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Nikon Dust Removal

When you look at your digital pictures you may notice small black spots appearing in the same place on each of your pictures. These spots are from small amounts of dust that have landed on your Nikon camera's sensor. They are most apparent when shooting with a smaller aperture and against a light background like a blue sky or snow. With a little caution and some preparation you can clean your digital sensor at home.

Things You'll Need

Digital sensor cleaning swabs or digital sensor cleaning brush

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare a work area. You want to work in a well lit area that is ideally free of dust and as clean as possible. You should also select a room where there are no fans or open windows that may blow the dust around.
- 2
  Arrange your cleaning tools. Only use brushes or swabs that were designed for cleaning camera sensors. There are a number of different products on the market from single-use swabs to small brushes with a built-in motor that spins the tip to release the dust when the brush has been removed from the camera. Whichever you select keep them in their packaging or case until you need them.
- 3
  Turn your Nikon on and remove the lens from the digital single-lens reflex camera. Press the "Menu" button on the back of the camera and toggle to "Sensor Cleaning," change the value to "On" and close the screen.
- 4
  Press the shutter release and the mirror will move up and the shutter will open and stay open giving you access to the digital sensor.
- 5
  Carefully use the swab or brush to clean the sensor. Start in the top-left corner and slowly sweep across small sections of the sensor. Repeat this until the entire sensor has been cleaned. Lift the swab out when you are done and press the shutter release button to close the shutter.
- 6
  Reattach the lens right away. Press the "Menu" button and change the setting for "Sensor Cleaning" to "Off" and either clean the brush or throw away the single-use swab.

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