Washington Posted March 10, 2012 Share #1 Posted March 10, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I’ve used Eclipse and Sensor Swabs to clean the sensors of hundreds of cameras over the years with 100% success. But, seems most people resent the price of the swabs and I don’t blame them. Sure is a lot of bucks for what they are. I got to wondering the other day if there might be a way to clean a swap you have used and make it clean as new? Anyone have any ideas on this subject? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 10, 2012 Posted March 10, 2012 Hi Washington, Take a look here Expensive Sensor Swaps. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted March 10, 2012 Share #2 Posted March 10, 2012 You could - until the day comes that you fail to remove one grain of sand, and you will find out that one sensor equals one thousand swabs in price... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
msteber Posted March 10, 2012 Share #3 Posted March 10, 2012 They are rather expensive. I would think a solution of distilled water and a few drops of Johnson's Baby Shampoo might do the trick. Are you using eclipse or e2 for your M9? Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
egrossman Posted March 10, 2012 Share #4 Posted March 10, 2012 Just buy a pack of Pec Pads made by the same manufacturer (it's the same product used in sensor swabs). Amazon sell a pack of 100 of just under $9. Buy a mini spatula used or such and wrap the Pec Pad carefully around the spatula. This website has detailed instructions. I've done this for years and it's a cheap and effective solution when used together with the Eclypse cleaning fluid. DIY Projects - Cleaning Digital Cameras - D-SLR Sensor Cleaning. Erik Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 10, 2012 Share #5 Posted March 10, 2012 I find it a bit difficult to reconcile this thread with the following recent post of yours My sister’s best friend is a photographer and does some good stuff. Two months agoshe was complaining about spots on her photos…. it was obvious her camera needed a sensor cleaning and she asked me if she could come over and have me show her how to do it.She never did. The other day she called me because she was having trouble with her zoom lens and asked if I’d try it out on my body… as she has had it ‘’fixed’’ before for the same problem. I dropped by her place to pick up the lens and she also asked if I would take her body back to my place as she was getting spots on her photos. So I did. The lens mounting screws were so loose I was surprised it didn’t fall off her camera… so I tightened all of these with a drop of small screw Loc-tite 222…. When I got to the sensor cleaning I soon discovered the spots and a slash were permanent damage to the sensor. When she came to get the camera she admitted she had tried to clean it herself with one of those awful gadgets that are suppose to remove spots by grabbing whatever is on the sensor. When I showed her a bottle of Eclipse and Sensor Swab and said this is all you need…. she said she didn’t like that method because the swabs were ‘’ too expensive ‘’. Yup….. too expensive so scrub away with a dry pick-up gizmo and ruin the sensor. I wanted to beat my head against the wall. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Thompson Posted March 10, 2012 Share #6 Posted March 10, 2012 Like Erik, I just use an old plastic sensor swab, minus the used cover of course, and wrap that with a Pec-Pad. Works very well at ridiculously low cost. The Pec-Pads are perfectly safe, as one pro I know uses them for cleaning his negatives before scanning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share #7 Posted March 10, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) jappv, You have it all wrong. I am not complaining about the price of Sensor Swabs…. I get them as I need them and don’t think twice. But, other people do, and this just got me to thinking….. you have seen the same thing here posted: too expensive. I was just wondering, thats all. The purpose of the Eclipse E2 is to kinda float the whatever off the sensor. The pad is not a scrubbing tool…. it absorbs the solution along with the grit or oil or whatever. But, again, removing the collected particulate matter from the swab MIGHT be reasonable….. I do not know…. which is why I threw this out as a question. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share #8 Posted March 10, 2012 Oh , one other thing, what is in there to '’reconcile?’’ I didn’t get that at all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 10, 2012 Share #9 Posted March 10, 2012 Meaning # 4 reconcile - definition of reconcile by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. It just struck me that one post emphasized the negative result of improper cleaning by cheapskate tactics, whilst the other had you agreeing that swabs are expensive and how to reuse them with the attendant scratching risk. Don't forget the swabs you buy are made and packed in the ultra-dustfree environment of a clean room, which -at least in part- explains their price. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studio58 Posted March 10, 2012 Share #10 Posted March 10, 2012 OK, I know I am opening myself to some criticism here but here it is. Ihave owned digital cameras since 2002. 30D, 60D, EOS 1DS, 1DSII, 1DSIII, 1DIII and now Leicas M8 & M9..... wait for it.... I have never performed a proper sensor clean... silly I know, I have just been to nervous to get started. What I do own though is an Artic Butterfly which I use at intervals. The spots I see I just clone out. I have only used the AB once on the M9 and when I did the sensor was covered in some residue (freaked me out). Surprisingly, a couple more sweeps with the AB removed it. So I think I will have a go with one of these expensive devices and do it properly... plenty of you seem to do it without fear. Is there a highly recommended post here which explains the process ? And what is expensive ? What is the cost of purchase ? Thanks... Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 10, 2012 Share #11 Posted March 10, 2012 Yes there is: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m9-forum/130720-m9-faqs-frequently-asked-questions-answers.html#post1382788 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share #12 Posted March 10, 2012 jappy, I was only asking a question…. nothing more. Do you guys have anything better to do than nit-pick in the negative. I was VERY CLEAR how I do it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 10, 2012 Share #13 Posted March 10, 2012 You are not being hassled, Rip. No negative intention at all. Did you miss the smiley? And no, I have nothing better to do. It is Saturday morning and my wife and dogs are still sleeping. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted March 10, 2012 Share #14 Posted March 10, 2012 I believe the topic should read 'Sensor Swabs'. 'Sensor Swaps' will probably be what comes with the M10. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJP Posted March 10, 2012 Share #15 Posted March 10, 2012 As discussed before, if you want to save money and do the job properly use lab. grade iso-propyl-alcohol (IPA) and Kleenex/cotton swabs. For the price of Eclipse you get enough IPA to clean all the camera sensors you will ever own in your lifetime. The surplus can be passed on to the family (N times, N = large). These are the professional tools of the trade, Eclipse is vastly overpriced to the point of being criminal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share #16 Posted March 10, 2012 I don’t call myself the master of typos for nothing ….. honestly, I don’t know how I do it. I re-read and still not see it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studio58 Posted March 11, 2012 Share #17 Posted March 11, 2012 I don’t call myself the master of typos for nothing ….. honestly, I don’t know how I do it.I re-read and still not see it. That is because your brain is auto correcting so it looks like it should..... happens all the time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted March 12, 2012 Share #18 Posted March 12, 2012 I use the wet cleaning method only after clearing dust with an Arctic Butterfly. With reasonable care in changing lenses, I am pleasantly surprised how seldom I need to do a wet clean. Skies reveal; most subjects conceal! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
swamiji Posted March 12, 2012 Share #19 Posted March 12, 2012 You are not being hassled, Rip. No negative intention at all. Did you miss the smiley? And no, I have nothing better to do. It is Saturday morning and my wife and dogs are still sleeping. Well if you want something to do, I could post something inflamitory in another thread? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted March 12, 2012 Share #20 Posted March 12, 2012 I believe the topic should read 'Sensor Swabs'. 'Sensor Swaps' will probably be what comes with the M10. ...or what comes as the result of using recycled swabs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.