Cleaning

[I Simonius]

Right just tried to clean my 5D sensor for the first time, it was previously done by Canon under warrenty. Put a spotlight on the workspace etc. off I go...

Used the a blower first
That put 10 times as much muck on the sensor - great!:evil:

Artic butterfly next. Brand new. No I didn't touch the sides. Smears all over after first wipe and it didn't lift much muck. Yes I spun it before. Didn't touch the sides but the sensor was smeared after- (not before). Not impressed at all by what is IMO an over priced piece of junk.

So I tried the Sensor swabs, first one with one drop of Eclipse either side. No better.
Tried another swab with 2 drop either side. repeated with two more swabs. Still no better. My sensor is now a complete mess.

I watched all the videos and did exactly as I was told.

My sensor is no 100 times worse than when I started.:evil:

So now what - send it to Canon?

Contrast bumped on pic to make problem cleaerer

[Jon]

If the Arctic Butterfly transferred some grease or oil to the sensor, you'd need a number of swabbings to get rid of it. Are you truly seeing no difference between Eclipse/Sensor Swab passes? And if you use too much Eclipse, you may smear more than clean.

[I Simonius]

If the Arctic Butterfly transferred some grease or oil to the sensor, you'd need a number of swabbings to get rid of it. Are you truly seeing no difference between Eclipse/Sensor Swab passes? And if you use too much Eclipse, you may smear more than clean.

The artic Bfly did obviously put stuff on sensor but I would have expectd it to be clean as it was brand new - the intructions didnt say you have to wash it first:evil:

OK so would you recommend that I try again with sensor wipes with just one drop?

[Jon]

Yep. Couple of smooth passes with a single drop on a fresh swab each time, per the directions.

[I Simonius]

I'll give it another go:)

[Mike]

Wow, that's a lot of muck! Good luck with the cleaning.

[I Simonius]

Well tried another couple of swabs , one drop of eclipse on each (one at a time obviously) gave each as smootha wipe as possible - still dreadful

Am I supposed to be pressing harder? I am reasonably gentle but firm enough to be sure I have contact

[Killjoy]

I use the eclipse method, and it has never failed me. Yes, I have failed me, but I just cleaned it again. I can't say how hard to press on the sensor, because it could be a completly different feel for you than me.
As stated, always use a clean pad, and two drops of the fluid. One on each corner.

If your section of the little blue planet were close to my section of the little blue planet, I would be happy to show you.

[I Simonius]

I use the eclipse method, and it has never failed me. Yes, I have failed me, but I just cleaned it again. I can't say how hard to press on the sensor, because it could be a completly different feel for you than me.
As stated, always use a clean pad, and two drops of the fluid. One on each corner.

If your section of the little blue planet were close to my section of the little blue planet, I would be happy to show you.

Hi thanks for your kind offer, I'll be over in the morning!:lol:

OK I think I'll try yet again today, I do wish the butterfly thing hadn't made it worse at the start!

[I Simonius]

Yep. Couple of smooth passes with a single drop on a fresh swab each time, per the directions.
As stated, always use a clean pad, and two drops of the fluid. One on each corner.

One or two drops...???


OK I have given it 5 more wipes ( one sensor swipe each time) since last time and looks like I am getting there:eek:

However I can't get into the corners it seems and there's that funny blur in the middle

even with one drop only in each corner of the swipe pad it still leaves a visible film over the sensor when viewed in direct sunlight - is it supposed to do that?

please tell me what you think from the shot below?

[blueM]

Using Copperhill, I have had better luck using less fluid, rather than more.

Looks like one more swipe & you'll have it. Nice work

[I Simonius]

Yep. Couple of smooth passes with a single drop on a fresh swab each time, per the directions.

Using Copperhill, I have had better luck using less fluid, rather than more.

Looks like one more swipe & you'll have it. Nice work

yup less is better -definitely - it looks like the first swipe and the first time I used the Eclipse that more than one drop each side got on, and the reason for this is that unless you are very careful without warning the ECLIPSE bottle dribbles instead of delivering single drops as soon as you incline a full bottle. So you get several drops in rapid sucession (and in my case without realising it)..

A better warning about this tendency of the bottle to pour rather than give drop doses wouldnt go amiss.

Thus holding the bottle probably too close to the swab, it had dispensed several drops whilst I thought I had only put one on

I didnt realise this was happening until about the third attempt

You have to tip the full bottle VERY carefully and against a dark background so you can see really clearly that only one drop is going on the pad

[Double Negative]

The first time I ever used a wet method to clean the sensor in my 1D2N a couple of weeks ago using the Copperhill kit took many, many swipes. The dirt that was in there built up over the last two years in all kinds of conditions so I wasn't too surprised.

Of course, now I have all kinds of sh*t floating around above the focusing screen.

Keep swiping, you'll get it!

[I Simonius]

The first time I ever used a wet method to clean the sensor in my 1D2N a couple of weeks ago using the Copperhill kit took many, many swipes. The dirt that was in there built up over the last two years in all kinds of conditions so I wasn't too surprised.

Of course, now I have all kinds of sh*t floating around above the focusing screen.

Keep swiping, you'll get it!

Thanks for the encouragement - how do you get the corners without touching the edges?

[Double Negative]

Thanks for the encouragement - how do you get the corners without touching the edges?

I went right up against the plastic ridge surrounding the sensor/glass. Having the PecPad almost dry ensures no Eclipse seeping under the glass. No worries there, just go right into the corners. A full sweep along one side, flip, sweep against the other side.

I went through about ten PecPads, I would imagine. I was getting quite frustrated cleaning, taking a picture, cleaning, taking a picture... But each time it got a little better - as was my technique. In the end it was 100%!

[I Simonius]

I went right up against the plastic ridge surrounding the sensor/glass. Having the PecPad almost dry ensures no Eclipse seeping under the glass. No worries there, just go right into the corners. A full sweep along one side, flip, sweep against the other side.

I went through about ten PecPads, I would imagine. I was getting quite frustrated cleaning, taking a picture, cleaning, taking a picture... But each time it got a little better - as was my technique. In the end it was 100%!

OK thanks I don't feel so bad now I know it took you 10;), I thought I must be a bad person as I had already used two, when I strted.:cry:

I was worried about the corners also due to the fear of the muck ending up there and then getting onto the sensor and scratching it if I took the swab right in:(

[jdizzle]

I do the the Eclipse method myself all the time. And for my final clean up, I use Dust Aid to get any remaining spots I missed. It hasn't failed me yet. Hope this helped Simonius.
http://www.dust-aid.com/

[strobe monkey]

I also use wet pec-pads with the white plastic wand. I only put 1 drop of eclipse and never use the other side of the wand. To get rid of muck on the sides,I usually wipe the sides from the top swiping down. I also use around 10-15 pec pads per cleaning session.

[I Simonius]

I do the the Eclipse method myself all the time. And for my final clean up, I use Dust Aid to get any remaining spots I missed. It hasn't failed me yet. Hope this helped Simonius.
http://www.dust-aid.com/

many thanks;)

I also use wet pec-pads with the white plastic wand. I only put 1 drop of eclipse and never use the other side of the wand. To get rid of muck on the sides,I usually wipe the sides from the top swiping down. I also use around 10-15 pec pads per cleaning session.

wow and there was me thinking it was a one or two swipe job!:eek:

[FORUM720]

i just bought a pecpad sensor cleaning kit...going into open surgery later today. real nervous, but real excited to get it clean. glad to see you finally got yours looking nice! i'm hoping to have similar results....GL! any last minute tips other than the 500 i've read the past couple days? lol. did you wear gloves?

EDIT: quick question: if i'm looking though my viewfinder and see specs, are these on the sensor or on the lens? thx

[Double Negative]

EDIT: quick question: if i'm looking though my viewfinder and see specs, are these on the sensor or on the lens? thx

Neither. They're likely on your focusing screen. Crap on the sensor won't be visible until you take a high-aperture picture of say, the sky - and stuff on the lens just really won't be visible at all... Unless it's like, a golfball or something. ;)

[I Simonius]

i just bought a pecpad sensor cleaning kit...going into open surgery later today. real nervous, but real excited to get it clean. glad to see you finally got yours looking nice! i'm hoping to have similar results....GL! any last minute tips other than the 500 i've read the past couple days? lol. did you wear gloves?

EDIT: quick question: if i'm looking though my viewfinder and see specs, are these on the sensor or on the lens? thx

no, no gloves. but I did find that direct (early morning) sunlight helps, The more light you can get in there the better

After you have used the first one , stop and practice with the used one on the LCD or something to get the hang of how hard to apply pressure etc;), before using more new pads

[FORUM720]

Neither. They're likely on your focusing screen. Crap on the sensor won't be visible until you take a high-aperture picture of say, the sky - and stuff on the lens just really won't be visible at all... Unless it's like, a golfball or something. ;)

Thanks! Could they also be on the mirror??

no, no gloves. but I did find that direct (early morning) sunlight helps, The more light you can get in there the better

After you have used the first one , stop and practice with the used one on the LCD or something to get the hang of how hard to apply pressure etc;), before using more new pads

And I just did it! I can't believe it but I did it lol. Took new pics, sensor looks flawless now. 3 passes total--that's all it took for me! New pad with EACH pass. 2 drops of Eclipse first pass (with minimal pressure to rid big pieces), 1 drop on each of the next 2 passes...perfect results.

Hope yours tuned out well too Simonius! Thanks guys!

[I Simonius]

Thanks! Could they also be on the mirror??



And I just did it! I can't believe it but I did it lol. Took new pics, sensor looks flawless now. 3 passes total--that's all it took for me! New pad with EACH pass. 2 drops of Eclipse first pass (with minimal pressure to rid big pieces), 1 drop on each of the next 2 passes...perfect results.

Hope yours tuned out well too Simonius! Thanks guys!

bah humbug! how come you get it done in just 3 passes - grrr I feel so useless:evil:

[Double Negative]

Three passes? Wow. Couldn't have been too bad, then! ;)

As for stuff on the mirror, sure, if you have a big enough piece of crud you could probably see it in the viewfinder. Usually though, it's on the focusing screen (especially if the shape is sharper, more distinct).

[Cody21]

I went right up against the plastic ridge surrounding the sensor/glass. Having the PecPad almost dry ensures no Eclipse seeping under the glass. No worries there, just go right into the corners. A full sweep along one side, flip, sweep against the other side.

I went through about ten PecPads, I would imagine. I was getting quite frustrated cleaning, taking a picture, cleaning, taking a picture... But each time it got a little better - as was my technique. In the end it was 100%!

ha ha ... dude, I feel your pain.. Exactly my experience and method !! :cool:

[Double Negative]

^ Heheh. ;)

I suppose next time I'll tether the camera to the computer. The way I did it was ridiculous - bring white browser window to the front, take picture. Remove CF, read it, pull it up in PS and tweak levels, admire. Remove lens, clean sensor, put lens and CF back on camera, repeat. UGH!!!

I certainly do not look forward to repeating the experience, but at least now I know what to expect, and how to do it quicker/better next time. If I can hold out another two years like I did this time, I'll be quite happy!

[DDan]

^ Heheh. ;)

I suppose next time I'll tether the camera to the computer. The way I did it was ridiculous - bring white browser window to the front, take picture. Remove CF, read it, pull it up in PS and tweak levels, admire. Remove lens, clean sensor, put lens and CF back on camera, repeat. UGH!!!

I certainly do not look forward to repeating the experience, but at least now I know what to expect, and how to do it quicker/better next time. If I can hold out another two years like I did this time, I'll be quite happy!

Take a look at a Delkin Sensor scope. It saves some time. You still have to do some shots but not as many.

[Double Negative]

Take a look at a Delkin Sensor scope. It saves some time. You still have to do some shots but not as many. I actually ordered the equivalent when I picked up the Copperhill gear from him... It definitely helps.

[jrsforums]

I find that I can find all but the most minor "schmutz" just using the LCD.

Zoom in all the way, move to top corner, scan across, drop down a few notches, scan back....continue until done.

So far, pretty much anything missed this way, if anything is, is so faint it will never show up on a real image.

[Jon]

I find that I can find all but the most minor "schmutz" just using the LCD.

Zoom in all the way, move to top corner, scan across, drop down a few notches, scan back....continue until done.

So far, pretty much anything missed this way, if anything is, is so faint it will never show up on a real image.That's pretty much been my method, too.

[Double Negative]

So far, pretty much anything missed this way, if anything is, is so faint it will never show up on a real image.

...there's definitely some truth to this, as who shoots at f/22 regularly?

But it's not an easy out. Even at f/16 or f/11 sometimes you have spots in your photos, at least if you have any amount of even area like sky. Retouching one photo is fine... But if you've got a whole card full of images it gets old.

[Killjoy]

Retouching one photo is fine... But if you've got a whole card full of images it gets old.

Fast. Very fast.

[I Simonius]

well I saw some dust on the Mirror and thought a couple of shutter actuataions would clear it- wrong

can you clean the mirror safely using the same method as the sensor?

It turns out I now have even more crap on the sensor - bwagh!

[Double Negative]

I clean my mirror occasionally, but VERY carefully and only as a last resort. Use a puff of air first, followed by a brush. If that fails, you can try a piece of lens tissue gently. This has always worked for me, and I've yet to scratch the mirror - but like I said, and I'll repeat it again... GENTLY.

[jrsforums]

...there's definitely some truth to this, as who shoots at f/22 regularly?

With a full frame, you can often go to f/22 without diffusion effects getting to strong. APC, you're pushing it at f/16

But it's not an easy out. Even at f/16 or f/11 sometimes you have spots in your photos, at least if you have any amount of even area like sky. Retouching one photo is fine... But if you've got a whole card full of images it gets old.

When I said faint....I meant FAINT....and very few...and mostly in the very tight corners where either lens or creative vignetting would mask them anyway.

I am a stickler for keeping my sensor clean....but not anal about it.

BTW...just a little tip....most of the time, once you clean your sensor, a rocket blower will keep it clean for quite a while.....plus it will keep mose stuff off the viewfinder areas...just do it with camera inverted...first without "sensor clean", then with the mirrors retracted. Do not however change lenses near the shore or in high humidity dusty environs. That stuff will stick immediately and require wet cleaning to remove.

[I Simonius]

With a full frame, you can often go to f/22 without diffusion effects getting to strong. APC, you're pushing it at f/16



When I said faint....I meant FAINT....and very few...and mostly in the very tight corners where either lens or creative vignetting would mask them anyway.

I am a stickler for keeping my sensor clean....but not anal about it.

BTW...just a little tip....most of the time, once you clean your sensor, a rocket blower will keep it clean for quite a while.....plus it will keep mose stuff off the viewfinder areas...just do it with camera inverted...first without "sensor clean", then with the mirrors retracted. Do not however change lenses near the shore or in high humidity dusty environs. That stuff will stick immediately and require wet cleaning to remove.

Dificult for me as most of my shooting is near the coast