GH3 Cleaning In Preparation of Shoot

[Ianscreations]

Just curious if everyone cleans their gear before a shoot or only in the event that dust/debris is noticed on the lens/sensor?

I have started to clean the front of the lens before shoots, but nothing else.

That being said, what is the best make to make sure your sensor is clean? Short of a visual inspection, is there a method to check your image for noticeable debris?
Perhaps taking a still shot of a pure white background? If so, should you use a wide lens or a zoom lens? What picture settings?

Curious on what methods are the best to ensure optimized equipment.

 

[omnikron]

http://www.adorama.com/alc/0013666/...-Cleaning-Your-Digital-Camera-Sensor-Yourself

I use a lens pen and have had to slightly breathe onto the sensor and then I start cleaning right after the condensation disappears. Works great.

 

[Per Lichtman]

@ianscreation Shoot at the narrowest aperture you can into a colored background without over-exposing. A blue sky works well. This will let you notice issues on both the sensor and anything else you are using (lens, filter, etc.) as easily as possible.

If you shoot at a wide aperture, the debris is often not noticed. If you over-expose, the debris can get masked. If you severely under-expose, the debris can get maxed.

White and black backgrounds do not work well for these reasons. A gray card is workable in a pinch but a blue sky (but not clouds) is ideal when possible.

Other solid color backgrounds may work well.

 

[Bruce Foreman]

http://www.adorama.com/alc/0013666/...-Cleaning-Your-Digital-Camera-Sensor-Yourself

I use a lens pen and have had to slightly breathe onto the sensor and then I start cleaning right after the condensation disappears. Works great.

Exhaled breath carries contaminants you probably don't want deposited on the sensor (for a similar reason you don't want to use canned air either). A Giottos Rocket Blower will be far less risky, it it wont loosen and blow out dust you likely need to do a "wet" cleaning with proper sensor swabs and cleaning solution such as those marketed by Visible Dust.

Get even a tiny bit of saliva in between the OLPF layer and the actual sensor and you have an expensive repair bill on your hands.