DFV Posted May 2, 2010 Share #1 Posted May 2, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) FINALY!!! I have actually managed a 100% dust free sensor on my M9! I have been trying during years now with barely acceptable results. I tried dry and wet cleaning, have bought most gear including all sorts of swabs, liquids, blowers, brushes... you name it, I got it. Now, looking at different sensor cleaning techniques in YouTube (I was booooored out of my mind...) I noticed one thing. Some of the stuff I own is useful and other stuff is downright dangerous. Apparently a blower that claims to be anti-static (Zeeion) is not only not true but could be very harmful to your camera. On the positive side a thing called Arctic Butterfly, which I discarded as useless from the very first day I got it, was actually the answer to my problems. Now to what I did. Because blowers simply made no difference (no mater how hard I squeezed) I went on to wet cleaning my M9 sensor. As expected the result was only about 80%. Well, at least there is no grease on the sensor... than in the afternoon I followed a set of instructions that simply involved a blower and that gizmo, the Arctic Butterfly. First I set the sensor to cleaning mode, put the M9 upside down, use the blower doing several quick burst and moving the blower in different positions to allow the dust to escape the sensor. Now, take that Butterfly gizmo, activate it to charge the brush with static, turn it off, use the brush on the sensor with several gentles wipes not forgetting corners and edges. Take the Butterfly out, start the rotating motion to recharge the brush and expel dust... go back in again. I repeated this four times. Put the lens back in and test... WOW! Not a spec! I surely did not expect this at all! Apparently because I live in a relatively dry area dust has a habit of sticking more to the sensor than usual. On the positive side, the Arctic Butterfly works in a dry climate in optimum conditions since it charges the brush at the tip more efficiently to capture the dust from the sensor. For me this meant NO wet cleaning unless I get some oil or grease on the sensor. I am simply ECSTATIC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 2, 2010 Posted May 2, 2010 Hi DFV, Take a look here ecSTATIC on the M9 sensor. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
chris_tribble Posted May 2, 2010 Share #2 Posted May 2, 2010 Glad you got there. I've been advocating the Arctic butterfly for some time - combined with the blower it's pretty efficient. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFV Posted May 2, 2010 Author Share #3 Posted May 2, 2010 Glad you got there. I've been advocating the Arctic butterfly for some time - combined with the blower it's pretty efficient. Yep, you bet! However, I read that the efficiency of the Arctic Butterfly is proportional to the relative humidity in the region you live in. The dryer the better since this makes the hairs of the brush charge better to attract the dust particles that are on the sensor. Luckily I live in a dry area so I might get an advantage over others. Do you live in a humid climate? Have you had positive results even there? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 2, 2010 Share #4 Posted May 2, 2010 I always had problems with putting it back in its transparant holder - it would always bend some hairs - then the dog ate it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFV Posted May 2, 2010 Author Share #5 Posted May 2, 2010 I always had problems with putting it back in its transparant holder - it would always bend some hairs - then the dog ate it The dog ate the whole thing? I imagine the tip can be replaced... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 2, 2010 Share #6 Posted May 2, 2010 Didn't swallow it, he is smart. But the pieces were small... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WPalank Posted May 2, 2010 Share #7 Posted May 2, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) FINALY!!! I have actually managed a 100% dust free sensor on my M9! Sorry, but how did you determine and I quote, that your sensor was "100% dust free"? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFV Posted May 2, 2010 Author Share #8 Posted May 2, 2010 Sorry, but how did you determine and I quote, that your sensor was "100% dust free"? I set the aperture to f16, the focus to infinity and took a picture of a white celling. This is what I usually do to see the dust. The screen on the M9 usually is enough to see any but in this case I even had to download the picture to my computer to double check. As far as I could see i could not find any dust on that exposure. I do not think I ever saw this on any sensor, even fresh out of the factory. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted May 3, 2010 Share #9 Posted May 3, 2010 I think with the M9 the Arctic Butterfly seems to work very well indeed after the first three or four wet cleans. But up until that point it struggles with the oil and sticky dust the camera is shedding whilst bedding in. So its worth persevering even if it seems like a dead loss at first. I'd never say my M9 sensor was 100% dust free, but a quick clean with the AB gets rid of an awful lot. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFV Posted May 3, 2010 Author Share #10 Posted May 3, 2010 I think with the M9 the Arctic Butterfly seems to work very well indeed after the first three or four wet cleans. But up until that point it struggles with the oil and sticky dust the camera is shedding whilst bedding in. So its worth persevering even if it seems like a dead loss at first. I'd never say my M9 sensor was 100% dust free, but a quick clean with the AB gets rid of an awful lot. Steve It could also be that this is the first and last time I got my sensor ever that clean... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted May 3, 2010 Share #11 Posted May 3, 2010 I too am a fan of the Arctic Butterfly, with the proviso that the brush needs cleaning quite often. I forgot to bring my litre tin of IPA down to France, which is what I use to clean the AB brush. The only stuff I seem to able to get in France is the chemists IPA, which is only 85% IPA and 15% water with a nasty additive to stop you adding it to tonic water. I want to buy another litre of industrial pure IPA. In the UK, it is easy to buy from electronic sundries suppliers, as it is used for cleaning printed circuit boards. It has all sorts of cleaning uses. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravastar Posted May 3, 2010 Share #12 Posted May 3, 2010 ................I want to buy another litre of industrial pure IPA. In the UK, it is easy to buy from electronic sundries suppliers, as it is used for cleaning printed circuit boards. It has all sorts of cleaning uses.Wilson You might be able to buy the 400ml pressurized cans of Servisol IPA 170 in France - I'm not sure about that though. That's what I use for cleaning brushes etc in the UK. Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted May 3, 2010 Share #13 Posted May 3, 2010 You might be able to buy the 400ml pressurized cans of Servisol IPA 170 in France - I'm not sure about that though. That's what I use for cleaning brushes etc in the UK. Bob. Bob, I have that but it not really suitable for cleaning the Arctic Butterfly brush. Anyway I had another go on Google France for Alcool Iso Propylique and found it at Radio Spares France for the massive sum of €5.61 for 500 ml. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.