Bazza, it wasnt overlooked and i did read your lengthy paragraph but there is a difference between following instructions and learning from example of a experience tog. Your post did help but i wouldnt trust my self to do that without hands on guidence as the last thing i want to do is ruin my cameras.

This thread is to see if the product i found was good enough to clean my sensor and there was any people who wouldnt buy for certain reasons, i havent asked no questions apart from that which has not already been covered. As black cloud has said i need to check if the fluid is compatible for my sensor, if i went and bought it because it had the same products which you recommended then i would have made to vital mistake of using the fluid which could ruin my camera. I have no idea what am searching for hence the reason for this thread.

and thanks azz for the thread

Just a quick experience of cleaning yesterday...

Used my illuminated loupe to look at the sensors of my D300 and D700. A few specks of dust and something stuck on like a little smear...How the hell did that get there? Answer...probably the blower brush I use. So decide to use my Arctic Butterfly SL700 (designed for crop sensors)...result, wosrse than before. It is clean, but somehow it seemed to move dust around and no signs of the static properties lifting off any dust... so...wet sensor clean.

Used the Eclipse E2 fluid (for Nikon tin oxide sensors - even though you are only wiping the anti aliasing filter in front) and Photographic Solutions swabs...type 2 for crop (D300) and type 3 for D700 (full frame). Hmmm...took several wipes, the residue of the fluid seems to evaporate and not a spotless sensor as dust seems to be back straight away but not bad at all. The wet swabs seems so much better...and as Bazza has pointed out, the illuminated loupe (mine is a LensPen) means you can see your sensor properly.

So, job done for a bit...no need to be bnervous about wet swabs but you do need to take care and think about it. Seems many people are too nervous.

There are some videos on You Tube if you aren't sure...

Very useful post BC - I really could do with some wet swabs myself - do you have links to the products you used for your D300?

xx

Hi Laura, the swabs are a ridiculous price but generally the cheapest on Ebay from proper photo shops. They are made by Photographic Solutions and are around £34 for 12 (aargh!!!). Complete rip off, they must cost about 10p each but what to do eh? However, once you have them, I think you can just buy 'Pec pads', elastic band them on and it's cheaper in future. The idea is just one wipe across and back and then throw them away! jeez...

The fluid you require is not just Eclipse, but E2... meant to be the proper solution for Nikon sensors... again a rip off, but that at least looks like it would last a couple of years. i don't have the links, but you will soon find them based on what i have posted.

One slightly interesting point. I was looking back at some pictures i took a while back for a club competition. I hadn't looked at them in detail. On a few frames there are a series of dust spots on the sensor. i never knew they were there. On later frames and subsequently they have gone! That must have been natural movement of the camera and the auto sensor clean on the D300!

HH

Looking after ones camera gear is just as important as taking photos. There is no way I would let anyone else (dare I say Moron) go near my D300 camera sensor, I have read some real horror stories on other sites.
There is so much hype about cleaning sensors which mainly is BS. If you can wipe your nose then you can clean wipe a sensor.

Bazza

Thanks BC I know I have at least one annoying smear that is apparent over about f8 - and I wish to get rid, so far the AB hasn't done the trick, nor the self cleaning sensor - so must go down route of wet cleaning *panic*

xx

Zounds
If you "wet"clean " you only need about a 1/4 of the size of a drop of water on the edge of the swab, in other words less is better. You can reuse the swab by cutting a bit of lint cloth put it on the swab blade and hold it on with an elastic band. You will be suprised how easy it is, just don't expect the first wipe to clear the offending smear it may take a couple of goes. Slow- steady-clean environment and if you can borrow a Loupe so much the better is the way to do it.

Bazza