kuad82001 Posted August 29, 2018 Share #1 Posted August 29, 2018 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi there, Had some stubborn dirt on the CCD sensor and very stupidly decided to wipe it with a new microfiber cloth that came with new glasses... now I have a smear. Talked to Camera West ( that is where I bought it from) and they will clean it for $50 but of course I have to ship it to them. Could I have damaged the sensor by very lightly wiping it? I don't know what I was thinking...I thought how could a cloth made for expensive glasses do any harm... Grateful for any replies, Dennis Edited August 29, 2018 by kuad82001 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 29, 2018 Posted August 29, 2018 Hi kuad82001, Take a look here Did something really stupid.....Grateful for any reply/help. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
mikemgb Posted August 29, 2018 Share #2 Posted August 29, 2018 You probably haven't damaged the sensor, but don't do that again! As for cleaning, check your local camera shops, they probably all offer a sensor cleaning service, many while you wait. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuad82001 Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share #3 Posted August 29, 2018 Oh I will never do that again! Really weird how these 3 or 4 dust/small hair particles would not leave even after four sessions of blowing with the rocket blower. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 29, 2018 Share #4 Posted August 29, 2018 The sensor has a cover glass, but the danger is that some grit gets dragged across and scratches the surface. Hopefully that didn’t happen. Once damaged, that means a new sensor, which Leica replaces along with filter array and motherboard. Expensive. Don’t do that again! But there are loads of tutorials (and threads here by search) on doing your own sensor cleaning. It’s inevitable with digital cameras, so you might as well learn to do it yourself if you don’t want to continually pay for service. Jeff 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemgb Posted August 29, 2018 Share #5 Posted August 29, 2018 The sensor has a cover glass, but the danger is that some grit gets dragged across and scratches the surface. Hopefully that didn’t happen. Once damaged, that means a new sensor, which Leica replaces along with filter array and motherboard. Expensive. Don’t do that again! But there are loads of tutorials (and threads here by search) on doing your own sensor cleaning. It’s inevitable with digital cameras, so you might as well learn to do it yourself if you don’t want to continually pay for service. Jeff I agree that cleaning your own sensor is the best option, but I remember the first time I did mine, it is a nerve wracking experience, a professional cleaning the first time may not be bad. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 29, 2018 Share #6 Posted August 29, 2018 I agree that cleaning your own sensor is the best option, but I remember the first time I did mine, it is a nerve wracking experience, a professional cleaning the first time may not be bad. There still has to be a first time. Jeff 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuad82001 Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share #7 Posted August 29, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) The sensor has a cover glass, but the danger is that some grit gets dragged across and scratches the surface. Hopefully that didn’t happen. Once damaged, that means a new sensor, which Leica replaces along with filter array and motherboard. Expensive. Don’t do that again! But there are loads of tutorials (and threads here by search) on doing your own sensor cleaning. It’s inevitable with digital cameras, so you might as well learn to do it yourself if you don’t want to continually pay for service. Jeff Replacement of sensor requires motherboard replacement? Well I had used the rocket blower at least 3 times before wiping the sensor so I hope there was no dirt; except the 3 or 4 spots that would not get blown out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 29, 2018 Share #8 Posted August 29, 2018 Yes. I would estimate the cost in the order of 1800-2000 Euro. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 29, 2018 Share #9 Posted August 29, 2018 Some cloths for spectacles have cleaning chemicals in them, great for your reading glasses, not so good for camera lenses or sensors! (I know this because many years ago I used one on a camera lens and it smeared the lens and affected the multi coatings). A wet clean should resolve the issue, as long as there's no type of coating on the sensor glass that has reacted with the chemicals in the cloth. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianman Posted August 29, 2018 Share #10 Posted August 29, 2018 Hopefully you have not damaged the sensor. I find rocket blowers (I've tried 3 or 4 different brands) barely adequate at best. I recently got a Lenspen sensor cleaning kit and that get the job done. I've only used it a couple of times (the sensor seems to attract less dust but that's probably wishful thinking) and it's perfect so far. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frame-it Posted August 29, 2018 Share #11 Posted August 29, 2018 (edited) Hi there, Had some stubborn dirt on the CCD sensor and very stupidly decided to wipe it with a new microfiber cloth that came with new glasses... now I have a smear. Talked to Camera West ( that is where I bought it from) and they will clean it for $50 but of course I have to ship it to them. Could I have damaged the sensor by very lightly wiping it? I don't know what I was thinking...I thought how could a cloth made for expensive glasses do any harm... Grateful for any replies, Dennis Edited August 29, 2018 by frame-it 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianman Posted August 29, 2018 Share #12 Posted August 29, 2018 Yes. I would estimate the cost in the order of 1800-2000 Euro. As an M9 sensor change is 982 euro, this seems a bit excessive. Would be cost be different for a Monochrome? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianman Posted August 29, 2018 Share #13 Posted August 29, 2018 Answering my own question, I've just seen that the 982 euro is "a share of the replacement costs" Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 29, 2018 Share #14 Posted August 29, 2018 Correct. That sum is the cost of replacing a corroded sensor, which is about 50% of the actual cost. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuad82001 Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share #15 Posted August 29, 2018 Will the place that I bought it ( Camera West ) be able to determine if it is scratched after they clean it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 29, 2018 Share #16 Posted August 29, 2018 Yes. Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UliWer Posted August 29, 2018 Share #17 Posted August 29, 2018 (edited) Will the place that I bought it ( Camera West ) be able to determine if it is scratched after they clean it? You would see a real scratch on your pictures - some more or less short and straight line, or parallel lines. You can try with the smallest f-stop your lens allows pointing to the sky or another evenly bright coloured plane - but completely disfocussed (small distance for the sky or infinity for a close up). Try several times with different framing. When in spite of serious disfocussing you still see a line or parallel lines clearly defined always at the same place of your pictures, you will have scratch. If you do not see anything, or just a "smear" not clerly defined, I wouldn't worry. Edited August 29, 2018 by UliWer Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UliWer Posted August 29, 2018 Share #18 Posted August 29, 2018 Replacement of sensor requires motherboard replacement? Well, if it really is a scratch which occurred by "cleaning" the sensor, I think it is sufficient that they change the covering glass on top of the sensor, not the whole sensor. When the M9 came out new, it happened in some cases that the cover glass cracked from reasons unknown. I remember in these casses Leica just put on a new cover glass, not a whole new sensor - or did they? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 29, 2018 Share #19 Posted August 29, 2018 Well, if it really is a scratch which occurred by "cleaning" the sensor, I think it is sufficient that they change the covering glass on top of the sensor, not the whole sensor. When the M9 came out new, it happened in some cases that the cover glass cracked from reasons unknown. I remember in these casses Leica just put on a new cover glass, not a whole new sensor - or did they? New sensor.... and more. Jeff 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuad82001 Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share #20 Posted August 29, 2018 So the cover glass can be replaced or the entire sensor/motherboard/filter has to be changed? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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