#photography nerditry:
Excessive dust on the sensor is a sure way to degrade an otherwise good photograph, and cleaning sensors is annoying and time consuming. So prevention is definitely the best cure here. My main camera system exposes the sensor whenever I change lenses, and so I’ve carry (and use) two things whenever I shoot outdoors
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The first is a HEPA-filter equipped blower bulb. I use the Orbit bulb, which I got from B&H for about $25. Any time the sensor is exposed or I change lenses, the last thing I do before closing up the camera is blow off every surface. It’s become an automatic habit.
The second is a small, thin, waterproof ultralight picnic blanket/ground cloth, which I put down to give me a clean surface on which to set lenses, etc. Weighs almost nothing. I have the “Odoland” brand from Amazon, about $10.
Some cameras have an auto vibrate function that shakes dust off the sensor when you power the camera on or off. My main camera doesn’t have that, but I’d definitely enable it if it did.
Anyway, these habits are simple enough, and have saved me a lot of post-processing and sensor cleaning hassle.
