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Cleaning sensor - first time


Deliberate1

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Friends, I have never cleaned my sensor and it surely needs some attention. I have read other posts and know that Leica has expressed some concern over owners who wet clean. I would be much obliged for detailed advice for the most effective, least invasive and simplest process for a first time effort.

Thanks in advance.

David

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Blower, LensPen & Loupe,  sticky wand, trip to Leica.   My blower is an Iwata air brush compressor, wet trap and debris trap.  A very expensive solution unless you already have it.

 

I may have wet cleaned my M9 one time before the corrosion issue was known.

 

Clean regularly so you need not resort to drastic steps.

 

Clean the inside of rear caps and use them.

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Not yet. But that will be required as I have a couple of strands that need to go. But there are several dots of something that will need direct application.

You won't know about the dots until you use the blower.  There are dozens of posts on sensor cleaning, including in the FAQ, for you to browse.  Product choice is subject to personal preference….pros and cons on many….but basics remain the same.

 

Forget about Leica comments on wet cleaning and just follow good practice.  I think those comments were related to corrosion issues, which Leica is committed to remedy if necessary.

 

Jeff

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  • 4 weeks later...

I blow mine off every now and again with my Giotto Rocket Blaster. Beyond that I have it professionally cleaned each year. Year one with trusted technician in my area, year two with Leica NJ. So on and so forth. Probably not the ideal system but it seems to work for me.

 

I freely clean my Pentax digital cameras with blower, pec pads, etc. with no problems. M9 sensors seem to be far more delicate.

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Compressed air from a safe distance (14" > 18") works for me (after test spritzing to clear gasses - use can upright!). 

 

Work from a clear sky/wall pic blown up on your screen to track down the big ones.  (Keeping mind the image is flipped both vertically and horizontally.  Dust in the upper right corner is actually on the sensor's lower left corner and so on.)

 

Little ones either get lost in a normal pic or can be easily spotted out in post.

 

Personally, wet clean scares me and gel stick feels like it could lift off the glass covering - too sticky - and can smudge.

 

An ever so slightly moisten q-tip also works

 

+1 for using a lighted sensor magnifier.

 

PS:  Do not expect perfection - and that's fine

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...PS:  Do not expect perfection - and that's fine

I have to chuckle. Everytime I get my camera back from New Jersey I have this little note from them.

 

"Dear Leica Customer,

We have cleaned the sensor of your digital system camera as far as technical possibilities allow. Due to its open design for exchangeable lenses, it is possible that dust particles will enter again and reach the sensor..."

 

Leave it to Leica to state the obvious. :)

Edited by ThePioneer
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Wet cleaning is pretty easy - I do it every six months or so, if the rocket blower doesn't do the job,  and have no corrosion (yet) on my sensor.  BUT - I live in Los Angeles, where it's very dry.  In a humid climate, I think I'd only use the blower.

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  • 1 month later...

I've had my M9-P since 2012 and I've never felt the need to clean it until today, after having discovered some rather large spots on my sensor.  Being on holiday, I had neglected to bring anything for cleaning the sensor, so a quick trip to a local dealer for a decent sized blower brush was in order.  £8 and a few healthy puffs later and the job's done.

There are a couple of spots that I think (hope) are oil deposits from the shutter, but these are easily cleaned up in Lightroom.

 

As it happens, we're off to London in a couple of weeks, so I may drop into Leica Mayfair and get the spots cleaned off.  I do hope I'm right in that they are oil deposits and not the beginnings of sensor corrosion.  

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Just used a sensor pen on my M9. Couple of stuck-on spots no amount of blowing with the rocket blower would dislodge. Looks very clean now. Doing some test shots over the next few days to confirm. A cleaning kit, complete with pec pads and Eclipse fluid should be delivered from B&H today.That, the pen and blower will all be travelling with me to Colorado next week for 10 days of Fall color shooting in the Rockies.

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You won't know about the dots until you use the blower.  There are dozens of posts on sensor cleaning, including in the FAQ, for you to browse.  Product choice is subject to personal preference….pros and cons on many….but basics remain the same.

 

Forget about Leica comments on wet cleaning and just follow good practice.  I think those comments were related to corrosion issues, which Leica is committed to remedy if necessary.

 

Jeff

The comments were retracted later anyway.

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I buy the sensor swabs you see on Amazon, both FF size and the Corner swabs.

 

I use 99% isopropyl. I get that out. Then I go on you tube and watch a few of the many videos showing sensor cleaning.

 

Now I'm warmed up, with a feel for how much pressure I can use. Then I go for it. I will apply the isopropyl with one swab then I may use two additional swabs to clean and dry. I look close and use the corner swabs....then I think, hey I should use them first!

 

But seems to work fine.

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  • 3 weeks later...

If it is a FF CCD (Kodak, etc.) sensor, M9, MM, etc. don't even try to clean it beyond using a blower bulb. Don't even brush it. Send it to Leica. They will not charge you.

Since there is no clear answer to the cause of Leica CCD sensor corrosion, let Leica do the touching. There is an additional benefit. If they detect any sign of corrosion starting,

they will install new sensor. Some do it yourself projects are better left alone.

Edited by jevidon
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If it is a FF CCD (Kodak, etc.) sensor, M9, MM, etc. don't even try to clean it beyond using a blower bulb. Don't even brush it.

 

On the other hand if you want to be in command of your photography it is a surprisingly simple job (even Nikon and Canon users can manage it) and the breeding of unfounded fear and paranoia can be left to those who feed on it.

 

 

Steve

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On the other hand if you want to be in command of your photography it is a surprisingly simple job (even Nikon and Canon users can manage it) and the breeding of unfounded fear and paranoia can be left to those who feed on it.

 

 

Steve

Ordinarily, I would agree with you if we were dealing with any other camera, but given the history of sensor corrosion on M9, MM and probably the ME, I am merely parroting what Leica recommended. It's a sensitive subject and that is why Leica does not charge for cleaning the sensor specifically on these cameras. As of last summer, Leica either did not know specifically what was causing the corrosion or they would not say. I have cleaned the sensors on my Fuji X and Olympus OM-D cameras as well as on the Leica M8.2 that I used to own and there was no issue. Additionally, Iwill use an Arctic Butterfly brush on the M9 because, if used properly, the static charge picks up dust without contacting the sensor surface.

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