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09/06/2005 09:42:17 AM · #1 |
I have previously recommended the Tetenal sensor cleaning system a couple of times at this site, but would like to withdraw the recommendation and issue a warning!
The Tetenal system is a compressed CO2 system. It is not the same as canned air, as it uses pure CO2 in mini-compressed air canisters, as opposed to aerosol propellants (you should never use aerosol propelled air to clean, as the propellents include oil bases chemicals that will smear the sensor). In theory, the Tetenal system is free of all chemicals as it contains nothing but CO2.
I was recommended the Tetenal system by my local camera pro-shop owner, who has used and supplied the same to numerous others without problem for over 3 years for sensor cleaning. I have used it for 6 months with no problems.
A month ago, I bought a new pack of compressed air canisters. My sensor was dirty, and I had a number of photographic events occurring. My own wedding, two honeymoon holidays and last week, a friend's wedding where I was the "official" photographer.
On the morning of my wedding I did the standard quick spray routine with a new cannister, and a small white cloud puffed out of the cannister. My camera CCD had been doused in something oil based, and was effectively out of commission.
This was bad.
I have returned the unit to the shop, who have confirmed a couple more reports of the same thing happening - appears to be a faulty batch. However, I will be using the non-sized brush approach in the future, I think. This is a shame, as the Tetenal device was good and worked well, but there does appear to be a small risk attached. I would certainly think twice about ever using it the morning of an important event.
Luckily for me, my father had just bought a 350XT, which he very kindly loaned to me for a month (thanks dad!) after my wedding. The shop has cleaned my camera and we are talking costs/compensation. But it would have been far better for this not to have happened!
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09/06/2005 09:53:46 AM · #2 |
Was it only when you first used the can or had you used it a few times first? Maybe a build-up of some sort or another that gets blown out when you first use it? |
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09/06/2005 10:06:07 AM · #3 |
Brand new. In fact, I had gone to buy a pack of cannisters, but they had run out of refill packs. As I explained to them when buying the spray (usefully from a legal perspective), my sensor was very dirty, I had a lot of events coming up including my own wedding necessitating a sensor clean. I ended up buying a whole new starter pack of spray gun and cannisters.
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09/06/2005 10:10:16 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by legalbeagle:
Luckily for me, my father had just bought a 350XT, which he very kindly loaned to me for a month (thanks dad!) after my wedding. The shop has cleaned my camera and we are talking costs/compensation. But it would have been far better for this not to have happened! |
OK - very pleased to be able to help.
So now that I've got it back, tell me how to keep/make the sensor clean |
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09/06/2005 10:12:19 AM · #5 |
Spraying a stream of rapidly-decompressed gas can possibly cause deposition of condensation, as the expanding gas is very cold; if it's humid there will be water condensing out of the air, regardless of the can's original contents.
Glad the store seems to be working with you, and recognizes that there's a problem. |
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09/06/2005 11:05:00 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Spraying a stream of rapidly-decompressed gas can possibly cause deposition of condensation, as the expanding gas is very cold; if it's humid there will be water condensing out of the air, regardless of the can's original contents.
Glad the store seems to be working with you, and recognizes that there's a problem. |
Yep - that is what I suspected at first, so left the camera open for a few minutes for it to dry. but it didn't. Very definitely a mist of oily deposits over the sensor that required professional cleaning.
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