ShivaYash Posted August 31, 2009 Share #1 Posted August 31, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Dear all, Apologies for posting this as I'm sure its already been discussed, however, I have just ordered an Arctic Butterfly 724. Will this suffice for 99% of my sensor cleaning needs? Many thanks, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 Hi ShivaYash, Take a look here Sensor cleaning -. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
MEB Posted August 31, 2009 Share #2 Posted August 31, 2009 Yes-but. Visible Dust Co. also sells a cleaning chemical for the Arctic Butterfly brush. I would get some. You might need it. It is easy to accidentally pick up some oil or grease on the brush and it will then make matters worse instead of better. I found that cleaning the brush bristles with their degreasing formula is easy and very fast and then the brush is like new. Barring contamination of the brush, it works beautifully. Mark B (East Lansing, Michigan) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WPalank Posted August 31, 2009 Share #3 Posted August 31, 2009 No. It only works when the particulate matter is dry. If it is oil or lubricant in nature the butterfly will smear it across the sensor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 31, 2009 Share #4 Posted August 31, 2009 I've posted this before but, the sensor has a thin glass cover. Clean it like it was thin glass. Use your breath or some fancy cleaner if you want. But, it is just glass. I've used everything from my breath to windex, depending on where I was and what was available. I use a q-tip to polish it with one of the mentioned solvents or breath. A good set of binocular loops works well also. My favorite lately is the spray cleaner that comes with my anti-refectant glasses. It seems to be a cross of windex and some sort of wax polish. It has been the best for fighting off dust and making it easy to clean off the sensor. It also dries without smears. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted August 31, 2009 Share #5 Posted August 31, 2009 I cleaned my sensor today and while I used a blower, I also use the old Pedpads and Eclipse. The gunk that gets on the glass is not dust most of the time, it is more like oil and probably from the shutter mechanism. Over time I think there is less emitted. I waited a while before cleaning this time. Take a picture of the sky and you will see the spots that need to be removed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwelland Posted August 31, 2009 Share #6 Posted August 31, 2009 I've posted this before but, the sensor has a thin glass cover. Clean it like it was thin glass. Use your breath or some fancy cleaner if you want. But, it is just glass. I've used everything from my breath to windex, depending on where I was and what was available. I use a q-tip to polish it with one of the mentioned solvents or breath. A good set of binocular loops works well also. My favorite lately is the spray cleaner that comes with my anti-refectant glasses. It seems to be a cross of windex and some sort of wax polish. It has been the best for fighting off dust and making it easy to clean off the sensor. It also dries without smears. I prefer using a big gob of spit and rubbing vigourously with the corner of my handkerchief. It sometimes leaves a little bit of lint & grit but they are easily removed using a Q-Tip also. For more rigorous cleaning I've found #200 grade sandpaper works well at removing tough marks although it does need some polishing afterwards. I've not had any problems with either of these approaches. In fact I find that I really like the soft Leica glow that I now get in all of my shots. Ok, ok ... just kidding - no offense Rick. Visible dust sensor brush works well, but make sure it's clean. As mentioned, get some of the cleaning tablets for use with distilled water to remove any grease/oil that you may end up picking up on the brush over time. Definitely consider getting a sensor loupe to make life finding the spots and making sure the cover glass is clean - it'll save you from the hassle of shooting and reviewing the pics each time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoppyman Posted August 31, 2009 Share #7 Posted August 31, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Leica Camera AG recommends: "All commercially available products specially designed for cleaning DSLR camera sensors can be used. We recommend systems based on Isopropanol (alcohol). Generally, removing the contamination with a bellows blower or a specialised pressured-air blower should be attempted first. In case of doubt, cleaning should be performed by specialists." I use the Visible Dust brush which needs to be kept clean as others have said here. I use their orange 1.3 swabs and VDust Plus fluid. I find this works perfectly for me. I hope that I need to buy some different swabs for my next digital M I've posted this before but, the sensor has a thin glass cover. Clean it like it was thin glass. Use your breath or some fancy cleaner if you want. But, it is just glass. I've used everything from my breath to windex, depending on where I was and what was available. I use a q-tip to polish it with one of the mentioned solvents or breath. A good set of binocular loops works well also. My favorite lately is the spray cleaner that comes with my anti-refectant glasses. It seems to be a cross of windex and some sort of wax polish. It has been the best for fighting off dust and making it easy to clean off the sensor. It also dries without smears. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfokevin Posted August 31, 2009 Share #8 Posted August 31, 2009 Bushmills is not an approved substitute for Isopropanol (alcohol)... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted August 31, 2009 Share #9 Posted August 31, 2009 My shutter spat oil on the sensor for eight months after delivery. I cleaned the sensor successfully with Eclipse E2, but I had to repeat it often. Now I haven't touched the sensor for six months, and my skies are clean -- knock on wood. The old man from the Age of the Dirty Handkerchief Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
archi4 Posted August 31, 2009 Share #10 Posted August 31, 2009 Lars, My experience is exactly the same as yours. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 31, 2009 Share #11 Posted August 31, 2009 gwelland... I get the humor and enjoyed your post but, mostly I use alcohol and what ever I have at hand. A month ago we were in Italy and I really did just use my wife's q-tips and some glasses spray and it worked fine. I guess what I'm trying to impart is that it is just a piece of freaking glass. Get over it, with the stupid battery operated butterflies and surgical wedges! When you find yourself outside the McMansion, actually shooting, grab some q-tips and some isopropyl alcohol and just clean the glass until it looks good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 31, 2009 Share #12 Posted August 31, 2009 Well, I tend to be slightly careful when doing the washing-up of 1500 Euro pieces of glass... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted August 31, 2009 Share #13 Posted August 31, 2009 Buy a bulb blower - the type that you squeeze to expel the air. That will get rid of dust 90% or the time. The Arctic butterfly will get rid of another 8%, a wet cleaning system the other 2%. Ok, I made those percentages up, but in two and a half years I've had to resort to wet cleaning twice. I didn't have all the oil problems that others have had. I've used the bulb blower maybe once a month on average, it'll depend on how much you shoot, how often you change lenses, and what sort of environment you're working in. Don't breath on the glass - it'll potentially leave globules of spit on the sensor, and don't used a canned air product - some of those use a propellent that can freeze. One other thing I've found useful is the Arctic Butterfly loupe. This has LEDs that make it very easy to spot the dust on the sensor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfspencer Posted August 31, 2009 Share #14 Posted August 31, 2009 Definitely consider getting a sensor loupe to make life finding the spots and making sure the cover glass is clean - it'll save you from the hassle of shooting and reviewing the pics each time. The sensor loupe is some of the best money that I have spent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevidon Posted September 1, 2009 Share #15 Posted September 1, 2009 After using other products (no names please) on my Nikon and getting spots that weren't there before, I bought an Arctic Butterfly which I now use on both my New Nikon and the M8. Most spots are caused by dry dust and 99% of the time, the Butterfly is all you will need. I also bought the pre-moistened Sensor Swabs by the same company which I used to clean the spots I put on my old D70s sensor, so I suggest you buy some of those as well for stubborn spots. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted September 1, 2009 Share #16 Posted September 1, 2009 Breath on the glass all you want. It is just glass. Get as anal as you want guys, as always. Sure, fogging the glass with your breath isn't ideal. But, it won't hurt the glass. My point... just get in and clean it. If you end up with smears or streaks... clean it some more with a q-tip. Stop trying to make it seem like it is anything more than glass. Pay for what ever cleaning widget you want. Make it a sensor cleaning science for all I care. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwelland Posted September 1, 2009 Share #17 Posted September 1, 2009 Each to their own with cleaning the sensor glass cover. However, whilst it's not made of super fragile glass, it is definitely coated and subject to damage if treated harshly. You may not have marked or scratched your glass yet (and I don't know how you avoid lint with a q-tip btw), but I think that you are definitely dodging a bullet. Btw, how do you clean your multi-coated Leica lenses? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfritze Posted September 1, 2009 Share #18 Posted September 1, 2009 Bushmills is not an approved substitute for Isopropanol (alcohol)... ah, but I have successfully used vodka on the sensor of a non-Leica digital rangefinder in the past . Bad smudge on the sensor, would have ruined upcoming vacation images, and there was nothing else suitable in the cabin. Went at it very gently with a q-tip. I saved the gin for other uses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker Posted September 1, 2009 Share #19 Posted September 1, 2009 Just remember: it pays to be careful. A scratch or other marks on you sensor(glass) translates into around 1300 Euro for a new one. On the other hand, you will get the camera serviced and adjusted at the same time. William Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Thompson Posted September 1, 2009 Share #20 Posted September 1, 2009 Breath on the glass all you want. It is just glass. Get as anal as you want guys, as always. Sure, fogging the glass with your breath isn't ideal. But, it won't hurt the glass. My point... just get in and clean it. If you end up with smears or streaks... clean it some more with a q-tip. Stop trying to make it seem like it is anything more than glass. Pay for what ever cleaning widget you want. Make it a sensor cleaning science for all I care. This is roughly what I felt when I looked into this last - I too bought an Arctic butterfly 724 and to be honest it really didn't do very well for me at all. Sensor cleaning really is littered with marketing to wade through :-)) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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