Lens and Sensor Cleaning

I have a pre-shoot routine which includes charging batteries, clearing down memory cards, assembling any props or special equipment I need and making sure I have a copy of the shoot plan and the models contact details.   After examining the results of one shoot I think I need to add an additional step - check camera lens and body for dust and dirt.

The dust problems I experienced could have been worse, the shots can be fixed post-production, but it would be less time consuming to do the cleaning job up front.

Switching to the Canon 5D has seemed to make sensor dust more of an issue, for me.  There are a lot of other people reporting similar issues with the Canon but I would be charitable and attribute this mainly to the increase in sensor size.  I don't think its a big deal as sensor dust is easily dealt with using the right equipment and procedure.  The procedure is described in the canon manual, the dust blower I use for the process is a Rocket Blower, so called because of its distinctive "flash gordon" rocket shape.  The rocket blower is manufactured by Giottos and is available from most camera suppliers.

Giottos

For lens cleaning you need a fine brush to sweep away dust and hair particles combined with a solution to clean off finger-prints and grime which will eventually get on your lens with even careful handling.  The lenspen does quite a nice job of combining both needs in one gadget.

LENSPEN