How often do you blow out sensor dust?

[Herr Barnack]

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I clean my sensor only when dust spots (AKA sky turds) become bothersome and too time consuming during post processing.  I have learned to do it myself and save the $50 USD that the camera store charges for sensor cleaning.

 

I received my M-P 240 on 4-2-15 and have so far made 31,756 images.  I have damp cleaned my sensor four times.  I haven't kept track of how much I have used the rocket blower bulb, but I would say probably 2-3 times that were separate from the four damp cleanings.

[Ko.Fe.]

Hi there!

How often should the sensor be blown out? I only have one lens so 

I never change it.

 

Grateful for any replies

 

Most likely never in your case.

After I stopped changing lenses outdoors I don't have dust on the sensor in my ten years old DSLR.

 

 

I never blow sensor dust out, how do you know you've blown it out and not further in? Blowing dust around inside the camera is the best way to collect dust, you'll find you are dealing with old friends. ....

 

Leica has procedure for dust blowing in the manual.

Edited July 2, 2018 by Ko.Fe.

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[pico]

I clean my sensor only when dust spots (AKA sky turds)

 

Sky turds! I love it. Thanks.

[erl]

Pico, you should always wear a hard hat outside.

[Guest jvansmit]

I never blow sensor dust out, how do you know you've blown it out and not further in? Blowing dust around inside the camera is the best way to collect dust, you'll find you are dealing with old friends. But I guess the question is about how dirty does your sensor get in normal use. If I never changed lenses I would expect to clean the sensor once a month, but I do change lenses and the answer is the same, once a month. There are times when it is windy and dusty and dirt is bound to get on the sensor, and times when pollen is in the air, so it may need a quick clean then.

 

same here...after around a decade of digital Leicas, I've never bothered about dust.  I'm just lazy, I guess.

[pico]

Pico, you should always wear a hard hat outside.

 

Yeah, I have heard that before! First accident from being hung by an extended truck mirror. See the helmet  strap bruises, black eye. Not as bad as the accident that destroyed my M9.

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

Can you see why cops ask if I am an American citizen?

Edited July 3, 2018 by pico

[kuad82001]

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It could be that using often a wet cleaning has a negative impact on the sensor. Same applies to living in a high humidity environment. I now use only a rocket blower and no more any wet wiping. I keep the camera inside a closet with a very large container with silica gel to remove the excess humidity. I don't take my digital Leica cameras often to the beach. The rest is luck.

I see you live in Florida as well! What silica gel do you use? Where can I buy it?

Thank you kindly

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Pico,

 

You certainly look like an American Citizen to me.

 

Best Regards & I hope everything healed well,

 

Michael

[Raid Amin]

I see you live in Florida as well! What silica gel do you use? Where can I buy it?

Thank you kindly

I bought it many years ago. I can take a photo of it and post it here. It is a long metal cannister that I heat up in the oven whenever the cover of the cannister changes color from blue to pink. The heat recativates the chemical.

[kuad82001]

I bought it many years ago. I can take a photo of it and post it here. It is a long metal cannister that I heat up in the oven whenever the cover of the cannister changes color from blue to pink. The heat recativates the chemical.

That would be awesome!

Where did you purchase it?

[Raid Amin]

It is a large canister, as you can see below. I have been using it for many years now. They are still in business! I just checked it online.

 

 

http://www.dehumidify.com/about-hydrosorbent/

 

Hydrosorbent Dehumidifiers is nestled in the quiet village of Ashley Falls in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts. That's our original office in the photo at right.

The business was begun in 1976 in Rye, New York by S. Brady Brown as a mail order business. Brady had served as an Army officer during the Korean War and had used silica gel to protect his weapons. When he tried to find silica gel to protect his own firearms, he found that there was nothing readily available for the consumer. 

The first product Hydrosorbent sold was a unit used on naval vessels. Over the years Brady designed and manufactured a series of different sized units to meet the demand from his customers. In 1982 Brady began to sell Hydrosorbent dehumidifiers at wholesale, through his first distributor. This was a real turning point for the small company.

 

 

They now have smaller units. My unit may be large enough to cover an entire room.

 

Large Canister

This heavy duty unit provides lifetime protection for closets, lockers, cabinets vaults and safes. The unit is preferred by police armories, hospitals and museums as well as individual collectors of firearms and artifacts. The large canister contains 750 grams of silica gel packaged in a steel can that measures 4" x 6", about the size of a coffee can. Protects 57 cubic feet of enclosed space. 

Two versions available: 
SG-750 – Blue silica gel turns to pink when saturated
OSG-750 – Orange silica gel turns to clear when saturated

 

 

 

Edited July 4, 2018 by Raid Amin

[kuad82001]

It is a large canister, as you can see below. I have been using it for many years now. They are still in business! I just checked it online.

 

 

http://www.dehumidify.com/about-hydrosorbent/

 

Hydrosorbent Dehumidifiers is nestled in the quiet village of Ashley Falls in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts. That's our original office in the photo at right.

The business was begun in 1976 in Rye, New York by S. Brady Brown as a mail order business. Brady had served as an Army officer during the Korean War and had used silica gel to protect his weapons. When he tried to find silica gel to protect his own firearms, he found that there was nothing readily available for the consumer. 

The first product Hydrosorbent sold was a unit used on naval vessels. Over the years Brady designed and manufactured a series of different sized units to meet the demand from his customers. In 1982 Brady began to sell Hydrosorbent dehumidifiers at wholesale, through his first distributor. This was a real turning point for the small company.

 

 

They now have smaller units. My unit may be large enough to cover an entire room.

 

Large Canister

This heavy duty unit provides lifetime protection for closets, lockers, cabinets vaults and safes. The unit is preferred by police armories, hospitals and museums as well as individual collectors of firearms and artifacts. The large canister contains 750 grams of silica gel packaged in a steel can that measures 4" x 6", about the size of a coffee can. Protects 57 cubic feet of enclosed space. 

Two versions available: 

SG-750 – Blue silica gel turns to pink when saturated

OSG-750 – Orange silica gel turns to clear when saturated

 

 

 

Thank you kindly!!!!

[Raid Amin]

They now sell smaller units. I am sure that the new material is more efficient than what I got many years ago.

[kuad82001]

Thank you very much!!!!

[Raid Amin]

I learned today that the ingredients in such dehumidifiers may be toxic, so better read up on it.

 

Blue silica gel has cobalt chloride, which allows the blue silica gel change its color to pink when it reached its maximized adsorption capacity. Once pink it can be reactivated with heat to dry out the moisture. When it turns blue again, it’s ready to use. Do not use blue silica gel around food since the cobalt chloride is poisonous.

Orange silica gel has methyl violet which is capable of changing from orange to green, or orange to colorless. It is also toxic and potentially poisonous, even though it does have some medicinal merits. Like blue silica gel, once the color changes to indicate maximum adsorption, it can be reactivated with heat to dry out the moisture. When it turns orange again, it’s ready to use

Edited July 5, 2018 by Raid Amin

[Raid Amin]

I have just thrown out my container with the silica gel. The new stuff may be safer. I do not know.

[kuad82001]

Will this work until I get the company you mentioned to call me back?

 

[Raid Amin]

It should do the job for a while. I think that using the Silcal gel based units is safe as long as you don't eat the stuff. While heating up the container in the oven, I place the unit on a pan with aluminum foil lining. Then I carefully remove it afterwards so that there is no spilling of the Gel inside the oven.

[kuad82001]

I have just thrown out my container with the silica gel. The new stuff may be safer. I do not know.

Hahaha! The company just called me back and I ordered thru them 2 40 gram containers to place in my camera bag.

 

Grateful!

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[pico]

Hahaha! The company just called me back and I ordered thru them 2 40 gram containers to place in my camera bag.

 

Grateful!

 

Just be darn careful with the stuff.