Help! Sensor cleaning actually made camera worse?!

Ok I just got my Eclipse system to clean the sensor on my 30D. I tried a rocket blower but some pieces were still stuck on there. I followed the directions perfectly BUT now I have what looks like a scratch going across the sensor now?????

S.O.S. HELP!

Here are the Before and After shots I took. Its pretty obvious....

Before

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CW Jones wrote in post #10283534
Ok I just got my Eclipse system to clean the sensor on my 30D. I tried a rocket blower but some pieces were still stuck on there. I followed the directions perfectly BUT now I have what looks like a scratch going across the sensor now?????

S.O.S. HELP!

Hard to tell conclusively, but my guess is a lubricant entrail. When you look at the sensor, what does it look like?

Nicholas
www.copperhillimages.c​om

I can see a little streak across the sensor... The first passes I made were with the pre-lubricated one then I got out the solution and new swab. only one tiny dot of solution on the swab because I didn't want to overdo it.

it looks like oil from the sensor. canon is known to overoil their stuff.

use a clean swab (with solution) and swipe it again. the oil streak will come off.

make sure you use more solution on the swipe -- u are asking for trouble if you use a "dry" swab over the sensor.

Yes, do one more swabbing and see what happens. A scratch on the filter will look shiny, whereas a streak of lubricant will have a dull, flat appearance. If the next swabbing has no effect on the mark, the odds may be increasing that it is indeed a scratch.

Nicholas

It looks kinda shinny to be honest...

That looks like a streak rather than a scratch. Try a another swab with Eclipse. Sometimes I use three-five swabs per cleaning to get all the foreign objects/grease/streaks off my sensor. Good luck!

No problem, take a deep breath and keep at it. Gentle, but don't freak out. While you CAN scratch it, it's rare. After all, you're really only cleaning the glass filter and not the actual sensor itself.

It seemed like i put way to much solution on the swab to begin with... I have heard you can over do the amount of solution. It was a decent size drop from what they show in the tutorials. I am not freaking out, just a little bummed out

Don't panic about it, its probably just a greasy smear.

I'm sure you have read all this, but take your time, and be methodical. Don't be tempted to reuse the pads. The liquid cleaning can leave smears as I know from cleaning lenses.

The Sensor pen from the same people that make the Lenspen might remove the greasy patch as it uses a carbon face which would absorb the grease, you could then continue with the Eclipse. They are not expensive and very useful.

The bright side of this incident is if he has his receipt of purchase for the SensorSwabs and Eclipse, Photographic Solutions will cover any damages. But I still believe it's a smear.

Nicholas
http://www.copperhilli​mages.com/index.php?pr​=galleries

First thing, relax! As others have suggested, looks like you've spread the oil glob in the middle by swabbing it. This happens all the time and the cure is to swab again.

I merged your before and after pics:

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HAHAHA yup left to right. I used all the little swabs I had (only had 4 in the kit) BUT once my box of some more comes in I think I will have it all gone! It appears to be slowly disappearing when I add more solution to the swab

CW Jones wrote in post #10284394
HAHAHA yup left to right. I used all the little swabs I had (only had 4 in the kit) BUT once my box of some more comes in I think I will have it all gone! It appears to be slowly disappearing when I add more solution to the swab

That's another point. I seem to be alone here in my approach to dealing with oil globs. The experts (including Nicholas, above) all warn against using more than two drops of Eclipse. I've found that three or four drops wet the swab fairly well and deal with oil globs better.

Yes, more Eclipse on the sensor means you leave streaks - but they're just streaks of water/alcohol, very easily removed in the final pass.

What do you say, Nicholas? Am I just lucky, or do I make sense?

-js