Photo Plus - UK (2019-12)

The Canon Magazine 97

SENSOR CLEANERS

£109/$125 http://www.visibledust.com

£38/$37 http://www.visibledust.com

£25/$35 http://www.cameraclean.co.uk £12/$12 http://www.cameraclean.co.uk

well, but the brush doesn’t hold

onto particles as reliably as the

SpeckGrabber, and this cleaner

can’t tackle oily marks. It all makes

the high price very hard to justify.

It’s a pity there are only enough

swabs and fluid for four cleans

though, and a dozen swabs will set

you back £35/$35, which seems

like a lot for such basic items.

smears will remain, requiring a wet

clean to achieve perfect results.

You’ll also need a separate loupe

to see what you’re doing, or it

becomes a ‘press and hope’ affair.

expect it to deal with more

stubborn grime and stains. It does

however make for a perfect pairing

with a swab-based wet cleaning tool

like the VisibleDust SwabLight Kit.

THE ARCTIC Butterfly 724

Super Bright is an electric brush

designed to pull dust away from

your sensor with static charge.

The brush’s bristles are attached

to a rotating shaft driven by a pair

of AAA batteries. 10 seconds of

spinning prior to cleaning causes

a force that ejects dust from the

brush, and, with the help of the

fibres’ nano-coating, recharges

the bristles’ static attraction.

Then you drag the brush across

your sensor to pick up bits.

A pair of LED’s light your way

• ideal as you don’t want the
  bristles to contact any areas of
  your camera directly surrounding
  the sensor, due to the risk of
  debris or mirror lubricant being
  dragged onto the sensor.
  As for cleaning performance,
  loose dust is picked up pretty

THERE ISN’T much here; four

swabs; a 1.15ml phial of cleaning

liquid; and the SwabLight. This is

a tiny torch that slots on to the

top end of a swab and shines

downward, so wherever you

clean, the light follows. Plus, the

SwabLight’s grippy casing is

easier to hold than a spindly

handle. A proper loupe would

give a better view, and though

VisibleDust has its Quasar Plus

Sensor Loupe, this isn’t cheap.

You can spec the kit with one

of three formulations of cleaning

solution, designed to shift water

or oil-based stains, or a mixture

of both. We went for the

multi-purpose fluid – called

VDust Plus – applied to super-

soft Orange Vswabs that are

available to suit full-frame or

APS-C sensors. The result: a

flawless clean with no streaks, no

stains, and no dust left behind.

THE DUST-AID Platinum will

easily slip into a kit bag and

comes with its own travel case.

The device consists of a wand

with a silicone pad on the end,

measuring roughly 10x15mm,

plus six adhesive cleaning strips.

Press the pad onto one of the

cleaning strips to remove any

contaminants, then dab it onto

your sensor to pick up loose dirt

and debris. Dust-Aid claims the

Platinum can be used on all

sensors including coated sensors

and on cameras with a self-

cleaning sensor mechanism. No

residue is left on the sensor, but

you can get a sticky outline if you

rock or twist the pad while it’s

touching the sensor – this can

only be removed with a wet clean.

The Platinum is better at

removing spots than a basic

blower, but tougher marks and

OFTEN the most dirt that ever

reaches a sensor are a few

specks of dust, making a full wet

clean a bit much. For a touch-up,

the SpeckGrabber is ideal.

This is a plastic stick with a

2mm-square soft pad on the end.

It works like the Dust-Aid

Platinum, but instead of pressing

the pad against a portion of the

sensor, you dab on each particle

you want to remove. Two cleaning

wipes are included so you can

ensure the grabber is spotless

before use, although Kinetronics

maintains it can also be cleaned

with soap and water. We weren’t

expecting much for a device so

basic, but the SpeckGrabber

works. Particles stick to the tip,

and it doesn’t leave any residue!

The SpeckGrabber provides

much better dust removal than a

similarly-priced blower, just don’t

VisibleDust Arctic Butterfly

724 Super Bright

VisibleDust EZ SwabLight Kit

Dust-Aid Platinum Kinetronics SpeckGrabber Pro

VERDICT

PROS: An innovative design that’s

easy and fun to use

CONS: Premium price, yet will only

clean dry debris; no loupe included

WE SAY: A novel concept, but you

pay a lot for limited versatility

VERDICT

PROS: Amazing cleaning that will

shift almost any contaminants;

CONS: High price per clean; extras

aren’t cheap; no loupe included

WE SAY: A top little kit with all the

cleaning performance you need

VERDICT

PROS: Compact and cost-effective;

good at removing loose dirt and dust

CONS: Prone to leaving a sticky

outline if you’re not careful

WE SAY: It works, but there are

better and more versatile options

VERDICT

PROS: Great at removing individual

dust particles; small and cheap

CONS: Not suitable for heavy-duty

cleaning; you’ll also need a loupe

WE SAY: A great tool that performs

better than its price suggests