No, that thumbnail isn’t clickbait – at least not entirely. Photographer Arthur Reutov does indeed take a box cutter blade to a Sony sensor in this video to see just how much effort it takes to actually damage a camera sensor. The video was made in response to criticism he received after posting a video about the Sony A9 and constantly leaving the sensor exposed to the elements.
While Arthur doesn’t abuse an actual working camera in the video, he did buy a Sony A6000 sensor module in order to perform various tests to see how dust, soil, fingerprints and even sharp objects might damage the sensor. The good news is, you probably have nothing to worry about.
The big issue with leaving your sensor exposed is dust. But is it really a big deal? As the video shows, at worst all it’s going to do is show up as spots in your images. As Arthur demonstrates in the video, dust, soil and fingerprints have no long-lasting negative effects on your sensor as long as you clean it properly.
First with a blower, and then with a swab. Good as new, right? Well, yeah, pretty much. It’s a pretty extreme test, and sensors would be unlikely to be exposed to such harsh conditions in the real world. And if they were, then chances are that the sensor’s condition would be the least of your concerns.
Sure, in the middle of a job when you actually still need your sensor to be clean for the rest of the shoot, take every precaution you can. But in general, just learn how to clean your sensor properly and you really don’t have all that much to worry about. As long as you’re not shoving sharp, pointy, metal objects through your lens opening, you should be pretty safe.
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