Anyone tried Visible Dust's Sensor loupe?

[Baxter]

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Hi

 

Before spending another £45 on the M8, I was wondering whether any members had tried the Sensor loupe from Visible Dust or a similar product. If so, how beneficial are they?

 

I have loupe's from my Large Format kit, but not with an integral light source. An LED torch and ingenuity may well suffice, but I do appreciate well designed and functional kit.

 

Having bought an Artic Butterfly and wet cleaning kit from them, the camera is relatively clear of muck at present, but find it a frustrating process and am keen to do in one go, rather than a series of attempts.

 

Many thanks

[rpierce]

I have no experience with it, but MR just had a quick comment on this product at:

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/quick-takes-05-07.shtml

 

Sounds useful.

 

Bob Pierce

[geoff]

I order the Visible Dust Brite Vue Sensor Loupe the other week along with the Artic Butterfly 724 Rotary Sensor Brush. It was on backorder but should arrive today. Paid USD$69.95 for it.

[Baxter]

Just to say that I went ahead and bought the sensor loupe. It works very well, dust is easy to see and confirm successful removal. In my case this is with the Arctic Butterfly.

 

It comes in a neat zip-up case with cleaning cloth and lanyard.

 

The LF loupes weren't able to adjust focus sufficiently onto the sensor from sensible distance.

[rbaron]

I'm unable to access the Visible Dust website currently so I'll ask here: do you use their loupe to look for dust, then remove the loupe and sweep (or blow) and then look again until you think you have it all gone?

 

I've got a twin loupe headset formerly used for reviewing 35mm contact sheets (remember them?) which gives me a reasonably magnified view of the M8 sensor while it is open and while I am cleaning it (with Arctic Butterfly brush &/or Giottis blower), but nonetheless once I think I have it clean, when I go outside to take a test shot of the sky there seems to always be a little piece or two of crud in another place in the frame.

 

--Bob

[stephengilbert]

"I'm unable to access the Visible Dust website currently so I'll ask here: do you use their loupe to look for dust, then remove the loupe and sweep (or blow) and then look again until you think you have it all gone?"

 

Yes. I think the advantage of the VD loupe is the bright LED's arrayed around its edge. They allow a very clear view of the sensor, and seem to make the dust particles stand out.

[Philinflash]

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Well, Bax, now that you have one, can you be so kind as to give us a product review?

 

I would like to know how bright the LEDs are; how far into the camera body do you have to go with it; and how do you work around it.

 

Right now, I have magnifying lenses that mount temporarily on other glasses (like reading glasses in my case) but that arrangement is far from ideal. I still have to manage the light source when poking around the camera innards.

 

BTW, I mount the camera on a mini-tripod (tabletop) before I start the process and thereby eliminate one moving element - the camera.

[Baxter]

Having used it just once, I am hardly in a position to offer a review and strapped for time at present, so cannot offer pictures etc in use.

 

The Sensor Loupe has internal diameter of 45mm (external is 63mm) so sits on the camera body around throat of lens mount. It is 34mm high. It is not a small bit of kit, especially when combined with Artic Butterfly. Both items have custom soft cases with carabiner clips. I shall keep these in the car or at home rather than carry with me other than exceptional circumstances.

 

Mounted in the inside are 6 bright LEDs to illuminate the sensor. They are angled to give a concentrated pool of light on the sensor.

 

The lens is clear enough, but not up to the standard usually discussed in this forum! Not being familiar with magnified views of sensors and how they reflect light, it took me a short while to work out what was going on with what I was seeing. Once I'd sorted my head out, the location of dust was very obvious. I then used my Artic Butterfly to remove the dust. Check again, saw I'd missed some, re-brush and further check confirmed the sensor was clear.

 

Whole process should take about a minute in future - that easy, especially compared with the shoot the sky, load image into computer, enlarge, clean, repeat routine which grated so much for me. I did this whilst watching Wimbledon, although the tripod idea is probably a good one, I cannot see strictly necessary with this device, it is that quick.

 

I am not sure how the oil/grease spots might appear since I've only used it once and my sensor is currently clear of them.

 

HTH

[Philinflash]

Having used it just once, I am hardly in a position to offer a review and strapped for time at present, so cannot offer pictures etc in use.

...

 

Well, I trotted down to B&H (sorry, Baxter, I know you cannot easily do that) with my M8 to check out the Sensor Loupe. Bottom line: I did not like it as much as the process I am using as I will discuss below.

 

First, I was not impressed by the Loupe optics. The pincushion effect was obvious on the rectangular sensor. Optical quality falls off substantially in the corners (where the dust usually congregates). I use magnifiers that clip onto glasses (you see jewelers use these sometimes) that I think are 5x and I can see more with those than I could with the Sensor Loupe that is also supposed to be 5x.

 

For lighting, I use a $10 headlamp with 5 LEDs. It provides a very concentrated and adjustable spot of light that seems brighter than the Sensor Loupe's 6 LEDs. I am not saying the Sensor Loupe light level is inadequate, just that the headlamp is better. As I wrote earlier, I mount the camera on a tabletop tripod for stability and to free-up both my hands. I angle it at about 70 degrees, hopefully minimizing airborne debris from dropping into the open and exposed sensor.

 

Finally and obviously, you can only use the Sensor Loupe when it is in place on the throat of the camera. That means that you cannot view your work in progress under magnification with the Sensor Loupe because there is no way to maneuver a wand or other tool and use the Sensor Loupe at the same time.

 

Those are lovely photos on your website, Baxter. I hope you can spend more time looking through the range-finder and less down the Sensor Loupe.

 

FWIW,

 

Philip Kozloff

[Guest Essemmlee]

So then........... in the UK, what is the answer to the dust and oil spatter on the sensor?

 

My M8 is 2 weeks old and is beginning to foul up nicely. Is it the arctic butterfly for or is there is a better method of dust removal. I presume that the oil spatter will require a different approach.

 

Could somebody please enlighten me as I'm now spending more time with the spot healing brush than I am with the camera.

 

If that sounds like begging - it is!

[rbaron]

Well, I trotted down to B&H (sorry, Baxter, I know you cannot easily do that) with my M8 to check out the Sensor Loupe. Bottom line: I did not like it as much as the process I am using as I will discuss below./QUOTE]

 

Not being able to trot on down I had to order one, and although I will keep it (too much hassle to send it back) I tend to agree. I don't see dust all that visibly when using it as opposed to the magnifier headset I had been using, for the reasons you describe.

 

It is another tool in the drawer that seemed like a good idea at the time.

 

--Bob

[Philinflash]

 

Not being able to trot on down I had to order one, and although I will keep it (too much hassle to send it back) I tend to agree. I don't see dust all that visibly when using it as opposed to the magnifier headset I had been using, for the reasons you describe.

 

It is another tool in the drawer that seemed like a good idea at the time.

 

--Bob

 

Sorry about that Bob .

[Baxter]

Steve

 

I bought the Artic Butterfly and the Visible Dust Sensor swab kit (couldn't use VD in same sentence as swabs!) from Warehouse Express.

 

The Artic Butterfly remove dry debris, the sensor swabs and fluid remove the grease/oil spots. I had to use 3 full swabs+ a corner swab to get my sensor clear. I was wondering if it would ever clear, then pressed a fair bit harder which seemed to do the trick.

 

Philip and Bob accept that there may well be better ways- coudn't find any reference to them before my purchase, nor any response in the 3 weeks from my original post to making the acquisition.

 

However having bought it - I am happy that it works as advertised and makes my life far easier on what I see as a painful but essential chore of using digital cameras.

[Philinflash]

Steve

...

 

The Arctic Butterfly remove dry debris, the sensor swabs and fluid remove the grease/oil spots. I had to use 3 full swabs+ a corner swab to get my sensor clear. I was wondering if it would ever clear, then pressed a fair bit harder which seemed to do the trick.

 

...

 

Chewing through those swabs cannot be fun. Have you ever looked at cheaper alternatives? For instance, pre-saturated eye-glass cleaners?

 

Baxter, I know you get to France every once in a while and I'll bet you stop in at the Carrefour whilst there. They sell a very good item very inexpensively, a "V-U Nettayant Optique" by Eau Ecarlate, S. A., of France, that is a great deal cheaper than pro-photo stuff. I think it works just fine. They also have their own brand equivalent which is almost as good. Furthermore, they sell the fluid separately.

 

An entire "Nettayant" is too big so I cut it down to a more convenient size and hold it with medical forceps to clean the sensor. I think the chemistry is OK for this use and it seems to get the sensor clean. Forceps should be available from your local chemists for a few quid.

 

I think the camera swabs are a con.

 

FWIW

 

Philip Kozloff

[DaveEP]

I would like to add another vote for the sensor loupe. After reading lots of posts around the web, I finally bought one. At last, I can have clean sensors without lots of trial and error.

 

I cleaned an M8 and two Canon DSLRs inside 10 minutes, and they were all clean and good to go on the first pass, where before this would have taken several frustrating passes of clean - test - reclean - retest etc etc.

 

All cameras... first time... job done. IMHO this was very much worth the money.

[Guest guy_mancuso]

Well i bought one here in NY at B7H and have yet to try it but sems like it would be helpful to see where the crap is