[clevermax]

How often do you guys clean the sensor?
What method(s) is/are adopted for this?

I have never cleaned the sensor yet, my camera is almost one year now. I often take an F/22 shot of a white wall or something and analyze the image to spot sensor dust. recently I could see few, 3 of them being slightly bigger ones. I am still not cleaning them as I can always patch them out in PS when I do the PP.

I have a cleaning kit consisting of a rocket blower, a brush, a booklet of cleaning fibre papers, two cotton cleaning cloths few buds and the cleaning liquid in an atomiser.

For cleaning the sensor, is it advisable to make physical contact with the sensor or just try the blower method first? Any claening liquid can be used if there are stubborn dust?

In my camera, the sensor is automatically shaken violently(!) everytime it is switched off, in order to avoid dust accumulation. The cleaning mode works if there is more than 50% battery power. The shutter goes all the way up and stays until camera is switched off.

Your views on this please...

[Samurai]

I have never cleaned the sensor of my 3+ year old E-500, same goes for 1+ year old E-3. One of the perks of owning Olympus E series.

[tsk1979]

If you are not fortunate enough to have Olys ground breaking sensor clean technology(the best of the lot), it will depend on your usage. If you change lenses often, expect a cleanup every 2 years in modern DSLRs.
Otherwise, you may never need a sensor clean for 3-4 years

I have an older DSLR and have to clean once a year atleast
I use nylon makeup brush + rocket blower.
Never had the courage to do wet cleaning, though I have Pure Ethanol with me for the purpose.

@clevermax, I think you have a lens cleaning kit, and not a sensor cleaning kit. For that you need to have lint free pads + Pure Ethanol.
Unless you have really stubborn stains the blower will be good enought.
For slightly more stubborn stuff, use a nylon makeup brush(20rs or so),
Make sure its not powder coated brush. Wash it throughly till it leaves no residue.
Dry it.

Before cleaning sensor, blow air through the brush using rocket blower. This will statically charge the bristles.
After that just lightly brush the sensor.
Make sure you use a nylon brush, no the other ones.

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I have never cleaned the sensor of my 3+ year old E-500, same goes for 1+ year old E-3. One of the perks of owning Olympus E series.

Yes Yes. And i have changed lenses in very dusty environments (no sand storm though) without even bothering about dust.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

@clevermax, I think you have a lens cleaning kit, and not a sensor cleaning kit. For that you need to have lint free pads + Pure Ethanol.
Unless you have really stubborn stains the blower will be good enought.
For slightly more stubborn stuff, use a nylon makeup brush(20rs or so),
Make sure its not powder coated brush. Wash it throughly till it leaves no residue.
Dry it.
Before cleaning sensor, blow air through the brush using rocket blower. This will statically charge the bristles.
After that just lightly brush the sensor.
Make sure you use a nylon brush, no the other ones.

Thanks tsk, that was informative.
I have lint free pads but I am sure the cleaning spray which I've got it not pure ethanol, yes it is a lens cleaning kit. Got to buy a nylon makeup brush.

Well, blowing very humid air (Kerala, that too seaside) to the bristles won't statically charge it very well. :(

[abhijitaparadh]

Hi, I am in a dilemma regarding which lens to buy.
I want to buy a fast lens for indoor/portrait photography. Also, I want to buy a lens for macro photography.

Now, Canon EF-S 60mm macro satisfies both the needs but its f/2.8.
Where as Canon EF 50mm is cheap f/1.8. But 50mm f/1.8 doesnt have any macro capabilities, although its brilliant for its price.

My question is how much difference does f/1.8 and f/2.8 have in real world? I know its about 4 f-stops worth of difference. But will it really matter it I want to shoot indoors with indoor lights ? I am not going to shoot in very low light, but general indoor party lighting etc. Also most of the times I will be shooting handheld. And almost no sports/action photography.

EF-S 60mm macro fits my requirements perfectly, but just that its f/2.8 :( and about $200 costly. But I am OK spending that much if I get extra macro ability which I have missed previously while shooting flowers etc.

I dont have $$ to buy 2 separate dedicated lenses one for macro and other for indoor portraits.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by gd1418

You are a riot...

I'm thinking of letting go of my Nikon D80 and opt for a full frame. D3 or D3x is way beyond my pocket.. What to do??

Originally Posted by Samurai

You do D700, that's all.

D90 cant be called an upgrade since you already have D80.

Would love to see a DXXX series.

[janitha]

Originally Posted by abhijitaparadh

My question is how much difference does f/1.8 and f/2.8 have in real world? I know its about 4 f-stops worth of difference. But will it really matter it I want to shoot indoors with indoor lights ? I am not going to shoot in very low light, but general indoor party lighting etc. Also most of the times I will be shooting handheld. And almost no sports/action photography.

There is difference of only a bit more than one stop.

F-number - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[wanderhermit]

Originally Posted by abhijitaparadh

My question is how much difference does f/1.8 and f/2.8 have in real world?

I don't have $$ to buy 2 separate dedicated lenses one for macro and other for indoor portraits.

The difference is of one and a half stops. And in actual terms it means that when you can shoot at 1/60 with f1.8 lens you will have to shoot at 1/20 with f2.8 Macro lens. Suppose you are shooting in a party where people are moving around, it will translate into blurry pictures.

So it all depends on your shooting style. If you do not mind using a flash, it will actually mean no difference. But if you like low light shooting without using flash, the go for 1.8 lens.

Also as the macro lens is EF-s, you won't be able to use it on full-frame sensor camera in case you plan to upgrade in future.

So, if you like shooting parties with flash and do not plan to upgrade to a bigger sensor size camera soon, you should go in for Macro lens otherwise it is 50 mm for you.

And now adding to confusion after finishing it. I personally use 50 mm 1.4 lens. And I think this a 'must have', if you want shoot like a pro. I would recommend this lens as the first lens to buy after the kit lens.

It just opens up another world. Selective focus and shoting without flash starts here. The colors, saturation and the bokeh from this eight blade lens is awesome. Macros can come after this lens.

[abhijitaparadh]

Sorry. I messed the calculation about f-stops.
50mm f/1.4 is a great lens. No doubt. Great for action photography.

I have decided to go for macro. While fiddling with various lenses at BnH, I came across Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro. It retails for about $280. After checking online, it has got good reviews equivalent to canon 60 mm f/2.8 macro.

Anyone using it here?
Any comparison between the macro lenses by Sigma and Canon? Is Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro worth the extra $80 or so ? I dont plan to go FF in near future at least.

[maven]

Originally Posted by abhijitaparadh

....Anyone using it here?
Any comparison between the macro lenses by Sigma and Canon? Is Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro worth the extra $80 or so ? I dont plan to go FF in near future at least.

not the 60 but i use the macro 100mm canon and i can say it deserves to be amongst the canon L series.

Dont know if this is the right thread to ask but -

1. Which one between Hoya or B&W circular polarizer filters? For this, get a 77mm filter and use step up rings whilst using a 58mm lense...correct decision?

2. I was going through a site (of a prominent professional photographer) and he says CPL's are useless for landscapes. Uptill now i thought CPL would make sense for landscapes...no?
in which case Q1 would be redundant

[wanderhermit]

My obsevations are in bold.

Originally Posted by maven

not the 60 but i use the macro 100mm canon and i can say it deserves to be amongst the canon L series.

I second this. I too use this awesome lens. It defines sharpness. I have not used Sigma so cannot comment.

Dont know if this is the right thread to ask but -

1. Which one between Hoya or B&W circular polarizer filters? For this, get a 77mm filter and use step up rings whilst using a 58mm lense...correct decision?

I use hoya and it is very good. Regarding step-up rings, it ok as long as the filter is equal or bigger than the lens. One can even hand hold it. If you have many lenses, you can also go in for Cokin. It works across all formats. You can use it even with medium format lenses. I use it on my Canon system lenses and my nikkors.

2. I was going through a site (of a prominent professional photographer) and he says CPL's are useless for landscapes. Uptill now i thought CPL would make sense for landscapes...no?
in which case Q1 would be redundant
As per my understanding and use, CPL helps when you have polarised light. Application has nothing to do with it per say. I mean what will it do when you do not have any polarised light. It will only reduce one stop. It depends whether you want to shoot polarised light as is or with correction. In landscapes, it makes grass greener and sky bluer. And one small thing, if you use CPL to shoot rainbows, you will never be able to capture it as rainbow is also one form of polarised rays. I learnt it the hard way. Missed an awesome shot somewhere between Leh and Lamayaru. I wonder how CPL behaves with crepuscular rays?

[maven]

@wander: thanks for your inputs. i agree..the objective of a CPL would be to make objects stand out. i was also wondering how this website was adverse to usage of CPL filters.
would research Cokin, else its a Hoya HMC

[shajufx]

Could anyone give some ideas on the right position of lenses in the bag ? Presently I use Lowepro bag, my kit lens 18-55 is on the camera (placed resting on the lens partially) and the 55-200 in its pouch facing down (resting on the front portion, vertical position). Does it affect the lens mechanism by any chance ? Thanks.

[given2fly]

Stick to Cokin or B&W. They are much better than Hoya which is not worth much. As for application of it, you can read the following. Also check out Gradient Filters while shopping for the normal ones.

Polarizing Filters - Bob Atkins Photography

How To Use A Polarizing Filter

To shop, go to Adorama. They are one of the best and very good prices, always...

Originally Posted by maven

@wander: thanks for your inputs. i agree..the objective of a CPL would be to make objects stand out. i was also wondering how this website was adverse to usage of CPL filters.
would research Cokin, else its a Hoya HMC