Sensor Cleaning 001

[raid]

sequential cleaning :O, great term looks promising....as soon you´ve prefectioned it let us know!!!!

ha ha ha there is no perfection is sight. I am on a learning mission today.
Maybe I am at "Stage 10" now!
I started by stepping out of our home to take a photo of the sky for each stage, but a faster way is to just take a photo of a blank computer screen. All details can be seen.

 

[raid]

I may look for a 10X loupe to actually see the spots on the sensor next time.

 

[Richard G]

It's little mishaps with this sort of thing, like the one spot on my M9 sensor I just can't move here on my annual vacation, that remind me of 72 brand new sensors, one per shot, for my M2 behind me, and 24 more brand new super-sized sensors, one per shot, for my Rolleiflex.....

 

[raid]

Using f 5.6, there is no sign of any dust spots now.
Using f 11, there are very few.

I may stop now.

 

[rpsawin]

Raid,

Arctic Butterfly http://visibledust.com/products3.php?pid=707
Quasar Sensor Loupe http://visibledust.com/products3.php?pid=602

I highly recommend both products. I get my best results with the A.B. and using the Q.S.L. to look at the sensor is a great help as well. They have excellent training videos, too.

You can get a bit of a price break if you bundle both...it's on the site.

 

[raid]

Thanks for the tip, Rob. I may wait a while before plunging down over $170 for such a kit. The loupe with light makes sense. I saw a similar loupe today that was on sale, down from $78 to $30 shipped.

I need a kit magnifying glass or loupe, so I just ordered the one by Klearsensor (or lenspen) for $30 shipped, as it is a special today. Maybe I will be able to see the spots on the sensor, and then I can sneak in a swab to remove the dust spots one by one without spreading dust particles across the sensor with each attempt to clean it..

 

[maggieo]

One thing about the Arctic Butterfly- make absolutely sure that all the oil is off your sensor, or you'll ruin the brush and make an even bigger mess of the sensor. I speak from painful personal experience.

 

[raid]

Here is the link for the special for the lit loupe:

http://www.amazon.com/LensPen-SKL-1...&qid=1359326761&sr=8-1&keywords=lenspen+loupe

Best deal today for the genuine lenspen pen is at Adorama : $8.95 shipped. Beware imitations.

http://www.adorama.com/CPSK.html?gclid=CN27i6rSibUCFRKmPAod2GwAWQ

Total for both items: $38.95 shipped.

There are reviews by people who have first used the rocket air blower and the Eclipse fluid and swabs. They swear by the lenspen.
Oh well. I believe them today.

 

[raid]

I do wet cleaning with the Eclipse fluid. What do you need the loupe for? Are you looking for sensor dust? You see it on the image.

I tried the wet cleaning method, but there are still some dust spots left behind. I want to be able to see the smallest spots as I am about to clean the sensor. Seeing the spots on the image is not helpful.

 

[V-12]

The type of sensor fluid makes a big difference to the results Raid, but from your second image I think all you did was disturb even more dust than you thought you had in your camera.

Dust and debris can accumulate around the very edges of the sensor and I think you just pulled a lot out in the first cleaning attempt. And if you blow it about all it does is stay in the camera, very little will been blown out and away from the camera, so you do the right thing in gradually removing it with the swabs. You want it out, not inside waiting to land on the sensor again. And the whole thing will seem worse because it is the first time you cleaned it. Now you are getting the hang of it this will be a once in every few months ordeal, if that. The camera throws most dust and oil out when new, and for regular quick cleans from now on an Arctic Butterfly brush may be all you need, and it certainly works out cheaper than swabs in the long run. I use the #742 model with my M9 and it works like a dream.

 

[willie_901]

I am fortunate to live where there's a camera store that cleans sensors for a reasonable fee.

They have all the equiptment and experience to get the job done.

The money and time I would spend on the cleaning kits combined with the risk I might damage the sensor are the reasons I prefer to have a pro do the cleaning.

 

[Timmyjoe]

Cleaning sensors is probably my least favorite thing on the planet these days. Three cameras that need sensor maintenance, two DSLRs for work and my Leica M8.2. Tried pretty much everything and didn't love anything. Artic Butterfly works best for me, but first I vacuum the whole office, then run a humidifier until the humidity in the room is at least 45%, then do the butterfly. Otherwise the dust, and dryness/stactic electricity in the office keeps me from being able to get the sensor clean.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Paps Guattro]

Totally recommend Visible Dust. Just 1 wet pass, really helped clean up my filthy, filthy M8 sensor.

The 1st time was scary as hell...but keep a steady hand and follow the rules, it'll be fine.

Before:

After:

 

[zerobuttons]

^
Are you trying to tell us that this product can remove clouds from the sky? 😀

 

[Paps Guattro]

Haha...no, for that I use Photoshop 😉

 

[Jack Conrad]

You'd think for the money it takes to buy an M9, it'd come with a sensor cleaning person to do the job....🙂

Currently, my only digital is an Oly e-Volt and you know what?
After 4 or 5 years, the sensor has never needed to be cleaned at all and I'm constantly changing lenses.

I guess once in a while it pays to be cheap. 😀

 

[xdayv]

Raid, what solution did you use to clean? and did you use pecpad? tia.

 

[Peter_S]

For my M8, I had good success with the Dust-Wand Kits...

 

[tjh]

I have the feeling, that the Arctic Butterfly works better in some regions of the world than others - maybe because of the climate and moisture of the dust on the sensor.

I had one and it did simply nothing for me. I tried it several times and never got the sensor really clean, so I sold it.

Since then I'm using a Giotto Rocket Blower first. If that isn't enough, I use sensor swaps one or two times. After that, my sensor always looks like new.

Maybe Arctic Butterfly is a good tool. But I had better success with these simple tools.

I bought the Arctic Butterfly too but it didn't work for me. I think that the Butterfly depends on static charge to pick up dust particles. As I remember, the motor rotates the brush to put a static charge on the brush filaments. It is very hard to create a static charge in the moist environment of South Florida, where I live. This may explain why the Butterfly didn't work well for me.

Tom

 

[robklurfield]

Raid, you can buy a cheap plastic jewelers loupe and save some $$ on that kit. All I can tell you is that the thing works.