecting their photographs without returning the camera to the manufacturer or a service center.

Blower and Self-Cleaning

Many cameras have a built-in sensor cleaning function that vibrates the filter to dislodge dust. This is the first step to take if you have a camera equipped with that function. If your camera doesn't have a cleaning function, you can use a blower bulb -- a rubber bulb that you squeeze air from -- to blow dust off the filter. Using a blower has little benefit on cameras with a self-cleaning function.

Sensor Brush Cleaning

A sensor brush removes light dust held on a filter's surface by surface tension and static. It must be cleaned with compressed air or carbon dioxide or a powerful foot-operated air pump between each brush of the filter. Sensor brushes cannot remove dust that has become attached to the filter by moisture, such as condensation.

Sensor Swab Cleaning

Sensor swabs are plastic bladelike swabs that must be moistened with a cleaning solution and then used to wipe the surface of the filter. If the first attempt at cleaning the filter does not work, a swab can be saturated with more cleaning solution than usual and the filter wiped again. Following this, the filter should be wiped again with a less-damp sensor swab.

References

• Cleaning Sensors