Arctic Butterfly...my review

[arbutusq]

I recently purchased the Arctic butterfly sensor cleaner (Visible dust) to aid in my camera maintenance kit and thought I would post a little review to help others who might be considering it.

First a bit of background.  I have been shooting DSLRs for 2 years now and have tried many methods of sensor cleaning.  I recently had a stubborn spot that I had to get professionally cleaned.   (apparently it was a bit of lubricant from the shutter mechanism which had been over lubed)  As well I am legally blind and have difficulty working in the camera chamber.

The Arctic Butterfly is a small fine haired brush fitted to a large contoured handle with a motor in it, similar to an electric toothbrush.  It has a clear fitted plastic lid to protect the brush bristles.  Construction looks sturdy and durable.   It comes in a fitted rectangular case.

It works by generating a negative charge on the brush filaments and using that charge to pick up dust particles.  To charge the filaments of the brush simply turn it on and it spins very rapidly, powered by two AAA batteries.   Basically you spin the brush for 5 seconds two or three times and then sweep the brush over your sensor.  Spin the bristles again and sweep in the opposite direction.  The printed direction sheet was short and to the point, with lots of warnings about NOT turning the thing on while it is in the camera, very funny actually, I wonder what kinds of complaints they got when it was first released.

In my tests it was very effective at removing dust and grit, probably as effective as the sensor brush or wet cleaning.  It is also very convenient for use in the field, fitting easily into my camera bag and, because it doesn't rely on canned air or flammable liquids it is safe for air travel.

The only real drawback to the product is the price.  At $100 it is very expensive for what you get.  Because of my visual impairment it was a no brainer for me, in fact I wish I had bought it before spending money on all the other methods.  For those with normal vision however, I think it might not be so clear cut.  Aside from convenience and ease of use it is no more effective than any other methods out there.

[Bronek]

I have visibledust brush (older generation - you have to use can of compressed air to clean & charge it) and it worked pretty well. But I donot think I will be upgrading to "buterfly" version, unless handle with motor can be bought separately (& cheaply).

[arbutusq]

I have visibledust brush (older generation - you have to use can of compressed air to clean & charge it) and it worked pretty well. But I donot think I will be upgrading to "buterfly" version, unless handle with motor can be bought separately (& cheaply).

I also have the visible dust brushes but found it very difficult to manoeuver them in the camera due to my eyesight.  If I had normal vision I wouldn't have bought the Butterfly.  Maybe you can attach a briush to an electric toothbrush motor and see what happens....

[KhoKing]

arbutusq,

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I was once very interested in visible dust, but their high price tag is not something that is going to be popular in Malaysia country...