Does any Canon/Nikon Digital SLR camera user/owner (or DSLR of any other make but without "supersonice wave filter" feature to clean/remove dust on sensor like what is available on Olympus DSLRs) out there have experience bringing your camera to clean the CMOS/CCD sensor at manufacturer service center in Thailand? How much does the service cost? How long do you have to leave the camera at the service center, and how frequent does cleaning become necessary in normal use in Thailand?

Does any Canon/Nikon Digital SLR camera user/owner (or DSLR of any other make but without "supersonice wave filter" feature to clean/remove dust on sensor like what is available on Olympus DSLRs) out there have experience bringing your camera to clean the CMOS/CCD sensor at manufacturer service center in Thailand?  How much does the service cost?  How long do you have to leave the camera at the service center, and how frequent does cleaning become necessary in normal use in Thailand?

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DIY is best

Does any Canon/Nikon Digital SLR camera user/owner (or DSLR of any other make but without "supersonice wave filter" feature to clean/remove dust on sensor like what is available on Olympus DSLRs) out there have experience bringing your camera to clean the CMOS/CCD sensor at manufacturer service center in Thailand?  How much does the service cost?  How long do you have to leave the camera at the service center, and how frequent does cleaning become necessary in normal use in Thailand?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

DIY is best

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NOT recommended.

From what I asked at the shop, they say that you should just bring the camera over to the service center (for Canon, it's on Sathorn road). They'll do it for free while you wait.

My experience is that DIY is by far the best method. Both my visits to service centres with my aging D60 have resulted in the muck being moved around and little else.

Try here:-

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_p...cid=7-6460-7296

or

http://www.ultimateslr.com/clean-image-sensor.php

This site;-

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/

always has lively discussions on sensor cleaning, worth a look for general photography tips too.

To answer the frequency question, it depends how often you change lenses, I've been cleaning with a puffer every week(when I clean my lenses), but real cleaning only every 6 months or so and then only when dust becomes apparent.

To check for dust, photograph a uniform sky at minimum aperture (biggest f number) use manual focus and set minimum focus distance (you want it blurred), load into Photoshop (or similar) and do an 'auto-levels'. Any dust particles will be obvious, remember that the image on the sensor is inverted when you re looking for that stubborn rock.