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How to Use the Sensor Gel Stick • Landscape Photography
• Wildlife Photography
BY NASIM MANSUROV | 134 COMMENTS
LAST UPDATED ON OCTOBER 28, 2020 • Portraiture
• Post-Processing
• Advanced Tutorials
In this video, I decided to cover a couple of important aspects of using the
sensor gel stick. First, I wanted to show what the product looks like when

VISUALIZE
shipped and what it comes with, then answer some of the most frequently asked
questions by our readers (see below for the text version), before actually
showing how to use the product on a camera sensor.

DISCLAIMER: Not responsible for any potential damage of the camera due
to misuse of the product! Please watch the video carefully and follow the
instructions step by step.

How to use the sensor gel stick

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Here are some of the most frequently asked questions from our readers PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS

regarding the sensor gel stick:

1. How long does the sensor gel stick last? It depends on the frequency of
use and how many cameras you will be cleaning with a single sensor gel PHOTOGRAPHY LANDSCAPE
stick. If you are a professional photographer and you plan on using the BASICS PHOTOGRAPHY

sensor gel stick before every photo shoot, it might only last 5-6 months. For
occasional use, the sensor gel stick should last 1-2 years. While the
manufacturer told me that the stick can last up to 2-3 years, I don’t think it is
very realistic for it to last that long. WILDLIFE MACRO
2. Does the sensor gel stick clean up oil? Yes, it does, as long as the oil spots PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY

are relatively new. If the oil is dated and has become hard on the sensor, you
might still need to get the sensor cleaned through thorough wet cleaning.
You can either attempt to do it yourself, or you can send your camera in for
service, then use the sensor gel stick later to clean up regular dust / new oil COMPOSITION & BLACK & WHITE
spots. CREATIVITY PHOTOGRAPHY

3. When will PL start selling the sticky paper? While we will soon start
offering the extra sticky paper for purchase, you should not have to be
concerned about that for a long time, if you use the provided sticky paper
sparingly. I have cleaned sensors about 20 times using my sensor gel stick NIGHT SKY PORTRAIT
so far and I have only used about 1.5 sticky papers. Since the sensor gel stick PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY

surface is not as sticky as the paper, you should not have to worry about
picking up stuff from the paper back to the sensor gel stick (as long as it is
dust and not something like oil). If the sensor gel stick is too dirty, or you
have cleaned up oil before, then it might be best to use untouched sticky STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
paper. PHOTOGRAPHY VIDEOS

4. Is it OK to clean the sensor gel stick with water or some other chemical
UNIQUE GIFT IDEAS
solution if one runs out of paper? It is safe to use tap water to clean the gel
head, as instructed in this article. Please do not use any chemical solutions,
as you might damage the sticky surface of the sensor gel stick.

The video is quite detailed and covers the many different steps of cleaning a
sensor using the sensor gel stick – everything from charging the camera battery
to checking for dust spots using the camera zoom function.

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FILED UNDER: CAMERA GEAR ACCESSORIES

TAGGED WITH: CAMERA SENSOR, HOWTO, SENSOR, SENSOR DUST, TUTORIAL

About Nasim Mansurov

Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life,
based out of Denver, Colorado. He is recognized as one of the
leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops,
producing educational videos and frequently writing content for Photography
Life. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook. Read more about Nasim
here.

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134 COMMENTS Newest

Christian
January 16, 2022 9:32 am

HI,
any update on the Eyelead gel pen for the Nikon Z Cameras? Is it safe to use? Should we use
the blue or the SONY version.
I would be really happy about any feedback.

Bye

Christian

0 Reply

Brent
March 9, 2021 3:03 pm

Hi Nasim, You wrote, “For occasional use, the sensor gel stick should last 1-2 years. While
the manufacturer told me that the stick can last up to 2-3 years, I don’t think it is very
realistic for it to last that long.” Should I stop using the gel stick after 2-3 years? What could
happen if I use it after that period of time?

Thanks
Brent

0 Reply

TA
February 7, 2019 10:30 am

Any update on using these on the Nikon Z system? If the normal one works or if the “Sony”
version is needed for the mirrorless models. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!

0 Reply

DavidB
January 4, 2019 1:50 pm

I have been using my Sensor Gel stick sparingly (a few times/year). It is now about 4 years
old (purchased 05/2014). The sides are still sticky; the main face less so. I’m willing to clean
it with tap water as described elsewhere — but maybe it has reached its effective lifetime???

0 Reply

Jason Waltman
January 1, 2019 4:19 pm

Is it safe to use the sensor gel stick on Nikon’s new Z mirrorless cameras with IBIS? I’ve had
great success cleaning my D750 with the sensor gel stick, but am a bit apprehensive about
using it on my Z 7 given Nikon’s warnings about user-cleaning and the fact that the sensor is
designed to move with the IBIS mechanism (even if it is “locked” when the camera is turned
off). Thoughts?

0 Reply

Carl Cilker
October 1, 2018 8:48 am

The sensor stick works fine with the D750 but leaves heavy residue on the D850. The
residue can be removed with the Eclipse sensor cleaning solution but that is a wet cleaning
process.

0 Reply

Brent
July 3, 2018 5:38 pm

After two passes, the nefarious dust particles are G-O-N-E !!!

Thanks!

0 Reply

Serge Puksa
April 14, 2018 10:10 am

Please note that I have had a problem with my gel stick – the stick separated from the body
of the gel block. Despite several e-mails to the manufacturer – I have received no response –
not what one expects from a reputable company. I am offering this as a heads up for any
prospective customers, I suspect there are others who may have had similar problems.

0 Reply

Nasim Mansurov Author

Reply to Serge Puksa April 14, 2018 3:20 pm

Serge, did you buy the gel stick from us? If you did, we would replace it without
question.

0 Reply

Bob Dennis
September 7, 2017 4:08 pm

Hi Nasim,

I have been using this for years on my D800. Soon to upgrade to a D850. Its a great product
and has improved quality of images from all types of dusty and dirty locations around the
world.

Will it be OK to use the same version of the stick on the D850?

Regards

Bob

0 Reply

Lito Tejada-Flores
July 4, 2017 2:44 pm

Just heard about the sensor gel-stick, watched the video, and quickly ordered my own gel
stick. Looks great. But I was intrigued by the sensor loupe that you use in the video. All one
can find online is the Visible Dust sensor loupe, but the one used in the video looks quite
different. What is it? Does it work well? And if so, please where can one find and buy it.
Always interested in new tools to keep our Nikons (800E, 810 and 600) clean and ready to
go.
Thanks for any info.

By the way, I looked in vain for a contact link on your site to just email you this question, but
not finding one, I decided to ask my question this way.
Again, thanks!

Lito / Western Eye Photography

0 Reply

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