gfspencer
gfspencer
From one George S to another . . .
My Canon 50D has a sensor cleaner. I still have to manually clean the sensor from time to time. :bang:
Cleaning an M8 sensor - horror story
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My Canon 50D has a sensor cleaner. I still have to manually clean the sensor from time to time. :bang:
Silva Lining
CanoHasseLeica
aniMal
Well-known
Well, I just finally came around to clean my M8 myself... I have been doing a fair amount of repairs previously, and know a few tricks for getting a glass surface 100% clean. Still, this was NOT a walk in the park I feel!
I kind of knew that the dust specks would not come off easily, none of them even moved when I used a blower... I guess they had been embedded by condensation during the winter. After a double swipe with wet cleaning, there was not the tiniest difference.
What I ended up doing, was going after the specs almost on an individual basis - figuring out about where they would be from the exposures. This worked, and it seems that the extra pressure I got from not applying pressure all along helped.
But I must say I was really nervous in the middle of the process!
I guess that next time I will try to get the cleaning done earlier, so that the dust does not settle for real.
The only thing that I am just a little concerned with now, is whether there is any coating that may be worn off after excessive cleaning? I am sure that it would really take a lot of aggressive cleaning, but is it possible after all?
Also I wonder if there is any way of dealing with hard particles like grit or metal dust, IF any of the specs I had was anything like it I might have run into a real problem...
Maybe get a cheap microscope??? 😀
I kind of knew that the dust specks would not come off easily, none of them even moved when I used a blower... I guess they had been embedded by condensation during the winter. After a double swipe with wet cleaning, there was not the tiniest difference.
What I ended up doing, was going after the specs almost on an individual basis - figuring out about where they would be from the exposures. This worked, and it seems that the extra pressure I got from not applying pressure all along helped.
But I must say I was really nervous in the middle of the process!
I guess that next time I will try to get the cleaning done earlier, so that the dust does not settle for real.
The only thing that I am just a little concerned with now, is whether there is any coating that may be worn off after excessive cleaning? I am sure that it would really take a lot of aggressive cleaning, but is it possible after all?
Also I wonder if there is any way of dealing with hard particles like grit or metal dust, IF any of the specs I had was anything like it I might have run into a real problem...
Maybe get a cheap microscope??? 😀
gfspencer
gfspencer
Phil, you just made me spit coffee all over my computer!
Dust is the bane of my existence. The other day I was cleaning my M8. I did the swab thing and took a series of pictures of the sky to check results. Dust was still there but to make matters worse, in each new shot an additional piece of dust appeared on the sensor. :bang:
That said, My M8 is less prone to dust than my 50D.
Al Kaplan
Veteran
To save money I buy my sensors in bulk rolls and use a brand new dust free one for every picture. They're really easy to change and cost mere pennies apiece that way.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Full frame or cropped ... because we all know that anything less than 5x4 ... whoops sorry! ... 4x5 is a bit of a compromise! 😛
Al Kaplan
Veteran
Hi Keith, I've tried the 5x4 size, I even have a 7x5, but both my 21 and 15mm lenses exhibit severe vignetting on those sensors. Do you think that switching to 4x5 and 5x7 would help? Most of the portraits I do are of girls lying down.
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BillBingham2
Registered User
Al, your problem is that you should shoot girls standing up with a 5x4 camera! Lying down is where you should use a 4x5. Now when they are curled up into a ball it's 6x6 time!
B2 (;->
B2 (;->
gavinlg
Veteran
Olympus DLSRs. Never clean dust off again. Seriously.
Avotius
Some guy
I have the visible dust sensor brush, that thing is amazing for cleaning sensors, that said however my next "pro" camera will absolutely have to have a sensor cleaning solution built in, while not fool proof they are amazingly useful at getting the big stuff.
aniMal
Well-known
Well, that is one of the things I like with my M7! Then I am left with just the work of retouching the dust from scanning the sensor later on, haha!
Once saw the 1:1 polaroid exhibition on the 11/9 rescue workers, THAT is full format! I have totally forgotten the name of the photographer, but the HUGE polaroids with almost zero DOF was really something special...
On another note, also remember seeing a D30 that had been close to the towers when they fell - that is when you need to do some very thorough cleaning...
aniMal
Well-known
This was what I was afraid of too, but seems like all it was was ordinary dust...
The oil reminds me of an old saying from 60-70s:
"Why are there no TV sets produced in England? Because they didn't know how to make it leak oil..."
So maybe its not a german design after all? 🙂
The oil reminds me of an old saying from 60-70s:
"Why are there no TV sets produced in England? Because they didn't know how to make it leak oil..."
So maybe its not a german design after all? 🙂
DaCh
Member
Plenty of good advise here already but I have a few things to add.
Blowers seem amazingly poor at getting rid of the dust.
I still marvel at how good Artic Butterfly is. It really does what it says on the can.
A good quality cleaning kit with the correct fluid and decent swabs plus a magnifier and a light is worth it. I hate to say that because I try to avoid all the “wonderful” aftermarket photographic stuff but having tried to do without I have discovered just how easy it is with the proper kit.
Don’t clean it unless you can see it is dirty!
Remove as much rubbish as you can with the butterfly before using the swab.
Put just enough fluid on the swab to wet the edge and wipe once then wait a moment and do it again, first time softens it and second time removes it.
Don’t do it again unless you need to.
Now this may be stating the b***ing obvious but it is much better to stop the dust getting there in the first place.
Vacuum your camera bag regularly.
Dust the back of lenses including inside rear caps.
Never leave the body without a lens on.
Never leave lenses without rear caps on.
Only changes lenses when you really need to and do it quickly and try to do it in the safest place possible. For example in your car with the doors shut rather than out side in the dust storm.
Dust is a great problem and we need to get used to coping with it, no one is immune.
Next time a shaft of sunlight shines across your front room look closely at just how much floating dust it is illuminating!
And in defence of the M8 I bought one not long after the came out, it has captured an awful lot of images in all kinds of places and so far it has never missed a beat.
I love it, it is not perfect and there are things I would change on it but is a great camera, and I don’t have a big problem with dust in it. Butterfly maybe every couple of weeks and swab every couple of months, I can live with that.
Blowers seem amazingly poor at getting rid of the dust.
I still marvel at how good Artic Butterfly is. It really does what it says on the can.
A good quality cleaning kit with the correct fluid and decent swabs plus a magnifier and a light is worth it. I hate to say that because I try to avoid all the “wonderful” aftermarket photographic stuff but having tried to do without I have discovered just how easy it is with the proper kit.
Don’t clean it unless you can see it is dirty!
Remove as much rubbish as you can with the butterfly before using the swab.
Put just enough fluid on the swab to wet the edge and wipe once then wait a moment and do it again, first time softens it and second time removes it.
Don’t do it again unless you need to.
Now this may be stating the b***ing obvious but it is much better to stop the dust getting there in the first place.
Vacuum your camera bag regularly.
Dust the back of lenses including inside rear caps.
Never leave the body without a lens on.
Never leave lenses without rear caps on.
Only changes lenses when you really need to and do it quickly and try to do it in the safest place possible. For example in your car with the doors shut rather than out side in the dust storm.
Dust is a great problem and we need to get used to coping with it, no one is immune.
Next time a shaft of sunlight shines across your front room look closely at just how much floating dust it is illuminating!
And in defence of the M8 I bought one not long after the came out, it has captured an awful lot of images in all kinds of places and so far it has never missed a beat.
I love it, it is not perfect and there are things I would change on it but is a great camera, and I don’t have a big problem with dust in it. Butterfly maybe every couple of weeks and swab every couple of months, I can live with that.
aniMal
Well-known
Some good points here:
I have not done this previously, but realized as I was cleaning the M8 that this is probably a good idea
This is what I normally do, contrary to what I would do before with film. It is really amazing how much dust can settle just in a few hours or even minutes...
This is the point where I really disagree - not because it doesn't work but because it would impede me in using the camera for what it is for! If I get afraid of any consequences when following an idea or a subject that I know will be good, I will not fear abusing my gear accordingly. This does not go for more ordinary subjects, but still I will not fall back to being a gear-fondler 😉 But this does not mean that I am not careful, it just means that my gear will need to take the pressure when needed...
Good to hear that your M8 has been used for real - mine is starting to show some cosmetic wear that I really like...
Does anybody know what kind of reflex or other coating that is applied on the protective glass? And how hard it would be? Would vinegar, as with ordinary optics, completely wipe it away? Not that I am planning to use vinegar on my pads, hehe, but still it would be good to know a little more about the sensor just in case...
I have not done this previously, but realized as I was cleaning the M8 that this is probably a good idea
This is what I normally do, contrary to what I would do before with film. It is really amazing how much dust can settle just in a few hours or even minutes...
This is the point where I really disagree - not because it doesn't work but because it would impede me in using the camera for what it is for! If I get afraid of any consequences when following an idea or a subject that I know will be good, I will not fear abusing my gear accordingly. This does not go for more ordinary subjects, but still I will not fall back to being a gear-fondler 😉 But this does not mean that I am not careful, it just means that my gear will need to take the pressure when needed...
Good to hear that your M8 has been used for real - mine is starting to show some cosmetic wear that I really like...
Does anybody know what kind of reflex or other coating that is applied on the protective glass? And how hard it would be? Would vinegar, as with ordinary optics, completely wipe it away? Not that I am planning to use vinegar on my pads, hehe, but still it would be good to know a little more about the sensor just in case...
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
Switch off the camera when changing lenses to fully discharge the sensor (it may be a myth, but still....)
When cleaning the sensor do so in an environment that is as dustfree as possible. A bathroom will usually be quite dust-free, especially if the shower has been running a short while ago. (but not totally steamed up of course!)
When cleaning the sensor do so in an environment that is as dustfree as possible. A bathroom will usually be quite dust-free, especially if the shower has been running a short while ago. (but not totally steamed up of course!)
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
But a user who did a great series on Namibia took two bodies, the Tri-Elmar and the WATE to avoid changing lenses in an extremely dusty environment. That was a good idea imo.
HenningW
Well-known
I use PEC pads and various little home made paddles, Eclipse and similar and the Sensor Loupe from visibledust.com. The loupe reduces the total time of the procedure by a factor of about four to a completely dust-free sensor. Which stays that way about 1 day max. I do this about once every month or two.
Henning
greggebhardt
Well-known
My M8 and D3 both had the same problem. Oil was splashing from somewhere and it took several wet cleans. Had to clean more often during the first month or so and now hardly at all with the M8 or D3. Had to clean the sensor brush from the gunk. Hoping my 8.2 will not be the same but it is new and time will tell!
Do not shy away from cleaning your sensor, no better feeling to know you do not have to count on anyone else to do it! Get the supplies and do it your self. I used the swab at first but the Nikon opened my eyes and showed my the wrapped wood stick method using circular path on the sensor. This made cleaning way more easy and near 100% results
The worst thing you can do is avoid changing lenses to avoid getting dust in your camera. The M8 has the ability to change lenses and not doing it to avoid dust is horrible.
Being able to clean you own sensor is the only way to go! Now if I could only convince my friends of this!
Do not shy away from cleaning your sensor, no better feeling to know you do not have to count on anyone else to do it! Get the supplies and do it your self. I used the swab at first but the Nikon opened my eyes and showed my the wrapped wood stick method using circular path on the sensor. This made cleaning way more easy and near 100% results
The worst thing you can do is avoid changing lenses to avoid getting dust in your camera. The M8 has the ability to change lenses and not doing it to avoid dust is horrible.
Being able to clean you own sensor is the only way to go! Now if I could only convince my friends of this!
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aniMal
Well-known
A good idea of course, but for me it is not an option - I don't want or can afford tri-elmar + wate... As a paid job and in extreme dust it is of course quite neat!
I used to do the trick with the bathroom before - it really works. If you let the shower run for a while on cold water, it does not make it too damp - and it really becomes quite dust-free!
I am not going to Africa soon, but yesterday we bought a van like this one:
http://www.freewebs.com/koenenheidi/opnieuw geul in.JPG
This summer we (me & my lady) will be traveling a lot in Europe, and I will probably bring my M8 into a lot of dust... There is a small, unfinished, bathroom - probably this will be OK as a room for cleaning sensor after using a spray-can with water, and also for dealing with 4X5 film in the dark...
Anyway, taking care of the equipment in challenging conditions is a skill in itself!
R
