By: Thorsten Overgaard. July 12, 2026.
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Guide: How to clean a Leica camera sensor yourself
I did this video on how to clean your sensor yourself, and while I think I did a good job of it (because my sensors got clean), I apparently didn’t do a perfect job of it, as there is more to sensor cleaning. So here is an article to update and educate further
Many fear cleaning their sensors because they might damage them, and I personally almost always had the factory or a store do the cleaning. That is definitely a possibility – to leave it to others. Some stores and camera producers will do it as a free service; others will do it for a small fee.
Look at the sensor under good light (or use a flashlight) to see on the surface if it is clean. A clean sensor should look like a clean mirror or window.
Types of dirt and spots
If you look at your sensor and you see spots of different reflections, don’t worry. It is likely liquid drops that hit the sensor at some point and dried, and now may look like the surface is defective. Likely drops, and those too will be easy to get off.
But mostly it is dust particles that stick to the sensor due to the heat and static electricity that causes sensors to collect dust.
Dust looks like this. It can be removed in editing, in case you didn't discover it before you went photographing
If the sensor has actual scratches or corrosion of the protective layer of the glass (yes, it has one such), companies like Kolari Vision, an hour outside of New York, offer to replace the glass on the sensor. They service internationally via mail.
A Leica M9 Monochrom sensor with corrosion looks like this. Kolari Vision and other third party service facilities can replace the scratched or corroded cover glass so it's like new again.
How to check the camera sensor for dust
Go outside and photograph the sky at f/11 or f/16 and you can be sure you can see all dirt and dust on the sensor. The narrow angle of light from f/16 will make sure to show all the particles on the sensor. A wedding photographer commented on my video that he usually did that on any camera before he went photographing an entire wedding. Smart move.
I personally photograph mostly at f/0.95, and f/1.4 and f/2.0, and then you seldom see dust even if there is some on the sensor. I am very sloppy and relaxed about dust on my sensors, so I have the factory clean and adjust cameras every six months or so. I am sure they are horrified. But I never see any of it.
It’s easy and harmless to clean a camera sensor yourself
When you clean a camera sensor, you are not in fact touching the sensor itself. A sensor has one or two layers of 0.8 mm or thicker glass on top for protection (cover glass, IR filter and low-pass filter stack). Leica generally have very thin glass to avoid sensor reflection flare, which would be ghost images caused by reflections between the glass surfaces.*
A sensor should be clean of dust, dirt, oil, liquid residue and everything else. When you look at it, it should look like a nice clean window or mirror.
My preferred method is using a wet swap for cleaning my sensors. My recommendation would be the Photographic Solutions Eclipse ($30.00 on Amazon).
Using a duster or blower for sensor cleaning
Some people carry a duster with them, which is a way to simply blow away dust from the sensor. It’s low tech and easy, and maybe the dust blows out of the camera housing, or just to the side.
Not a big deal: New or old dust can stick back to the sensor anytime, coming from other places in the camera body, through the lens, or the most likely cause of dust: when you change the lens.
Giottos Rocket Blast is almost a sculpture to look at. They come in different sizes for home and travel. Around $22.00 on Amazon for a large model.
This can also be used to blow away dust from lenses and camera bodies.
Wet cleaning swab for sensor cleaning
Some use a blower first, then a swab. I must say I personally go straight to the swab. It is compact, easy to travel with, and it does the job.
Cleaning the sensor with a swab is easy. You apply a drop or two of liquid to the swab and swipe it over the sensor. If there is only a little dust and dirt, one swipe is enough. If more, do it several times and/or add more liquid.
Wet cleaning swab, as used in the video.
The liquid will vaporize fairly quickly, and then the sensor glass should look as new. If there is still residue from the liquid, take a new swab and apply a drop of liquid on it, and wipe it once – then wait for the liquid to vaporize and check that the sensor glass is clean.
Residue from the liquid looks a bit like dirty water drying on a window after cleaning. In the image, it will look like small wavy distortion, as if the photo is wrinkled, or simply look as what it is: looking through dirty glass. The first time you notice it in a photo, you wonder what it is.
The liquid I used in the video was not the right kind and didn’t vaporize that well. It should be high-purity methanol or isopropyl alcohol, and the one I got in the kit was definitely more like a smell-less, water-type liquid.
The recommended cleaning kit would be Photographic Solutions Eclipse ($30.00 on Amazon), which is almost pure, laboratory-grade methanol.
This is one of the best-known sensor cleaning fluids and is widely used by camera manufacturers and professional repair shops. The kit comes with 6 swabs and cleaning liquid.
Using a cleaning stick for sensor cleaning
For example, Leica in Wetzlar uses a Pentax O-ICK1 cleaning stick in the factory that you can buy on Amazon for $31.00.
It works in the way that dust and dirt stick to the cleaning stick and then you transfer it to Japanese paper (comes with the kit). It may sound a bit violent when you stick it to the sensor first and take it off. Don’t worry, I have seen and heard professionals use it, and the sensor can take quite a bit of violence without getting hurt.
Good question: Camera on or off before cleaning an IBIS sensor?
An IBIS sensor is an In-Body Image Stabilization sensor, which is designed to move slightly to adjust for body motion and camera shake during exposure.
Turn the camera OFF before wet-cleaning the sensor. When the camera is off, the IBIS system is de-energized. The sensor is no longer being actively stabilized by the electromagnets. Modern IBIS cameras, including the Leica SL2, Leica SL3, Sony α-series, Nikon Z, Canon R, and Panasonic Lumix S, etc., are designed so the sensor can be safely cleaned while powered off.
The sensor is supported by its suspension, and manufacturers and professional service centers routinely clean them this way.
Good question: How do I clean my Leica Q3 sensor
You don't clean a camera sensor on the Leica Q or Leica D-Lux 8 or any other camera with a fixed lens. In theory no dust should be able to enter the sensor, though it may happen in rare cases. You cannot get to the sensor yourself. Then the camera has to go back to the factory.
* = On some Leica models, like the Leica Q2 Monochrom, one can experience sensor reflection flare when taking photographs in the dark, where a stronger light source in the frame may reflect and cause a net-looking pattern in the image. It is not an error but may occur with any camera, and likely even more so in a monochrome sensor where there is no Bayer color filter.
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For my article about the HISTORY OF LEICA, see my extremely long article about more than 100 years of history here.
For photography definitions, see my photography dictionary.
Disclosure:
Thorsten von Overgaard is a Danish writer and photographer, specializing in portrait photography and documentary photography, known for writings about photography and as an educator. You are always welcome to send an e-mail to Thorsten for questions, suggestions and ideas.
Thorsten Overgaard is an independent writer and photographer who write, teach workshops and publish user reports about the equipment he uses. There is no affiliation with Leica Camera AG or any camera dealers, no free gifts, no sponsorship, no kickback and no paid content. All you see is real and based on the life of an eccentric and hard-working photographer who makes his own money, buys his own equipment and form his own independent opinions - and shares with you. Enjoy the ride.
Video credits:
Produced by: Thorsten Overgaard (www.overgaard.dk)
Equipment:
This video was made with the Leica SL 601 and Leica 35mm Summilux-L ASPH f/1.4 , using Sennheiser wireless microphones.
