M Sensor Cleaning

[schimmey]

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Hi All,

 

I have had my M for just about 5 months and have used it reasonably heavily with quite a lot of lens changes. I ran the dust detection the other day after noticing blotches on images and found there to be quite a bit of dirt. After reading the forums I have concluded that this would be the result of various factors (lens changes, forgetting to close the shutter in live view before removing a lens, normal usage plus possible oil flecks from the shutter).

 

I am looking at cleaning options and a bit adverse to doing anything significant. I have seen Photographic Solutions's Brush Off Sensor Cleaning Brush and like this because no fluid is needed. I was wondering if anyone has used this and that they thought of it?

 

Kind regards,

 

Paul

[edwardkaraa]

You will probably need to clean the sensor a couple of times and then very sporadically. I found that dust doesn't stick on the M sensor cover maybe because of good anti-static coatings, so you can blow it off easily with a bulb blower. Whatever stays is stuck on the sensor, probably oil drops or some humid organic stuff like pollen. This needs a wet cleaning. The best option in my experience is the pre-wet sensor swabs plus. They work very efficiently.

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[schimmey]

Hi Edward,

 

Thank you for that. I am worried about touching the sensor for fear of damaging it especially when starting to use chemicals. From what I have read I should not be.

 

Kind regards,

 

Paul

[edwardkaraa]

Hi Edward,

 

Thank you for that. I am worried about touching the sensor for fear of damaging it especially when starting to use chemicals. From what I have read I should not be.

 

Kind regards,

 

Paul

 

Hi Paul,

 

Not only wet cleaning is very safe, it is the only way to remove oil. Anything else will just smear it around. Cleaning takes only 2-3 minutes and if done carefully there is nothing to worry about.

[jaapv]

If you are nervous about it, wouldn’t it be wiser to take advantage of the free cleaning service at Leica Mayfair?

[viramati]

If you are nervous about it, wouldn’t it be wiser to take advantage of the free cleaning service at Leica Mayfair?

 

and they will do it for free.

[schimmey]

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Hi jaapv,

 

Free? Really? I did not know that. Is that available to non-Mayfair bought cameras?

 

Thanks,

 

Paul

[jaapv]

Leica offers a free sensor cleaning in general.

[250swb]

From the Consumer Dictionary, free, as in 'built into the price of the camera'. Or free, as in 'subsidised by those owners who can't get to Leica Mayfair every time they want their sensor cleaning'.

 

Steve

[LocalHero1953]

It's free at the point of use, like the NHS:rolleyes:

[250swb]

It's free at the point of use, like the NHS:rolleyes:

 

now I know there are so many Leica Mayfair's spread around the UK what you say makes perfect sense, where is my nearest?

 

 

Steve

[jdlaing]

now I know there are so many Leica Mayfair's spread around the UK what you say makes perfect sense, where is my nearest?

 

 

Steve

 

Seriously?

 

Texas = 260,000 square miles.

England = 50,000 square miles.

 

You don't even have to take a lunch.

[250swb]

Seriously?

 

Texas = 260,000 square miles.

England = 50,000 square miles.

 

You don't even have to take a lunch.

 

Where is 'Texas', is that just South of Cleethorpes?

 

Either way Texas has a lot more Leica Mayfairs' than England if there is one every square mile, would I be better driving to 'Texas' to get my sensor cleaned?

 

 

 

Steve

Edited November 29, 2014 by 250swb

[jdlaing]

Where is 'Texas', is that just South of Cleethorpes?

 

Either way Texas has a lot more Leica Mayfairs' than England if there is one every square mile, would I be better driving to 'Texas' to get my sensor cleaned?

 

 

 

Steve

 

Texas has no Leica stores. We have three dealers non of whom offer free cleaning of anything other than your wallet. At least you have one within reach albeit 140 miles away or so.

 

When someone says down the road a piece here you pack a lunch.

[bocaburger]

I have not yet needed to wet-clean my M240's sensor, and I never needed to wet-clean my M9 in all the time I owned it. I do have green Visible Dust swabs and a bottle each of their Sensor Clean and Smear Away (there is a third product called VDust Plus which I do not have) which I have used on my Canon DSLR's over the years with no issues. Both solutions say "nonflammable" and "contains no alcohol" but doesn't say what they do contain. Their website says to use just the VDust Plus with the brown swabs for any cameras without low-pass filters. So my question to any of you who have used these products on the M240, would I be ok with the green swabs and solutions I have, or should I get some of the VDust Plus and brown swabs?

Edited November 29, 2014 by bocaburger

[bideford]

Free cleaning at Mayfair?

 

Whoop a do. I'm down there regularly with work so I'll make a detour next time I am down. Only been there once out of curiosity and on the way back to the tube station came across a gallery with the Bob Dylan iron gates and art exhibition.

 

Leica is small change compared to a Bob gate......

 

James

[jaapv]

Texas has no Leica stores. We have three dealers non of whom offer free cleaning of anything other than your wallet. At least you have one within reach albeit 140 miles away or so.

 

When someone says down the road a piece here you pack a lunch.

But it far easier to get your horse shod and six-shooter cleaned over there than in London. Each to his own..

[edwardkaraa]

I have not yet needed to wet-clean my M240's sensor, and I never needed to wet-clean my M9 in all the time I owned it. I do have green Visible Dust swabs and a bottle each of their Sensor Clean and Smear Away (there is a third product called VDust Plus which I do not have) which I have used on my Canon DSLR's over the years with no issues. Both solutions say "nonflammable" and "contains no alcohol" but doesn't say what they do contain. Their website says to use just the VDust Plus with the brown swabs for any cameras without low-pass filters. So my question to any of you who have used these products on the M240, would I be ok with the green swabs and solutions I have, or should I get some of the VDust Plus and brown swabs?

 

It's ok to use the regular swabs and liquids. However be warned that their liquids tend to smear a lot, especially the smear away! I always needed to clean after visible dust products with a sensor swab and methanol so I decided to only use the latter.

[250swb]

Texas has no Leica stores. We have three dealers non of whom offer free cleaning of anything other than your wallet. At least you have one within reach albeit 140 miles away or so.

 

When someone says down the road a piece here you pack a lunch.

 

One hour to drive and get on a train, two hours on the train, and hour to get across London, say one/two hours wait in the Leica store and I'm off again, an hour back to the station, maybe an hour waiting for the train, two hours on the train, train arrives and an hour back home. Ten or eleven hours if everything goes well, not to mention the cost, petrol, station parking, and the extortionate price of the train ticket, London tube tickets, etc. about £300 in total at a rough guess. Then there is loss of earnings. I could drive all the way, but that would take even longer.

 

This is why I would query the bizarre idea that Leica do a free clean if you just pop into the store. It is free for a privileged few, the rest like me have to buy our own cleaning materials, but given it only takes ten minutes to clean a sensor that is much better than wasting eleven hours. In fact if I lived in London I'd still query the idea that my time was so cheap that it was better to make even a short journey to have a sensor cleaned than do it myself.

 

Steve

Edited November 30, 2014 by 250swb

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[bocaburger]

It's ok to use the regular swabs and liquids. However be warned that their liquids tend to smear a lot, especially the smear away! I always needed to clean after visible dust products with a sensor swab and methanol so I decided to only use the latter.

 

Thanks. IIRC they recommend a pass with the Sensor Clean liquid after using the Smear Away. Supposedly the VDust Plus is a combination (or an in-between). I don't even know where I would get ahold of methanol. What is this Eclipse stuff I read about that a lot of people use? Any caveats?