M9 sensor cleaning

[Bill Allsopp]

Ad

Originally Posted by Paul J

...... take particular care when changing lenses and make sure that the back caps are always attached and clean them out regularly.

I thoroughly agree.

[tobey bilek]

Originally Posted by Bill Allsopp

I thoroughly agree.

and me too.

Prevention is better than cure.

The only thing I can add is blow out the mirror chamber ( mirror up and down) or similar space in Leica after each outing. Do with shutter closed. The idea is to get rid of junk before it migrates to the sensor.

Only open if there is a known problem.

I have had digi cams for years and never had a sensor dirt problem.

[erick]

Originally Posted by jaapv

Bathroom after shower...

I do the same

[Delcredere]

I use an Arctic Butterfly with a loup that shines light. It seems to be a very gentle method and has always removed what ever little bits have found their way onto my sensor.

[Paul J]

The loupe with a light sounds interesting do you have a link?

Thanks

[RockyIII]

I have a VisibleDust sensor loupe, and it works quite well to help you see the bits of dust.

Loupe for camera, sensor cleaning.

Rocky

[JazzDoc]

The Lenspen company also makes an illuminating loupe with a cutout through which you can apparently use one of their SensorClear pens to get at the sensor.
I'd recommend the loupe but I have no experience with the pen gadget. Looks a bit scary. I like the Visible Dust swabs, myself.

By the way - getting the batteries into this loupe almost requires neurosurgical training.

[pico]

Originally Posted by Washington

Best done with a sandblaster.

Ach, when my sensor gets dirty I just throw the camera into the bin.

[flimmerfilm]

I really like the Steve Huff sensor cleaning method ... and the cat

[Bill Allsopp]

Originally Posted by flimmerfilm

I really like the Steve Huff sensor cleaning method ... and the cat

the only thing I would add is to blow any crap off the back of the lens before refixing it.

[viramati]

Ad

Steve's method is pretty much what I do but I would always blow dust out of the chamber before opening the shutter. If specks still persists I get the loupe out and check and have a go (very carefully) with the arctic butterfly. If that fails I will do a wet clean.

[Paulus]

Originally Posted by pico

Ach, when my sensor gets dirty I just throw the camera into the bin.

I really had to laugh over that one!


But my worries are over. I'll gladly pay him € 50,- for cleaning my camera's. This guy is simply the best!!


Chipclean - Hoe werken wij?

[Paulus]

Originally Posted by tobey bilek

and me too.

Prevention is better than cure.

The only thing I can add is blow out the mirror chamber ( mirror up and down) or similar space in Leica after each outing. Do with shutter closed. The idea is to get rid of junk before it migrates to the sensor.

Only open if there is a known problem.

I have had digi cams for years and never had a sensor dirt problem.

The best Idea is not to put junk into it! We forget,that every time we turn a lens on a plastic/polymer lens cap, a tiny fragment of the cap gets scraped of and sticks to the lens bajonet.
The moment you put it on the camera, it will get polluted by this kind of plastic dust. So take a littel bit of eclipe and a swab, and clean the bajonet. The black stuff is no grease, but polymer.

[davidbaddley]

Originally Posted by tobey bilek

I have had digi cams for years and never had a sensor dirt problem.

Set your aperture to f16 and point your camera at the plain, blue sky. You might be surprised.

I rarely change lenses, and only do so carefully in good environments, but still find need to do a wet-clean about twice a year. I don't know why, but even without changing lenses, cameras designed for interchangeable lenses pick up more sensor-grunge than point-'n-shoots.

Just like every skier should be able to wax her/his skis, and every driver should be able to adjust tire-pressure, photographers should be able to wet-clean their sensors. Although it might be a little scary at first, it's easy and safe if done properly, with less chance of doing expensive damage than cleaning a lens (some products even guarantee against damage). Even if you choose not to clean your own sensors, do it a time or two to demystify the process and add an important skill to your quiver.

[jaapv]

Originally Posted by Paulus

The best Idea is not to put junk into it! We forget,that every time we turn a lens on a plastic/polymer lens cap, a tiny fragment of the cap gets scraped of and sticks to the lens bajonet.
The moment you put it on the camera, it will get polluted by this kind of plastic dust. So take a littel bit of eclipe and a swab, and clean the bajonet. The black stuff is no grease, but polymer.

Not recommended. Eclipse dissolves fat. The bajonet is lubed with a minithin film of lubricant. If you clean it with a solvent you will have to replace it by wiping it with a cloth with a hint of Vaseline on it.

[Delcredere]

Originally Posted by Paul J

The loupe with a light sounds interesting do you have a link?

Thanks

I have the Quasar sensor loupe with 7x magnification. Sensor cleaning system for digital camera. is shown as the site on its packaging box.

[Delcredere]

Originally Posted by Delcredere

I have the Quasar sensor loupe with 7x magnification. Sensor cleaning system for digital camera. is shown as the site on its packaging box.

Sorry. For some reason the auto checker translated a web address into annoyingly unhelpful text. If you Google VisibleDust you should be well on your way.

[wlaidlaw]

I also would never again use those sticky pads to clean my sensor. I had a very lucky escape, when the pad split as I was peeling it off the backing strip rather than peeling it off the sensor.

I just keep wishing that someone would start selling wet cleaning wands that did not have a 10,000% profit mark up on them. Not sure about recovering the wands with snipped up Pec Pads - a bit of a risk to take with a precious sensor.

Wilson

[Paul J]

I was walking past the Mayfair Leica store yesterday and dropped into ask about a few things. As you do. They said they offer a one day sensor cleaning service at about £70 on site.

[jaapv]

They must use sensor brushes with handselected female Yak hair and the finest Scotch single malt cleaning fluid to justily that price!