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BrushOFF User Review
Brush-off Review
This article was retrieved from:
With digital SLRs becoming increasingly popular, more photographers are discovering the problems that dust on the sensor can cause. Several solutions for removing this dust are available, ranging from home-made swabs to a full clean by the manufacturer. In this review Gary Wolstenholme takes a look at a product which promises to provide a long term answer to many photographers' sensor cleaning woes.
What is it?
Sheathed in white plastic with a red cap at either end, is the conductive
brush which removes dust from your sensor by neutralising the static charge
which holds it there. The bristles are made of a shiny, metallic-looking
substance which looks scarily like wire, but is soft to the touch and
will not damage the sensor. For storage, these bristles can be retracted
into the body of the brush, and a soft rubber cap is provided to keep
out any dirt or grime.
In use
Cleaning is performed in a few simple steps. The first thing you need
to do is lock open your camera's shutter ready for cleaning. Each manufacturer
has their own way of preparing their cameras for cleaning. On the Nikon
D200 I used for the test, I simply needed to select the 'Mirror-lockup'
option from the settings menu. If you're unsure, consult your camera manual
before cleaning. Using the bulb exposure mode to open the shutter is not
recommended as you are in danger of damaging the shutter if it closes
whilst cleaning, and cleaning will not be as effective, as static charge
will build-up on your sensor attracting more dust. Once you have done
this, simply lock the lever on the side of the brush forward to expose
the bristles.
When inserting the brush into the the camera, care needs to be taken
to avoid touching any moving parts or the baffles inside the mirror chamber.
These surfaces can have grease on them which could smear your sensor during
cleaning. If any grease does get on the brush, Photographic Solutions
recommend using a Pec-Pad lens tissue and a
drop of Eclipse cleaning fluid
to remove any residue from the bristles.
Cleaning is performed by pressing the brush inside the chamber so that
it spreads out against the anti-aliasing filter on your cameras sensor.
Once the brush has been gently dabbed against the sensor a couple of times,
carefully remove it from the chamber taking care not to touch any greasy
parts of the camera.
And that's it, once these steps have been completed, switch your camera out of cleaning mode and you are ready to shoot. I found the cleaning process to be so quick and simple, that I have been carrying the Brush-off in my bag so that I can clean my sensor if dust becomes a problem when out-and-about. I couldn't ever see myself doing that with swabs and fluid.
Over time, the effectiveness of the Brush-off will diminish as static
build up from the sensor is transferred to the conductive bristles. To
resolve this a crocodile clip on a length of wire is provided to earth
the brush, neutralising the static build-up. Simply connect the clip to
an earthed metal object, or even to yourself if you are not wearing rubber-soled
shoes.
Effectiveness
Before
After
The shots above were taken before and after cleaning with the Brush-off and are the whole frame. Although my camera's sensor wasn't the dirtiest, there were still some large dust particles that may cause problems with plain areas of colour when shooting at small apertures. Cleaning once with Brush-off has removed all of the large particles, leaving only a couple of tiny spots which are not visible in the resized version above. Overall I am very impressed by its effectiveness.
Price
Brush-off sells for a recommended retail price of £42.95, which
sounds like a lot, but when that is compared to Nikon service centre's
£21.60 charge, excluding postage, for a single sensor clean you
can see how this will work out to be good value in the long-run.
Verdict
As a photographer who uses prime lenses for the majority of my work,
I know the problems dust can cause all too well. Since receiving a Brush-off
to review, I have cleaned my camera's sensor around two times a week
because I find the cleaning process so quick and simple, it takes the
worry out of the whole process.
On the negative side there's the chance of smearing grease on your sensor, although it's avoidable if you are careful, may put some people off this product. for those who are worried, it may be worth keeping a bottle of Eclipse fluid and a Pec-Pad handy, just to clean the bristles every once in a while.
In summary, the positive points of the Brush-off are:
Cleaning process is quick and simple
Very effective
Reusable
The negative points are:
Chance that camera lubricant way become smeared on the sensor by the
bristles. This is avoidable, so long as you are careful.
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Climax
Digital
Professional Digital Graphics Supplies
1674 Highway 11-W
Bristol, TN 37620
(800) 444-0977
Warehouse: (423) 323-9349
Fax: (423) 323-5906
Daily UPS Shipments.
Easy Online Ordering.
All orders will be charged actual UPS freight.
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