The inside of interchangeable lens cameras are prone to collect dust and dirt each time you change a lens, which can potentially end up not only on the mirror (in case of a DSLR) but also on the sensor. The result are tiny black specs visible in photographs taken at small apertures, and getting rid of them in post processing can be quite a nuisance.
Cleaning your camera’s sensor (and the surrounding area inside of the lens mount) isn’t an easy task. While there are such cleaning utensils such as sensor swabs or gel sticks that can be used to wipe away or pick up the pollutants from the sensor, these need to be used carefully in order not to damage the sensor’s glass cover. And, professional sensor cleaning will always cost you a bit of money (depending on where you’re having it done).
Related: 8 easy care tips to keep your digital camera in tip-top shape
For obvious reasons, hooking your camera up to a vacuum cleaner to suck the dust and dirt out of its lens mount also isn’t an option. Or is it? Japanese manufacturer IPP has created a small, lens-shaped vacuum cleaner that attaches to your camera’s lens mount and – allegedly – sucks dust and dirt out of it (and subsequently off the mirror and sensor), but does it in a manner that’s safe to the camera.
But, wouldn’t the air the Fujin vacuum sucks out of a camera body need to be replaced with new air? And doesn’t that open up the possibility for even more dust and dirt to enter a camera? Well, just like a real vacuum cleaner, the Fujin lens is equipped with a filter that cleans the incoming air, lets it pick up dust and dirt inside the lens mount, and then propels it outward, as is demonstrated in this promotional video (that also features an artificial Japanese narrating voice).
Currently, the IPP Fujin vacuum cleaner lens is only available for Canon EF-mount cameras, and can only be purchased within Japan. So don’t get excited too quickly, because it’s apparently not possible to order this lens from overseas via IPP’s own online store. For those who live in Japan or know someone living there who can order the lens for them, it retails for 7,000 yen, which is about $68. Still, we can’t help but say, use it at your own risk.
(via Digital Camera Review)
