Does frequent in-camera sensor cleaning cause long-term wear?
Asked 6/19/2019
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2 answers
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Many digital cameras include automatic sensor cleaning that vibrates the sensor assembly at startup or shutdown to shake off dust. Could using this feature frequently cause long-term mechanical stress, shorten the camera’s life, or create other negative effects? I’m especially curious about the Nikon D800, but general DSLR experience is also helpful.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
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I'm sure manufacturers have done internal tests, but I am not aware of any public data.
As long as the sensor lasts significantly longer than other components that might fail, any reduction in the life expectancy of the sensor as a result of self cleaning would be inconsequential. For cameras that have been well-cared for (eg, not dropped or dunked in liquid), the shutter appears to be among the first components to fail.
Self cleaning usually occurs when the camera is turned on or off. Suppose the sensor were rated for 100000 cleanings. If you average about 10 shots each time you turn the camera on, after 100000 shutter actuations, the sensor would have self cleaned only 20000 times. To reach 100000 sensor cleanings, you'd have to fire the shutter 500000 times. Long before reaching any self-cleaning limit, the shutter would have been replaced multiple times.
To frequently clean the sensor would require repeatedly turning the camera on and off. I'd expect problems with the power switch long before sensor-cleaning failure. Even if sensor cleaning fails, the sensor would still be able to capture images. To reach and replace the IR-cut filter, the self-cleaning function is disabled during some IR conversions.
Originally by user75526. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75526
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There’s no widely cited public study showing that normal use of automatic in-camera sensor cleaning causes meaningful long-term damage. Based on user experience and how these systems are designed, it’s generally considered safe to leave enabled.
A practical point is that sensor cleaning cycles usually happen only at power-on or power-off, so the number of cleaning cycles is often far lower than the number of shutter actuations. In real-world use, other parts—especially the mechanical shutter—are more likely to reach their service life first.
Also, if frequent automatic cleaning were known to cause reliability problems, manufacturers would likely warn against it or redesign the feature; such warnings are not commonly seen.
So the best conclusion is: there’s no strong evidence of harmful long-term effects from normal automatic sensor-cleaning use, and any wear it causes is likely insignificant compared with other camera components.
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