D-SLR Sensor Cleaning Brush for All DSLR Sensors

This German-manufactured brush may look like a typical paint brush, but in actuality is specially made to serve as a dust removal system for digital camera sensors. It's not cheap: at nearly thirty dollars, you're not going to purchase this on a whim. However, an unfortunate reality for DSLR's and mirrorless camera systems is the tendency for dust to collect on the sensor, creating those "blobs" of darkness on photos at certain focal lengths (dust specs don't always show at every focal length, even though the dust is on the sensor, not the lens; they may not show at all if you not shooting blue sky or consistent white backgrounds), and this means that, eventually, odds are you are going to need to remove the dust off the sensor. You can send your camera in to have this professionally done (and, truthfully, some circumstances may require this), but if you want to do it yourself, there are two routes: the so-called "wet" method, and the so-called "dry" method.The "wet" method makes use of a special liquid and a special type of pad (or sponge) where you wet the pad, then lightly drag it over the sensor to remove dust particles. It's a technique that requires practice, and, although you can do it yourself, it's not cheap, due to the cost of the pads (which are not reusable) and the liquid.Before going done the "wet" path, however, there are a few "dry" techniques that you can try. And this is where this special brush comes in.However, this brush--as contradictory as this will sound--is not made to "brush" dust off the sensor. To understand why this is not the case, you first have to understand why dust often appears on your sensor in the first place. Beyond the normal amount of dust swirling around most any setting, there is a small amount of electricity on the sensor (obviously, it is an electronic device), and any electric current can cause an electrostatic charge. Modern sensors are coated with anti-electrostatic compounds, and the self-clean function on modern cameras employ a high-frequency vibration with an anti-static electrical process to help dislodge dust. But it doesn't always work, and it doesn't always work completely. And that's where this "brush" comes in.Rather than using this brush to "brush" the dust off a sensor, you run air (optimally from a Giottos AA1910 Medium Rocket Air Blaster (6.6) or equivalent) through the bristles to build up a static charge on the bristles. After you have done this a few times sufficient to build up the charge, you very lightly draw the bristles over the camera's sensor so that the static charge on the bristles attracts the dust from off the sensor. You repeat this process as many times as you need to.In some cases, this may be all you need to remove dust from the sensor. If it isn't, you can move to a "wet" cleaning method. But if you are on a trip and not wishing to carry around wet cleaners, this dry method can be a great tool to have.So, in the end, it's actually not as expensive as it first seems. Particularly when you consider it is a German-made tool. Five stars.Note:A good compromise wet cleaning method for travel is Sensor Swab Plus Type 2 w/Eclipse (Pkg of 4). Make sure you order the correct size for your type of camera (1, 2, 3, or 4; the size "2" is good for many crop-sized sensors).

for keeping that sensor clean. A clean sensor makes a happy photographer.

Used this in combination with Giottos Rocket Air Blaster Air Blower, Large and had fine results, though it was a bit of a nervous situation.The end result is the test picture you see below, shot at F32 and straight into a bright light source. The camera before was a dusty mess. The end result is better but not perfect. As I tend to shoot a lot of outdoor and macro shots I'm not necessarily keen to fiddle endlessly to get to perfect when I'm just going to dust it up again.General Steps:* Blew off the sensor with the blower. This accomplished little on the sensor though it did clear up the lens nicely.* Charged the brush with the blower profusely and took one swipe at the sensor. This seemed to collect all the dust on one side.* Charged the brush again and took three more swipes at the sensor, trying to push the dust towards the bottom of the sensor where it's less noticeable* Closed it up and took another picture and ended up with the one attached. Good enough for now. This will be less of a nervous mess once I've done it a dozen times. For now though, the camera is officially not ruined!-- I paid full price for this item and I found it absolutely acceptable.

A bit pricey for a anti static brush that you need to clean/recharge after every use.

The time had finally come for me to attempt to clean my sensor. I have tried having it professionally done before, but with very poor results. You know what they say... If you want something done right, do it yourself. The only problem here is that it was my camera sensor. Look on the web and there are warnings all over about the risk of damaging the sensor. But, an unusable camera (due to dust) is unusable - so I decided it was time to actually try it. And it wasn't so bad.It was pretty nerve racking, but it was fairly easy.I used a staged approach and I bought all the stuff - the blower, the brush, and the swabs. I went through each method and it was just like you read in the other reviews. The blower took off some, the brush took off more, and the swab got all the rest.The brush worked out pretty well, but I still had to resort to the wet method to get the more stubborn specs. As long as the dust is not stuck on, it does a pretty good job. Just make sure to read the instructions and follow them.Overall, I'm giving five stars because the brush did exactly what I expected it to do. No complaints here.

Brush is fine. But, in the description and photos for the product it shows it coming in a plastic tube. Which would be great for protecting and storing the brush. However after two attempts I still have received the brush just in a plastic bag no tube. I even had a conversation with a return specialist that the tube was what I wanted and that is what me made that specific choice to purchase.