SLR Geek

Switching to digital sensors from film brought a lot of advantages. But, with that switch we picked up one big problem, contamination on the sensor. When using a film SLR contaminants like: dust or pollen would occasionally fall on the film. However, the contaminant would quickly move out of the picture when new film advanced with each photo taken.

With digital there is no such advantage. Any debris that falls on the sensor might just stick causing a spot to cover part of the sensor and hence our image. Since each sensor pixel is only about 6 microns wide and typical dust or dirt particles are 20 microns you can end up with a dark spot on your photo where the light was blocked by the contamination.

When I first saw an add for the FireFly I thought it was a myth or gimmick so I had to order one and try it for myself. I really don’t like cleaning a sensor as it’s possible to end up with more of a mess then you had in the first place.

I had been using a plain blower bulb and sticking it in as far as I dared to try and clean the sensor with mixed results and it’s not something I would recommend anymore. Also, I had heard horror stories of the wet method and dry contact methods causing either damage or contaminating the sensor even more.

First I tried my old blower bulb and took a sample photo at F/22. Then I used the FireFly system (see FireFly in use photo below).

My daughter using the FireFly to clean a Canon 40D sensor.

I was amazed at how the FireFly got all the contaminants off my sensor. Using a regular blower bulb I just seemed to either be blowing the dust around or not moving it at all. But the FireFly removed all the particles! It was at this point I decided to delve deeper into just how the FireFly works and I discovered 3 main areas of it’s design.

Sensor photo after using regular bulb blower, dust spec on bottom left of sensor remains.

Sensor photo after using FireFly dust spec is gone!

1. Using a 9-voltt battery the FireFly creates a corona discharge field which effectively ionizes air that passes through the upper chamber of the FireFly, this produces positive (+) and negative (-) air ions in the air. This effectively neutralizes static charges for both the contaminants and the surface of not just the sensor but the mirror box and shutter. This allows the dust, pollen and other particles to just fall out off the surfaces and then just be blow away down and out of the camera.

2. The blower bulb for the FireFly not only has a cap in place so no contaminants enter while not in use but also has an inline replaceable 20-micron filter that helps cut down on any re-contaimination by air introduced by the blower.

3. The very design of the FireFly means you can safely get the blower as close as possible to the sensor without ever touching it. This maximizes the clean ionized air flow to the surface of the sensor. In fact the nozzle is short enough that it’s not physically possible to touch the sensor with the end of the tip even with the FIreFly as far into the sensor shutter box area as possible. The upper part of the FireFly is so wide that it will not fit into this area. Someone put a lot of thought into this design to protect this most fragile area.

Use:

It’s very simple to use and my daughter got it right the first try.

1. Take a sample control photo first of a clean white object such as piece of white paper at F/22 with the focus at infinity. Make sure only the paper is showing in the photo.

2. Move your camera, tripod and FireFly into a controlled clean environment as free from contaminants as possible. Wipe down the outside of the camera with a lint free cleaning cloth to make sure all dust on the outside of the camera is removed.

3. Following the instructions remove the upper FireFly compartment cover and insert a new 9 volt battery. If the FireFly was not stored in a dust proof container carefully remove all dust using a lint free camera lens cleaning cloth.

4. Remove the protective cap from the FireFly blower and insert the male end onto the upper housing coupler.

5. Place your camera securely on a tripod and face the camera downwards so that any particles blown loose will tend to fall away from and out the camera.

6. Following the instructions in your camera operator manual remove lens or camera lens hole cover.

7. Set your camera for manual sensor cleaning mode. This will move the mirror into the upward position. Make sure you have a freshly charged battery when doing this as you don’t want the battery to fail and the mirror to fall back downwards onto the FireFly while it’s in use. This may damage your camera.

8. With the FireFly AWAY from the camera activate the ion system by pressing and holding the button making sure the function light illuminates and give the bulb several puffs of air. This will clear any contaminated air out of the system before putting it into your camera.

9. Carefully place the cleaning nozzle end up into the camera body and at each quadrant of the sensor give the bulb a couple of squeezes to blow any contaminants from that area.

10. Remove the FireFly and return the camera to normal operation using the cameras instructions.

11. Remount a lens and take a test photo as in step one.

12. Zoom in on the photos and switch back and forth between the pre-cleaning photo and post cleaning photo to see the results. The contaminants should be gone. If not carefully follow the steps above and re-clean the sensor. Store your FireFly in a dust proof bag or case.

If your sensor is very dirty and/or has not been cleaned in a long time then the FireFly may not get off all of the contaminants. In that case you may have to send your camera in and have it cleaned or use a more invasive method. Since it is so safe to use I find myself using it on a regular basis just to keep even the smaller particles off.

Conclusion: The FireFly is a non-contact safe and effective way to keep your sensor clean if used correctly and on a regular basis.