Switched from canned air to a dedicated blower for sensor cleaning

I used to go through a can of compressed air every week blowing out mirror boxes and sensor cavities. Finally got a Giottos rocket blower about two years ago and it paid for itself in three months. No more worrying about propellant residue or condensation ruining a clean. I also stopped getting those weird sticky spots on low pass filters that I could never explain. Has anyone else had that issue with canned air leaving a film on things?

3 comments

3 Comments

robin5918d ago

Wait, you actually got sticky film on your sensor from canned air? I remember reading something on a photo forum a while back about someone who claimed the propellant in certain brands can leave a residue on the dust shield. They said it was basically a slow buildup that eventually looked like a weird smudge. I never had it myself cause I only used canned air for quick blasts, not like a full on weekly shower like you were doing. That Giottos blower is probably the best twenty bucks I ever spent though, totally agree on that part.

hill.margaret6d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah that "slow buildup" thing... I had a buddy who does commercial real estate photography and he swore by those big computer duster cans. He went through them like crazy for years until one day he noticed his images all had this weird hazy spot in the same corner. Took it to a repair shop and they said the propellant had basically baked onto the sensor cover over time. They had to replace the whole front element group apparently, cost him like four hundred bucks. He switched to a squeeze blower after that and never looked back.

amy_anderson9d ago

Wait, you were going through a whole can of compressed air every week? That's like what, forty bucks a month just to blow dust around? And you had sticky film problems the whole time and just assumed that was normal? Man, I've heard of people getting propellant residue from canned air before but never someone who apparently huffed their way through a case of it monthly. The Giottos is a no-brainer at that point, you probably could've bought three of them for what you were spending. That sticky filter thing sounds like a nightmare though, I'd be so paranoid about ruining a sensor.