Oh Canon... Cleaning service cost $219?

Dickson, where do you live? I'm personally in the "learn to live with dust in the viewfinder" camp, but there was a point right after I bought my 5d2 where I accidentally knocked the focusing screen out and wound up getting enough dust on the superimpose plate to seriously distract me while shooting. My local camera repair shop (in Arlington, MA) cleaned it and replaced the focusing screen for $50 total.

When I started I got dust in my viewfinder and I sent it in to get cleaned. Came back all shiny and I was happy. A couple days later I got another spec in the viewfinder and that's when I learned to say "F it" over dust in the viewfinder. It doesn't do anything and generally I have to be looking for it to see it.

That and I stopped using the blowers everyone seems to recommend. All they do for me is get dust elsewhere in the camera. Wet cleaning is easy enough and I don't do it all that often.

lannes wrote in post #11894368
It quite an easy process to clean the viewfinder, you just need patience, a relatively dust free environment and the right tools.

I use Visible Dust Sensor clear instead of the eclipse used in the process, as some have suggested Eclipse can damage plastics.

Who besides you and the company you mentioned has suggested Eclipse damages plastic? Why are you spreading incorrect and misleading information here that one particular company continues to lie about? Please post a link describing how Eclipse damaged plastic, OK? If you don't have comprehensive/concrete proof of your theory besides internet propaganda, then retract your statement.

Look, you obviously use that company's products and are happy with them. Why can't you leave it at that instead of furthering along their fantasy claims about Photographic Solutions? Read this before you reply:

http://www.cleaningsen​sors.com

Nicholas

Am I missing something here? 33 responses about how much cleaning should cost and how expensive the charge was. The first post identifies that not only a standard service was completed, but also that the grip was stuck on the camera. I would imagine that stuck grip removal is labor intensive and added significantly to the cost of the service charge.

Nicholas R. wrote in post #11897695
Who besides you and the company you mentioned has suggested Eclipse damages plastic? Why are you spreading incorrect and misleading information here that one particular company continues to lie about? Please post a link describing how Eclipse damaged plastic, OK? If you don't have comprehensive/concrete proof of your theory besides internet propaganda, then retract your statement.

Look, you obviously use that company's products and are happy with them. Why can't you leave it at that instead of furthering along their fantasy claims about Photographic Solutions? Read this before you reply:

http://www.cleaningsen​sors.com

Nicholas

When I suggested using eclipse in another post, other forum members suggested it would damage plastic due to the methanol.

Here is the other link, I was making reference to those comments so I would not be criticized again.

https://photography-on-the.net …ht=shimworld#po​st11731070.

I don't have a problem with using eclipse on plastics, other members of the forum do.

According to this website, methanol does affect some types of plastic like ABS.

http://www.coleparmer.​com/techinfo/chemcompr​esults.asp

dickson918 wrote in post #11893726
I know how to clean the sensor, the reason I sent it to Canon was the viewfinder.

I had a BIG squiggly hair in the finder. I just hit it with th blower. As far as specs,I am ok with that.

lannes wrote in post #11898318
When I suggested using eclipse in another post, other forum members suggested it would damage plastic due to the methanol.

Here is the other link, I was making reference to those comments so I would not be criticized again.

https://photography-on-the.net …ht=shimworld#po​st11731070.

I don't have a problem with using eclipse on plastics, other members of the forum do.

Duly noted. I have used Eclipse on my focusing screen, my coated lenses, the plastic parts of my camera's body, the LCD screen, the rubber seals on my lenses and mount, etc., etc. with no damaging effects whatsoever. Again, believe whatever you want on the internet, but do not believe everthing you read. I am giving people here real-world camera cleaning experiences with Eclipse and most components of a D-SLR. You're using 2 or 3 drops of it at a time, if I were to soak a sensor or focusing screen in it for 24 hours, that is another animal. Using said amount, it totally evaporates in 3 seconds. Spare the chemical links, we're cleaning cameras here. You could post the press releases for the products you use and expect everyone reading this to believe them, too.

There is unsubstantiated propaganda by some companies regarding Eclipse that clouds and distorts the facts. Methanol is a solvent, not a corrosive and their online "information" infers the opposite as well as exaggerating the dangers of working with it.

Nicholas

Nicholas R. wrote in post #11898447
I have used Eclipse on my focusing screen, ..... the rubber seals on my lenses and mount,.......
Nicholas

While I may not hesitate to use Eclipse on most everything else you mentioned, I wouldn't use it on rubber. The Eclipse, if alcohol based will clean rubber well, but over time can dry out rubber making it hard and less resilient and prone to cracking. I'm saying this based on years of maintenance on tape decks and general knowledge that while alcohol is a good tape head cleaner, one never should use it on rubber drive parts, such as the rubber capstan pinch roller on a tape deck simply for the problems I had mentioned.
A cloth lightly dampened should be most adequate for rubber parts.

Mark_48 wrote in post #11898741
While I may not hesitate to use Eclipse on most everything else you mentioned, I wouldn't use it on rubber. The Eclipse, if alcohol based will clean rubber well, but over time can dry out rubber making it hard and less resilient and prone to cracking. I'm saying this based on years of maintenance on tape decks and general knowledge that while alcohol is a good tape head cleaner, one never should use it on rubber drive parts, such as the rubber capstan pinch roller on a tape deck simply for the problems I had mentioned.
A cloth lightly dampened should be most adequate for rubber parts.

I clean the rubber seals maybe once or twice a year. No problems yet.

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

cptrios wrote in post #11897667
Dickson, where do you live? I'm personally in the "learn to live with dust in the viewfinder" camp, but there was a point right after I bought my 5d2 where I accidentally knocked the focusing screen out and wound up getting enough dust on the superimpose plate to seriously distract me while shooting. My local camera repair shop (in Arlington, MA) cleaned it and replaced the focusing screen for $50 total.

I bought it "used" here, the seller didn't mention it in his description, it wasn't one or two dusts, there are 5, or 6 in the center.. I just couldn't stand them.

PUREBRAD wrote in post #11897959
Am I missing something here? 33 responses about how much cleaning should cost and how expensive the charge was. The first post identifies that not only a standard service was completed, but also that the grip was stuck on the camera. I would imagine that stuck grip removal is labor intensive and added significantly to the cost of the service charge.

No, the grip has additional cost of $50,
and it is simple to remove it, I was just lazy.
$180 is only for general cleaning and calibration......

I'm thinking about swabbing my sensor, haven't done it before so it seems a bit scary.

This is my sensor before and after a brush sweep, still a few things that seems to be stuck on there...

Should I go to a pro and get it done for $150+ or just get some swabs and do it myself? What could really happen? Must be hard to scratch the sensor using swabs right?

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cfhjag wrote in post #11903141
I'm thinking about swabbing my sensor, haven't done it before so it seems a bit scary.

This is my sensor before and after a brush sweep, still a few things that seems to be stuck on there...

Should I go to a pro and get it done for $150+ or just get some swabs and do it myself? What could really happen? Must be hard to scratch the sensor using swabs right?

Local camera store quote me $45, and claimed they use microscope to make sure even the smallest dusts will be cleaned.

cfhjag wrote in post #11903141
I'm thinking about swabbing my sensor, haven't done it before so it seems a bit scary.

This is my sensor before and after a brush sweep, still a few things that seems to be stuck on there...

Should I go to a pro and get it done for $150+ or just get some swabs and do it myself? What could really happen? Must be hard to scratch the sensor using swabs right?

Try to find a local shop. There's no way you should pay more than $50 for a cleaning.

PWard wrote in post #11893660
another note is sometimes the dust isn't all removed.

I had bought a brand new Canon 50mm f/1.2L lens, which was out of calibration right out of the box.

right out of the box there was a single spec of dust under the front element.

I sent it to Canon under warranty to calibrate it. their paperwork came back saying they calibrated, cleaned, and adjusted the lens.

it came back with a spec of dust behind the front element still.

I know several people with this lens all needing calibration from new.... Not good Canon !!