View Full Version : Cleaning an M8 sensor - horror story
Cleaning a sensor is easy I hear! Well maybe not if you are ham fisted like I am. I bought a sensor cleaning device recommended by my (usually) very competent photo store in Central Hong Kong. It consisted of a rubber device on a small "stick" that supposedly attracted the dust. "Use carefully" it said - although the instructions contained exactly 4 sentences. I went to the manufacturers web site to see photos of it in action, it seemed simple enough. So off I went.
Just one pass later, the sensor looks like it has been attacked by slime! I do a test shot of a blank wall at F22 to see the mess - and it is considerable. My beautiful M8 now delivers pictures like a used dinner plate before washing! So off to the local Leica Service Centre to see just how much they can charge me to fix this.
Bottom line. I would recommend using now more than a hand blower to blow away dust - and let professionals only near you sensor should that not work. I just hope the damage is only a surface thing and nothing permanent or the repair bill will be eye watering. Maybe I get them to do the M8.2 upgrade at the same time?
David
Cleaning a sensor is easy I hear! Well maybe not if you are ham fisted like I am. I bought a sensor cleaning device recommended by my (usually) very competent photo store in Central Hong Kong. It consisted of a rubber device on a small "stick" that supposedly attracted the dust. "Use carefully" it said - although the instructions contained exactly 4 sentences. I went to the manufacturers web site to see photos of it in action, it seemed simple enough. So off I went.
Just one pass later, the sensor looks like it has been attacked by slime! I do a test shot of a blank wall at F22 to see the mess - and it is considerable. My beautiful M8 now delivers pictures like a used dinner plate before washing! So off to the local Leica Service Centre to see just how much they can charge me to fix this.
Bottom line. I would recommend using now more than a hand blower to blow away dust - and let professionals only near you sensor should that not work. I just hope the damage is only a surface thing and nothing permanent or the repair bill will be eye watering. Maybe I get them to do the M8.2 upgrade at the same time?
David
The trouble here is that what you assumed to be dust on your sensor is actually lubricant from the shutter mechanism and what you've succeeded in doing is spreading it across the sensor. I had exactly the same thing happen when I tried to clean mine first time ... it appears that Leica put sufficient of this gunk into the shutter blades that the first few hundred actuations actually flicks the excess off, all over the sensor ... brilliant! :(
You need to actually clean it with a liquid chemical cleaning kit and not just a dust remover.
Mine took two goes to get really clean!
I find that cleaning a sensor involves several sessions of cleaning and testing for results. You might save yourself a little money and time waiting if you try again to clean it yourself.
Yes, you don't want to ruin the heart of your M8. But if you use a proper cleaning tool (that doesn't scratch it or make it worse) you can certainly do it yourself. It's really just a matter of (verrry carefully) cleaning a little piece of glass.
I learned to clean my own sensors after a repair shop returned a 30D with a "cleaned sensor" that was full of spots.
I clean my M8 periodically with no problems. I find it to be a pretty leaky camera. (Incidentally, my R-D1 never needed cleaning.) Condensation from going into and out of cold may exacerbate the problem of spots on the sensor. So you may have to have to learn to clean your M8 eventually.
To test whether the sensor has spots, shoot one or two pictures of something like bright sky at f/22. (I take two shots of a light table. Two shots with the camera moved slightly ensures that I'm not just seeing a spot on the light table.) View the shots on your monitor, and it will be easy to tell if there are spots on the sensor. If there are, clean them and test again.
If you don't usually do shooting at f/22, you needn't really worry about spots. They won't show up when the lens is wide open.
nikon_sam
01-05-2009, 16:12
Leica should have this info and they haven't done a recall ??? Good Lord what more could go wrong with this camera ???
Sorry to hear this bit of bad news...
Thanks all for the comments. I will let you know what the folks at Leica say. I hope it is just what you say and some over zealous lubricant - but better to be safe than sorry. I will ask the technicians to recommend a self-powered cleaning method while I am there.
Cheers
David
Hi David,
Just wonder if it is a dry cleaning kit?
Cheers,
Dennis
Double Negative
01-05-2009, 19:06
Leica should have this info and they haven't done a recall ??? Good Lord what more could go wrong with this camera ???
Sorry to hear this bit of bad news...
Recall? Something wrong with the M8? Bad news?
Every digital camera out there with an exposed sensor has this "problem." It's a matter of using good cleaning tools and practicing your technique. The more times/sensors you clean, the better you get at it. But sometimes, depending on the type of spots (e.g. oily type) it might require several passes. Only with drier spots (e.g. dust) and a fair bit of luck will you ever get away with a "quick swipe."
Proceed carefully, but git 'er done.
Tuolumne
01-05-2009, 19:10
Never heard of that M8 problem before. My only comment is: No Comment.
/T
nikon_sam
01-05-2009, 19:34
Recall? Something wrong with the M8? Bad news?
Every digital camera out there with an exposed sensor has this "problem." It's a matter of using good cleaning tools and practicing your technique. The more times/sensors you clean, the better you get at it. But sometimes, depending on the type of spots (e.g. oily type) it might require several passes. Only with drier spots (e.g. dust) and a fair bit of luck will you ever get away with a "quick swipe."
Proceed carefully, but git 'er done.
Sorry, I wasn't very clear on what I was calling a "Problem"...I was refering to the over lubricating of the shutter that Keith was talking about that was getting on the sensor...
I am aware that the sensors are very sensitive to dust, dirt and everything else that's airborne and could land on it...That's why most digital shooters use zoom lenses...:D
I use the Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly and works great for dust. I also ordered their wet cleaner and that gets the oil smudge off and I only had to use that once in two years of M8 ownership. I found that when the M8 was new I had to clean it often but now I only clean it every few months.
Jan
tom.w.bn
01-05-2009, 23:15
The dust accumulation on my m8 is nothing against the problems a friend has with his Canon 5D. We have a cleaning kit (sensor swabs and eclipse cleaner) and it works pretty well. I am glad that I never had this problem with my 40D because of it's integrated cleaning system.
Well folks - thanks for the notes - and yes, it was a "dry" cleaning kit.
I went to the Hong Kong Leica Service Centre (Schmidt Marketing) and they were very helpful. A technician took it away for a about 20 minutes and came back with a completely clean and fully functioning M8. Now, to put to rest some of the things in this thread - they claim that the shutter on the M8 is "dry" and doesn't have any lubricant to deposit on the sensor - and that came from the most senior technician they had there. He was not sure what had created the mess on the sensor, but thinks that the dry cleaning "wand" I had was somehow contaminated with something. He then showed me how they clean sensors using a "swab" on a little shovel shaped implement and a drop of ethanol. He would not use anything else.
The best bit of all this, is this was no charge - as they are about to hit me with the price increase on the M8.2 upgrade for this guy...... Lose on the swings and gain on the roundabouts.
Regards all and Happy Chinese New Year!
David
Well folks - thanks for the notes - and yes, it was a "dry" cleaning kit.
I went to the Hong Kong Leica Service Centre (Schmidt Marketing) and they were very helpful. A technician took it away for a about 20 minutes and came back with a completely clean and fully functioning M8. Now, to put to rest some of the things in this thread - they claim that the shutter on the M8 is "dry" and doesn't have any lubricant to deposit on the sensor - and that came from the most senior technician they had there. He was not sure what had created the mess on the sensor, but thinks that the dry cleaning "wand" I had was somehow contaminated with something. He then showed me how they clean sensors using a "swab" on a little shovel shaped implement and a drop of ethanol. He would not use anything else.
The best bit of all this, is this was no charge - as they are about to hit me with the price increase on the M8.2 upgrade for this guy...... Lose on the swings and gain on the roundabouts.
Regards all and Happy Chinese New Year!
David
Bold statement by that tech ... when I got my M8 and became aware of the problem you could visibly see the lube on the shutter blades. It looked like one of those white lithium based greases that you use on lens helicals.
Obviously I imagined it! :p
I don't recall the poster, but there was a warning against using these rubber stamping kits for sensor cleaning on this forum about a year ago. Not only do they redistribute any other dirt than dust, they will also spread adhesive on your sensor and the pad may come loose, with the danger of scratches. The recommendation on this and any other forums has always been to use the Visible Dust products, which makes for easy and reliable cleaning.
As for the oil, the shutter of the M8, as the technician stated, is as dry as any other camera, but still spreads some minidroplets of oil in the first thousand exposures or so. Other cameras do the same. The Leica shutter is quite close to the sensor, which makes the problem more noticable maybe. the shutter of leica is, afaik, made by Copal, as are the shutters of many other cameras, so there is no difference across the brands.
Sorry, I wasn't very clear on what I was calling a "Problem"...I was refering to the over lubricating of the shutter that Keith was talking about that was getting on the sensor...
I am aware that the sensors are very sensitive to dust, dirt and everything else that's airborne and could land on it...That's why most digital shooters use zoom lenses...:D
You mean like the Canon 100-400L dust and air pump?:p
Double Negative
01-06-2009, 05:21
Sorry, I wasn't very clear on what I was calling a "Problem"...I was refering to the over lubricating of the shutter that Keith was talking about that was getting on the sensor...
I am aware that the sensors are very sensitive to dust, dirt and everything else that's airborne and could land on it...That's why most digital shooters use zoom lenses...:D
Ahh, okay. Gotcha. :)
You mean like the Canon 100-400L dust and air pump?:p
I've got one of these. Also known as the "dust trombone." But it's an urban legend. ;)
Gabriel M.A.
01-06-2009, 05:49
I don't recall the poster, but there was a warning against using these rubber stamping kits for sensor cleaning on this forum about a year ago. Not only do they redistribute any other dirt than dust, they will also spread adhesive on your sensor and the pad may come loose, with the danger of scratches. The recommendation on this and any other forums has always been to use the Visible Dust products, which makes for easy and reliable cleaning.
As for the oil, the shutter of the M8, as the technician stated, is as dry as any other camera, but still spreads some minidroplets of oil in the first thousand exposures or so. Other cameras do the same. The Leica shutter is quite close to the sensor, which makes the problem more noticable maybe. the shutter of leica is, afaik, made by Copal, as are the shutters of many other cameras, so there is no difference across the brands.
Leica should have this info and they haven't done a recall ??? Good Lord what more could go wrong with this camera ???
Oh no! Is this the beginning of the end for Leica? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Funny how they ascribe people's ignorance to being Leica's fault. I had the same problem with my Canon 5D two years ago, and I didn't run around blaming Canon for it. I researched the problem and voila, knowledge sets you free.
Yeah, if you're going to use that dust remover, you must use the right cleaning solution with it, but before you do that, you must use a dry sensor brush first, then use Eclipse on a swab (or something similar --- do NOT use rubbing alcohol!), and then swab the solution dry immediately, evenly, with a clean, lintless swab.
I think Common Sense is lacking enough that some college ought to start offering online courses. Methinks.
But what do I know, I own a few Leicas and that automatically makes me a weirdo. :o
But what do I know, I own a few Leicas and that automatically makes me a weirdo. :o
Let's start a poll on this... :D
I second the use of Visible Dust's Arctic Butterfly.
I taped a piece of coffee filter around a 1" bolt, then applied rubbing alcohol on it and cleaned the sensor of my D40.
Double Negative
01-06-2009, 07:11
I taped a piece of coffee filter around a 1" bolt, then applied rubbing alcohol on it and cleaned the sensor of my D40.
Sounds about right. Streak free, too. :D
George S.
01-06-2009, 07:32
Pity Leica couldn't have put an idiot-proof, automatic, ultrasonic sensor cleaner in their $6,000 camera. Olympus did it in a $300 camera.
Gabriel M.A.
01-06-2009, 07:35
Let's start a poll on this... :D
We haven't had a run of polls in a while. Perhaps we should have a poll to see if we should have a poll on this? :angel:
I've got one of these. Also known as the "dust trombone." But it's an urban legend. ;)
I used one on a dusty safari - once. It taught me all about sensor cleaning then....:o
gfspencer
01-06-2009, 13:34
I use the Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly and works great for dust. I also ordered their wet cleaner and that gets the oil smudge off and I only had to use that once in two years of M8 ownership. I found that when the M8 was new I had to clean it often but now I only clean it every few months.
Jan
I too use Visible Dust. The first time I used the system on a Canon 40D it scared me to death. Now it is not a problem. And I also recommend both types of cleaner.
gfspencer
01-06-2009, 15:42
Pity Leica couldn't have put an idiot-proof, automatic, ultrasonic sensor cleaner in their $6,000 camera. Olympus did it in a $300 camera.
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:
Silva Lining
01-06-2009, 16:08
I taped a piece of coffee filter around a 1" bolt, then applied rubbing alcohol on it and cleaned the sensor of my D40.
That's a bit dainty... I just spray lubricant on the nylon strap, shove in the hole and push it around with a cocktail stick....my D40 now = WD40 :o
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??? :D
gfspencer
03-19-2009, 05:03
That's a bit dainty... I just spray lubricant on the nylon strap, shove in the hole and push it around with a cocktail stick....my D40 now = WD40 :o
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
03-19-2009, 05:27
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.
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.
Full frame or cropped ... because we all know that anything less than 5x4 ... whoops sorry! ... 4x5 is a bit of a compromise! :p
Al Kaplan
03-19-2009, 05:39
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.
BillBingham2
03-19-2009, 06:35
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 (;->
fdigital
03-19-2009, 06:41
Olympus DLSRs. Never clean dust off again. Seriously.
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.
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.
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...
nikonhswebmaster
03-19-2009, 13:38
The trouble here is that what you assumed to be dust on your sensor is actually lubricant from the shutter mechanism and what you've succeeded in doing is spreading it across the sensor. I had exactly the same thing happen when I tried to clean mine first time ... it appears that Leica put sufficient of this gunk into the shutter blades that the first few hundred actuations actually flicks the excess off, all over the sensor ... brilliant! :(
You need to actually clean it with a liquid chemical cleaning kit and not just a dust remover.
Mine took two goes to get really clean!
The one I borrowed late last year, fresh from Leica NJ, had a diagonal set of oil dots, spewed by the shutter I assume. Cleaned it off with alcohol and a Q-tip. Worked fine after that, but what an odd thing to find on a newish camera (demo).
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? :)
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.
Some good points here:
Dust the back of lenses including inside rear caps.
I have not done this previously, but realized as I was cleaning the M8 that this is probably a good idea
Never leave the body without a lens on.
Never leave lenses without rear caps on.
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...
Only changes lenses when you really need to and do it quickly and try to do it in the safest place possible.
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...
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!)
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...
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
03-20-2009, 10:38
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??? :D
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
03-20-2009, 11:18
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!
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.
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%20geul%20in.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!
Oh no! Is this the beginning of the end for Leica? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
I think Common Sense is lacking enough that some college ought to start offering online courses. Methinks.
But what do I know, I own a few Leicas and that automatically makes me a weirdo. :o
You run the risk of derailing the thread by introducing common sense.:D
Was looking for a miracle cure, and I got by for a few months.
I can say, I had the camera in for cleaning and back to Leica for the -- whatever it was greasy stuff-- on the sensor.
Am Googling Visible Dust's Arctic Butterfly, and if it is a porn site, will let you know.
Careful compressed gas, well, it rearranged some of the tiny pieces of lint.
I am reading in the tea leaves that a lesson in cleaning is in my future.
I normally leave cleaning inside of things to pros, the ones who can afford to fix it again if it is damaged?
Regards, any miracles can be reported ASAP.
John
Ricko of Fla
05-25-2009, 05:30
For $12. you can do your own sensor. The Lens pen cheep and easy , I have used the pen on my canon and now on my M8
Check out this site https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=13
Was looking for a miracle cure, and I got by for a few months.
I can say, I had the camera in for cleaning and back to Leica for the -- whatever it was greasy stuff-- on the sensor.
Am Googling Visible Dust's Arctic Butterfly, and if it is a porn site, will let you know.
Careful compressed gas, well, it rearranged some of the tiny pieces of lint.
I am reading in the tea leaves that a lesson in cleaning is in my future.
I normally leave cleaning inside of things to pros, the ones who can afford to fix it again if it is damaged?
Regards, any miracles can be reported ASAP.
John
NEVER!!!! compressed gas. Unless you like horror stories of course...
The Giotto Rocket blower is fine.
Visible Dust's "Arctic Butterfly" is all I used (on the M8) and all I will use now on my D700's. I think only the most stubborn of "dust" particles would require a wet cleaning method (Copperhhill method which I've used since the Canon 10D).
Cheers,
Dave
NEVER!!!! compressed gas. Unless you like horror stories of course...
The Giotto Rocket blower is fine.
Appreciate the warning, can is almost empty, pressure low, and held at a distance, calculated risk. Was looking for the bulb blower I normally have in the bag.
John
Visible Dust's "Arctic Butterfly" is all I used (on the M8) and all I will use now on my D700's. I think only the most stubborn of "dust" particles would require a wet cleaning method (Copperhhill method which I've used since the Canon 10D).
Cheers,
Dave
Am looking to order one, am not going to tell you what I thought the first time I saw one, -- well, I will,-- I did not get it right away that you turn off the spin cycle before you clean the sensor. ;)
Thought it was expensive, but if it does the job, I can save that in gas to the shop.
And if it works, it works.
Thanks, John
Seems the "Tim Allen" approach? Says electronics, not camera sensors in the ad.
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=211190111&adid=17653&dcaid=17653
Regards, John
NIKON KIU
05-26-2009, 15:50
We haven't had a run of polls in a while. Perhaps we should have a poll to see if we should have a poll on this? :angel:
I love polls, can we pleeaaasssseeee do a poll? I don't think we've done a M8 poll in-a-while.
Kiu
I'll be happy with a poll for a poll also :)
I have a couple of miniscule dust specs that can be seen at 200% crops shooting the sky at f16, but not visible at f11 or wider apertures.
Since I rarely shoot at smaller than 5.6, I'm going to not worry about the specs but continue to regularly check.
If I did any cleaning, I'd use the Rocket blower first, which usually does fine on the dlsrs. I do have a bunch of pads, proper spatula (for M8 and Nikon) from the DSLR setup.
I find that cleaning a sensor involves several sessions of cleaning and testing for results. You might save yourself a little money and time waiting if you try again to clean it yourself.
Yes, you don't want to ruin the heart of your M8. But if you use a proper cleaning tool (that doesn't scratch it or make it worse) you can certainly do it yourself. It's really just a matter of (verrry carefully) cleaning a little piece of glass.
I learned to clean my own sensors after a repair shop returned a 30D with a "cleaned sensor" that was full of spots.
I clean my M8 periodically with no problems. I find it to be a pretty leaky camera. (Incidentally, my R-D1 never needed cleaning.) Condensation from going into and out of cold may exacerbate the problem of spots on the sensor. So you may have to have to learn to clean your M8 eventually.
To test whether the sensor has spots, shoot one or two pictures of something like bright sky at f/22. (I take two shots of a light table. Two shots with the camera moved slightly ensures that I'm not just seeing a spot on the light table.) View the shots on your monitor, and it will be easy to tell if there are spots on the sensor. If there are, clean them and test again.
If you don't usually do shooting at f/22, you needn't really worry about spots. They won't show up when the lens is wide open.
Ronald M
08-12-2009, 22:36
DACha above gives you wonderful advice. Go back a read it again and again.
Prevention is better than cure. I do a precautionary blow out after each outing before any dust has a chance to migrate to the sensor. Do not open the shutter unless you know there is dust there already.
Got the arctic butterfly, seems to do the trick for dust, had to use it twice though and overpaid for one, best price seemed to be from them directly.
And, I had a piece of lint that showed at a number of settings, actually all of them, was sharper stopped down. ;-)
I have a dealer, Campus Camera in Kent, who will clean it for me for nada, but it is about an hour each way driving. Still, an option when needed.
Regards, John
What will the "Butterfly" do that the Rocket Blower and microtools E2 with proper size wand and swabs won't do?
The Butterfly disperses static as well as acting as a brush.
What will the "Butterfly" do that the Rocket Blower and microtools E2 with proper size wand and swabs won't do?
MCTuomey
08-13-2009, 11:42
For $12. you can do your own sensor. The Lens pen cheep and easy , I have used the pen on my canon and now on my M8
Check out this site https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=13
+1 but don't use the pen for anything other than sensor cleaning
DAG has my M8 after a similar misadventure...
I'll throw in yet another Arctic Butterfly recommendation. After a shoot in the desert with several lens changes (damn my insistence on primes), I really knew how invaluable it was. It is simple to use, just about idiot proof, and has yet to fail me when removing dust and other particular accumulations.
Oil, of course, is another story.
I'll throw in yet another Arctic Butterfly recommendation. After a shoot in the desert with several lens changes (damn my insistence on primes), I really knew how invaluable it was. It is simple to use, just about idiot proof, and has yet to fail me when removing dust and other particular accumulations.
Oil, of course, is another story.
Idiot proof, you mean you turn it off before you insert it into the camera. ;-)
Also, I ended up paying the same for the non light one as the new one with an led. It removed dust that blowing did not.
John
Thanks for all the tips on the butterfly, it sounds like a good brush, and the LED seems useful.
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