Cost of Sensor Cleaning of 007

[Agent M10]

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What is the approximate cost to have Leica clean the 007's sensor? I need to send mine in.

 

[xiaubauu2009]

What is the approximate cost to have Leica clean the 007's sensor? I need to send mine in.

 

 

Just clean it yourself. It's not as delicate as you thought. I always clean on site outdoor since Leica tend to have a very oily shutter that splash oil everywhere.

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[BernardC]

Your local dealer can probably do this for you. Not everybody feels comfortable doing it themselves.

[alan.y]

Cleaning itself probably costs one hour of labor — EUR 149 in my case. Plus tax. But Leica has the habit of finding many other things wrong with your S body, so send it in at your own risk.

[Photon42]

Cleaning itself probably costs one hour of labor — EUR 149 in my case. Plus tax. But Leica has the habit of finding many other things wrong with your S body, so send it in at your own risk.

 

 

Efficiency is key then   ...  On the other hand: Having it done by a shop may involve getting there, waiting, picking it up etc. Only you can decide whether that is booked under fun or work.

[albertknappmd]

I have always done it myself for the S2, 006, 007 and a variety of Ms.. However, not everyone is comfortable doing this.

I would ask local photographers where they send there cameras. If you are in a big city, there should be a good choice.

 

Albert 

[Agent M10]

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I have always done it myself for the S2, 006, 007 and a variety of Ms.. However, not everyone is comfortable doing this.

I would ask local photographers where they send there cameras. If you are in a big city, there should be a good choice.

 

Albert

 

I have three spots that won’t blow off with a blower. So it looks like I need to live with them or do some kind of wet cleaning.

[helged]

Wet cleaning is part of the game. Unfortunately, but definitely so. All Leica bodies I have used have had spots unremovable by blowing air. The M9-class of bodies were particularly bad, with oil from the shutter (I presume) splashing all over. Particularly for the first few thousand actuations. Good exercise for wet cleaning, for sure ... The sensor with least care has been the SL, with large margin. I don't have had the S006 too long, but I have wet cleaned the sensor a few times. No problems, but I would likely have been a little afraid/very careful if the S-sensor was the first sensor to clean. Generally speaking, though, there is no need to be overly afraid of wet cleaning. But it is always wise to blow a few times first, and then go for wet cleaning if blowing doesn't work. I typically put 2 droplets of cleaning fluid on one side of the swab (somewhat off the centre of the swab, and some mm from the tip of the swab), and one droplet on the other side (and at the centre) of the swab. Waiting for the fluid to evenly distribute on the tip of the swab, the swab is moved with steady hand from side to side on the sensor, with some pressure. A sensor loupe is good to have to inspect the result. I use Eclipse fluid and Sensorswab Ultra swabs mostly, but I guess other fluids and swabs work equally well... There are lots of tips and instruction videos on the web. If uncertain/new to wet cleaning, I would ask the dealer to demonstrate how to wet-clean a sensor. I am quite sure that the dealer has a body that can be used for a demo-cleaning...

[Herr Barnack]

Here's an article I wrote about digital sensor cleaning for my blog.  I hope this will shed some light on the cleaning process. 

 

Having your sensor cleaned by the manufacturer or by a repair technician is a costly and needless expense and inconvenience;  it is something that every photographer would benefit from learning to do themselves. 

 

If you are on a month long photo expedition in _______________ (fill in the blank) and your sensor picks up debris on your first lens change, do you really want to come home with 20,000 images that must ALL be spotted in Photoshop or Lightroom?

 

 

Digital Camera Sensor Cleaning

 

Digital cameras have sensors; unless your camera has a built in dust reduction system, sooner or later your sensor will need to be cleaned - it's inevitable.  Then what?? 

 

It's a lot quicker, easier and less costly to do it yourself - if you follow your camera manual instructions exactly and are careful, you can successfully clean your camera's sensor yourself.  A lot of photographers fear damaging their sensor and will do about anything to avoid cleaning it themselves.  However, there is no reason to be afraid to do this procedure yourself, provided you do it properly.

 

You will need the right sensor cleaning supplies - I use Eclipse Optic Cleaning Fluid and Photosol Sensorswab Ultra sensor cleaning swabs.  If your camera has a full frame (24x36mm ) sensor, you will need the Type 3 swabs; they are 24 mm wide, as is your sensor.  APS-C and smaller sensors will need smaller swabs.  Photosol's website has information that will help you determine which swab is right for your camera.

 

One of the most important factors in successful sensor cleaning is to perform this procedure in a clean, dust free environment.  Not many of us have access to a clean room such as computer manufacturers build computers in.  If your home has airborne dust issues you will need to clean your sensor in an environment where dust is less of a problem (you can check for airborne dust by looking through the beam of a bright flashlight at night; if you see a lot of dust particles dancing in the air, you should probably go elsewhere to clean your sensor).  Where would that be?  Try a museum or a library; find a spot away from frequent foot traffic, entries and exits and away from heating and cooling ducts that will cause airflow that will stir up any dust that may be present.

 

Another important point is this - do not use compressed air ("canned air") to blow dust from your sensor before cleaning.  Canned air can spray liquid propellant onto your sensor cover glass, something you do not want to happen.  That liquid can also get behind the sensor and into the electronic components of your camera.  If that happens, you are in for a serious repair bill.  Instead of canned air, use a blower bulb like the Giottos Rocket Blaster, which will safely remove loose dust particles from your sensor.

 

The sensor swabs I use are dry, which means I need to apply the proper cleaning fluid to them before use.  Too much cleaning fluid can damage the electronics inside your camera, so proceed with caution.  I have found that four drops on the 24mm wide swabs my camera requires is sufficient (two drops on one side, two on the opposite side) applied right at the edge of the swab that will contact your sensor; give them 10 seconds to be wicked across the swab's edge so that the liquid is dispersed in a uniform manner.  Again, follow the directions that come with your swabs and cleaning fluid to the letter.

 

Each camera has a specific procedure for sensor cleaning; if you precisely adhere to the instructions in your camera manual, you should have a successful sensor cleaning result.  If there are still spots on your sensor after cleaning, you can re-clean the sensor provided your camera manual does not advise against doing so (I once ended up with an eyelash on my sensor that required two cleanings to remove; the first try simply moved it closer to the center of the sensor; this happens sometimes).

 

If you follow the directions in your camera manual and in your swab and cleaning fluid to the letter, you should have no problems cleaning your sensor at home (or at your local museum or library, if need be).

 

 

DISCLAIMER                                                                                                      

The above description of sensor cleaning is simply a description of how I clean my sensor; it is not intended as training or professional advice in sensor cleaning.  Always follow the directions in your camera manual and in your sensor cleaning materials to the letter.  When in doubt, contact your camera manufacturer for advice on sensor cleaning, or return your camera to the manufacturer's repair department for sensor cleaning.  The author accepts no responsibility for any damage resulting from do it yourself sensor cleaning.  When in doubt, contact your camera manufacturer to return your camera to the manufacturer's repair department for professional sensor cleaning.

Edited August 8, 2018 by Herr Barnack

[Ouroboros]

I can never understand why the prospect of cleaning a camera sensor seems to hold such terror for some people. If you can drive your car to a garage and put fuel in it, you can clean a camera sensor and the major similarity between the two is that they are both a routine part of using the thing.

 

Most of the replies here refer to wet cleaning, which should only be taken as the final resort anyway. I would not advise using any kind of blower, all you will achieve is to redistribute particles around the interior of the camera. Under no circumstances use pressurised inert gas. Not only will you spray liquid gas all over your sensor, you also risk serious damage to your camera if, as happened to one of my colleagues once, the nozzle is ejected from the can and smashes the sensor cover.

 

As stage one, a better way to remove ‘ dust’ is to use an Arctic Butterfly brush which utilises static electricity to attract particles from the sensor surface to the brush. This is the least aggressive method and in most cases it will be enough.

 

Stage two for removing more stubborn matter can be easily achieved with an Eye Lead gel stick. These are very effective but you must follow the instructions very carefully. There is a technique to twisting and lifting the gel stick carefully, but it is not difficult.

 

Stage three is a wet clean with sensor swabs where stages 1&2 have failed and this is often the only method that will remove persistent sticky or oily residue that is usually thrown up by the shutter mechanism or from the lens. IPA is much cheaper than any of the other cleaning fluids such as Eclipse and more efficient in removing residue. Use it very sparingly and with care.

 

Cleaning a camera sensor is not difficult, it’s simply routine housekeeping.

[xiaubauu2009]

Well, I generally use a smaller APS size swab to clean the sensor, it's easier to control the movement of the swab on the sensor. Use a good cleaning fluid and it should be a breeze.

 

Leica's shutter mechanism is quite oily. A lot of the dots are not from dust, but oil specs and it is unavoidable. Luckily, they are generally in the corners.

 

The best sensor cleanliness I have ever encountered is the Fuji GFX, I have done 0 cleaning on it over the 1 over year of ownership and never had any dust issue. I don't know what kind of magic trickery they have done to the design of the sensor cover cause even with vibration cleaning, sometimes, you will still get dust that won't shake off on camera such as Sony A7R3/R2.

[albireo_double]

I use the FF sized swabs with Eclipse to wet clean, after blowing any free dust off with a Giotto’s rocket. Have done this dozens of times with all my cameras, including the S007. No need to send the camera in. I understand that the service people would do the same thing. Perhaps would be able to check the sensor with some sort of loupe or miscroscope afterwards which I can't do at home, but I can check by photographing a white sheet of paper/wall from close distance at f16.

 

And I agree 100% with the comment above regarding Fuji’s GFX. I've had the camera for over a year now, have done a number of shoots with it, including a trip in Iceland over many dusty roads and I have had to clean the sensor exactly zero times so far - not a single spot or oil drop in sight. What a relief....

Edited August 10, 2018 by albireo_double

[alan.y]

Section 4 on the following page explains why dust doesn’t show up on the Fuji GFX—a 9mm gap between sensor and protective glass:

 

https://diglloyd.com/blog/2017/20170503_2230-FujifilmGFX-sensor-cover-glass.html