Dust on the sensor

[Maronati]

I just spoted couple dust specs on my M8 and they didn't come off with air. Has anyone experinced dust on the sensor, and if so how did you clean it?

[sirvine]

Originally Posted by Maronati

I just spoted couple dust specs on my M8 and they didn't come off with air. Has anyone experinced dust on the sensor, and if so how did you clean it?

I just cleaned mine recently with the copperhill method. Total success--no dust spots are left and it is very easy. To be more specific, I used the little spatula doo-dad with a pecpad wrapped around it and a few drops of eclipse.

[Maronati]

Thanks for the tip. Is this something I can buy @ my locar photo dealer?

[jaapv]

Yes- Visible Dust has a nice cleaning kit.
The protocol is:

1.Blow away dust with a bulb blower, preferably a high-capacity one like the Rocket Blower. Hold the "mouth" of the camera more or less pointing downwards to avoid the dust resettling on the sensor.NEVER*NEVER use canned air. There is a very real possibility of depositing very hard to remove gunk on the sensor.
2. If this does not help, use the Arctic Butterly sensor brush (included in the kit)
3. If this does not help use the Sensor Swipe + Fluid to wet-clean the sensor (included in the kit)
4. If repeated swiping does not help (nearly unheard of) a professional clean is indicated.

Instructions are included in the kit.
Always use steps 1 and 2 before 3 to avoid scratchy loose dust when wet cleaning.
It is actually not easy to damage a sensor through cleaning. The surface is harder and more scratch-resistant than the average photographic filter.
When wet-cleaning use the fluid sparingly; don't soak the sensor!

There is another interesting product being developed, which will probably come onto the market within the next few months. It consists of a rubber-stamp like thingy and foam pads with a non-residue leaving adhesive, which will pull the dust off.

[Maronati]

Cool, I checked with my local camera store and they sell those kits, I'll try it.
I did use compressed air earlier ,I hope it didn't damage anything.

[rsl]

Originally Posted by jaapv

Yes- Visible Dust has a nice cleaning kit.
1.Blow away dust with a bulb blower, preferably a powerful one like the Rocket Blower. Hold the "mouth" of the camera more or less pointing downwards to avoid the dust resettling on the sensor.NEVER*NEVER use canned air. There is a very real possibility of depositing very hard to remove gunk on the sensor.

Jaap, Careful with the "powerful" blowing. The filter over the sensor doesn't touch the sensor, so there's a very small space there. Last summer I saw a Nikon D80 with a dust bunny between the filter and the sensor. When that happens you're in real trouble because neither blowing, brushes, nor wet cleaning will help. Best to use gentle blowing and/or something like the Arctic Butterfly first. If neither does the job, it's best to go to wet cleaning. I've been using the "Copperhill" cleaning stuff for years now with excellent results. It's a white knuckle operation the first couple times you do it, and a pain in the butt any time you do it, but it works.

[jaapv]

Originally Posted by rsl

Jaap, Careful with the "powerful" blowing. The filter over the sensor doesn't touch the sensor, so there's a very small space there. Last summer I saw a Nikon D80 with a dust bunny between the filter and the sensor. When that happens you're in real trouble because neither blowing, brushes, nor wet cleaning will help. Best to use gentle blowing and/or something like the Arctic Butterfly first. If neither does the job, it's best to go to wet cleaning. I've been using the "Copperhill" cleaning stuff for years now with excellent results. It's a white knuckle operation the first couple times you do it, and a pain in the butt any time you do it, but it works.

Thanks for the correction Russel. Powerful is the wrong word; high-capacity would be better. I don't think anyone ever managed to get dust between a sensor and a filter with the Rocket blower. I'll edit my original post.

[jaapv]

Originally Posted by Maronati

Cool, I checked with my local camera store and they sell those kits, I'll try it.
I did use compressed air earlier ,I hope it didn't damage anything.

You won't damage anything, but you will be out of 75$ for a professional sensor clean and be without your camera for a few days if you are unlucky. And, as Russel points out, canned air certainly can blow dust into unwanted places, a bulb blower is much safer in that respect.

[IGMeanwell]

Rocket Blower .... it works great

[Sailor Ted]

When my M8 was new I noticed dust that looked almost like grease spots on my sensor. I blew the sensor with a bulb, took more pictures, continued to notice dust, blew it some more, and continued to notice dust but less, rinse and repeat. Today my sensor is as clean as a whistle. No more dust and no greasy spots. All I do is give it an air blast before a big photo session. Perhaps the sensor starts out "charged" or otherwise and for some reason more of an attractant to dust but as the camera "breaks-in" the dust seems to disappear. This at least has been my experience. Perhaps someone else can comment with similar experiences? BTW I have never cleaned my sensor by making physical contact as this makes me nervous due to the fact Leica’s warrantee clearly states that any damage done to the sensor as a result of cleaning is not covered nor will cleaning be done for free but a fee.

[mfunnell]

Originally Posted by jaapv

Yes- Visible Dust has a nice cleaning kit.
The protocol is:

1.Blow away dust with a bulb blower [...]

I bought a Visible Dust cleaning kit for my dSLRs. It works well, because so far it has scared the dust away! I've never beeen past step 1. <fingers crossed> It does bring peace of mind, however, and the kit I bought included cleaning stuff for more than just sensors - and I've found that other gear very good for cleaning lenses, finders etc. Considerably better than other things I've used.

...Mike

[jaapv]

Originally Posted by Sailor Ted

When my M8 was new I noticed dust that looked almost like grease spots on my sensor. I blew the sensor with a bulb, took more pictures, continued to notice dust, blew it some more, and continued to notice dust but less, rinse and repeat. Today my sensor is as clean as a whistle. No more dust and no greasy spots. All I do is give it an air blast before a big photo session. Perhaps the sensor starts out "charged" or otherwise and for some reason more of an attractant to dust but as the camera "breaks-in" the dust seems to disappear. This at least has been my experience. Perhaps someone else can comment with similar experiences?

I can confirm that Ted. I think a new shutter splatters some grease, and a new sensor attracts more dust. Saw it on a new Canon as well. Now it stays clean, even in these circumstances, with just a puff of the blower at night.:

[barjohn]

I have the Arctic Butterfly and both the Sensor Clean System and the dust swabs as well as the Eclipse fluid with their swabs. The Eclipse system has worked far better with stubborn dust spots. The Sensor Clean fluid will leave streaks on the sensor and you need their streak removing fluid to remove the streaks. Eclipse leaves nothing!

[rsl]

Originally Posted by Sailor Ted

When my M8 was new I noticed dust that looked almost like grease spots on my sensor. I blew the sensor with a bulb, took more pictures, continued to notice dust, blew it some more, and continued to notice dust but less, rinse and repeat. Today my sensor is as clean as a whistle. No more dust and no greasy spots. All I do is give it an air blast before a big photo session. Perhaps the sensor starts out "charged" or otherwise and for some reason more of an attractant to dust but as the camera "breaks-in" the dust seems to disappear. This at least has been my experience. Perhaps someone else can comment with similar experiences? BTW I have never cleaned my sensor by making physical contact as this makes me nervous due to the fact Leica’s warrantee clearly states that any damage done to the sensor as a result of cleaning is not covered nor will cleaning be done for free but a fee.

Ted, With your luck you should be playing the horses or going to Vegas or buying lottery tickets. You got an M8 that's never had a problem and a sensor that more or less cleans itself.

Seriously, sooner or later you're going to have to do more than blow off the dust. Oil doesn't blow off, and if you change lenses, eventually you'll get some of the kind of sticky dust blobs that won't come off with a blower or even a static- charged brush. Nikon says the same thing Leica says: "Don't you dare touch the filter over the sensor," but that's horse hockey. There's no way you can avoid cleaning the sensor. As I said earlier, when you first have to go in there with an Eclipse-moistened Pec pad on a stick it's a white-knuckle operation -- more so with a DSLR since the filter is harder to get to. The alternative is to spend a few bucks and have a Leica-authorized repair shop do it, but from what I've seen with DSLRs and read, once you get the camera back there's usually just about as much dust as before, but it's been rearranged. One problem with a blower is that often it just moves the dust into a different part of the sensor chamber and eventually that same dust comes back to the charged sensor. I do think you're right, though, that the sensor picks up less dust after you've used the camera for a while. That may be because you've gradually blown most of the dust out of the sensor chamber.

[StuartR]

I was just looking and the visible dust kit for the 1.3x is 250 dollars. Is that possible?
http://www.adorama.com/CPVAB724B13.h...ust&item_no=15
They have so many cleaning products, I think my head is spinning faster than their brush thingy. What is the best realistic choice for the M8? I might be willing to get the kit if it is worth it, but 250 sounds like a hell of a lot of money just to get some dust off the sensor...

[Gman]

Sounds like an incorrect price. Check the B&H site where it sells for about $170 I believe.


jeff

[Gman]

Actually I checked the Visible Dust web site, and there is a pro version of the cleaning kit that sells for about $270, so the Adorama price is probably not bad. There are a few other kits available that seem to be less money.

Anyone out there that can comment on these kits?


jeff

[Nigel Meaby]

someone should invent a sort of minature vacuum cleaner device, just powerful enough to collect up dust and not damage the internal parts of a digital camera. Not having looked at digital cleaning products as I'm still a "Filmie", maybe there is one already?

[GrahamWelland]

Originally Posted by Nigel Meaby

someone should invent a sort of minature vacuum cleaner device, just powerful enough to collect up dust and not damage the internal parts of a digital camera. Not having looked at digital cleaning products as I'm still a "Filmie", maybe there is one already?

There is ... it's called the Green Clean camera cleaning system. It has a clean compressed air can that blows across a T-valve to create a vacuum along a tube that you use to pick up debris out of the camera chamber/sensor. Works pretty well too.

[Avotius]

been using the visible dust brush for about a year and a half, saved my butt every time.

[jaapv]

It is a bit like gardening - you pull out the weeds as best you can - you always miss one nasty - and you can repeat it next week....

[rsl]

I keep forgetting to ask: How many on the forum have done wet cleaning on the M8 sensor? 1/2mm seems pretty thin glass and it sounds scarier than with more hefty DSLR filters. I can imagine pressing a tiny bit too hard and hearing and feeling a snap!

[sirvine]

Originally Posted by rsl

I keep forgetting to ask: How many on the forum have done wet cleaning on the M8 sensor? 1/2mm seems pretty thin glass and it sounds scarier than with more hefty DSLR filters. I can imagine pressing a tiny bit too hard and hearing and feeling a snap!

I did it, for better or for worse. No problems. I used the Copperhill method, per your recommendation (if I recall).

[rsl]

Originally Posted by sirvine

I did it, for better or for worse. No problems. I used the Copperhill method, per your recommendation (if I recall).

Congratulations. I know it's a scary operation the first couple times but you get used to it after a while. I avoid it as long as I can and use a blower and an Arctic Butterfly first, but sometimes there's no other way than the wet way.

[x-ray]

Welcome to the world of digital! One suggestion to help prevent dust sopts, TURN THE CAMERA POWER OFF WHEN CHANGING LENSES!!!! The sensor is cherges with static electricity and by turning the camera off you discharge the sensor. If you chang lenses while it is on it wioll work like an electrostatic filter and draw dust into the camera. Different cameras are more of a problem than others. My original 1D and 1Ds canons were quite different. Over the 2 years I owned them my 1D with a CCD never needec cleaned. My 1Ds would pull dirt out of a neighboring state and the CMOS sensor needed cleaned regularly. I learned to turn the camera off when changing lenses and this made all the difference. MY nearly 3 year old 1DsII bodies have never needed cleaning other then a rare blast form the rocket blower.


WARNING!!! Never use canned air, it contains propellant and can get on the snesor and be a problem cleaning it off. Never wipe the sensor with a cloth and your finger. Q tips can leave a film on the sensor. If you scratch the cover over the sensor you're screwed! You will have a very expensive replacement for the sensor, not just the cover because in every camera I've seen the cover is bonded to the sensor.