Ian Fozzard Posted June 9, 2010 Share #1 Posted June 9, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) My Digilux 3 needs an internal clean - a couple of marks are visible on the focussing screen. The sensor appears to be perfectly clean (no marks are visible on images produced). Does anyone have a recommendation for where I could get this cleaned professionally in the UK? Any opinions on how easy it might be to do it oneself using one of the proprietary cleaning kits would also be welcome, many thanks in advance, Ian Fozzard Scotland Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 9, 2010 Posted June 9, 2010 Hi Ian Fozzard, Take a look here recommended service in UK? . I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted June 9, 2010 Share #2 Posted June 9, 2010 If it's deep internal cleaning that is required, I would send it back to Customer Service in Solms. I wouldn't trust anything like that to anyone else. Don't send it to Milton Keynes, as they will only send it to Germany anyway. Most independent service agents don't touch any digital Leicas, to my knowledge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Fozzard Posted June 9, 2010 Author Share #3 Posted June 9, 2010 Many thanks Andy, Ian F Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted June 9, 2010 Share #4 Posted June 9, 2010 Leave well enough alone is my advice! You might find a light burst from a blower brush sufficient but you also might just move dust around and onto the sensor, not that sensor cleaning is a problem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Fozzard Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share #5 Posted June 10, 2010 Leave well enough alone is my advice! You might find a light burst from a blower brush sufficient but you also might just move dust around and onto the sensor, not that sensor cleaning is a problem. Have to say I'm moving towards that option - thanks for the encouragement. The "dirt" appears to be only on the focussing screen , and whilst that's mildly annoying it doesn't appear to be affecting the images at all. Additionally I've just been quoted "around 150 euros" by Solm labs for cleaning the body internals. This would undoubtedly do the job, but is a lot to pay for a mild annoyance. Has anyone experience of using the proprietary cleaning kits for cleaning the focussing screen, and if so which kit would you recommend? All this advice is greatly appreciated, many thanks Ian F. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted June 10, 2010 Share #6 Posted June 10, 2010 I am not familiar with a Digilux 3. How can you get to the focusing screen? Is it just like an SLR one? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Fozzard Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share #7 Posted June 10, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi Andy, on the Digilux 3 the mirror is rotated thru 90 degrees and the focussing screen is to the side of the mirror instead of being above it as on an SLR. So the focussing screen surface which appears to have the marks is visible to the side when the lens is removed. Looks quite accessible, Ian F. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted June 10, 2010 Share #8 Posted June 10, 2010 Get stuck in... Go on! You know you want to Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Fozzard Posted June 11, 2010 Author Share #9 Posted June 11, 2010 Well, maybe! Deciding which cleaning kit to use would be the next hurdle - any advice on what's available and the easiest/most effective to use for such a job? Ian F. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted June 18, 2010 Share #10 Posted June 18, 2010 The mirror box is the same as in the Olympus E-330 and Panasonic DMC L-1 and should be fairly easy to clean if it is only dust causing the problem. Here's a schematic diagram of the mirror box ... http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.total-image.com.au/images/OlympusE330liveviewDSLR_5CDD/clip_image0036.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.total-image.com.au/2006/10/13/olympus-e-330-live-view-dslr/&usg=__mLCza0yXtnpEDcfM-V_RcV6We1I=&h=462&w=640&sz=62&hl=en&start=6&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=zJFQScUuu83jOM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3DE-330%2Bsche ... click on the small diagram to enlarge it. Only the main mirror and focusing screen are accessible for cleaning. Any dust on the focusing screen will reflect onto the mirror so it's not always clear to see if the dust is on the mirror or on the screen. However, if you cut a thin piece of card and place it in the mirror box you should be able to see the reflection of the card in the mirror and any dust on the mirror will be apparent. I just cut two pieces of card - one white , one dark and placed them in my E-330 Thus could see the mirror more clearly .. and there is no dust on it. But there did appear to be some when I first looked ... ... which must have been on the focusing screen but reflected onto the mirror. I blew it off with a Maplins blower bulb You can also check if there are any smears on the mirror ... If there are they can be cleaned by 'huffing/breathing' on the tiny mirror and then very carefully wipe it clean using a micro fibre cleaning cloth wrapped around a Q tip cotton bud .. but this should only be done as a last resort if the mirror is really smeared. In normal use the mirror is only likely to have dust. Mirrors scratch very easily if physically cleaned by rubbing especially if rubbed when dry. Focusing screens should only be be cleaned by blowing the dust off as rubbing them can make any dirt engrain into the screen. dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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