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cleaning spots (not dust) from M8 sensor


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I'm on my third new M8 in a month. All three arrived with spots (not dust) on the sensor (that is not why I returned the first two; they had other issues). Here is a full crop from shot number 8 from the current camera, dust near the top and a few spots lower down.

 

I am used to cleaning dust from DSLR sensors but have never scrubbed off spots. Searching this forum I saw one post theorizing that the spots are machine oil. I am curious about three things: Will the standard sensor swabs take off the spots? Do the spots recur? And, what are they?

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Swabs with an organic solvent like Eclipse will be fine, though I'd get away from the idea of scrubbing:

 

1. Apply fluid to the swab so that it is damp, not wet

2. Single, slow, deliberate wipe, 3 - 4 seconds

3. Use the swab only once

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It is about three weeks since I cleaned my sensor and knowing that I had been doing quite a lot of lens changing over that period, thought it was time for a sky check. Sure enough the sensor needed a clean. After puffing with a Giotto rocket, I used a swab plus Eclipse, retested and still were a few spots. Re-swabbed with a new swab and still there are a few spots. I am reluctant to keep on at this - any suggestions anyone. I am waiting for my local camera shop to get me some iso-propyl alcohol to replace the Eclipse, which I believe is mainly methyl alcohol.

 

Wilson

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I had some spots on the sensor that needed swabbing. Using the Visible Dust sensor cleaning fluid, two swipes per sensor, after blowing of course, and it took me less than 5 minutes to clean both sensors. Spent some five minutes cleaning my Canon after that. Ten minutes in all and everything spic and span.:)

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I spoke to the people I get my sensor cleaning stuff from in the UK. He said that if I am like most of the people he sees cleaning a sensor, I will be moving the swab far too quickly over the sensor - probably guilty. He thinks it should take close to 30 secs for each direction. For persistent spots like I had, he said that if you twist the swab just the very tiniest bit from side to side as you are swiping for the first direction swipe but do the return normally, that should remove them. I did one last swab following those instructions to the letter and hey presto - 100% clean sensor.

 

Wilson

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