leicapages Posted May 10, 2016 Share #1 Posted May 10, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) A couple of weeks ago my Leica S Typ 006 was sent in to the Leica S customer service in Wetzlar for cleaning of the sensor and general check-up of the camera. The first time I tried it out was just over last weekend, and to my dismay I noticed that there was actually even more dirt on the sensor than before it was "cleaned" by Leica. I am not sure what happened, but this is unacceptable to say the least. I should add that I did not even change lenses in between, so the issue cannot be my own doing. I do not feel secure to start cleaning this kind of sensor myself, and was advised by the dealer to have it done at the Leica S customer service. Did someone else face the same situation after sending an S camera to Leica? I seem to recall reading somewhere on this forum that this happened to someone else as well. What was the recourse? Additional question: is it possible at all to reliably clean the sensor without too much hassle? My dealer advised against it. Thanks very much for your advise. Pascal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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jip Posted May 10, 2016 Share #2 Posted May 10, 2016 I send my S in for service (not for sensor cleaning but for a defect...) but when it came back it was in pristine condition, except for dust on the sensor... much more than before I send it in. I clean it myself though. All fine now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynp Posted May 10, 2016 Share #3 Posted May 10, 2016 Additional question: is it possible at all to reliably clean the sensor without too much hassle? My dealer advised against it. Thanks very much for your advise. Pascal I have the S2-P and I clean the sensor myself with the swabs and Eclipse2 liquid. Before that I'd hoover the sensor and the area around with the Green Clean Vacuum container. I work with a wide looking glass or a watchmaker loupe, but there are much better solutions from VisibleDust and others. I know that in my part of the world Leica wants the dealers to clean the the cameras for a fee. I wonder why? I prefer to do the cleaning myself, the process allows me to check everything and tidy up my gear. And my Leica S2-p is old and cheap...and the sensor is big enough to see what I am doing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertknappmd Posted May 10, 2016 Share #4 Posted May 10, 2016 I decided several years ago that if i can operate on a person, then I can operate on a camera. Technique, skill and patience are the hallmarks of success. In practice, I will first use a Giotto blower with the camera open and upside down. If that fails, then I combine the Giotto blower with an Arctic butterfly and if those steps fail (about 10% of the time), I will go the wet route with the Giotto blower, Visible Dust Arctic butterfly and Photographic solutions sensor swabs. I always use a loupe and check afterwards by taking a photo of the clear sky stopped down. For those who really are squeamish, I would tell you to find a reputable local camera repair service and forego the Wetzlar route. For those up to the challenge, practice with the swabs on a piece of glass so that you get the technique down1 Albert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deliberate1 Posted May 10, 2016 Share #5 Posted May 10, 2016 For those up to the challenge, practice with the swabs on a piece of glass so that you get the technique down1 Albert Like playing the game "Operation" a few times before heading into the OR Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted May 11, 2016 Share #6 Posted May 11, 2016 Plus it's a lot less scary when one realizes that it's not really the sensor getting cleaned, it's the glass cover. First get rid of any possible grit (blower), then wipe it clean....no mystery really...and many videos online to demystify the process. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted May 11, 2016 Share #7 Posted May 11, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) IMO it is far over the top to send a camera to Wetzlar for just a sensor clean. It is a simple DIY operation, at worst a while-you-wait job at a camera shop that offers the service. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted May 11, 2016 Share #8 Posted May 11, 2016 Yes, it would be like booking your car into the garage just to have the washer bottle topped up! The dust is probably the result of the camera being chucked around a lot in transit! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Ash Posted May 11, 2016 Share #9 Posted May 11, 2016 Your wife will be delighted if you do the dishes for a while to practice cleaning glass before you step further to do the very similar thing to your sensor. Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicapages Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share #10 Posted May 11, 2016 IMO it is far over the top to send a camera to Wetzlar for just a sensor clean. It is a simple DIY operation, at worst a while-you-wait job at a camera shop that offers the service. I am not sure if you are referring to what I did but perhaps you should re-read the original posting. The camera was sent for a general check-up and maintenance, including sensor cleaning. Generally speaking, what you say may be right of course. I'll pass it on to my Leica dealer for future reference. Cleaning a medium format digital back is a lot easier... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
siddhaarta Posted May 11, 2016 Share #11 Posted May 11, 2016 I understand that it's a little bit frightening to lay hand on a such expensive body, but it is no big deal. You are cleaning only the protection glass. I use the Eyelead Kit which is quite easy and effective. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albireo_double Posted May 12, 2016 Share #12 Posted May 12, 2016 Have cleaned the sensor many times. Giotto's blower first, then Eclipse with Sensor swabs. I use a pushing motion of the swabs - I clean the first half of the sensor with one side of the spatula, then the other half with the other side, from centre towards the edges. Then take a shot of a white wall, stopped down to f16 to check the result. Sometimes need to repeat the procedure. In my experience, Leicas require more frequent cleaning than other cameras (never had to clean the D4 sensor, for instance, let alone sensors on the EM-1 and the various Pentaxes that have the automatic dust shake-off function). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertknappmd Posted May 12, 2016 Share #13 Posted May 12, 2016 Hello Deliberate1 ! There is an old clinical adage in the field of Medicine: "See one, Do one, Teach one!' That is how all doctors are trained.. Scary but true... You can clean your own sensor (cover) with practice and care! Albert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manoleica Posted May 12, 2016 Share #14 Posted May 12, 2016 Hello Deliberate1 ! There is an old clinical adage in the field of Medicine: "See one, Do one, Teach one!' That is how all doctors are trained.. Scary but true... You can clean your own sensor (cover) with practice and care! Albert That's probably why there are so many medical disasters and wrong diagnostics!! - Probably a lot of self serving members of the same club... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted May 12, 2016 Share #15 Posted May 12, 2016 I forgot the name of the company in the Netherlands. They clean the sensor in a clean room. I would try that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 12, 2016 Share #16 Posted May 12, 2016 Hello Deliberate1 ! There is an old clinical adage in the field of Medicine: "See one, Do one, Teach one!' That is how all doctors are trained.. Scary but true... You can clean your own sensor (cover) with practice and care! Albert In my world the adage was ... you can teach a monkey to operate in a year ... six years is barely adequate to impart the clinical expertise to know when not to operate. Albert ... everyone wants to diminish our profession ... please do not make it easy for them to do this. and Manoleica .... medicine is an art not a profession ... I stepped away after 36 years, much to the chagrin of my surgeons ... better to leave while you are functioning at your best rather than have someone tap you on the shoulder and realize you waited too long. Honestly ... medical disasters as you term them are pretty much a result of years of individual irresponsibility with regards to medical conditions. Rarely does a healthy person court disaster when entering the system ... if they find a board certified clinician who stays current and is up to date in skills and knowledge. Honestly all the middle managers and care paradigms do little to protect you ... I have seen multiple instances of surgeons who were protected by the system when none of us would send the least of our enemies their way. And none of the physicians and surgeons I worked with served themselves ... probably why they all die at a young age. Back to sensors ... I pains me to suggest that if you play at this level then you should learn how to clean a sensor ... Really? When we can approach the quality of MF film and not have any time in the darkroom or expertise with film development the least we can do is learn how to handle a blower, duster and swab. 'nuf said ... back to the thread. Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicapages Posted May 16, 2016 Author Share #17 Posted May 16, 2016 Update: I was in Wetzlar and could discuss the situation with the customer service. After thorough verification, it appears that the dust is glued between the sensor and the protective glass. The Leica S service technician said he had not seen this before. I must say that the Leica staff really took their time to verify and discuss with me. The sensor will be exchanged, free of cost. Repair should take a good week. As an added bonus, I was offered another S camera and lens that I could borrow meanwhile. Kudos to them! I seized the opportunity for another look at the permanent Leica exhibition, where new items have been put up now, and dropped in the on-site Leica Store as well as the new Leica Outlet, where some stuff is offered at discounted prices (be mindful of the limited opening times of the outlet store, however. Info on the Leica webpage). Pascal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmay Posted June 4, 2016 Share #18 Posted June 4, 2016 I decided several years ago that if i can operate on a person, then I can operate on a camera. Technique, skill and patience are the hallmarks of success. In practice, I will first use a Giotto blower with the camera open and upside down. If that fails, then I combine the Giotto blower with an Arctic butterfly and if those steps fail (about 10% of the time), I will go the wet route with the Giotto blower, Visible Dust Arctic butterfly and Photographic solutions sensor swabs. I always use a loupe and check afterwards by taking a photo of the clear sky stopped down. For those who really are squeamish, I would tell you to find a reputable local camera repair service and forego the Wetzlar route. For those up to the challenge, practice with the swabs on a piece of glass so that you get the technique down1 Albert Which Photographic Solutions sensor swabs are you using? I did not see any that cover 30mm. Jesse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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