SensorSwab ULTRA

I rarely leave reviews, but I felt compelled to share my experience. First off, these swabs are definitely pricey—currently over $3 per swab, which seems steep. But here’s the thing: they work, and they work exceptionally well, especially when used with Aeroclipse. I had some very stubborn spots on my sensor that a blower and even a carbon sensor tool couldn’t budge. These swabs, however, handled them with ease. Yes, they are expensive, but considering the cost of sending a camera out for sensor cleaning and the downtime involved, it’s worth it. Regarding streaking, I did notice some, but the trick is to use more fluid—about 10 drops. If you do see streaks, they can be easily cleared with a LensPen SensorKlear. In short, while the price is high, these swabs offer a reliable, effective solution that saves both time and hassle for the working pro or avid amateur.

I noticed that my sensor had a lot of dust on it when I shot some images using f/22 - f/45 (long telephoto images). I spent a great amount of time on PhotoShop removing the dust images from my shots. It was actually quicker to clean the sensor than to edit the images. I was uncomfortable to clean the sensor but after doing some reading I learned that the sensor as a protective coating and if you read the instructions for these products it's OK to clean the CMOS chip. You must read the information and do everything suggested. If you put the swab down on a table it's "dirty" and cannot be used. You should not use any other cleaner than those recommended. You must clean the mirror box and outside of the camera before working with the sensor. If you have dust in the mirror box, it's just going to get into the camera... This swab is the right size for my Canon EOS 5D Mark II. It took a couple wipes to get all the dust off the sensor, but it left the CMOS chip perfectly clean, and solved my problem of dust on the sensor. It took a few tries to get everything. I just cleaned, made a couple exposures at f/45, checked them, re-cleaned, until it was done. There are some dumb examples of cleaning on the web - for example there's this one guy that is in a desert, opening his camera and cleaning it from the back of his truck... That did not impress me - I'd rather be in a closed environment with no dust floating around. Another guy used the swab to scour the sensor - he literally rubbed dozens of times - that did not seem like a good idea either... This swab must be used with some form of cleaner - I used Eclipse. This cleaner evaporates very fast and does a good job of cleaning.

My image sensor (Nikon D700) got cleaned with two swabs. The most common complaint about these swabs is that they are too expensive. Well, as long as my sensor gets cleaned, they are well worth the money. Professional photography has never been known to be an inexpensive hobby. And to be fair, I imagine they probably don't cost a lot of money to manufacture in mass production, but the fact of the matter is there simply aren't that many users of the products, so they most likely have to make them in smaller batches, which cost more money and they have to make a profit beyond their business overhead to stay in the business. The resellers do not move so many of them in a month, so unless they can make enough profits on them, they probably would not want to keep them in stock. So if we don't pay enough to keep them in business, they may not be there when we need them next time, in which case we would be left with only two choices: Send the camera to the original manufacturer for cleaning or buy a new camera. Trust me, either one of these two options would make the swabs look soooo cheap!!!! And you have to do without a camera for a while if you send it back to the manufacturer. Buying a new camera won't make the problem go away either. I just purchased the new Nikon D800 less than a year ago and the spots have been appearing already after about 12,000 shots. According to some bloggers on the web, they say the manufacturers are oiling the camera bodies too much, that's why the spots are showing even in the new cameras. I don't know enough about camera construction to confirm their theory, but there seems to be no way of escaping it.

As described

I had a significant spot on my sensor. Sony A6000. As this is a "mirrorless" camera, the sensor is out in the open whenever you change lenses. I got some sort of spot on the sensor. It wasn't dust and none of the touchless methods would get rid of it. Skip to the end. These somewhat expensive swabs eventually did the trick. One important thing to watch for that caused me to waste the first swab. They seem to have "ears" of a sort on the working edge of the swab. That seemed to prevent proper contact in the center of the sensor where you needed it most. I used the inside of the sterile envelope the swab came in to press those ears outward and give a more flat look to the working edge. Finally on the third swab I got the hang of it and got rid of my spot. Used "Eclipse" cleaning fluid on the swab. The instructions state "use a few drops". To get rid of my very persistent spot I had to use more than several. Say 10-12 drops to really get it wet. That removed the spot but left a sheen to the sensor. Used my 4th swab with only 4 or so drops and that removed the residue. All in all it worked so I'm happy. Just watch the "ears" and watch for a residue if you use a lot of cleaner like I did.

item is as described, was delivered on time. I would buy from this seller again.

I have 2 FF mirroless Nikon and can't afford to miss pictures because I want to 'save', this is ridiculous. I need to clean myself because this service does not exist for miles around. Sometimes need 2 for 1 cleaning, do not try to reuse, that is a mistake. Anyway, they work great for me and always buy the same quality brand.

If your camera sensor cleaning system can't shake the dust off, or the dust can't be removed using a Rocket Blower, as was my case, these work well...as advertised. Sure they cost between $3 and $4 apiece and look as though they cost more than the sum of the parts, but remember, these swabs were put together in a clean room and are constructed from materials that are safe for cleaning camera sensors. My experience with them, and the cleaning fluid that I purchased, was excellent. It sure beats sending your camera off to the manufacture for two weeks or more to have your sensor cleaned. Just FYI, cleaning my sensor took all of 15 minutes from start to finish and took care of an abundance of dust bunnies and other grime stuck to my sensor UV filter...the glass filter that covers the sensor in most cameras. I did have to use 3 swabs, but my sensor was very dirty, and it was my first time. Even so, it cost less than $10 to clean the sensor, and I had the use of my camera immediately afterwards. Was it worth it to me? Yes. Will I continue to use the swabs and cleaning fluid? Yes. Hope this helps.

I was somewhat nervous about cleaning the sensor on my Sony A7R. However I needn't have been. Using the Type 3 Sensor Swabs with a few drops of Eclipse Sensor Cleaning Fluid (both manufactured by Photosol.com) was really very easy and sorted out the problem in one go. The instructions on the box are easy to follow and there's a couple of useful videos on the manufacturers website which show how to undertake the task of cleaning as well as rather reassuringly guaranteeing the safety of the sensor when using the product. The only negative is the high price of both the swabs and the fluid But then again, it all works out much cheaper than sending the camera off to have it professionally cleaned. All in all an effective though rather expensive product.

Buenísimos, caros pero valen la pena. Tenía unos de otra marca de 16 mm y dejaban un espacio sin limpiar en el sensor de mi Fujifilm x-T50. Estos son un poquito más grandes (17 mm) y son perfectos en tamaño y calidad.

Expensive but does the job.

L'ho usato per pulire il mio sensore. Con un paio di questi e il liquido, con due di questi ho pulito il sensore perfettamente. Operazione da fare con attenzione, magari documentandosi su internet. Il tipo di sporco che ho eliminato in foto non si vedeva. Con i video RAW invece c'era un "pelo" visibilissimo oltre che qualche macchiolina che sono spariti dopo la pulizia. Prima di fare il passaggio ho anche usato una pompetta ad aria e una spazzolina per il sensore di quelle finissime che passate vicinissime quasi senza toccare il sensore attraggono la polvere. In internet ci sono molti modi e spiegazioni-

c'est hors de prix, mais quand j'essaye des produits moins chers, ils ne sont pas aussi efficaces. ça reste cher tout de même !