Cleaning the CMOS - DPChallenge Forums

//www.photo.net/equipment/digital/sensorcleaning/

09/21/2004 04:42:10 AM · #3

Olympus 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 M.Zuiko Digital ED

09/21/2004 05:01:46 AM · #4

This is what you want to do:

//www.pbase.com/copperhill/ccd_cleaning

Most people I know use that site for a step by step instruction.

jonr

Olympus OM-D E-M5

09/21/2004 06:00:57 AM · #5

What is "dust on the sensor"? ;)

aznym

Fujifilm X-T3

Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR

09/21/2004 06:15:41 AM · #6

If it's just tiny specs of dust, you can use a small blower. I got some before and that's what I did. It's dust free now.

rich

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

09/21/2004 07:17:12 AM · #7

I just cleaned the sensor of my D60 for the first time since purchasing it 22 months ago. I never really had a big problem with dust, but it was inevitable I suppose that I would finally get a speck in there that I would be able to notice.

Before cleaning, I took a photo of a piece of white paper in my study and slammed it with autolevels in Photoshop to really see the specks. I was shocked by how much was there:

//www.richterrell.com/images/pre-cleaning.jpg

Good grief - there is more dust than sensor in there. The spots are not nearly as obvious without an autolevel but that is sort of the point for this exercise, a before and after cleaning image.

Using a blower did not have much effect - I am not knocking that technique, but I think the longer you wait the more these specks adhere to the filter and get harder and harder to blow off.

I purchased the cleaning tool from Copperhill and pec-pads and Eclipse fluid elsewhere. After one pass most of the dust was gone, but a few stubborn spots remained:

//www.richterrell.com/images/one-pass.jpg

After two passes the sensor looks pretty good - certainly a night and day difference from where I started:

//www.richterrell.com/images/two-passes.jpg

I would highly reccommend this kit - the tool is the perfect size to clean the sensor and work in that tight area. And the whole process was not nearly as nerve-wracking as I thought it would be.

PaulMdx

Canon EOS-1D

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

09/21/2004 07:19:57 AM · #8

Originally posted by jonr:

What is "dust on the sensor"? ;)

What's an E1? ;)

jonpink

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2

09/21/2004 07:24:20 AM · #9

take it back to canon and they will clean it for nothing.

marbo

Nikon D5000

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

09/21/2004 07:48:30 AM · #10

I cleaned mine for the 1st time last week.
I used eclipse fluid and pec pads and a sensor swipe tool which i bought from here.

It took me 4 goes to get all the dust including one real stuck on piece of crap.
I was surprise how easy it was and now i can clean my sensor in a few minutes.
Even if canon did do it for free i would do it myself not to be without my camera for however long they took.
It`s so easy if you have the right tools and stuff.

rich

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

09/21/2004 08:31:05 AM · #11

Originally posted by jonpink:

take it back to canon and they will clean it for nothing.

I was not aware of that - I tried to find info on Canon's site and came up blank. Do you know if this applies to cameras that are out of the 1-year warranty as well?

I'm not sure I would go this route anyway due to the amount of time I would be without my camera but it is interesting information regardless.

jonpink

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2

09/21/2004 08:31:57 AM · #12

Originally posted by marbo:

Nikon take about 3 minuets. I can wait that long. I tend to drive down to their HO and take it in myself.

I must say they don't do the best job though.

jonr

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Olympus 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 M.Zuiko Digital ED

09/21/2004 09:53:01 AM · #13

Originally posted by PaulMdx:

Originally posted by jonr:
What is "dust on the sensor"? ;)

What's an E1? ;)

touche! :)

rich

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

09/21/2004 01:28:30 PM · #14

I received the following after an inquiry to Canon Customer Service asking about free cleanings for Digital SLR's out of warranty. Canon will indeed clean them free of charge.

Just thought I would share. The following is the text of the response they gave me which has a lot more detail.

Dear Mr. Terrell,

Thank you for your inquiry on having the sensor in your EOS D60 cleaned.

As long as the low-pass filter and sensor have not been damaged by the
user, cleaning of these components is available at no charge through
Canon Factory Service Centers regardless of the cameraâ��s warranty
status.

For service, please forward your digital camera to the Factory Service
Center shown below. When shipping your camera, please be sure to remove
the CompactFlash card and battery. You are not required to send any
accessories or manuals when shipping the camera. Be sure to include
your name, street address (no P.O. boxes, please), telephone number, and
a letter describing the issue with the product.

As we do not provide RMA numbers for service, we suggest using a
trackable and insurable service (i.e. UPS, Federal Express, Priority
Mail) to ship your camera. Please package the your camera very securely
to prevent damage during shipment.

Canon Factory Service Center
100 Jamesburg Road
Jamesburg, NJ. 08831
Telephone Number: (732) 521-7007
Business hours: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday

Upon arrival at the Factory Service Center, your camera will be logged
in to our repair database and assigned a repair number. Next, the
camera will be examined and you will be advised of the findings. If the
factory decides to clean your camera under warranty, the service will
begin immediately, and you will not be contacted. When the cleaning is
complete, the camera will be shipped back to you via Federal Express.

All decisions regarding service are made by the Factory Service Center
at the time of service. If the service entails something that is not
covered in warranty, a written estimate will be sent to you at the
address that you have provided. The repairs to your camera will not
begin until you approve this estimate and make payment arrangements.
If, after receiving the estimate, you do not wish to have the camera
repaired, please inform the Factory Service Center of your decision as
soon as possible. If you decline the estimate, the camera will be
shipped back to you unrepaired.

Once you have confirmed with your shipper that the camera has been
delivered, you are more than welcome to contact us for repair updates.
Please include your name, address, and telephone number, as well as the
serial number of the camera, in all repair status inquiries.

Please note that our U.S. Factory Service Centers are unable to accept
packages from or return equipment to addresses outside the United
States.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions or
concerns.

Thank you for choosing Canon.

Sincerely,

Chris
Product Support Representative

VisiBlanco

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

10/03/2004 09:06:29 AM · #15

Just wanted to follow up on this thread. I actually ordered the kit from //www.pbase.com/copperhill/ccd_cleaning and just got done with a first pass. I'll probably do another pass after I do a little shooting today, but check out the results:

Dirty:

Clean:

doctornick

Apple iPhone 13 Pro

10/03/2004 09:09:19 AM · #16

//www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/

10/03/2004 12:04:00 PM · #17

I just cleaned my 10D sensor again today since it's heading to E-Bay. Before and after. (Blue sky, F22, then apply Autolevels to bring out the nastiness).

This was my sensor after 16 months. and my first attempt at swabbing the sensor.

dwoolridge

10/03/2004 12:48:53 PM · #18

Originally posted by richterrell:

Canon will indeed clean them free of charge.

Yep, I've had it done twice already. Toronto's closest service centre is in Mississauga. I went there, handed them the camera, waited 10-15 minutes and got a nice clean camera back.

mariomel

10/03/2004 12:49:33 PM · #19

I decided to take a look at my sensor, as I have never cleaned it. this is what I find:

What the hell are those? They don't look at all like the stuff I've been seeing described as dust.

Help!?

10/03/2004 12:53:03 PM · #20

Big dust bunnies with fangs and claws :)

Originally posted by mariomel:

I decided to take a look at my sensor, as I have never cleaned it. this is what I find:

What the hell are those? They don't look at all like the stuff I've been seeing described as dust.

Help!?

dwoolridge

10/03/2004 12:54:05 PM · #21

Originally posted by mariomel:

What the hell are those? They don't look at all like the stuff I've been seeing described as dust.

Help!?

What was the aperture for that shot? As you move away from a smaller aperture (say f/22 or smaller) the dust will begin to blur (esp. in the f/8 to f/16 range). At large apertures they are generally imperceptible.

mariomel

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

10/03/2004 01:00:10 PM · #22

Originally posted by dwoolridge:

Originally posted by mariomel:
What the hell are those? They don't look at all like the stuff I've been seeing described as dust.

Help!?

What was the aperture for that shot? As you move away from a smaller aperture (say f/22 or smaller) the dust will begin to blur (esp. in the f/8 to f/16 range). At large apertures they are generally imperceptible.

This was taken at f/8. I'll try at f/22, and see what they look like there.

Thanks, I was becoming VERY scared.

Edit: here is the sensor at f/22. Yuck!

Looks like I need a cleaning.

Message edited by author 2004-10-03 13:11:42.

Neil

Fujifilm X-T30

10/03/2004 01:19:17 PM · #23

I've only had my camera for < month. I've only made about 4 lens changes, all indoors, all setup to be done very quickly (everything ready).

Yesterday, I took some pics and there were three dust spots on my sensor already.

Are there other ways dust can get in? Leaving your CF slot open too long?

I've been so careful, I can't believe I already have dust. I did buy a hurricane blower (big bulb blower) but I am afraid to try and even blow off the dust--how do I know I just won't end up with more settling while I have the sensor exposed. I don't have a dust-free room. Like I said, I've never changed lenses outdoors, and indoors I changed quickly and didn't even pause to look at the sensor or mirror.

10/03/2004 01:51:34 PM · #24

eeeeeeeeeeeekkkkk!

You need open heart surgery. Actualy it's not that bad. Go here:

//www.pbase.com/copperhill/ccd_cleaning

and follow their procedure.

Canadian Pec Pads and Eclipse:

//www.photococan.com/itmidx11.htm

Good luck.

Originally posted by mariomel:

Originally posted by dwoolridge:

Originally posted by mariomel:
What the hell are those? They don't look at all like the stuff I've been seeing described as dust.

Help!?

What was the aperture for that shot? As you move away from a smaller aperture (say f/22 or smaller) the dust will begin to blur (esp. in the f/8 to f/16 range). At large apertures they are generally imperceptible.

This was taken at f/8. I'll try at f/22, and see what they look like there.

Thanks, I was becoming VERY scared.

Edit: here is the sensor at f/22. Yuck!

Looks like I need a cleaning.

mariomel