Peter Kilmister Posted January 9, 2019 Share #41 Posted January 9, 2019 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I've said this before on here and been slated for it by naysayers. However my method works well. Get a domestic vacuum cleaner and place outside the room where you wish to do the cleaning, and shut the door as far as possible. Grab the nozzle and cover it with muslin. Shove the nozzle into the cameras guts (sensor opened) and ask your glamorous assistant to switch on the machine. (This operation requires an assistant ... but the assistant doesn't have to be glamorous, just capable of turning on the machine!) A few seconds of that treatment and there is nothing left. Not even a spec of dust. The muslin is to prevent any tiny pieces of the camera's entrails being swallowed up if things go awry ... which they never have done. It works with no gel, no sticky probes, etc. So what is wrong with that? Edited January 9, 2019 by Peter Kilmister Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 Hi Peter Kilmister, Take a look here Lost my sensor cleaning virginity today!. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Exodies Posted January 9, 2019 Share #42 Posted January 9, 2019 Just a guess. The vacuum cleaner is pulling a large volume of air from all over the room thereby gathering a heap of dust at the nozzle. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kilmister Posted January 9, 2019 Share #43 Posted January 9, 2019 That's why the vacuum cleaner is outside the cleaning room. Only the nozzle is inside. The room has no woollen carpets and is dust free as it was cleaned using microfibre clothes before the experiment. The exhaust of the vacuum cleaner may affect other rooms but not the one where the suction nozzle is located. Anyway, with fine filters on a vacuum cleaner there is little exhaust dust. Vacuum cleaners that are considered safe for asthmatic sufferers are a real bonus to those with normal breathing. If they use mini vacuum cleaners in Wetzlar then what is the difference? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianman Posted January 10, 2019 Share #44 Posted January 10, 2019 Have you ever tried putting your camera in the dishwasher? It comes our clean and shiny. 1 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted January 10, 2019 Share #45 Posted January 10, 2019 You didn’t lose your virginity. You just performed heavy petting. You lose your virginity during a wet clean. 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted January 10, 2019 Share #46 Posted January 10, 2019 Blower first, Eclipse fluid with swabs for rare wet clean. No problems since 2009 (but important to keep supplies fresh, as I once learned). A Visible Dust illuminated loupe is helpful for inspection. I may try Eyelead at some point just to give it a go... but not based on any problems. Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted January 10, 2019 Share #47 Posted January 10, 2019 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have bought a pack of three Green Clean soft tips to use with my vacuum kit. I think these are probably what Leica is using with their vacuum device. They are designed with a soft plastic tip with no plasticiser additive so it would be safe to touch your sensor and it will not leave any marks. If my vacuum kit is useless, then I can still use these with a Green Clean Vacuum kit. Wilson 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! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/293060-lost-my-sensor-cleaning-virginity-today/?do=findComment&comment=3661936'>More sharing options...
Steve Ricoh Posted January 27, 2019 Share #48 Posted January 27, 2019 I've tried the Green Clean vacuum kit but the suction is next to nothing and is ineffective at picking up dust (what appears to be dust, but it could be sticky stuff and that might explain). The instructions recommend not allowing the soft tips to come into contact with the sensor, but if the suction is to be effective I suggest it needs intimate contact. Not tried it yet, just in case it does mark. One thing I can't help worrying about is the shutter closing whilst I'm cleaning. I know it's not supposed to do so if you follow the instructions in having a fully charged battery and being alert to the warning tone emitted if the battery goes below the safety limit (50%??). But things happen, like the camera throws a wobbler and the shutter does its own thing. How would you go about explaining that to Leica if you were trying to get it repaired without coughing up a big chunk of dosh! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted January 27, 2019 Share #49 Posted January 27, 2019 17 minutes ago, Steve Ricoh said: I've tried the Green Clean vacuum kit but the suction is next to nothing and is ineffective at picking up dust (what appears to be dust, but it could be sticky stuff and that might explain). The instructions recommend not allowing the soft tips to come into contact with the sensor, but if the suction is to be effective I suggest it needs intimate contact. Not tried it yet, just in case it does mark. One thing I can't help worrying about is the shutter closing whilst I'm cleaning. I know it's not supposed to do so if you follow the instructions in having a fully charged battery and being alert to the warning tone emitted if the battery goes below the safety limit (50%??). But things happen, like the camera throws a wobbler and the shutter does its own thing. How would you go about explaining that to Leica if you were trying to get it repaired without coughing up a big chunk of dosh! I use the Green Clean tips but with an adapter (£6 for the whole kit from Amazon including various nozzles and brushes, useful for cleaning keyboards etc) from a regular vacuum cleaner rather than the Green Clean bottled propane/butane bottles venturi system. There seems to be adequate suction via that route. I think you just have to accept the risk of the shutter being open during cleaning and minimise the risk by using a fully charged battery, that you know to be in good condition. There have not been many posts complaining of problems, since the M8 came out in 2006. Wilson 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted January 28, 2019 Share #50 Posted January 28, 2019 18 hours ago, Steve Ricoh said: I've tried the Green Clean vacuum kit but the suction is next to nothing and is ineffective at picking up dust (what appears to be dust, but it could be sticky stuff and that might explain). The instructions recommend not allowing the soft tips to come into contact with the sensor, but if the suction is to be effective I suggest it needs intimate contact. Not tried it yet, just in case it does mark. One thing I can't help worrying about is the shutter closing whilst I'm cleaning. I know it's not supposed to do so if you follow the instructions in having a fully charged battery and being alert to the warning tone emitted if the battery goes below the safety limit (50%??). But things happen, like the camera throws a wobbler and the shutter does its own thing. How would you go about explaining that to Leica if you were trying to get it repaired without coughing up a big chunk of dosh! It only needs to pick up loose dust to prevent sensor damage during the next cleaning step. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Ricoh Posted January 28, 2019 Share #51 Posted January 28, 2019 1 hour ago, jaapv said: It only needs to pick up loose dust to prevent sensor damage during the next cleaning step. To allow the Green Clean 'soft tips' to contact the sensor, that's the question. Interested to know if others do this and the outcome. As long as the tip is clean it should be ok is the way I'm thinking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted January 28, 2019 Share #52 Posted January 28, 2019 I thought that the tips of the Green Clean nozzles were both rounded and made out of a soft but plasticiser free material, so that contact with the sensor neither left marks nor damage. The video of Leica cleaning a sensor, appears to show occasional sensor contact with the nozzle tip. What I think you should not do, is rub the nozzle over the sensor, as that might scratch with dust. Wilson 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Ricoh Posted January 28, 2019 Share #53 Posted January 28, 2019 8 hours ago, wlaidlaw said: I thought that the tips of the Green Clean nozzles were both rounded and made out of a soft but plasticiser free material, so that contact with the sensor neither left marks nor damage. The video of Leica cleaning a sensor, appears to show occasional sensor contact with the nozzle tip. What I think you should not do, is rub the nozzle over the sensor, as that might scratch with dust. Wilson That makes sense, thanks Wilson. It's clear I'm not the only one nervous about sensor cleaning. At least with film it's not the end of the world if a negative gets scratched (but never happened to me, yet). Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marchyman Posted May 14, 2019 Share #54 Posted May 14, 2019 On 1/8/2019 at 11:50 PM, 250swb said: There are three types of dust and contamination, loose dust, sticky dust, and oil thrown off from the shutter. Resurrecting an old thread. I can add a 4th type of dust/contamination -- that which is not on the sensor but instead lives somewhere on the lens. I couldn't see it by eye -- I did look. But after several attempts to get rid of the "sensor" spot I finally cleaned the lens, too. Yeah, I should have started with that. Next time I'll break out the magnifier when looking at the lens, too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kilmister Posted May 14, 2019 Share #55 Posted May 14, 2019 It is really easy to get dust onto the lens, not critical on the front but worse on the rear. When we remove a lens we often place it face down and then cap the back. In a dusty environment it is easy for a splurge of dusty substances to spot the waiting receptacle. "Right chaps, bandits at 2 o'clock, chocks away!" You could make a film of it. Of course, I will claim the author rights of 'Dust in Time' or 'The Dustiest Hour'. 😁 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 14, 2019 Share #56 Posted May 14, 2019 On 1/9/2019 at 10:40 AM, andybarton said: I believe that it's only free if you go to Leica in Mayfair. Dealers charge a fee. It really depends on how good a customer you are as too how much they charge or not, as the case may be. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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