Sensor cleaning for M240

[Manuel Patino]

My M240 sensor got some pretty severe dust/spot issues. Probably changing lenses outdoors in the Atlanta pollen season was the primary cause. Anyway, the air blower system did not help at all with the stubborn, large spots I had.

The solution seemed to be that the sensor needed a more thorough cleaning. I really did not want to send the camera away some place to get it professionally done. Mostly I hate to send my expensive camera away for fear of losing it or getting it damaged in transit. The shipping insurance both ways is pretty significant, and then one must add the fee for the cleaning.

After doing a good bit of research and asking questions in forums, I decided to try the DIY method. Based on what I learned, I ordered a "Full Frame Cleaning Swab kit" from Amazon as well as a gummy stick made by "Eyelead".
The kit got to me in one day, so today I got brave and proceeded to try to clean the sensor.

I cleaned the sensor as much as possible with the air blower first and then used a swab and used it as per instructions. It removed the larger spot and most of the others, but not completely. I then tried a new swab with 2 drops of cleaner as per instructions after vigorously blowing the sensor with the syringe. Better but still not completely clean. Some of the little dust/spots seemed to move around but stayed on the sensor. Again I used the air blower and tried yet another swab. Much better results, but there are still a few stubborn dust specs that won't go away. When the gummy stick by Eyelead arrives, I'll try again and see what happens. Anyway, I'm pleased with the results and I don't think I did any damage to the sensor. Here are some "before" and "after" images of the sensor as well as the cleaning kit.

 

[fad gadget]

Mine was almost as bad.
The Giotto got all but 3 off, I used 4 drops of eclipse fluid on an orange full frame Visible Dust sensor swab.
One pass on each side of the swab and perfectly clean.

 

[Manuel Patino]

Mine was almost as bad.
The Giotto got all but 3 off, I used 4 drops of eclipse fluid on an orange full frame Visible Dust sensor swab.
One pass on each side of the swab and perfectly clean.

Yes, I think I'll try again tomorrow with a bit more fluid, maybe 3 drops... I see one spot that has not moved. I'll see if I can clean it completely..

 

[Keith]

So far I've only had to use a blower on mine. When I had my M8 the sensor looked like someone had eaten pizza off it after a month of use. Some sort of shutter lube!

 

[Manuel Patino]

I was not happy with the final result because the remaining spots showed up in a test shot of the sky... I decided to do further cleaning based on additional suggestions I had received. I found the suggested cleaning agent which is isopropyl alcohol in my medicine cabinet. I got lucky because it was 91% pure which is great. So I took a fresh swab and wetted it with the alcohol and swabbed the sensor. Again after using the blower. Unfortunately, I used a bit too much alcohol so I had to use a couple of more dry swabs to clean the residue. That removed the stubborn spots but still left another spot or two that I had to clean again and again to get rid of them. The sensor is very clean now and there is only a trace of dust or spots very near the edge of the sensor. I hope I can keep the tremendous pollen we have here out of the sensor. I might not change lenses very much or at all for a while...

 

[ferider]

I use an electrical blower occasionally which is good enough for now.

I friend who uses the M longer than me recommended to switch the camera off before changing lenses. That seems to help,

Roland.

 

[fad gadget]

Visible Dust also makes a corner swab, generally only has to be used for the first sensor cleaning. They are excellent!
I've also found the Eclipse fluid leaves no residue whatsoever, and dries immediately.

cheers.

 

[bobby_novatron]

+1 for the Visible Dust kit. I made the mistake of using a "canned air" product on my sensor, and the nozzle got too close. A smear of propellant was left on 1/3 of the sensor.

I thought I was going to cry. And a grown man crying over a Leica ain't pretty.

So I got out the Visible Dust kit. 4 drops of cleaning fluid on a swab, a couple gentle passes with the swab, and good as ever! I was amazed at the great job it did. And no need to send the camera off to a shop and all the hassles that go along with it, like the OP said.