Sensor cleaning on the Sony alpha NEX-7 - The best tips and tricks

Tips for cleaning the sensors of a Nex7
Tips for cleaning a NEX-7 sensor
Tips for cleaning the sensor of a Nex-7 (Photo: Amazon)

The amateur photographers certainly know the problem. You buy a brand new camera and after only a few uses or weeks a dust basket has got lost on the sensor. The consequences for me have been light spots with a blurred edge in the photo, which are particularly eye-catching when the sky is clear blue. In my case, the dust has safely got onto the sensor because I change my lenses more often (the cool wide angle can not always be used).

And no, you can't see the pollution with the naked eye ... I checked the sensor under my desk lamp, but didn't see anything conspicuous. And yet it was filthy. If you want to go hunting optically, you should come up with a LED Magnifier arm, because with this you have a real chance to see the culprit before you clean him off. Yes - so clean it up ... but how?!? At least that's what I thought to be the problem with mine Sony alpha NEX-7 also occurred.

After some research, testing and trying out, I have now found the solution to the riddle and I would also like to tell you what helped me. Since the NEX-7 has an integrated sensor cleaning, one would assume that this would be completely sufficient for such a small dust basket. Well, it wasn't that easy after all, even a bold blow on the sensor did not help. Instead, you should try the following tips to remove the annoying dust from your camera.

Cleaning the camera sensor with a blower

A great way to remove the dust is by using a blower like this Giotto's GTAA1900 Super Rocket Air-Blower (yeah, cool name... when you see that thing you'll know why "Rocket" is in the name!). With this you can deliver a puff of air to the sensor in a very targeted manner and without the typical humidity in your breath. For some reason, the description says that it should not be used to clean the APS-C sensors and therefore not for the NEX-7 system camera, but I was able to work well with it and nothing broke. And this is how you do it:

First remove the lens in the off position so that the sensor or the glass above is freely accessible to you. Then the Super-Rocket Air-Blower bellows are used. The housing opening should of course point downwards. But even after blowing several times, it can happen that dust particles still remain on the camera sensor.

The photo test - is there still dust on the sensor?

If you want to test whether there is still dust on the sensor, you can take test photos of a colored surface. For me the spots were in the upper right corner of the picture. For this reason I took the test photos so that I had a landscape at the bottom of the picture (so that the camera could focus a bit) and there was blue sky at the top of the picture.

By the way, you should start the test shots with the smallest aperture. For example, you start with the lowest f-number, then check whether the spots are still visible at f-stops eight to eleven and then continue. The reason for this is that with a small aperture (large f-number) the spots become clearer and you are more likely to discover them.

Sensor cleaning test photo with stains
Sensor cleaning test photo with two spots. A screenshot from Lightroom with the 100% view next to the overview image. You have to look closely to discover the spots.
Sensor cleaning test photo with two marked spots
Here is the same screenshot - but with small, elegant arrows that show the stains caused by the dusty sensor.

Another tip for cleaning: Pentax tool

If nothing works or the rocket bellows does not deliver the desired result, then I can also provide you with a so-called Pentax sensor cleaning set recommend - actually designated for DSLR cameras, but of course you can also use it to clean the sensor of system cameras. The sensor cleaning kit is a kind of sticky stamp. I know that sticky doesn't sound like "cleaning up" very much at first, but it has also helped me with severe cases when the dirt wasn't cleared by the bellows. A sticky stamp is now carefully pressed onto the soiled area and then cleaned with an adhesive strip. Don't worry: there won't be any glue residue or anything similar stuck to the sensor... I assume the magic word for the glue stamp is "adhesion" - i.e. sticking without glue (see Wikipedia). :)

And if all else fails? Sensor cleaning with a “damp cloth”!

The VisibleDust Sensorwabs for cleaning the camera sensor
VisibleDust Sensorwabs for cleaning the camera sensor (Photo: Amazon)

If all else fails and your camera's sensor just doesn't want to be cleaned, then "tough measures" have to be taken. By that I mean in detail a moisture cleaning with alcohol or methanol. In this context, I can also recommend the Sensor swabs or Pec pads and spatula. It is important that not every sensor of every camera tolerates this "treatment". So if you don't own a Sony alpha NEX-7, it's best to first find out on the Internet or from manufacturer or shop information whether you can use it to clean your camera sensor without any danger.

My cleaning pad recommendation

By the way, I'm ultimately with them VisibleDust sensor swabs stuck to clean the sensor on my Sony NEX-7. The swabs are water-based and solved the problem in no time. There was no more dust on the sensor, no streaks or streaks and I had no other problems with the product either. A clear recommendation to everyone who just can't get the annoying dust off the sensor.

Not a good idea: cleaning the sensor with a brush

If you think of a speck of dust first of all to simply sweep it away with a brush, I can only advise against it. In various forums there are some camera owners who have tried this and then unfortunately had to find out that even more dust landed on the sensor. Sometimes there were even reports about streaks that you could see in the pictures. So it is better not to experiment for a long time and use the professional tools that I presented to you above.

Good luck with the dust hunt and then “Happy Shooting” – as it says in one of my favorite podcasts. ;)

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2 comments on “Cleaning the sensor on the Sony alpha NEX-7 – The best tips and tricks”

  1. Nice review article. I also change the lenses often, but have not yet received any (previously visible) speck of dust on the sensor. Are you just unlucky or do you give yourself a little more time when changing lenses? You will already know that ideally you should hold the camera with the opening facing downwards or in the direction of the wind when no lens is attached.
    It always amazes me how often when people sell their cameras they post photos showing the camera without a lens or cap. The sensor is therefore exposed during the “photo shoot”. Maybe we should recommend your overview article to the buyers right away ;)

    1. Hi Andi! The dust safely got in with me because I installed the camera on my multicopter. This means that when the lens is changed, it lies with the plane on the ground and is level. If you then change the lens outside, it is only a matter of time before dust is blown into the housing by the wind. But your tip for the wind direction is good! Unfortunately, I can't just hold it down. ;-)

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