The EOS Integrated Cleaning System (EOS I.C.S.) incorporated into the EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi (EOS 400D DIGITAL) is a generic name for Canon's technology for minimizing sensor dust, which is specific to digital SLR cameras. The company focused attention on a series of processes from dust generation to adherence and removal, and came up with a variety of stop measures.

In addition to employing materials and a construction that help prevent the buildup of dust inside the camera, the camera's exterior uses scratch-resistant material in such places as the body cap for the EF mount.

The infrared-cut low-pass filter located right in the front of the CMOS sensor employs an anti-static mechanism to minimize dust from static cling.

The Self Cleaning Sensor Unit consists of the CMOS sensor, which features a sealed structure to keep out dust and the infrared-cut low pass filter; a Sensor Cleaning Mechanism, which uses ultrasonic vibrations to shake off any dust that may accumulate on the surface of the lowpass filter; and peripheral components to adsorb dust shaken off from the filter's surface. Users have the choice of two sensor-cleaning modes: Auto mode, which operates for about one second when power is turned on or off, and Clean Now mode, which is accessible through the menu interface.

Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit and its Composition

The position of dust particles that continue to stick to the infrared-cut low-pass filter surface after sensor cleaning are detected by the CMOS sensor and added to the image as Dust Delete Data. Dust Delete enables shadows from dust that may not have been shaken off by the Self Cleaning Sensor Unit to be removed after shooting using the bundled RAW-image-processing application Digital Photo Professional 2.2.

*Effectiveness depends on the type of dust.