Showerthought: Is it crazy to still use canned air over a compressor for sensor cleaning?

I used to swear by my little hand blower and canned air for cleaning mirror boxes on Nikons. Then about 2 years ago at a shop in Portland, an old timer showed me his regulated compressor setup and it felt like cheating. Now I'm torn because the compressor is faster but I swear I've gotten dust specs I never got before. Anyone else switch back and forth or am I overthinking this?

2 comments

2 Comments

gray_perez5211d ago

Man I gotta disagree with you on this one... I switched to a compressor about 4 years ago and never looked back. That old timer in Portland knew what he was talking about. Canned air leaves that bitter residue half the time and you end up just pushing dust around inside the mirror box. I use a little 3 gallon pancake compressor with a moisture trap and I get maybe one speck every 20 cleanings max. You probably just got a batch of wet air that day or didn't let the tank drain before using it.

karenhenderson11d agoProlific Poster

The 3 gallon pancake is exactly what I use too. But the key is that moisture trap - people skip that and then wonder why they get spots. I actually put a small inline filter right at the nozzle as well, just a little desiccant thing from a hardware store. Cuts down on any chance of moisture even on humid days. And you're right about letting the tank drain, I always crack the valve after each session and let it sit empty. Most people don't do that and end up with rusty water getting into their gear later.