Anyone cleaned the CL sensor yet - what product

[wlaidlaw]

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There is a small amount of dust on my CL sensor and what looks like it might be a couple of dots of the notorious Wetzlar Goblin Snot, that afflicts new M cameras. Before I go away on a long trip next week, I thought I should at least start with a pristine sensor. I have plenty APS-C swabs left over from my M8 and Olympus EP-5. For solvent, I have a choice of Eclipse, lab grade 100% Absolute Ethyl Alcohol, IPA or Visible Dust Smear Away. I found Eclipse or Ethyl Alcohol best on M sensors but not good on the SL, which "preferred" Smear Away. I am going to guess that the CL sensor's coating will be more akin to the SL than the M and therefore, I propose to use Smear Away. I also have an Eye-Lead sticky lollipop but never had great success with that, as it seemed to leave lines on the sensor, which had then to be removed with a swab and solvent. It mIght however, be good for clearing scratchy dust before using a swab. 

 

Anyone else cleaned a CL sensor yet and if so, what solvent/method did you use? 

[jaapv]

I would never attempt to remove dust that I suspected of being sharp with a lollipop cleaner.

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[wlaidlaw]

I would never attempt to remove dust that I suspected of being sharp with a lollipop cleaner.

 

I thought all dust, other than pollen, mite corpses (the disgusting looking Demodex arthropods that live in everyone's skin pores) or shed skin cells, looked like jagged rocks under a powerful enough microscope. 

 

 

Wilson

[SrMi]

Always try to blow the dust away with a blower before resorting to chemical cleaning. So far, blower solved all my CL sensor dirt problems.

[lct]

Always try to blow the dust away with a blower before resorting to chemical cleaning. So far, blower solved all my CL sensor dirt problems.

 

 

+1

[wlaidlaw]

I usually use a HEPA filtered Rocket Blower, then either the lollipop or an Arctic Butterfly. Sadly on using a sensor loupe, there seem to be two lumps of gloop, which will need a wet clean. 

 

Wilson

[jaapv]

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I thought all dust, other than pollen, mite corpses (the disgusting looking Demodex arthropods that live in everyone's skin pores) or shed skin cells, looked like jagged rocks under a powerful enough microscope. 

 

 

Wilson

It does. Don't forget broken pieces of eyelash from peering at the sensor from above. But the nasty stuff is not soft dust but minuscule - or even not so minuscule- grains of sand which actually are miniature rocks.

[david strachan]

Sometimes even extra terrestrial rocks...yes.

But we'll call it ET dust.

 

...

Edited January 13, 2018 by david strachan

[Ifglo]

Oui, avec le sensorKL AR2

Parfait !

Yes, with sensorKL AR2

Perfect !

[Boojay]

Yes, after rocket blower failing to remove everything - aps-c swab and eclipse, just did one sweep, thought I had everything but noticed later I did miss one dust spot.  Will save that for later, I change lens often and think I'm a dust magnet!

[pebbles]

Surely blowing dust away merely moves it around inside. Is it not best to vacuum the sensor ?

[wlaidlaw]

I am always worried about how much vacuum to apply. At least the rocket blower is a zero damage device. I have modified my rocket blower with a HEPA filter, so at least I am not blowing dust in. I always hold my cameras with lens bayonet down and hope that the dust will make a gravity assisted exit, once blown around with my rocket. I also have one of the quite expensive Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly static brushes, which I have used for years before wet cleaning but I am still not convinced it is not a "Snake Oil" device and has no effect at all. I religiously clean it by switching the motor on with the brush immersed in Iso Propyl Alcohol to clean any grease off it but even so........

 

I have been cleaning sensors since beta testing the dire Contax ND in 2003, the world's first and pretty awful full frame digital. I still find a wet clean with a swab by far the most effective. I have a small tool box full of patent sensor cleaning devices, none of which really work. 

 

Wilson