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Sensor cleaners<br />
Dust-Aid<br />
Platinum &<br />
Dust-Wand Combo<br />
£47.50/$70<br />
www.cameraclean.co.uk<br />
Delkin<br />
SensorScope<br />
Travel Kit<br />
£80/$90<br />
www.delkindevices.com<br />
Kinetronics<br />
SpeckGrabber<br />
Pro<br />
£7.50/$7<br />
www.cameraclean.co.uk<br />
VisibleDust<br />
SwabLight Kit<br />
£38/$40<br />
www.visibledust.com<br />
The Dust-Aid Platinum slips<br />
easily into a kit bag and has its<br />
own compact travel case. It’s<br />
a simple device consisting of<br />
a wand with a silicone pad on<br />
the end measuring roughly<br />
10x15mm, plus six adhesive<br />
cleaning strips. Press the pad<br />
onto one of the cleaning strips to<br />
remove any contaminants, then<br />
dab your sensor to pick up loose<br />
dirt. No residue is left, but you<br />
can get a sticky outline if you<br />
rock or twist the pad while it’s<br />
in contact with the sensor.<br />
For stickier stains, there’s the<br />
Dust-Wand kit. This is a liquid<br />
and swab combo, but unlike<br />
most, you make your own swabs<br />
by wrapping a small cloth<br />
around a plastic handle. This can<br />
be a faff, but you do get 50 cloths<br />
and replacement packs don’t<br />
cost a fortune. What’s more, the<br />
bundled cleaning liquid doesn’t<br />
leave streaks. But with no loupe<br />
and all that folded cloth creating<br />
a relatively bulky swab, it’s not<br />
the easiest cleaning experience.<br />
Delkin’s kit is equipped to<br />
remove loose particles and<br />
more stubborn contaminants.<br />
The SensorBulb blower puffs<br />
dust away, albeit in the same<br />
uncontrolled manner as any<br />
blower, meaning dust can just<br />
be blown around the sensor,<br />
not necessarily off it.<br />
Should this happen, you can<br />
always switch to the included<br />
cleaning swabs and solution.<br />
You get 15 double-ended wands<br />
and a decent supply of streakfree<br />
fluid, but the results are<br />
mixed. The wands have a<br />
tendency to simply move some<br />
particles across the sensor,<br />
rather than picking them up.<br />
An LED loupe is included and<br />
shines brightly into the chamber,<br />
however we found the sensor<br />
surface to be slightly out of<br />
focus and there’s no focus<br />
adjustment. It doesn’t have a<br />
cutout, either, so you can’t clean<br />
with the loupe in place. A lens<br />
cloth and travel bag rounds off<br />
the cleaning collection.<br />
Often the only dirt that ever<br />
reaches your sensor is a few<br />
specks of dust, making a full-on<br />
wet clean overkill. For a quick<br />
touch-up, the SpeckGrabber<br />
is ideal. This is simply a plastic<br />
stick with a small 2mm-square<br />
soft pad on the end. It works like<br />
the Dust-Aid Platinum, but<br />
instead of pressing the pad<br />
against a large portion of the<br />
sensor, you dab precisely on<br />
each particle to remove it. Two<br />
cleaning wipes are included so<br />
you can ensure the grabber is<br />
spotless before use, although<br />
Kinetronics maintains it can be<br />
cleaned with soap and water.<br />
We weren’t expecting much<br />
for a device so basic and cheap,<br />
but the SpeckGrabber actually<br />
works. Particles stick effectively<br />
to the cleaning tip, and it doesn’t<br />
leave any residue on the sensor.<br />
The SpeckGrabber provides<br />
much better dust removal than<br />
a similarly-priced blower, just<br />
don’t expect it to deal with more<br />
stubborn grime and stains.<br />
There isn’t much to this kit; just<br />
four swabs, a tiny 1.15ml phial of<br />
cleaning liquid, and the<br />
SwabLight. This tiny torch slots<br />
onto a swab and shines down,<br />
so wherever you clean, the light<br />
follows. The SwabLight’s grippy<br />
casing is much easier to hold<br />
than a spindly swab handle. A<br />
proper magnifying loupe would<br />
give a better view, and though<br />
VisibleDust sells a Quasar Plus<br />
Sensor Loupe, this isn’t cheap.<br />
You can spec the kit with one<br />
of three formulations of cleaning<br />
solution, designed to shift water<br />
or oil-based stains, or a<br />
combination. We went for the<br />
multi-purpose fluid – VDust Plus<br />
– applied to super-soft Orange<br />
Vswabs that are available to suit<br />
full-frame or APS-C sensors.<br />
The result? A flawless clean with<br />
no streaks, no stains, and no<br />
dust left behind.<br />
It’s a pity there are only<br />
enough swabs and fluid for four<br />
cleans, and a dozen extra swabs<br />
will set you back around £/$35.<br />
VERDICT<br />
Pros: Compact, cost-effective and<br />
removes all types of dirt.<br />
Cons: Dust-Wands are a bit fiddly<br />
to make and use; no loupe<br />
We say: This kit gives a<br />
comprehensive clean at a fair price<br />
VERDICT<br />
Pros: Contains wet and dry<br />
cleaning tools, plus a loupe…<br />
Cons: …but none work particularly<br />
well and the kit isn’t cheap<br />
We say: Stacks up well on paper,<br />
but misses the mark in practice<br />
Overall Overall Overall<br />
VERDICT<br />
Pros: Great at removing individual<br />
dust particles; small and cheap<br />
Cons: Not suitable for heavy-duty<br />
cleaning; you’ll also need a loupe<br />
We say: A handy tool that performs<br />
better than its price suggests<br />
VERDICT<br />
Pros: Unrivalled performance;<br />
useful SwabLight illumination<br />
Cons: High price per clean; extra<br />
consumables aren’t cheap; no loupe<br />
We say It’s not perfect, but a stellar<br />
clean gives this kit the win<br />
Overall<br />
The Canon Magazine 105
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