Yes, I did, because I was forced to do so
.
Many of those that used to shoot a D600 know, what I am talking about. A dark moment of someone the Nikon engineering and development team blessed us with debris showing up regularly on the sensor. At that time I started researching and came across the Eyelead stamp. Although it felt really strange to push something on the sensor deliberately in the first place I made really positive experience, because notr only dry debris was successfully and completely removed but also the sticky micro drops spreaded by the shutter mechanism
. After getting rid of the D600 I only had very few occasions where I got debris on the sensor, but due to the experience I stayed with this method and never tried anything else.
That said, it might be important to mention, that I still have the first gel stick.
One of the reasons that e.g.
Nasim Mansurov has finally stopped trading these gel sticks is because lots of others copied the idea - which different level of success - and Amazon flooded the market with all sorts of derivates including dangerous fake products. So, if you decide to go this way today, make suere you get an original Eyelead product suiting your camera.
Another thing I discovered with these gel sticks is that the interior design of the cameras have changed quite a bit in the meantime. Until now I have used it on D600, D610, D7000, D7100, D7200, D750, D4s and D850. I used the gel stick successfully on all cameras apart from the two mentioned last. Reason for the problems encountered with the D4s and the D850 is that the space around the sensor seems to be slightly more tight compared to my older cameras, so that it tends to be more difficult to reach the extreme corners of the sensor.
Important to mention is that of course I use the stick only if it is inevitable because air blowing ist not enough.
That said, I agree to comments mentioned above regarding compressed air to a certain extent.
Using canned pressurized air that can be bought in electronics shops etc. is to be avoided under any circumstances !!! Reason is that there is a risk that you don't just get air blown onto your sensor but that you actually apply the liquid from the can directly to you sensor, which can result in damaging it either by additives included in the pressurized gas, or - and this is in my eyes the primary risk - you may cool your sensor down inhomogenously and extremely fast - a bit like shock frosting. Having a camera that you can carry right to Antarctica to shoot penguins does not mean the sensor survives shock frosting within seconds. I tried it once for cleaning the sensor of a cheaper camera years ago and I killed it !
On the other hand, if you have a portable compresssor with a proper filter system providing oil and particle free air, this can be used providing you are doing it with the necesaary care.
- The work should be executed in a clean environment not particularly prone to dust of any kind.
I usually do it in the bathroom with a piece of stable glass of an old window that I put over the bathtube in my bathroom to use it as a table for any kind of work that requires a reasonably dust-free environment. Before starting to work I run the shower with cold water for a while, because this supports lowering dust in the room's air.
- Beside the filter system mentioned before, the compressor also pressure regulation device that you should be able to get down as afar as 1 or 1.5 bar. With high pressure and getting too close you can damage the sensor mechanically. The advantage of using a compressor is not primarily the pressure, it is the more continuous air flow compared to the little bursts you can create with a normal blower, so that carrying the unwanted stuff out of the camera rather than just stirring it up.
- Then I put my camera on the tripod with ballhead with the mirror up, cover removed and and the lens connector hole facing down.
- I blow out the entire space including the sensor surface without putting the nozzle inside the camera and I do this by moving th nozzle along the edge of the opetnign so that you force the air in on one side and force it to got out on the other side.
One advantage of the higher pressure and the continuouos air flow you get from a compressor is that you don't have to get so close compared to a manual blower that usually has to go right into the camera to get sufficient air flow for removing stuff that just sticks a bit more.
I had to do it with my D850 just recemtly and it worked really well.
All this is done at home only. Trying to do it on the road usually makes things just worse, so no gel sticks in the backpack, only the little air blower. If worse comes to worst, I am away from home and this isn't enough I prefer to spend some time finding someone able and willing to help me with a protected spot and the equipment - or just live with the fact that I have to spend some extra time with post processing.
