Protecting M9 sensor

[tobey bilek]

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I have a M9P which was the last one Leica USA had in stock, exact time unknown.  I have taken extremely good care of it and then I may have wet cleaned it one time with Eclipse , not positive but perhaps.  Then the statement came from Leica that only non contact methods should be used because of the corrosion problem.  A lens pen and lighted loupe were purchased and I used that if air blower did not clean sufficiently.  I has always worked and is contact,  but dry.  

 

I still did not want to have to have a corroded sensor replaced specially now that the free program has ended,  but the issue of humidity remained.  My home is air conditioned although humidity is higher in summer and I take the camera outside.   I could build a dry box,  but incandescent bulbs to provide heat will become scarce.   

 

All that said,  I figured descant packs and sealed bag would do the trick.  Internet searches were fruitless for small quantities.  Last week I was on Amazon and used the search term silica descant and that was the key.  You have to know the correct term.   Lots of choices came up and I selected a 100 pack of 2 gram bags  of rechargable packs,   2 is double what is come with lenses and cameras.  Blue when new, pink when you need to place in oven to recharge and they turn back to blue.   $10 or so is a small price to pay for protection in my opinion. Will see if it works.  

 

 

 

 

[LocalHero1953]

'Dessicant' works better as a search term. 'Descant' is a musical term, this side of the water anyway.

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[pgk]

Blue when new, pink when you need to place in oven to recharge and they turn back to blue.

 

FYI. Firstly the heat applied to silica gel should not exceed about 80 degrees C as excess heat can apparently cause damage so that it loses efficiency so a low heat is needed to recharge it. Secondly the colour shift you describe is for Silica Gel with cobalt as the indicator and this is poisonous, so it is/should be hard to get in the EU (not a pleasant material environmentally either). An alternative green/orange 'safe' indicator is now used - its available easily on ebay. Lastly you can get quite small Peli, or similar, cases which are probably a better option than sealed bags as they can be fitted with foam to hold the camera and cheap given the camera's value.

[Susie]

Hi Guys,

 

At home we have an historic artifact that was brought up from the sea bed ( a 19th century Hales 24pdr rocket to be exact!).  After spending a year at a conservation firm it came back with ten 100g packs of silica gel to control the humidity in its case and to stop further deterioration.  When the packs get to about 140g we dry them out by popping them in the bottom oven of the Aga for 24 hours, by which time they are back to 100g.  I believe they will absorb about 50% of the dry weight in total. There is also a small hygrometer in there as well.

 

Susie

[tobey bilek]

'Dessicant' works better as a search term. 'Descant' is a musical term, this side of the water anyway.

 

spelling never was my my best subject

 

I guess the experts agree it will work.

[woutdezeeuw]

I've seen a tip by someone not too long ago: the camera will attract moisture when the camera is cold, and you go into a warmer environment, so for example when going from cold weather inside the house, or from an airconditioned room/taxi into the heat outside. To prevent sudden temperature changes you can wrap the camera or bag in a towel and let it adjust for a while, or just let it sit in the bag if it's fairly well closed off.

[jaapv]

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Hi Guys,

 

At home we have an historic artifact that was brought up from the sea bed ( a 19th century Hales 24pdr rocket to be exact!).  After spending a year at a conservation firm it came back with ten 100g packs of silica gel to control the humidity in its case and to stop further deterioration.  When the packs get to about 140g we dry them out by popping them in the bottom oven of the Aga for 24 hours, by which time they are back to 100g.  I believe they will absorb about 50% of the dry weight in total. There is also a small hygrometer in there as well.

 

Susie

A few minutes in the microwave will dry them out as well.

[jaapv]

I have a M9P which was the last one Leica USA had in stock, exact time unknown.  I have taken extremely good care of it and then I may have wet cleaned it one time with Eclipse , not positive but perhaps.  Then the statement came from Leica that only non contact methods should be used because of the corrosion problem.  A lens pen and lighted loupe were purchased and I used that if air blower did not clean sufficiently.  I has always worked and is contact,  but dry.  

 

I still did not want to have to have a corroded sensor replaced specially now that the free program has ended,  but the issue of humidity remained.  My home is air conditioned although humidity is higher in summer and I take the camera outside.   I could build a dry box,  but incandescent bulbs to provide heat will become scarce.   

 

All that said,  I figured descant packs and sealed bag would do the trick.  Internet searches were fruitless for small quantities.  Last week I was on Amazon and used the search term silica descant and that was the key.  You have to know the correct term.   Lots of choices came up and I selected a 100 pack of 2 gram bags  of rechargable packs,   2 is double what is come with lenses and cameras.  Blue when new, pink when you need to place in oven to recharge and they turn back to blue.   $10 or so is a small price to pay for protection in my opinion. Will see if it works.  

The statement from Leica was retracted a few days afterwards as being incorrect. 

I wouldn't worry too much if I were you.

Either the sensor corrodes or it doesn't and there is not much you can do about it.

 

The root cause is microporosities in the coating which allow Oxygen to attack the glass. I suppose you could keep it in a Nitrogen atmosphere permanently, but that would be rather unpractical.

 

Cleaning fluids are mostly Isopropyl Alcohol and/or Anionic Tensides (AKA soaps) and are non-corrosive, so cannot corrode the sensor. Scratches, however, may open the coating up. But who wants to scratch his sensor cover glass all the way through the coating when cleaning? If that happens you have a different problem.

 

Moisture in the air is unavoidable when using the camera.