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Dirt on sensor?


Snakepottery

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Hi All,

 

Is the marks in the sky area dirt on the sensor? Same in all pics so I am guessing so. If so, what does the team think is the best product for cleaning it?

 

 

Just starting to play with my newish baby!!

 

 

Not sure if I have attached the pic correctly, not done it before!

 

Ta

 

Andy

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Guest WPalank

Your advice on cleaning the sensor on a recent thread regarding the subject:

 

I put my M8 (after jamming the shutter open with a nail) in the dishwasher and set it to heavy clean. Works a treat. Not a dust spec in sight. The body comes out nice an clean too. However for some strange reason, the pictures don't seem to be quite as good afterwards. I put it down to condensation in the camera so I then pop it in the oven at 180 deg for 10 mins. That seems to help.

 

Andy

:rolleyes:

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Guest WPalank

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Snake,

check out this thread I started:

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m9-forum/114998-m9-ultimate-sensor-cleaning-device.html

 

You have to break it down roughly into two components:

1) Oil or lubricant based.

2) Dust and filamentous mattter.

 

Just like getting those materials out of clothing for example, you need two different solvents.

 

What I found under 20x magnification is that cleaning the M9 sensor (which should be at least partly analogous to an M8) was significantly more difficult than a Canon with Sensor Cleaning Function. Whether due to electrostatic charge......????

 

If it is oil, you don't want to use a brush or Arctic Butterfly. It will turn the dot into a streak and contaminate the brush.

 

In a nutshell, I found the Visible Dust product "Smear Away", specifically made for Oil and lubricant, to be a superior product when combined with their sensor swabs. The Eclipse solution did not do a very good job. You then follow up with the VD product (new swab) "Sensor Clean", for the dust and particulate matter.

 

E2 seems to be an excellent product, but they have taken it off the market in the US at least. I could only find it pre-moistened on the Sensor Swab sensor swab (different product than the VD). First, it was way to heavily moistened and left streaks all over my sensor (which I attribute partly to the quality of the Sensor Swab product) that were easily visible with the naked eye. I then had to follow up with Sensor Clean to complete the job. But my sensor is now spotless!

 

Your mileage may vary.

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I'll check that thread out, thanks William. Having done a quick Google of sensor cleaning products I reckon I'm in the wrong business! A fair bit of money being made with these products I should say! Still I suppose you don't have to do it very often so they will last a while. Funny really, happy to spent thousands on camera kit but dislike spending £40 on sensor cleaning stuff!

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real photographers don't use that stuff, they use analytical grade isopropyl alcohol and professional grade lab tissues and swabs:D

 

£40 should give you a few gallons of IPA and a room full of tissue "an investment for the future"

 

Note: this is what Leica themselves use/suggest

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real photographers don't use that stuff, they use analytical grade isopropyl alcohol and professional grade lab tissues and swabs:D

 

£40 should give you a few gallons of IPA and a room full of tissue "an investment for the future"

 

Note: this is what Leica themselves use/suggest

 

I think you are right SJP. (Or were you joking, is that what Leica use?) I would happily spent £40 on that rather than a piddly little bottle of IPA with Eclipse and 12 mini kleenex tissues!! Not sure if I have the courage to try it out in case it is wrong and ruins the sensor! Not sure where to get the stuff from either although I do work in a school so can get it from the science techs I expect.

Many years ago when I first started out in IT as a Field Engineer (1983), hard disk drives were massive things with big platters and read write heads you could get to and clean. Part of a standard "service" was to clean the 19 or 20 heads (Can't remember which now) with a special highly filtered IPA soaked into a lint free sleeve on the end of a spatula. I reckon it is the same thing. Although the IPA was in 500mL bottles and the swabs came in 100's! For those who come from that background the drives were CDC 9766 and 9762 iirc.

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No - not joking, from FAQ Leica M8

 

4.6 How does Leica recommend cleaning the sensor?

All commercially available products specially designed for cleaning DSLR camera sensors can be used. We recommend systems based on Isopropanol (alcohol). Generally, removing the contamination with a bellows blower or a specialised pressured-air blower should be attempted first. In case of doubt, cleaning should be performed by specialists.

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