Wet cleaning SL2 sensor

[giampo]

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I know SL2 just came out and it might be a little early to think about wet-cleaning the sensor, but sooner or later, for almost everyone of us, that time will arrive.

What is the right procedure to do so, without ruining the IBIS, it is what this thread would like to investigate. 

I know Sony has a specific function in the menu for the sensor cleaning, and that you have to do it with the camera turned on, even if also Sony says in their manual, just like Leica, to have that job done by them or some authorized dealer.

At the Leica store they could not help me with this yet, but they promised to tell me something about it.
My guess would be to turn the IBIS off and then wet clean it when the camera is still turned on, just like the Sony, in that way the sensor should be blocked and firm ???
Have you had any experience or  information about it ?

PS let's keep this kind of thread on-topic, no messages such as "I never wet-clean sensors in my life…" or "the manual says to send it to Leica", because they are really helpless.

Edited November 25, 2019 by giampo

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[pedaes]

Is the Manual silent on this?

Edited November 25, 2019 by pedaes

[giampo]

2 minutes ago, pedaes said:

Is the Manual silent on this?

has I wrote in the last line… the manual says (obviously) to send it to Leica (or someone authorized).

[johnbuckley]

I posted something on this yesterday, after using the Eyelead gel stick and being unnerved by the way the sensor moves about. I turned off IBIS and tried again, gently removing the spots on the sensor. The sensor still moved around quite a bit.

It would completely unnerve me to do it with the camera turned on!  Advice would be helpful. 

 

[Tailwagger]

I checked the S1R manual thinking that perhaps they had a recommendation.  All it mentioned is the auto sensor cleaning function and the ability to invoke it from the menu system. Perhaps this has been discuss on Pano boards. Does the SL2 have a similar auto-dust function? Can't recall reading it in the manual. Hard to imagine a "pro" camera that has to be shipped back just to be cleaned. Insane. 

[SrMi]

29 minutes ago, Tailwagger said:

I checked the S1R manual thinking that perhaps they had a recommendation.  All it mentioned is the auto sensor cleaning function and the ability to invoke it from the menu system. Perhaps this has been discuss on Pano boards. Does the SL2 have a similar auto-dust function? Can't recall reading it in the manual. Hard to imagine a "pro" camera that has to be shipped back just to be cleaned. Insane. 

SL2 does not have ultrasonic sensor cleaning:

 

[Tailwagger]

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This strikes me as more than a minor problem. For such a well thought out camera, the inability for users to clean dust spots, an issue which is absolutely inevitable with any ILC...  well, if true, is... to be exceedingly kind... the stupidest F-ing I've ever heard.

[Chuck Albertson]

You've only had it a week and already you've soiled your sensor?

[Jeff S]

11 minutes ago, Chuck Albertson said:

You've only had it a week and already you've soiled your sensor?

Original post, first sentence.

Jeff

[lpeeples]

I can tell you this is a pain. I wet clean all my cameras.  I tried to clean the S1 and it was a mess.  Ibis makes the sensor move.  I assume i didn’t know the proper technique.  With the sensor so exposed it will get dirty. 

[Arrow]

Interesting. I checked the manual. Indeed, the sensor is supposed to be cleaned in Solms most probably at a cost for it is not part of the guarantee. Will the movements of the IBIS make the sensor less prone to catch dust?

[SrMi]

Disclaimer: I have not done sensor cleaning on SL2, but have read somewhere the following steps:

- Turn camera on (to keep the sensor steady)

- Turn off IBIS (to keep the sensor steady)

- Turn on electronic shutter (to prevent damage from moving curtain if shutter pressed accidentally). Can SL2 shoot without lens at all?

- Wet clean per instructions.

While I have not tried it, the steps above make sense to me. If I were the first one to try it, I would be very very careful. There is unfortunately no sensor cleaning mode on SL2 that would lock the sensor.

[Arrow]

22 minutes ago, SrMi said:

Disclaimer: I have not done sensor cleaning on SL2, but have read somewhere the following steps:

- Turn camera on (to keep the sensor steady)

- Turn off IBIS (to keep the sensor steady)

- Turn on electronic shutter (to prevent damage from moving curtain if shutter pressed accidentally). Can SL2 shoot without lens at all?

- Wet clean per instructions.

While I have not tried it, the steps above make sense to me. If I were the first one to try it, I would be very very careful. There is unfortunately no sensor cleaning mode on SL2 that would lock the sensor.

Does not sound fool proof.

[nicci78]

If any Leica can clean it locally. It is fine, I guess. 
But if we have to send it back to Wetzlar, SL2 will be a no go. It will be too troublesome. 

[Tailwagger]

From my limited research it seems as though no one supports wet cleaning of IBIS sensors.  Sony suggests the same thing as Leica (after attempting to air blow... send it in).  I did run into one video (on the A7R) that suggested you can run the cleaning mode, after it finishes, leave the camera on as the mode locks the IBIS and then do the wet cleaning. But, of course, as the SL2 doesn't have such a mode, this is somewhat irrelevant, though perhaps it echoes the instructions from MrSi.   Another video, for the Sony, suggests blowing, followed by a dedicated lens pen for more stubborn particles, GENTLY, and if that fails, send it in for professional service.

Perhaps, as the camera is weather sealed, for most folks this might not be a huge deal, but for those shooting with M lenses, many decades old, the situation is perhaps a little more concerning given the greater potential for some nice oily little bits of dust making their way onto the sensor. While I can't speak to the pros or cons of the auto-cleaning methods, that the Pano has it, while the SL2 does not, seems a significant point of differentiation. I would genuinely like to understand the rationale as to why Leica omitted this feature.

Two notes to Leica, if they're paying attention.

1. Fix NJ. Who the hell other than dilettantes or billionaires can wait 3+ months to have their $6K camera cleaned.
2. I am a doddering old man and even I can hand hold the M down to around 10% of 1/focal length. Don't even think about adding IBIS to the M. Doubly so, if you relent and build an EVF only M mount. Fewer pixels, more DR. All this tech winds up being spiders and flies.

 

 

Edited November 26, 2019 by Tailwagger

[johnbuckley]

If true, this is absurd. My M is my street camera, SL is my landscape camera. Landscape means stopped down, often with sky. It means changing lenses in the field. It means spots get on the sensor.

Moreover, my S2 arrived with a spot on the sensor, which necessitated cleaning.  Which I did with an Eyelead gel stick (no damage done.)

If we really and truly are not to clean our sensors ourselves, that should be as prominently posted in the setup instructions as the warning not to strangle yourself or your children with the strap.

And if we really and truly are not to clean the sensors ourselves, then why in the name God have they left out ultrasonic sensor cleaning?

Leica needs to inform its new purchasers of an expensive camera precisely what the drill is here.

 

Edited November 26, 2019 by johnbuckley

[SrMi]

17 minutes ago, johnbuckley said:

If true, this is absurd. My M is my street camera, SL is my landscape camera. Landscape means stopped down, often with sky. It means changing lenses in the field. It means spots get on the sensor.

Moreover, my S2 arrived with a spot on the sensor, which necessitated cleaning.  Which I did with an Eyelead gel stick (no damage done.)

If we really and truly are not to clean our sensors ourselves, that should be as prominently posted in the setup instructions as the warning not to strangle yourself or your children with the strap.

And if we really and truly are not to clean the sensors ourselves, then why in the name God have they left out ultrasonic sensor cleaning?

Leica needs to inform its new purchasers of an expensive camera precisely what the drill is here.

 

AFAIK, every camera manufacturer discourages owners to clean the sensor by themselves. Ultrasonic cleaning helps a bit but does not prevent dirty sensors.
Some cameras can lock the sensor for cleaning, and some can not. The instructions I listed in the previous post come actually from the Fuji forum.

This forum is a good place to share experience with wet cleaning SL2 sensors.

[frame-it]

i also use and XH-1, generally one has to clean it while the  camera is on, and kept stable on a table..when the camera is on and kept still on a table looking up,  the sensor should be locked in place once ibis is switched off...remove the lens when the camera is on, and then clean

procedure for fuji  XH1

"Please note that keeping the camera turned on during DIY sensor cleaning is an exception that we only make for cameras with IBIS. All other cameras should be powered down during sensor cleaning"

HERE IS HIS SUGGESTIONS:

1:Make sure that the IBIS is turned off by selecting SHOOTING MENU>SHOOTING SETTING>IS MODE> OFF. This setting locks the sensor in place while you are cleaning it."

2: Select SET UP>BUTTON/DIAL SETTING>SHOOT WITHOUT LENS>OFF. This makes sure you don't accidentally release the shutter while you are cleaning it(which could have disastrous consequences). "I'll bet!"(my add, not his)

3: Select SET UP.POWER MANAGEMENT>AUTO POWER OFF>OFF. Thhis makes sure that the camera doesn't automatically power down while you are still cleaning the sensor.

4: Remove the lens or body cap and clean the sensor as usual. Make sure the camera is turned ON during the cleaning process.

5: When you are finished cleaning the sensor, don't forget to revert the Power Management, Shoot Without Lens & IBIS settings to their previous operational states."

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[johnbuckley]

This is helpful -- thank you, frame-it.

And yes, I understand for liability reasons camera manufacturers generally try getting users to send their cameras in for cleaning. But C'mon. I haven't had someone eIse clean my sensor since I brought my M8 into a local camera store in 2008. (They wouldn't do it, as it turned out, daunted by the complexities of a rangefinder!)

If they really are going to say only a professional can do it, the least Leica could do would be to offer, as some camera stores do, a day when a technician is onsite at Leica Stores or boutiques to clean sensors free of charge.

[Tailwagger]

13 minutes ago, johnbuckley said:

If they really are going to say only a professional can do it, the least Leica could do would be to offer, as some camera stores do, a day when a technician is onsite at Leica Stores or boutiques to clean sensors free of charge.

And maybe an RF adjustment for few bucks extra while they're at it  👍