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Sensor dust tips?


retcheto

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It seems no matter how much I clean the sensor with the swabs or use the little rocket blower, there's always a little bit of dust on it somehow. Since I'm mainly shooting landscapes stopped down, there's always a speck that I can see in the sky that I missed during cleaning.

 

Is this just inevitable or are there any tips for dealing with this? Does everyone have to fix this in post processing or am I doing something wrong?

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As someone used to working with Olympus Micro Four-Thirds cameras for years, when I purchased my first brand-new Leica, an M262 a couple of years ago, the dust-cleaning thing was foreign, as was dust-spotting raw files in ACR. Never had to do it before, and the first several months I was paranoid about trying to get the sensor 100% clean, to my own detriment.

 

I have learned to get over that, LOL...

 

Every so often I'll go through a period of time where I am fortunate enough to keep the sensor relatively clean for a period of time, but the dust eventually shows back up. My own demented logic.....cleaning up 2-4 dust spots on an M262 raw file is WAY easier/faster than dust-spotting image files from scanned 35mm B&W negatives. I treat it the same as my use of any other slider in ACR. Just part of the process.

 

Oh, and when I run the dust detection to check for spots, I do NOT use a lens that can be stopped down to f22. f16 is small enough, LOL...

Edited by Gregm61
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Prevention is better than cure.

 

Avoid dust by changing lenses with camera throat facing down in sheltered dust free environment.

 

Cure.

 

Rocket blower and rocket blower. I have M246 for 2 years now and never used anything other than rocket blower, frequent lens changes, pretty much dust free all he time. Never used wet clean myself, this may be cause of sensor dirt if not done properly. Historically, once had my M240 (now sold) cleaned professionally.

 

Further cure.

 

Occasionally dust bunny or odd fibre find its way onto the sensor, not end of the world, have good post processing software. ACR and PS have wonderful tools to remove dust from the image.

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Every lens change I make is with the camera facing down, so that is far from a cure-all. I also constantly check the rear of all my lenses when I'm switching for dust specs that could find their way onto the sensor while it's mounted on the body. Still get dust on the sensor.

 

I have a rocket blower. Take it on all my trips since there's no taking eclipse fluid if the trip happens to be by plane. Have used it at home, sometimes blowing away for long periods of time, up into the camera while it (the sensor) is facing down so anything dislodged would fall out instead of around or in, often to no avail and wind up doing a swipe with eclipse and a swab to get stubborn spots off.

 

That all sounds great, but there is no fail safe for preventing dust on these sensors. I'm fine with that today. Even if one thinks they have no dust issues. I utilize the sharpening window of ACR. Holding the alt key and dragging the masking slider across to eliminate sharpening and reveal the hollow circular dots of dust in open sky or against white clouds that I might not see just eyeballing the image.

 

To the OP, f16 or 22 isn't necessary for landscapes. A large percentage of what I shoot are landscapes and I rarely even use f11. f5.6 or f8 probably makes up 85-90%, if not more, of all the landscapes I shoot.

Edited by Gregm61
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It seems no matter how much I clean the sensor with the swabs or use the little rocket blower, there's always a little bit of dust on it somehow. [...]

 

If the spots are always in the same place, with Photoshop you can make an action or a droplet that fixes them in an instant, even in batch against any number of images. I do it.

 

Aside - when I did photo curing as part of my day-job I had actions named for clients, for example, Dr. '...'s images in my action set. When I retired I passed them on to each client. They never got it. Too bad.

Edited by pico
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What’s the difference then between a “professional” cleaning and doing it yourself with the swabs?

Probably cost, unless you purchase all the kit and then use it only once.

Apparently Leica Mayfair do it FOC. It would be great if other 'bricks and mortar' dealers offered the same service. Happy customers could mean returning 'purchasing' customers.

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What’s the difference then between a “professional” cleaning and doing it yourself with the swabs?

“Professional” would do sensor cleaning daily, sometime on multiple cameras, yourself once in a while. Cost of buying all wet cleaning paraphernalia probably exceeds wet cleaning service. Having it done by somebody who knows what is he/she doing is priceless.

 

I never wet cleaned any of my camera sensors and I am dust free, total of two wet cleans in the last ten years, first on M9 at Leica Mayfair FOC and second on M240 for a fee. Earlier all Nikon DSLR came with built-in cleaner plus rocket blower kept dust and other dirt at bay.

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When I bought my M246 a couple of years ago, it came with a dust-covered sensor. The rangefinder was pretty much off too, so the camera went right back to Wetzlar. I explicitly asked for a sensor cleaning although i knew that Leica's standard procedure should include the sensor cleaning automatically.

After 2 month I got the camera and a simultaneously repaired lens back. Camera and lens were working perfectly, the sensor was as dirty as before!

At the same time my SL suddenly had a row of fresh oil spots on the sensor, so I decided to do a wet cleaning myself on both cameras.

I have some experience with DIY wet cleaning on my canons, so maybe my method may be helpful.

 

What I use:

 

Ethanol abs. p.a.(I was working in pharmaceutical research, so I had easy access.) This is 99,8% Ethanol, not denatured, which is important because the standard chemicals for denaturing, methylethyketone or toluene, are too agressive and may harm the camera. This alcohol is drinkable, so there is a tax on it which makes it rather expensive. I used it simply because it is the least poisonous liquid to use indoors(unless you drink too much of it)

 

The cheaper alternatives are methanol(AFAIK the main ingredient of Eclipse. Caution when using indoors, the vapors are poisonous!) and isopropanol. Try to get highly pure versions. Store any alcohol in glas vials with teflon seals(alcohols are hygroscopic and draw humidity). Don't ever use plastic bottles because the alcohols will be polluted with plasticizers over time.

 

Q-tips and lens tissue paper

I use the original Q-tips because they are fuzzing a bit less than cheaper versions.

 

First I put a tiny amount of alcohol on top of the q-tip. Not too much because I don't want to drop fluid into the camera. Now I wipe the complete sensor without much force. No special directions, just trying to cover the whole surface without touching anything outside the sensor. The alcohol will start to evaporate immediately. I repeat this procedure 2 or 3 times with fresh Q-tips until the sensor looks rather clean.

With the last step I wrap a piece of lens tissue paper around a fresh Q-tip and wipe the sensor completely dry. Usually this should do the trick.

On occasion I had some slight smear left on the sensor. In this case I put a tiny amount of liquid on a Q-tip again and then wrap it in a piece of lens tissue paper. The paper now is just damp enough to finish the job.

With this method I could clean even very dirty sensors.

 

One caution advice remains. I have never been in desert areas where a lot of fine sand is in the air. This might need a different method because there maybe the risk of scratching the sensor!

 

Hope I could be helpful.

 

 

 

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Probably cost, unless you purchase all the kit and then use it only once.

Apparently Leica Mayfair do it FOC. It would be great if other 'bricks and mortar' dealers offered the same service. Happy customers could mean returning 'purchasing' customers.

 

 

This is true (though I didn't know it at the time). The delightful Yumi even brought the cleaned camera over the road to the Leica Cafe where I was enjoying a cappuccino and browsing the mags!

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Prevention is better than cure.

Avoid dust by changing lenses with camera throat facing down in sheltered dust free environment.

This is the least important cause of dust. Most dust comes from within: the shutter

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You can buy sensor cleaning swabs and fluid. The first time you do a cleaning on your own is pretty scary, I think, but after that its just taking your time and using a clean swab back & forth only ONCE.

 

My Leicas never stay clean. I live in the desert SW of the US and blowing dust is everywhere.

 

They stay cleaner longer now that I try to remember to clean the mounting ring of both camera and lens each time I swap out the lens. I just use my finger and run it around the mounting rings. I think I was getting a lot of dirt that would sit around the mounted lens, particularly if the lens had been mounted for a long time and carried over my shoulder, rubbing against my shirt.

 

Sensor dirt is, alas, part of using a digital M. Leica says there is no way to create a jiggling motion on the glass covering the sensor (the method some cameras use) because this glass cover is only circa 0.08mm thick.

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First you blow, then you do it wet. If you not blowing it and going wet this is how it might gets scratched. 

If it is dust, you'll blow it with appropriate tool. From outside and from the sensor. Special blower, not the finger. Finger is nose cleaning tool :).

 

But, if Leica is new and this is what I first read on LUF and then discovered by myself, tiny spills of oil will show up on sensor for some time.

You can't blow those. 

 

I never have any luck with cleaning fluids. It leaves reside. Even VisibleDust any grade is no good.  Only 99% alcohol and opened fresh worked clean.. 

And not all of the swaps works well, even if they charge big bucks for them. I'm using Kimtech Delicate Task wipes on sensor cleaning V shaped swabs.

Reading about using of Q-tips here is scary. They might have abrasive particles in them.

 

They sell special illuminated sensor check, view loupe (on Amazon, for example) it takes time to get used to it, but with this loupe everything is visible on the sensor. 

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Does anyone here use gel sticks to clean the sensor? Are they safe to use given the thin cover glass, which I guess is not engineered to be pulled on?

 

I wet clean the sensor when needed - usually a couple of times a year unless shooting a lot of landscapes with lenses stopped down. A bulb blower works pretty well, but there is always eventually a need for something more. Unfortunately, travelling with a wet cleaning kit is impractical (flammable liquids etc).

 

BTW, the local boutique here wants 100 euros to wet clean an M sensor! It is cheaper to shoot film...

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Does anyone here use gel sticks to clean the sensor? Are they safe to use given the thin cover glass, which I guess is not engineered to be pulled on?

 

I wet clean the sensor when needed - usually a couple of times a year unless shooting a lot of landscapes with lenses stopped down. A bulb blower works pretty well, but there is always eventually a need for something more. Unfortunately, travelling with a wet cleaning kit is impractical (flammable liquids etc).

 

BTW, the local boutique here wants 100 euros to wet clean an M sensor! It is cheaper to shoot film...

 

The 'Eyelead' is very good, you don't pull on it, you roll it.

 

As for the question in general a) don't put yourself into a position where your camera dictates when and where you can change your lens or how you do it, you may want to do it quickly to get the shot even if there is dust blowing about. And b ) don't put yourself into a position where you are at the mercy of 'professionals' who do what is essentially an easy 'amateur' job, and do it on their terms and opening hours.

 

So buy the kit and do it yourself. Yes of course the cost of the pads, swabs, and fluid may be more than you'd spend a couple of times a year handing the job to a pro, but some photographers have lenses or other expensive equipment they only use a couple of times a year, so work that one out. And a ten minute cleaning session at home has to be more cost effective than the time it takes to get your camera to a pro, unless you live within a ten minute walk of Leica Mayfair (and they are open). And for heavens sake do the job properly, yes a Rocket Blower may appear an easy way to move some dust off the sensor, but you have no idea where the dust has gone, with pads and swabs you are 100% sure you've lifted the dust out of the camera, and a Blower won't remove sticky dust anyway.

Edited by 250swb
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It seems no matter how much I clean the sensor with the swabs or use the little rocket blower, there's always a little bit of dust on it somehow. Since I'm mainly shooting landscapes stopped down, there's always a speck that I can see in the sky that I missed during cleaning.

 

Is this just inevitable or are there any tips for dealing with this? Does everyone have to fix this in post processing or am I doing something wrong?

There is a simple protocol in the Leica M FAQ at the top op the M240 forum.

 

Ps. You should avoid shooting at apertures of f11 and smaller if possible as diffraction will degrade image quality. use f5.6 or f8 for best quality from most lenses, many Leica lenses are excellent at wider apertures to wide open

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