Giotta Rocket Blaster

[mrclark321]

Today it finally arrived from Einstein products and I must say the guy is great to deal with.

Here is his ebay store link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Giottos-Rocket-Blasters-5-3-Small-Travel-Size_W0QQitemZ7549469489QQcategoryZ15215QQcmdZView Item


Dan

[scottbergerphoto]

He's slightly cheaper then B&H but charges more for shipping.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=259157&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

[mrclark321]

That was to Canada Scott, I think it's $3 to US

DanHe's slightly cheaper then B&H but charges more for shipping.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=259157&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

[mrclark321]

Thats funny I just noticed .....I only paid $5 for shipping

Dan

[pcasciola]

He's definitely cheaper to Canada than B&H, but for anywhere in the U.S. he is far more expsensive. He charges $7.30 for Priority Mail where B&H only charges $3.70, and is only about $1 cheaper on the 5.3" rocket blower you posted in the link.

For Canada, though, B&H wants a whopping $19 for standard USPS Airmail!!!!

[DavidEB]

I dont get it. why not buy an infant bulb syringe (http://www.optimalhealthnetwork.com/product.asp?specific=jnnrcml4)? The local pharmacy carries them for about $4 or $5, no shipping needed. I washed mine out with rubbing alcohol before using.

I know, it doesn't have the cool rocket fins, and the baby blue isn't as serious looking as black....

[DavidW]

The Rocket Blower, like most blowers designed for photographic use, sucks air in at the back and blows it out through the nozzle. This stops you sucking dust into the blower and blowing it back into the piece of equipment that you're trying to clean.



David

[dgcorner]

The Rocket Blower, like most blowers designed for photographic use, sucks air in at the back and blows it out through the nozzle. This stops you sucking dust into the blower and blowing it back into the piece of equipment that you're trying to clean.



David

I learned something today ;-)

[defordphoto]

The Rocket Blower, like most blowers designed for photographic use, sucks air in at the back and blows it out through the nozzle. This stops you sucking dust into the blower and blowing it back into the piece of equipment that you're trying to clean.

David

Hmmm...is there some dust filter on the little hole in the back then? Just as easy to suck dust in back there.

BTW: I trashed my Rocket Blower after it blew some crap onto my sensor awhile back. I had to Eclipse it to get the crud cleaned off. I promptly tossed that sucker out the window. I use the VisibleDust brushes now and they rock.

[Ricko of Fla]

Check out www.amazon.com

Ricko

[DavidW]

Hmmm...is there some dust filter on the little hole in the back then? Just as easy to suck dust in back there.
I suspect not - but the chances are that the ambient air is less dusty than the dust at the nozzle end if you're using a blower. There's also - as has been mentioned before on the forums - the certainty that the rubber will break down over time, and that may introduce contamination.


All cleaning methods have the opportunity to introduce contamination.


Brushes are pretty good if you don't accidentally touch them - if you do, you're probably going to have to clean them. You do need to blast a Sensor Brush to charge it - how are you going to do that? It's going to be the likes of a Rocket, "canned air" (actually a solvent; basically it's an aerosol full of propellant and nothing else) or a CO2 gun unless you happen to have a clean compressed air source or something like a cylinder of nitrogen to hand.

If I was still working in laboratories, and used the Sensor Brush (which I'm considering for when more extensive sensor cleaning becomes necessary), I may well go for charging with a nitrogen cylinder once I'd checked the gas with a filter - but there's the risk there of lubricant dislodging from the regulator, and/or garbage from degraded rubber or plastic tubing.


Most people know that "canned air" can throw out solvent, contaminating any glass surfaces quite spectacularly.

I have a CO2 gun sold for photographic use - most people report they're OK if you use the bulbs sold for the guns (those sold for soda siphons are more risky), but there's occasional reports of them throwing out contamination.


If you use Sensor Swabs and Eclipse, you may accidentally touch the swab against the side of the chamber or similar, contaminating it before use. You have to be careful with wet cleaning methods.



I have two Rockets. One is used for general cleaning around the computer room - including 'assisting' spilt toner into my vacuum cleaner. (I have a HP Color LaserJet 2500n, which, by design rotates toner cartridges around in a carousel - unfortunately I had the seal go on a cyan cartridge, and all cartridges shed toner over time; I'm considering retiring the printer and replacing it with a HP Color LaserJet 3700dn).

Because of the risk of toner contamination, that one is going nowhere near my camera or optical gear. As a further precaution, it gets its nozzle removed and the insides blown out with "canned air" occasionally.

There's no way I could use the Rocket to 'assist' spilt toner if it recharged with air from the front - I'd land up sucking toner into the blower and spreading it around even more.


The other Rocket stays in my camera bag - it's used for general field cleaning, such as blowing dust off lenses. It is also used occasionally for blowing my camera's chamber and sensor - it has saved me when I'm "in the field" and realise I've got significant dust contamination.

So far, I haven't needed anything more than an occasional blast from a blower. In fact, once I've checked it carefully with a filter, I may switch to using the CO2 gun for sensor cleaning, but that's not something I can carry around easily, and, of course, you can't fly with it as it contains pressurised gas.


For lens cleaning when a puff from a Rocket doesn't do the job, I've got a lens pen in the camera bag (mine happens to be branded Nikon, not that that bothers me). This is also controversial - I think every cleaning method is. I don't use it unless necessary, such as if I've accidentally fingerprinted a filter. I do try my best, but my disabilities mean that I'm not always as careful as I'd like.

There's also a microfibre cloth in my camera bag - that gets used for wiping over my body and lenses other than the optical surfaces. Lifting off skin oils seems a good idea to me.


I think the main rule of cleaning is to clean when necessary, but only when necessary. All cleaning methods have the possibility to cause damage. In particular, repeated cleaning of lens front elements, where a small speck will make no difference to your pictures, may well do more harm than good in the long run, if you cause abrasive damage to the element.



David