New M9 Sensor Dust

[gdmcclintock]

I just purchased a M9. My first images reveal a fair amount of what appears to be sensor dust. I know how to perform both dry and wet sensor cleaning and will no doubt have to do this. I notice that sensor cleaning is not part of the warranty; however, it seems odd that a brand new camera would show so much dust.

Have other M9 owners experienced this problem?

 

[swanny]

Sensor dust is common with digital cameras. It's going to happen for the life of the camera. It is not worth sending back for something that is simple to clean.

 

[gdmcclintock]

While I appreciate Fujinon's opinion about returning the camera, Swanny is correct: even if the camera's sensor were spotless, it would soon attract dust as I change lenses and I would have to clean it anyway. It just seems strange that there would be so much dust on a new camera. My Canon, that I have had to clean a few times over the years, was spotless when I purchased it. I expected the same of Leica. Sigh...

 

[Keith]

I don't know about the M9 but my M8 came with what I thought was dust but turned out to be spots of lubricant from the shutter. It required to attempts at wet cleaning to get it right!

It's not the end of the world I agree but for the price you'd expect better attention to detail from Leica.

 

[gdmcclintock]

Keith nailed the issue for me. I am more concerned that what appears to be dust may in fact be lubricant droplets and I hesitate to perform a wet cleaning on a new camera. My first attempt to eradicate the dust with a rocket blower just blew the dust around; I'll try my Arctic Butterfly brush next.

Oddly enough, I cannot see the dust with my sensor loupe but it's there on the images.

 

[250swb]

Keith nailed the issue for me. I am more concerned that what appears to be dust may in fact be lubricant droplets and I hesitate to perform a wet cleaning on a new camera. My first attempt to eradicate the dust with a rocket blower just blew the dust around; I'll try my Arctic Butterfly brush next.

Oddly enough, I cannot see the dust with my sensor loupe but it's there on the images.

Don't use your Arctic Butterfly on oil/lubricant!!!

Just wet clean it. The M9 shutter can throw some lube off for the first couple of months and then it all settles down when everything has bedded in. When it does settle down you can use your Arctic Butterfly for intermediate cleaning without too much worry about contaminatiing it. But until then wet clean first, with the Artic Butterfly to finish off. Now my camera has settled it needs a wet clean every four or five months, and a dust off with the AB in between.

As for Fujinon's idea of stomping your foot and demanding a clean under warranty, well isn't life too short as it is? You just make yourself a victim, especially as you'll need to do it yourself anyway. It only takes the body cap to come off once for the possiblity of dust to get into the camera. Are Leica responsible for every time you change a lens?

Steve

 

[taskoni]

@ Steve

Are Leica responsible for every time you change a lens?

When you buy a brand new camera, of course they should, especially for that price 🙂

Looks like it is more dust than just from removing the cap or changing lens, otherwise we won't be having this tread, right?
I would bring it back for cleaning.
Regards,
b.

 

[jaapv]

Of course - I did the same with my car. The dust from new brakepads had dirtied my whels. I demanded that they clean it...🙄

 

[250swb]

@ Steve


When you buy a brand new camera, of course they should, especially for that price 🙂

Well OK, but that implies there should be some sort of time period when dust shouldn't be expected, and a camera can be taken back to be cleaned under warranty. What would that time be before Leica could justifiably say 'this is your dust, not our dust'?

But you hit the nail on the head, its all part of the 'considering what I paid' response where you'd rather spend you time standing in a camera dealer having a bit of dust removed, or sending it back to Solms, and just because you spent a lot of money. As soon as you buy a new car there are responsibilites that are passed over to the owner between service periods, like ensuring the oil level doesn't fall, like filling it with petrol, like checking the tyres are at the correct pressure. People know to do these things. So its double standards if you expect Leica to be responsible for your dusty house, or that you changed lenses by the side of a dusty road, or your camera bag has part of the Sahara Desert in the bottom of it.

Steve

 

[Keith]

I don't think the OP is being unreasonable .. he's obviously familiar with what's involved in keeping a sensor clean. It's not a lot to expect for a new camera to come with a clean sensor.

And jaapv ... your comparison with brake pad dust is nonsense! 😀

 

[taskoni]

gdmcclintock wrote:

I just purchased a M9. My first images reveal a fair amount of what appears to be sensor dust.

Well OK, but that implies there should be some sort of time period when dust shouldn't be expected, and a camera can be taken back to be cleaned under warranty. What would that time be before Leica could justifiably say 'this is your dust, not our dust'?

Well OK, the first post made me understand that the camera was with dust straight out from the box, or got the dust while people were trying it out in the shop. Either way it should be clean or cleaned before they sell it, no? You won't spend more time standing while the dealer clear the dust than doing it yourself and crewing something up and your warranty go bye bye. IMO that is pathetic...

Don't use your Arctic Butterfly on oil/lubricant!!!

I wouldn't know that...

 

[sojournerphoto]

Personally I'd just clean it and have done. It may well have been loooked at in the shop before the OP bought it and nothing to do with Leitz.

I know of one chap who tried to return an M9 because of sensor dust, but it seems to me that he was possibly more unhappy that he'd bought something he (perhaps) didn't want to afford and the dust became a justification.

Don't use a brush on oil as it will just spread it around and then contaminate the brush for ever!

To the OP - enjoy the camera whatever you decide to do.

Mike

 

[JMQ]

I tend to agree with Mike -- just clean it and get it over with. I had lubricant on my M9 sensor, and was able to successfully clean it with Eclipse solution on a Sensor Swab. Just follow instructions. Note the clean-room manufactured Sensor Swab is pretty pricey.

 

[gdmcclintock]

Thanks to everyone for their input. I was not aware that the shutter may throw off some lubricant during the first couple of months of use. Thanks to Steve for this! Had I known, I would have purchased the camera anyway. I'll just have to be more vigilant with the sensor loupe and the wet cleaning kit.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

I'm not an M9 owner, and cannot afford one, but for the price you have had to pay I would return it to the Leica dealer where you purchased it and ask them to either replace it, or at least let them get Leitz in U.S. do a free sensor clean to your satisfaction under warranty.If they decline ask for a refund of your money to which I think you should be legally entitled.

First off, 'Leitz' no longer exists - so I would not recommend sending anything there.

Be that as it may, sensor dust goes with the territory. The M8/9 sensor picks up dust simply by firing the shutter (even without lens changes), so you need to get comfortable cleaning it.

By the M9 I had already owned two M8s and an M8.2. The M8 sensor (the first one) was so dirty out of the box I specifically demanded that Leica clean it for free, which they did.

So by the time the M9 came along I was numb to the idea of sensor dust. Just make it a point to clean it after each use.

Buy a sensor cleaning kit with a scope and get over it.

 

[Doug]

When powered up, the sensor has a static charge, I understand, that is a magnet for dust and lint. I too have heard about shutter lube, in that the camera might well have been spotless out of the box, and quickly picked up spots of this or that.

My M9 has spots too, once I examined shots of even tone, like sky. I got it used, so not too surprising. It has gone to New Jersey for other service, and I'm hoping they'll clean the sensor too while it's there. Good to hear though that the Eclipse will take out the oil/grease; thanks for that info!

I have cleaned the M8 sensor with Dust Aid sticky pads, and that worked well.

 

[gdmcclintock]

Thanks again to everyone for their reporting their sensor cleaning adventures with Leica DRFs. The extra cleaning effort is worth it, given the quality if the images the M9 can produce!

 

[Fraser]

I've had the same thing with canons, I get them cleaned at the most once a year never really bothers me.

 

[jaapv]

I don't think the OP is being unreasonable .. he's obviously familiar with what's involved in keeping a sensor clean. It's not a lot to expect for a new camera to come with a clean sensor.

And jaapv ... your comparison with brake pad dust is nonsense! 😀

Looks the same through my microscope...(joke!)

Actually, I noticed a fair proportion of the dust is pieces of eyelash and skin that fall in whilst we are looking at the sensor, so wear glasses and don't hang straight over the sensor when looking at it. Other dust coms in all forms and shapes. Oily spots, despite Leica's denial are clearly visible on "young"sensors. Most of the other sticky dust is pollen.

 

[gdmcclintock]

There was a post on the Leica forum about using a microscope to examine and clean the sensor. Jaap's point is also well taken. Thanks!