Adventures in M-Monochrom Sensor Cleaning

[jaapv]

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I'm on Mac -I don't get blue screens... Just the rare Kernel panic...

[johnbuckley]

Last night, I received my Monochrom back from the dealer who cleaned the sensor. His sensor technician said the following:

 

1. "I hate this camera."

 

2. There were an unusual number of oil/lubricant spots on the sensor, which he said had to have come from the camera, not from any of the lenses.

 

3. He did not know why, but there was significantly more than the usual -- paraphrasing, as I can't remember the actual term he used -- static electricity buildup, which causes more than the usual dust to adhere.

 

What he told me lends credence to the Singapore technician taking an unusual amount of time to clean Mitch's Monochrom sensor. He ended up charging me less than his full amount, even though he worked longer on it, because he could not get a final piece of dust out, given the static charge.

 

One data point: I had used the camera most recently in Jackson Hole, WY, taking pictures outdoors at approximately 10 degrees Fahrenheit. And I will admit, I discovered at least one time I had changed lenses when I had the camera switched on. So it is possible this extreme cold and dryness, and my changing lenses with the power on, had an effect on the static charge.

 

Now, this is a guy who cleans a lot sensors -- 60 each week, he says. And he has cleaned a lot of M9 sensors. But the Monochrom was sufficiently pesky to clean -- given both the oil spots and the dust -- that he announced "I hate this camera."

 

Conclusion: based on Mitch's initial post, my experience -- where, after years of cleaning M8 and M9 sensors, I found it hard to clean the Monochrom sensor, and smeared it sufficiently that I felt the need to take it to a pro -- and what the pro told me, the Monochrom is at least somewhat more difficult to clean than an M9. Why, I don't know. And it really bothers me that he said there were a number of spots from internal lubricants. (I've had this happen on the M9, but they were always easy to clean.). I don't want to turn this into a big "the Monochrom is flawed" meme. But it is something to be aware of, and suggests real caution about doing anything that might get dust onto a sensor that is more difficult to clean than the M9's. JB

[fsprow]

I use USP grade isopropyl alcohol. Available from medical suppliers or laboratory chemicals sources (often near universities), or on the web. With a pure cotton swab. No problems.

[lawman]

Is there a reason to use 70% isopropyl alcohol rather than 99%? I would think that the higher concentration with less water in it would be preferred, as it is when cleaning sensitive electronics which could rust with the water content.

[thighslapper]

99% is what is recommended by the computer techies that use it to degrease/clean bits of circuit boards/components before sticking on heatsinks etc etc. I see no benefit in using a solvent for degreasing that is diluted with water.....

[Lee Martin]

If I'd spent £5 or £6 thousand pounds on a camera body, I'd be very reluctant to try and clean the sensor by putting liquids / damp materials inside it myself ! I assume the qualified technicians,Leica or otherwise, attend training courses for such things, that amount to more than a printed leaflet inside the product box or on a printed label. Slip or get it all wrong and surely the consequences may cost thousands to rectify ? It's not a big leap further to DIY dentistry !!

For the comparative small cost, have it done professionally. It may be that pro photographers can claim it back against costs as a necessary and legitimate expense, as it's no different to servicing ?

[jaapv]

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I do not believe there are training courses to attend.

A Noctilux costs 10.000$. Would you send it to Leica each time the front element is dusty to have it cleaned professionally? The same question for your BMW...Or Merc.

[lawman]

So...we agree that if we are venturesome enough to do our own cleaning, it is best to use the purest isopropyl alcohol we can get -- ie use the 99% and NOT the 70% as mentioned elsewhere??

[kcnarf]

And then please, thank you, may an old experienced hand enumerate with clear specifity the steps and tools for applying the right amount of this virtually pure, uncontaminated alcohol in an incorruptible manner!

[Lee Martin]

I do not believe there are training courses to attend.

A Noctilux costs 10.000$. Would you send it to Leica each time the front element is dusty to have it cleaned professionally? The same question for your BMW...Or Merc.

 

 

 

I think it's more the sheer sensitivity of the sensor and potential damage, as opposed to blowing dust off a lens element. I appreciate your analogy, but if I wash the car and it's not quite right, I can throw more soapy water over it until I'm happy, perhaps I'm just not confident enough, or perhaps heard a couple of horror stories that put me off .

[jaapv]

Mostly cleaning a sensor is no more than blowing the dust off. Wet cleaning is only needed when there is sticky stuff, like grease or pollen, present. Basically it is not different from cleaning the front element of a lens.

 

The idea that the fluid might do some unspecified damage to the electronics around the sensor is a bit overblown to put it very mildly. You are applying two drops of fast evaporating cleaning fluid to a swab, you are not splashing soapsuds all over the place.

[Guest malland]

Last night, I received my Monochrom back from the dealer who cleaned the sensor. His sensor technician said the following:

 

1. "I hate this camera."

 

2. There were an unusual number of oil/lubricant spots on the sensor, which he said had to have come from the camera, not from any of the lenses.

 

3. He did not know why, but there was significantly more than the usual -- paraphrasing, as I can't remember the actual term he used -- static electricity buildup, which causes more than the usual dust to adhere.

 

What he told me lends credence to the Singapore technician taking an unusual amount of time to clean Mitch's Monochrom sensor. He ended up charging me less than his full amount, even though he worked longer on it, because he could not get a final piece of dust out, given the static charge.

 

One data point: I had used the camera most recently in Jackson Hole, WY, taking pictures outdoors at approximately 10 degrees Fahrenheit. And I will admit, I discovered at least one time I had changed lenses when I had the camera switched on. So it is possible this extreme cold and dryness, and my changing lenses with the power on, had an effect on the static charge.

 

Now, this is a guy who cleans a lot sensors -- 60 each week, he says. And he has cleaned a lot of M9 sensors. But the Monochrom was sufficiently pesky to clean -- given both the oil spots and the dust -- that he announced "I hate this camera."

 

Conclusion: based on Mitch's initial post, my experience -- where, after years of cleaning M8 and M9 sensors, I found it hard to clean the Monochrom sensor, and smeared it sufficiently that I felt the need to take it to a pro -- and what the pro told me, the Monochrom is at least somewhat more difficult to clean than an M9. Why, I don't know. And it really bothers me that he said there were a number of spots from internal lubricants. (I've had this happen on the M9, but they were always easy to clean.). I don't want to turn this into a big "the Monochrom is flawed" meme. But it is something to be aware of, and suggests real caution about doing anything that might get dust onto a sensor that is more difficult to clean than the M9's. JB

What I'm trying to get at is whether there are any differences in cleaning the M-Monochrom sensor in comparison to the M8/M9 sensors. There are the following points to consider:

 

1. From earlier posts, we know that a 7x LED-light loupe is not useful for finding the spots on the M-Mononochrom sensor because of the (colored grid-pattern) reflections that make it very difficult to see the surface of the, unlike the M8/M9 sensors. This, however, is not an issue for sensor cleaning because one can simply photography a sky to see where the spots or dust particles are.

 

2. Another issue is whether it is inherently more difficult to clean the M-Monochrom sensor. It seems to me that blowing off dust by using a rocket blower or wiping it off with an Arctic Butterfly is just as easy on he M-Monochrom sensor as on the M8/M9 sensors. Oil spots can be difficult to deal with in general because of the potential for smearing them. But I see no reason that removing oil spots should be inherently more difficult on an M-Monochrom.

 

3. The final issue, as I see it, is whether the M-Monochrom is more prone to oil spots coming from the shutter. Again, considering that the M-Monochrom uses the same shutter as the M8/M9 cameras, I can see no reason that this should be the case. Indeed, there were a good number of reports of new M9s shutters throwing off oil onto the shutter — and this is what some of us may be experiencing with the M-Monochrom now.

 

—Mitch/Bangkok

Bangkok Hysteria (download link for book project)

[rickp13]

i was ready to get out the blower and visible dust stuff, but your posts made me think twice about doing the first time cleaning myself. i took a sky photo + post processing to see the size of the cleaning job. the photo is attached.

 

i don't remember any m8 or m9 screen getting this spotty, but who remembers for sure. i am sure i don't change lenses very often. maybe it's inner city polution

 

anyhow, i'm off to the dealer tomorrow - let the pro do the cleaning this time.

 

good weekend to all

 

rick

 

ps. under 1000 exposures so far

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[johnbuckley]

Ugh. Not pretty.

 

I just happened upon this thread after several weeks absence. I had my Monochrom cleaned early in the winter. Just used it over the course of several days shooting stopped down. Yep, lots of droplets of grease are on the sensor again: not dust, grease from the camera. I think this may be genuinely more of a Monochrom issue than we would like...

[Photoskeptic]

Nikon is going through a similar problem with the D600.

[Guest borge]

After about 4000-5000 shots my sensor stays pretty clean. Yes it can get dusty but I just use a blower to get the stuff off and it works 90% of the time.

 

I have done a few wet cleans previously with proper products and when the surface of the sensor is clean (no oil or grease) then it is easy to keep it clean by using a blower on the dust itself.

 

Seems like after a few thousand shots that the shutter "settles in" and stops spreading oily drops.

 

So... Use your cameras more :-)

[rickp13]

anyhow, i'm off to the dealer tomorrow - let the pro do the cleaning this time.

 

good weekend to all

 

rick

 

ps. under 1000 exposures so far

 

 

 

chapter 2

 

the dealer (meister) is sending the camera to leica for a 'clean-room' cleaning. could be back before the weekend. i'll let you know how it goes.

 

cheers

 

rick

[rickp13]

camera and sensor inspected, sensor cleaned and back from the leica factory last week via my dealer. just in time for the latest batch of sunny days.

 

cheers

 

rick

[microview]

FWIW Leica Mayfair charges £72 incl VAT for cleaning the M9 sensor. But if you want turnaround in under 24 hours there's a considerable premium.

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[Guest borge]

FWIW Leica Mayfair charges £72 incl VAT for cleaning the M9 sensor. But if you want turnaround in under 24 hours there's a considerable premium.

 

Insane.