A dirty camera sensor is a problem. Sensor cleaning with Kitamura [When and what]-Impress Watch

It's been about 3 years since I switched to the Sony "α7 III" camera. I've been using it both at work and in my personal life, and I'm satisfied with it.

That means "the sensor gets dirty". Although it is the fate of interchangeable lens cameras, the α7 III has a "full-size" sensor, and I feel that the sensor tends to collect "dirt" and "dust" compared to the cameras I have used so far. . After using it for a while, even the camera's built-in "sensor cleaning" (cleaning mode) function could not remove dust, and blowing air with a blower or the like had no effect.

Dust cannot be removed even with a blower

If the sensor still has dust on it, dust will become noticeable when the sky is inside the frame, or when a product photo is shot with a certain amount of focus. It's troublesome to erase with retouching... In addition to increasing the hassle of work, the motivation to use the camera outside of work will also decrease.

F5.6 (SIGMA 65mm F2 DG DN) before sensor cleaning. F8.0 (SIGMA 65mm F2 DG DN) before sensor cleaning

Basically, you can ask Sony service station to clean the sensor, or you can clean the sensor yourself at your own risk. It seems that there are products that do.

I'm very worried about my cleaning ability, so I'd like to ask a professional if possible. The price at Sony's service station is 3,300 yen once, which is a reasonable price for me personally. I would like to head to the station immediately, but Tokyo is only Akihabara. It's quite far from my home, about an hour one way.

Mailing (web application) is also possible, but it will cost an additional 2,200 yen, and you will not be able to use the camera for a while.

When I was in charge of editing the digital camera Watch, I was told that "the fastest way is to go to Kitamura." Kitamura has been appealing the speed of response such as same-day sensor cleaning, and it seems that it is also compatible with Sony.

You can maintain and clean your camera at Kitamura

When I looked into it, Kitamura's sensor cleaning is being deployed in more than 100 stores nationwide. Even in Shinjuku, which is relatively close to my home, there are multiple stores that accept it.

The cleaning price is 3,300 yen, which is the same as Sony, but no reservation is required. So I brought it to "Shinjuku Kitamura Photo Machine Shop".

Shinjuku Kitamura Photographic Store

"Shinjuku Kitamura Photographic Store" to open on July 3

Camera Kitamura expands same-day sensor cleaning to 230 stores in Japan

Fill in a simple repair request form and submit it to the person in charge of repair. When the person in charge checks the actual machine, he says, "It's pretty good." The repair time was about 40 minutes, so I decided to leave it to you. With momentum, we also added "Body exterior cleaning" (1,100 yen), and the total payment will be 4,400 yen.

A QR code is attached to the replacement number that is handed to you, and you can check whether the repair is complete by reading the QR code with your smartphone's camera. This queue management system uses Recruit's "Air Weight", and when I tried it, the cleaning was completed in less than 30 minutes.

At the store, we confirmed the completion of cleaning with the actual machine. It was said that it was not completely removed, but the dirt could not be confirmed visually. It seems that almost all the large dust that was checked before work has been removed.

Even when you actually take a picture, you can see that the dirt on the sensor has decreased considerably.

F5.6 (SIGMA 65mm F2 DG DN) After sensor cleaning F8.0 (SIGMA 65mm F2 DG DN) After sensor cleaning I used to do that, but now I can release the shutter without thinking. It's hard to tell when looking through the viewfinder, but when you look at the shots, even after cleaning, you can see a little dirt around F8, but compared to before, it's a huge difference.

Before sensor cleaning After sensor cleaning

Considering that I had wasted retouching work and stress for about a year, I honestly should have sent it for cleaning sooner, but anyway, the stress during shooting has decreased and I have the opportunity to take the camera out. also increased. Recommended for those who are concerned about the dirt on the sensor of the camera.