Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!
SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

DSLR Sensor cleaning...I spent the day looking....
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Equipment Care and Repairs
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:05 am    Post subject: DSLR Sensor cleaning...I spent the day looking.... Reply with quote
For a Giottos rocket blower and cleaning gear to clean my sensor (1 stubborn spot that won't be shaken with the dust removal system in camera) And in a town of about 70,000 people so not a small town there was none Shocked In all the computer shops ,2 camera shops (they had a cheap dust blower/brush but not sure if it would ruin the sensor) Electrical goods shops that sell DSLRs....no one stocked sensor cleaning gear...WHAT!!!!...I even found out one store did not sell Pentax because it does not have a local repair shop.... Sad How sad is that...unless you buy/like Nikon or Canon...which by the way they had a good stock of canon lenses Smile....
My thought was why sell all the DSLRs, if you don't tell the buyers they will need to clean or at least blow the dust off their sensors manually...not just rely on the in built cleaning system at least once in a while.
I am really disappointed...not sure how other parts of Australia cope with finding these things. My main whinge was I wanted to buy locally Sad and could not do it.

Last edited by mo on Fri Oct 01, 2010 9:01 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Go to a pharmacy and ask for the "thing" used to give enemas, it's very similar to a blower and costs less.

Edit: it's called a rectal bulb syringe



PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Are you serious???It will work just as well... Shocked wow! Shocked


PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The only problem will be keeping a straight face when you ask for it. Very Happy


PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Laughing Laughing Do you think??? Laughing Embarassed


PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
nice one, maybe it can be handy to clean our dark corner
ludoo wrote:
Go to a pharmacy and ask for the "thing" used to give enemas, it's very similar to a blower and costs less.

Edit: it's called a rectal bulb syringe



PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Be careful that there is nothing in it.

No joke, I got one Giotto there was like talcum powder or similar in it. After using the blower the sensor was "very clean" !! Shocked Shocked

So try it out at first on a white paper to see what happened.

Shocked


PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 11:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the warning Rolf.


PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 11:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
You are welcome ! Have a nice weekend.

Wink


PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 8:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hope it works mo


patrickh


PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 9:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Hope it works mo
Well if it doesn't it does have a secondary use.. Shocked
which leads to another question what else can be used..to remove dust from the sensor??
I picked up some isopropyl alcohol (propan -2-al)..for lens cleaning is this the right stuff to get?


PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 9:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
No. Not unless it is absolutely - really absolutely - pure. I got some of that which was meant to be pure, evaporated a drop on a mirror and it left a visible residue behind. That won't help make the sensor clean.

The stuff to get is call "Eclipse" and it is absolutely pure methanol. You need a packet of lint-free Pec Pads to go with it and a little rubber spatula you can cut down to the right size so that you can tie the Pec pad over the end, put just two or three drops of fluid on it and sweep it gently across the sensor. It usually takes several frustrating attempts to get it right but don't put too much fluid on the pad or it can leak round the end of the sensor cover glass and get between it and the actual sensor, creating a blob that takes months to evaporate.

Or you could go for the more modern system with the Arctic Butterfly from Visible Dust, a brush which picks up a static charge to sweep stuff off the sensor.


PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 9:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Rolf wrote:
Be careful that there is nothing in it.

No joke, I got one Giotto there was like talcum powder or similar in it. After using the blower the sensor was "very clean" !! Shocked Shocked

So try it out at first on a white paper to see what happened.

Shocked


Rolf, the talcum powder is there for the preservation of the rubber.
But it is pretty obvious. You get dirty while unpacking.
They also told me in the shop to blow it away (yes, blow the blower Smile )
and then leave it for a few hours in the sun to make sure there is no moisture in it.


PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 9:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks Paul
I have seen eclipse on a US website but you can not get it posted because of what it is.I have not searched on Australian websites yet for that brand.Thanks for the other ideas.
Is the isopropyl alcohol good for normal lens glass instead of on a sensor? I have a few guinea pig lenses I can test on Very Happy


PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 6:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
mo wrote:
Thanks Paul
I have seen eclipse on a US website but you can not get it posted because of what it is.I have not searched on Australian websites yet for that brand.Thanks for the other ideas.
Is the isopropyl alcohol good for normal lens glass instead of on a sensor? I have a few guinea pig lenses I can test on Very Happy


For lenses use pure acetone. But be careful: it's extremely toxic, flammable, melts plastic and removes paint.


PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 7:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Reagent grade Methyl Alcohol (Methanol)

Available at chemical supply house.

Wear eye protection, rubber gloves, and have plenty of ventilation when using these chemicals.


PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 7:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I tried a blower, simple normal one, it's crap. Last thing i tried was both for mirror clean and also sensor, i had very good results, it was a simple feather Very Happy

Costs nothing to try ! and you won't scratch or damage a thing in your DSLR


PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 8:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
hexi wrote:
Last thing i tried was both for mirror clean and also sensor, i had very good results, it was a simple feather Very Happy

Costs nothing to try ! and you won't scratch or damage a thing in your DSLR


I have cleaned sensors for years, in the jungle, on mountains, in tents, in my studio. Using this, which essentially is just a battery driven feather which uses low static charge to remove dust specks off the sensor

Different versions exist, here's one with built-in light to make cleaning easier
http://visibledust.com/products3.php?pid=3

Vilhelm


PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 8:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Cheap? Laughing


PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 8:29 am    Post subject: Re: DSLR Sensor cleaning...I spent the day looking.... Reply with quote
mo wrote:
no one stocked sensor cleaning gear...WHAT!!!!...I even found out one store did not sell Pentax because it does not have a local repair shop.... Sad How sad is that...unless you buy/like Nikon or Canon...which by the way they had a good stock of canon lenses Smile....
My thought was why sell all the DSLRs, if you don't tell the buyers they will need to clean or at least blow the dust off their sensors manually...not just rely on the in built cleaning system at least once in a while.


This is not uncommon. Neutral

We were in a similar situation while traveling, and even had one shop tell us that sensors couldn't be cleaned, and the camera would have to be shipped to a repair company! Rolling Eyes

I suspect that the stores don't warn buyers, because when the buyers come back to complain about "spots", it gives them the opportunity to sell the cleaning as a service.

I've also read in a number of places that most of the consumer DSLRs are sold with the expectation that most users won't ever remove the kit lens. So, perhaps for the majority of users, dust on the sensor isn't really a concern?


PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 8:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi Scheimp
How do you find it in NZ?... any luck with cleaning kits?


PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 8:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
mo wrote:
Are you serious???It will work just as well... Shocked wow! Shocked


Yes, they work. BUT...

some of those have some residue of talcum inside which, believe me, you don't want to have inside your camera!
So make sure that you ask for one without. Wink

EDIT: I just see that it has been said before. Sorry.


PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 9:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Esox lucius wrote:

I have cleaned sensors for years, in the jungle, on mountains, in tents, in my studio. Using this, which essentially is just a battery driven feather which uses low static charge to remove dust specks off the sensor

Different versions exist, here's one with built-in light to make cleaning easier
http://visibledust.com/products3.php?pid=3

Vilhelm


I have a kit from Visible Dust too. Very good for dry cleaning.
A bit expensive however.


PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 11:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
ZeiEizh wrote:
Cheap? Laughing


If you think 100 EUR is too much money for a DSLR accessory which in practice is indispensable then DSLR is the wrong camera for you. Why not give a 5 EUR brush a static charge, that should fit any budget?

nkanellopoulos wrote:
I have a kit from Visible Dust too. Very good for dry cleaning. A bit expensive however.


Replacing a scratched low pass filter on your 5D Mk II is a lot more expensive than a 70-100 EUR static brush Smile


PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 12:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Mo, I wouldn't trust acetone because of its solvent properties. Any sort of volatile alcohol should be OK but it MUST be absolutely pure (i.e. reagent grade as someone said). The stuff you have will be OK but only if it is absolutely pure. Put a drop on a clean mirror and let it evaporate. If any residue at all is visible on close examination afterwards then it isn't clean enough. If there is nothing, then it would probably be OK. At worst, it will just leave a bit more gunk that needs to be washed off. With acetone I would worry about the fumes affecting tiny bits of plastic stuff holding together the electronics - I might be completely wrong about that but it is a very powerful solvent.

Protective gear really isn't needed when putting a couple of drops of alcohol on a cloth - not unless you also feel the need for it when removing nail polish. I'm always quite comfortable in a room full of alcohol fumes Wink
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Equipment Care and Repairs
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2