Dust Spots (Show us your spots!!!)

06/24/2010 01:27:18 PM · #1

The thread is dedicated to all the dust spots I have cleaned off my camera. With as many Lens changes I do I would have
to have my camera cleaned 3 times a year and most people are worried about cleaning. Being a PC tech with many hours of
fixing over 500 types of Laptops/Desktops/Servers/Printers/Monitors and about every type of peripheral know to man, I will
never send my camera out for cleaning and want you to know why!

I spend countless hours on photography websites and can tell you most pros will send their equipment out for professional
cleanings and when they follow these instructions and find out how the camera looks before they ship it and after they
receive it back, they usually are VERY disappointed and sometimes get their camera back with more dirt and dust before
shipping it out!

The $35-$50 is nothing compared to the time that your camera is in repair and then if you figure tolls and gas depending on
where you are...OR shipping.... Not happy.

Some tech is NOT going to care for your camera as you will and it will not feel the love!

There are lots of different ways of cleaning the camera...and I do not like most. I will go from worst to best as far as I am
concerned. (all views are my personal opinion and I have done MANY cleanings on my XT with over 500,000 shutter clicks,
my Wifes camera with 1,000 clicks... and my 40D (AFRAID TO LOOK) but during airshow I was around 18K for 1 week!

Tape -(YES, some morons will put tape on their sensor and pull it off to clean)
Reason why you should not is you can pull off the plastic cover for your CMOS or CCD!

AIR CLEANER (OIL FREE) -They still use oil when compressing the air and people have
oil free air cans spray oil on the plastic and then you have oil INSIDE YOUR CAMERA!

Blower -(does not get all the dust off if it is really stuck good to the plastic CMOS/CCD
clear shield.

Pads - It is harder than Q-Tips and if you have sand in the camera it can scratch the plastic
cover for the CMOS/CCD easier than Q-Tips.

Q-Tips - Softest but can still scratch if sand and press hard enough.

[size=150]HOW TO SEE YOUR LOVELY SPOTS [/size](this is my way)
Take a picture at a high F-stop and over F-16 recomended in Aperture mode with lowest ISO (100 recommended),
underexpose by 1/3 of a stop, point it at a wall and make sure to blur it by moving the camera as much as possible with a
nice long exposure.

Look at the image

Now put it in photoshop and Use levels (CTRL-L) to bring the High down and The low up... (The little arrows on the bottom
of the graph should look like this)

It will now be easy to see ALL of them!

[size=200]How I Clean My Camera[/size]

Take the Lens off and you will see the Mirror, blow above where the focus
Screen is and blow the mirror (DANGER, DO NOT TOUCH THE MIRROR WITH THE
BLOWER) None of this will affect image quality so if there is something on the
mirror you do not like...LEAVE IT ALONE!!! Not as scary as this sounds! REALLY!

(IT IS ALWAYS BEST TO USE THE BLOWER WITH THE SENSOR OR LENS OPENING
FACING DOWN SO THINGS FALL OUT WHEN BLOWN)

Blow around the metal ring that the lens attaches too (there will be metal shavings
from the metal on the lens and the camera rubbing when lens's is attached,removed)

***MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR BEST BATTERY FULLY CHARGED IN THE CAMERA***
AV Mode for old cameras and in the menu turn the manual cleaning mode on (Mirror will flip up)
(BE CAREFUL NOT TO POWER TOWN CAMERA OR HIT BUTTONS)

It will now look like this

Holding the camera with the green colored CCD/CMOS faced toward the ground
blow out as much of the dust and dirt as possible then wipe (gently) with a Q-Tip
in rows from one side to the other as shown below

The Blow with the hand air blower again and retest
HOW TO SEE YOUR LOVELY SPOTS (this is my way)
Take a picture at a high F-stop and over F-16 recomended in Aperture mode with lowest ISO (100 recommended),
underexpose by 1/3 of a stop, point it at a wall and make sure to blur it by moving the camera as much as possible with a
nice long exposure.[/size]

My 40D before cleaning

Wifes XS

NOW LETS SEE YOUR SPOTS (And your cleaning technique)

Message edited by author 2010-06-24 13:28:27.

Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra

06/24/2010 01:48:50 PM · #2

Where's the after cleaning images? :)

Honestly, I think I might like the pads better (especially now that they make "strips"..)..

Why? Two reasons, firstly, because I'm not sure how you would clean the corners of the sensor, and secondly, because the pads are much less likely to lose fibers.. I don't know about you 40D, but I can tell you my 50D has this stuff around the sensor that is a matte black, it will grab fibers like no-body's business..

Still, the point about softness is a good one..

Bear_Music

Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS

06/24/2010 02:10:14 PM · #3

Using consumer-market cotton swabs to clean a sensor is, IMO, insane. Those things shed off fibers like nobody's business. I have heard that there is a higher grade of swab available that doesn't shed, but I don't know if that's true...

R.

06/24/2010 02:19:12 PM · #4

I have had an XT / 40D / XS

I have cleaned 20D/30D/40D/XT/XSI/XS and I have had no issues with corners...

One More thing... DO NOT TRY TO GET EVERY DUST SPOT... It is almost impossible and not worth it
You clean your camera because it has massive dust, not a minor few spots. If you do not have to
clone out dust spots in photoshop, do not worry!

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

06/24/2010 02:21:42 PM · #5

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Ok, but I have done it at least 3-5 times a year on my own camera and have been careful and not had issues. I do not use ones that look like they are shedding and have done on average of 10 a year in total as many people usually ask for my help. Your Opinion is valid, I just have not had an issue ;)

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

06/24/2010 04:54:46 PM · #6

I agree with Robert that a commercial q-tip is not the best thing to use. There are foam swabs made for cleanroom work that would work as a dry swab and not have any fiber shedding issues. I, however, am a staunch proponent of the copperhill method. Essentially, it's a wet swab method using a tool and pad that is the width of the sensor, so you only make one pass. This method is capable of removing both adhered dust and any lubricant splatters from mechanical parts. Like any other mechanical method, it required good practices to ensure that damage to the sensor is avoided.

06/24/2010 05:04:07 PM · #7

Originally posted by kirbic:

I don't know what Copperhill method you're using, as the normal one takes two passes to get the entire sensor (the swab is about 2/3 the width of the sensor)...

But yeah, Copperhill is (IMHO) the only way to clean your sensor..

PGerst

Canon EOS-20D

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

06/24/2010 05:21:36 PM · #8

What's that smudge? Middle right?

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

06/24/2010 05:59:15 PM · #9

Originally posted by coryboehne:

Actually, I'm not using pre-made swabs, but my own tool with Pec Pads. You can create a tool of any width you like, in my case the full width of the sensor. You still normally make two passes, one forward, and one back.

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

06/24/2010 08:05:24 PM · #10

Originally posted by kirbic:

Originally posted by coryboehne:
I don't know what Copperhill method you're using, as the normal one takes two passes to get the entire sensor (the swab is about 2/3 the width of the sensor)...

But yeah, Copperhill is (IMHO) the only way to clean your sensor..

Actually, I'm not using pre-made swabs, but my own tool with Pec Pads. You can create a tool of any width you like, in my case the full width of the sensor. You still normally make two passes, one forward, and one back.

You don't have issues with it hanging up on the sides? It would be nice to have a full-width tool, but - I figured Copperhill didn't offer them for some valid reason..

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

06/24/2010 08:36:56 PM · #11

Originally posted by coryboehne:

You don't have issues with it hanging up on the sides? It would be nice to have a full-width tool, but - I figured Copperhill didn't offer them for some valid reason..

Nope... but you do have to carefully size the tool so that when it is wrapped with the Pec Pad it is the correct size. Not hard, you get it almost right, then shave it down until it is right. I made mine out of a soft rubber spatula.

06/24/2010 08:42:27 PM · #12

As an aside, I've had the fun of pulling apart a full DSLR, (thanks Yo_Spiff).. And I can tell you that there is no doubt that the cover of the CCD/CMOS is glass on an older Rebel, which makes me suspect that most of these are glass not plastic as the OP suggests..

06/25/2010 08:32:42 AM · #13

You are correct sir... I do not know why I put plastic as it would be crazy that one of the most important protective pieces of the camera be as strong as possible.

PGerst

Canon EOS-20D