Had a weird shutter issue at a wedding in Savannah that made me change my cleaning routine

I was second shooting a wedding last October when a Nikon D850 started giving erratic shutter speeds during the ceremony. The couple was under a huge oak tree, and I saw tiny bits of pollen dust inside the mirror box when I checked. I used a rocket blower, but it needed a proper swab with Eclipse fluid to really fix it. Now I pack sensor cleaning kits for every outdoor job, even if the camera seems fine. Do you guys have a go-to method for quick field cleaning when you're on site?

2 comments

2 Comments

caseyl183d ago

My old D750 had the same pollen problem at a Georgia beach wedding. I keep a LensPen sensor cleaning wand in my pocket now for quick wipes between locations. It's not as good as a full wet clean, but it gets the big stuff off the sensor in thirty seconds if I see spots in my test shots.

the_joseph3d ago

Savannah pollen is no joke, I mean it gets everywhere. I actually keep a small USB powered air purifier in my gear bag now. I set it up in the hotel room or dressing area where I'm prepping gear. It pulls a lot of dust out of the air before I even open a camera bag. It's not a direct clean but it cuts down on what settles in the first place. For me it's about stopping the problem before I have to fix it on the clock.