Jump to content

M8 sensor cleaning ... never ending story


Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

hi there , bought the Arctic Butterfly 724 and a dust blower half a year ago and I am reasonably happy with it. That means that it works in most cases but not always 100% . So I still discover certain spots on picture which is annoying. Guess have to make it more regular. but still hope there is something better available. What is your experience ? Which systems do you use ? Any learning curve you could share with the wider Audience is much appreciated. particularly if you found sth which helps preventing the dirt on the sensor. Thanks !

Link to post
Share on other sites

x

Pec-Pads wrapped around a swab/spatula or Sensor Swabs with Eclipse E2 solution and of course a bulb blower.

 

I've been using this since I started with digital and it has never failed to get the dust/dirt off any sensor of the digital cameras I have owned.

 

Let me add that I never used one of those brushes and probably never will. I see no need for it once you have a wet cleaning system.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Don't think there's anything better than that - in addition, I also use wet cleaning (swabs) if dirty spots are particularly tenacious.

Dust will inevitably come back if you swap lenses often, particularly in street/windy environments. It's a fact of life. Same happens with DSLRs, despite anti-dust vibrating systems.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Dumb question that I should know the answer to but...

 

When you see a speck on an image in the upper right corner is it the case that that speck is on the upper right corner of the sensor as you look directly at the camera or is it in the opposite corner (because the lens optics reverse the image)?

 

And how does one actually spot the offending speck with a loupe?... I bought one of those fancy LED loupes (That is supposed to "create a 3D image of dust particles, similar to how satellites capture stereoscopic images") and all I can see in my M8 is a psychedelic kaleidoscope reminiscent of a acid trip in college...

Link to post
Share on other sites

Kevin,

 

do not drink the cleaning fluid before using the loupe.

 

Seriously though, I got one too, turning the LED's on helps a little and then it have to actually pretty much touch the camera, eye close and I can start to see the chip. Oh led's goes towards the camera.

 

I do better taking a picture a F 16 or 22 of a white wall that will make everything pop like crazy.. that give a idea where the stuff is in the first place.

 

.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Nobody remembers:(:( Clodhopper employees of photographical labs coming straight from their dusty attic, rubbing their grimy fingerprints onto your negatives, butterfingered idiots dropping your film on the floor and putting their hobnailed boots on it, changing film on the beach and have a few grains of sand in your camera causing irreparable tramlines on the next ten slide films....:mad: At least we have the clone tool now:)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Same as shootist.

 

Bear in mind some stuff won't show up unless you're at a very high number f stop and if it's in the lower half of the sensor you'll likely never see it at all.

 

Right now I have one dot at the top I only see when I'm all the way up with the f stop and I only see it in the sky and it's easy enough to clone stamp out. I don't even see it at f 8 or lower which is usually where I shoot.

 

Sometimes it's not worth it to clean.

 

John

Link to post
Share on other sites

I had a mail-shot from Warehouse Express (UK) last week advising of a new blower: bulb not rubber but a plastics which has antistatic properties. The contention was that the rubber one tends to send out charged air which of course would make particles adhere to the sensor screen.

Hope someone will answer Sfokevin's question about where to look for spots that show up in sky areas! I'd like to know too.

Link to post
Share on other sites

A minor amount of thought on how a lens works would tell you that the image on the sensor is inverted. So the sky is projected onto the lower half of the sensor.

 

If your sky is dusty I would look there.

 

Interestingly stuff on the left side of the frame is on the left side of the sensor if you look at it from the front of camera. This is the same question as "if a mirror inverts left and right, why doesn't it invert top and bottom?":D

Link to post
Share on other sites

A minor amount of thought on how a lens works would tell you that the image on the sensor is inverted. So the sky is projected onto the lower half of the sensor.

 

If your sky is dusty I would look there.

 

Interestingly stuff on the left side of the frame is on the left side of the sensor if you look at it from the front of camera. This is the same question as "if a mirror inverts left and right, why doesn't it invert top and bottom?":D

 

See what I mean!... And if one crosses the equator does it shift the other way?... Whooo... I think their is too much E2 in the air...

Link to post
Share on other sites

A minor amount of thought on how a lens works would tell you that the image on the sensor is inverted. So the sky is projected onto the lower half of the sensor.

 

If your sky is dusty I would look there.

 

Interestingly stuff on the left side of the frame is on the left side of the sensor if you look at it from the front of camera. This is the same question as "if a mirror inverts left and right, why doesn't it invert top and bottom?":D

 

Sorry I don't get that.

If you are behind the camera and you are looking at something and take a picture of it what is on your right side will end up on the left side of the sensor/film negative.

If you are standing in front of the camera looking at the lens and take a shot what is over your left shoulder, and you left shoulder, will end up on the your right side of the sensor/film negative. Just like what is up will end up at the bottom of the sensor/negative.

Everything is reversed on the sensor or film negative.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Nobody remembers Clodhopper employees of photographical labs coming straight from their dusty attic, rubbing their grimy fingerprints onto your negatives, butterfingered idiots dropping your film on the floor and putting their hobnailed boots on it, changing film on the beach and have a few grains of sand in your camera causing irreparable tramlines on the next ten slide films....At least we have the clone tool now.

 

Ooooh.

 

My best story is from a Ritz Camera store in Falls Church, Virginia. I took in some film from my Horizon panoramic. I asked them to just develop the color film, and then cut and sleeve the negatives.

 

I came back to the store just in time to see an employee slicing right through a frame (24mm x 58mm) with the scissors. ARGHH!! :mad:

 

His rationale was that the frames were too large. :confused:

 

So maybe blowing, whisking, or wiping a sensor aint so bad?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Pec-Pads wrapped around a swab/spatula or Sensor Swabs with Eclipse E2 solution and of course a bulb blower.

 

I've been using this since I started with digital and it has never failed to get the dust/dirt off any sensor of the digital cameras I have owned.

 

Let me add that I never used one of those brushes and probably never will. I see no need for it once you have a wet cleaning system.

 

I use the same method and materials and they work great. It's very easy and does a good job. I've also not felt the need to try any of the brushes.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I use both my M8 & M8.2 in fairly harsh & dusty conditions in Africa, the Arctic Butterfly works well for removing sensor dust.

 

However the M8.2 which is about 7 months old, recently had what looked like oil stains on the sensor (see the sky in the picture below). It got much worse and so bad and irritating that I stopped using the camera until I got back to civilzation. I took it to my Leica dealer who confirmed it looked like oil, according to him, probably from the shutter mechanism. He used the Delkin Sensor Scope Cleaning System, and removed the spots with wet swabs. He wiped it several times and all is now well.

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!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Sorry I don't get that.

If you are behind the camera and you are looking at something and take a picture of it what is on your right side will end up on the left side of the sensor/film negative.

If you are standing in front of the camera looking at the lens and take a shot what is over your left shoulder, and you left shoulder, will end up on the your right side of the sensor/film negative. Just like what is up will end up at the bottom of the sensor/negative.

Everything is reversed on the sensor or film negative.

"what is on your right side will end up on the left side of the sensor/film negative" OK we agree on that

 

If you then rotate the camera to look at the sensor from the front the left side of the sensor (seen from behind) will be on the right side (as seen from the front). So the right side of the scene is on the right side of the sensor (as seen from the front during cleaning etc.).

 

Anyway,I wouldn't want to start a long discussion on this I think we actually agree on the inversion thing. The fun aspect only being that top/bottom is 'absolute', it is the same in real life and in the mirror, while left/right is a function of the point of view (the real person versus the imagined mirror image of the person) i.e. 'relative'.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...