Ultimate Stocking Stuffer: Lenspen SensorKlear

When I first played with a SensorScope I thought it was a cool idea but for $200 I thought it was a lot of money for something I could do most of with a headlamp. You can get them for $80 or so without the rest of the kit now, but it's still a lot of money. Enter Lenspen, the creative folks who brought you the least expensive way to clean your sensor in the first place with the "black" Lenspen. They sell a great little kit including their SensorKlear Loupe plus a special articulated SensorKlear II cleaning pen for a measly $30 at Amazon... I bought one right away and was able to quickly clean the sensors on my three D-SLRs--which needed it after nearly a month on safari. I was even able to take advantage of the rubber eyepiece and cut-out to use the sensor pen on my D70 while looking through the loupe (unlike my newer cameras, my now Infrared D70 doesn't have a sensor lock up so I have to clean it the old way by setting it to Bulb). I don't think the light is quite as nice or as even as on the VisibleDust or Delkin products, but at 1/3 the price it is a real bargain. And since you hopefully aren't cleaning your sensor every day it is a good savings. The loupe actually comes with two full sets of batteries, which is nice as replacing those tiny specialty batteries is always a challenge.

For those who haven't used a loupe type device for cleaning your sensor it has a couple big advantages. First, you can see what you're doing. The Lenspen SensorKlear Loupe provides both 6x magnification and 4 LEDs to light up your sensor. Second you can work while you look. The Lenspen offering has a nice cut out so you can have their SensorKlear pen in and cleaning while you are still looking through the loupe. That's a huge benefit. Third and perhaps most importantly you can evaluate your success by eye instead of having to shoot a test frame and look at it on your computer. That one benefit alone is a huge time saver.

Since a camera store (or your camera company's own service department) will typically charge anywhere from $25 to $35 for cleaning your camera (to which you may need to add additional shipping costs) this handy little kit can pay for itself almost instantly. Note that even cameras with self-cleaning sensors like my D300 and D700 are not immune to dust on the sensor. In my case both of these needed some work after my most recent trip. And the longer you leave anything stuck to your sensor the harder it is to get off. So having the ability to do it yourself when you notice it is a big plus.

In addition to the kit you'll want to make sure you have a nice blower (like the Giotto Rocket Blaster) to remove any loose dust. Or you can buy the version of the Lenspen kit that includes a Rocket Blower, cleaning cloth, spare cleaning tips and a case for $45. The $30 kit then provides you with the cleaning pen for "dry" cleaning of your sensor and the loupe. I really prefer the "dry" cleaning method using either the original black Lenspen or the newer specially designed SensorKlear II because there isn't any risk of streaking the way there is with fluid-based cleaning systems. So if you know anyone with a Digital SLR camera who doesn't already have a good way to clean their sensor, one of these kits is definitely the perfect stocking stuffer!