How to Clean Your Sony a6000 APS-C Sensor

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Have you noticed how easily your Sony a6000 and APS-C Sony camera sensor gets dirty even when you do not change lenses? It doesn’t matter how clean the environment is when you change lenses or even if you never change lenses dust still gets in. There are a few easy ways to to clean your camera. But for those stubborn dust spots that won’t go away you need use a APS-C Sensor Cleaning Kit. There are ton of kits out there I found that based on reviews the Alutra Photo Professional Cleaning Kit for DSLR cameras and APS-C Sensor Cameras (check out my review)was the best option for me. Today I wanted to share with you how to clean your Sony a6000 APS-C Sensor and other APS-C sensor cameras

How to Clean Your Sony a6000 APS-C Sensor

The APS-C sensor is a very sensitive device in your camera. It can easily be damaged. These tips worked for me. You should consult a certified technician before cleaning your own equipment. I am not liable if you damage your equipment or doesn’t work for you. 

• Only use tools that are designed to clean the sensor anything will damage your sensor.
• Do not touch it or use a cleaning cloth to clean the sensor. Using a cleaning cloth can scratch or leaving finger prints on the sensor.
• Do not use your mouth to blow dust off the sensors.
• Only use spray cleaner that this designed to clean the sensor. Do your research, there are several cleaners that say they work but they get bad reviews because they leave residue or haze on the sensors.

The Different Ways on How You Can Clean Your Sony a6000 APS-C Sensor

There a few things you can do to clean your APS-C sensor. They are listed from easiest to  hardest.

The first one is to use the cleaning mode on the camera. This feature is available on the Sony a6000 but on some of the earlier models it is not. To access cleaning mode press Menu > Setup > Cleaning Mode > Enter. Once completed, the camera will ask you to turn off the camera and turn it back on.

If that doesn’t work grab a rubber air blower. Before opening your camera (turn off the camera), make sure there isn’t dust on the body or around the mount. Once the outside is clean remove your lens (have the camera pointing down). Make sure to blow the mount side of the lens with air blower then install your lens cap. While the camera sensor is still pointing down take the blower and point and squeeze towards the sensor. Give it a couple of good squeezes. Then reinstall the lens and run cleaning mode again.

Once completed take some test shots of a white wall or a clear blue sky. Upload your images to your computer and take a look at them. If you still see dust spots, you need to clean the sensor or have it cleaned professionally.

What type of Rubber Air Blowers Do I Need?

As to the type of rubber air blowers on the market, there are a ton of them and they are not all created equally. The cheaper ones may have dust from the manufacturing process that can make the cleaning process worse. The only brand I recommend is the Giottos Rocket Air Blaster. Most professional photographers use this tool and while working for photography company it was the only blower they wanted us to use.

For those dust spots that just won’t go away you can use a APS-C Sensor cleaning kit. To help see those almost invisible dust spots you might want to get yourself a Sensor Cleaner Loupe. Here are a couple of options to look at Lenspen Sensor Klear Loupe Cleaning System, VisibleDust Mini Quasar Sensor Loupe 7x Magnifier, VisibleDust Quasar Plus Sensor Loupe 7x Magnifier Improved Focusing System, and Movo LCT7X SLR Sensor Loupe with Dust Illuminating Bright LED’s

These loupes are on my list to purchase. You only need one, pick the one that you think will work best for you.

The final step you can do is cleaning the APS-C sensor. Turn off your camera and grab your loupe or pin light. Next find a clean area that that is dust free or at least no floating dust near by. When ready, disconnect your lens and put your lens caps on.

Take your loupe and look for the spots. Once you locate the spot, grab your APS-C sensors cleaning kit. You will need the sensor solution and the cleaning swabs. Blow out any dust before starting the cleaning process. Open up the swab from its packaging and spray just a little bit on the sensor swab (both sides). Start at the top corner with the swab. In one slow and light motion sweep to the right. Flip the swab over and go the opposite direction.

If the swab is slightly smaller than the sensor, grab a second swab and spray it again. Then clean the sides and corners that the first swab missed. 

If you still have moisture on the sensor, use a new swab repeat the process until the moisture is gone.

• Do not reuse the swabs. The dirty ones can damage the sensor
• always us the air blower to blow out any loose dust. If you have loose dust and use the swab it will drag the dust across the sensor and damage it.
• Spray the solution on the swab and not the sensors.

Once completed check with the loupe again. If its dirty, clean it again. If looks clean put the camera back together and retest. If the sensor is still dirty you can clean it again or send it off to professional to clean. These are just a few ways I found How to Clean Your Sony a6000 APS-C Sensor. How about you? How do you clean yours:

Check out this video to see How to Clean Your Sony a6000 APS-C Sensor with cleaning swabs and solution.