Transcript:Photowalking #2, Part I: cleaning the sensor

This transcript is from a PodTech.net podcast at:
http://www.podtech.net/home/technology/1413/photowalking-2-part-i-cleaning-the-sensor

Host - Editor
Guest - Thomas Hawk

Editor
So we're back with another addition of Photowalking, right?

Thomas Hawk
All right, yeah Photowalking.

Editor
And you're Thomas hawk?

Thomas Hawk
Yeah, I am Thomas Hawk.

Editor
And this is your truck?

Thomas Hawk
Yeah, this is yeah it takes too much gas.

Editor
So, what are we doing out in the truck? Because it doesn't look like a photographic kind of (Inaudible).

Thomas Hawk
No, its not really, yeah it's ...

Editor
Let me get over here somewhere in the sun.

Thomas Hawk
Yeah, the truck, I've got four kids so hence the truck. So, what I want to do before we shoot today is clean my sensor I thought people want might want to see what its like to clean a sensor, a lot of people are kind of nervous about it.

Editor
Okay.

Thomas Hawk
Don't want to do it, sort of there's a disclaimer, don't clean your sensor just because I tell you to and when you break it you don't fall but I clean my own myself I clean it at least once a week because I prime (Inaudible) I change them so much all the time.

Editor
We got a mic problem here.

Thomas Hawk
I do.

Editor
Yeah.

Thomas Hawk
Can we get a little bit more slack? Yeah, here we're getting louder and quieter there for a second.

Editor
Oh was it?

Thomas Hawk
Alright. That's probably a little bit better. Okay.

Editor
Yeah, so we start it again?

Thomas Hawk
No, well you could.

Editor
Okay, keep going, okay well.

Thomas Hawk
So, basically I clean my sensor about once a week, I have prime lenses which talking about last time so its fixed for going because I change them all the time and so dust gets in the sensor and that looks terrible in your photographs and you can clean some of it up in post processing with little tools in Photoshop but it's good to clean your sensor, a lot of people don't want to do it, they want to sent it back to the manufacturer and pay like 80 or 90 bucks but be without their camera but I find its usually pretty easy so I thought people might want to see sort of first hand do it at your own peril but so basically you just start with you, -- this is my, my 5D so I am going to put it on menu and first thing you got to do is you got to put it in sensored cleaning mode here.

Editor
Wish I can see the screen really.

Thomas Hawk
Can you see it now?

Editor
Not really.

Thomas Hawk
Well, you put it in sensor cleaning and so turn off the sensor when you are done here so okay, so now you hear a click, so its clicked, so now the sensor is open for cleaning and what we're going to do is take the lens off, so there is the - I am going to see the sensor in there.

Editor
Yeah.

Thomas Hawk
That's it, wide and exposed and we're going to take one of these little sensor swabs here.

Editor
We should explain we're in the parking lot at the -- in the happening bay pumpkin patch.
And we go shooting pumpkins.

Thomas Hawk
We are. Should be good, good light. So this is a sterile sensor swab so it's completely sterile there's no contaminants on it and this is methanol which -- I buy this stuff from BNH Photo but you can -- they won't ship it in the air because its highly inflammable, so basically you just take a couple of drops like this, put it on the swab, put the cap back on -- don't smoke while you do this.

Editor
Alright.

Thomas Hawk
Yeah, its methanol.

Editor
And it burns clean and then hot.

Thomas Hawk
Well it's a -- and it dries really fast which is why you want to use it for the sensor, so there is a sensor in there so I am just going to reach back in here and I am going to swab it one way, I am going to swab back the other way and... yup, there is a lot of dust on there, probably I don't know if you can see in macro mode or not, but there is a bit of dust in there. So that's that and now we put the lens back on and we will turn the camera off, shuts up and we are done.

Editor
Okay, all right. So, we're ready for the day's shooting.

Thomas Hawk
Ready for the day's shooting, so all we've got there.

Editor
Actually I have a gift for you before we get going.

Thomas Hawk
All right, okay. Do you like gifts?

Editor
Yes, CEO of Seagate gave me 8 gig flash drive.

Thomas Hawk
Oh, nice, okay. I like Seagate. So should we try to (Inaudible) with it tonight?

Editor
Oh, sure.

Thomas Hawk
It can work?

Editor
Yeah.

Thomas Hawk
I hope it works.

(Voice Overlaping)

Editor
It'd better work, they sponsored my show which I greatly appreciate and...

Thomas Hawk
Well it's not going to be a good thing if it doesn't work. Let's see here so... we got to get this open. I think I need a knife, hold on.