PSA: I stopped using compressed air for sensor cleaning and switched to a bulb blower

For years I used those little cans of compressed air to blow dust off camera sensors. It worked fine until I had a can spit out some liquid on a Nikon D750 sensor back in 2018. That was a mess to clean up and I lost half a day dealing with it. Now I just use a simple rubber bulb blower for the initial dust removal before any wet cleaning. I picked up a Giottos Rocket blower for about 12 bucks and it does the job without any risk. The big change for me was realizing the compressed air cans are just not worth the gamble on expensive gear. Anyone else switch away from canned air after a bad experience?

2 comments

2 Comments

terry117d ago

Yo @leoyoung I actually used to think canned air was totally fine until a buddy of mine had the same liquid spit thing happen on his Canon 5D. That was enough to make me switch over to a bulb blower like a year ago and I honestly feel dumb for waiting so long. The Rocket blower has plenty of force for me, I just gotta do a few quick puffs on the stubborn bits.

leoyoung17d ago

That "liquid spit" story is exactly why I ditched canned air too. I had a similar scare with a Sony A7III when the can got cold and started spraying propellant onto the mirror box. That stuff leaves a sticky residue that's a pain to clean. I switched to a Rocket blower and never looked back. I also keep a sensor cleaning kit with swabs and solution for the times when the blower isn't enough, but the blower handles 95% of the dust. Do you find the Rocket blower gets enough force to knock off the stubborn particles?