Who cleans their sensor like this?

This is the video from Photographic Solutions on how to use the Sensor Swab. I NEVER use this much pressure on the swab. Do any of you actually push hard enough to bend the swab?

http://www.photosol.co​m …/pc/video/senso​rswab.html

Also, what do you do to get the corners clean? With my 40D and 50D it was easy with the swab, but on my 1Ds2 I find that I can't get into the corners as easily.

I used the same brand of Sensor Swabs and Eclipse fluid with my old 10D. I used the same amount of pressure. the shaft bends easily so the person really isn't pressing that hard.

I bought a box of 24 swabs and went through just about all of them. Eclipse & sensor swabs are kind of pricy, but they really work good, and the 24 I bought lasted me 7 years.

I use the same stuff, but I think I am way too gentle then. May be why I am having trouble getting the corners clean.

I've often found the corners are tricky... but it's usually loose stuff that's easily puffed away with a Rocket blower.

I think I've seen a new tool being promoted that's just for getting into the corners. One that's been around for a while is called something like "Speck Grabber"... might help.

Canon uses swabs and a fluid, perhaps Eclipse although I can't swear to that. Then they go back and polish up with a Lens Pen. Of course, if they screw up a sensor they have a warehouse full of them and a bunch of folks sitting there who know how to replace it.

I use a step by step or progressive approach to sensor cleaning. First I just try a bulb blower. If that's not enough, I next use a special brush. If that doesn't get everything off, I use an lightly adhesive pad called Dust Aid (comes in a can that looks like Band Aids packaging... they provide a special pad for Canon cameras) and that usually lifts off most particles. I'll reuse the bulb blower after that. Only then, if still more is needed, I'll step up to a wet cleaning with a swab and Eclipse.

I am familiar with cleaning my sensor because I have been doing it for years now. I was just shocked at the pressure used in the video.

My typical process is to rocket blow first. If that doesn't get it all I go to the SensorKlear pen using the Senor Loupe to make sure I get everything. If there is still some stubborn dust I go with the wet clean using the Senor Swabs shown in the video. I just always used a very light touch thinking I might damage the sensor or something. But, to see the swab bend that just shocked me.

I'll have to look into the pen that cleans the corners because the SensorKlear pen doesn't get it well enough. Either that or I am being too soft with it as well. I just always thought I should be very gentle with the pressure. Maybe I can use a little more pressure.

Thanks for the responses!

That is typical cleaning with the Sensor Swab and Eclipse...the following video gives a better demonstration then Photosols,using the Sensor Swab...http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=qi6S3jHA21w

What neither video shows is proper cleaning of the edges and corners with a dry method after wet cleaning.Dry cleaning is usually required after wet cleaning especially on the edges...if you don't have a charged brush like the Arctic Butterfly,take a dry Sensor Swab and charge it by blowing compressed air across the end of it for about 10 seconds...then immediately use this charged Sensor Swab to clean the edges.

As you said,wet cleaning is a last resort when dry cleaning methods won't remove dust or pollen that is adhered to the sensor....Len Rentals recently put up a video show the proper way to dry clean a sensor http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=iRW9AmDPqr0

As Scott Fulmar says in the comments below the video..."I only use a wet cleaning under extreme circumstances. I've cleaned somewhere in the neighborhood of 15,000 sensors working at Lens Rentals, and contrary to what SLRist says, wet cleaning leaves behind all kinds of lint and residue that must be cleaned off afterwards. I've used literally every liquid and applicator in existence, and not one of them can be used without subsequently using dry methods to remove the mess that wet cleaning causes. However, all methods require much practice."

BTW....the new version of Dust Aids Sensor Stamp is preferred over the old version of the Sensor Stamp.The new version is called the Dust-Aid Platinum and are readily available from Dust Aid online website. http://www.dust-aid.com/shoponline.htm​l

TGrundvig wrote in post #12430072
This is the video from Photographic Solutions on how to use the Sensor Swab. I NEVER use this much pressure on the swab. Do any of you actually push hard enough to bend the swab?

http://www.photosol.co​m …/pc/video/senso​rswab.html

Also, what do you do to get the corners clean? With my 40D and 50D it was easy with the swab, but on my 1Ds2 I find that I can't get into the corners as easily.

I use that much pressure (bending the swab)

I use a copperhill set up similar, with pec pads that wrap around the swab, I'm not long too scared to put a bit more pressure on the sensor, as as a matter of fact I just finished cleaning my cameras about half an hour ago and I'm so glad I chose to learn to do it for myself

..."I only use a wet cleaning under extreme circumstances. I've cleaned somewhere in the neighborhood of 15,000 sensors working at Lens Rentals, and contrary to what SLRist says, wet cleaning leaves behind all kinds of lint and residue that must be cleaned off afterwards. I've used literally every liquid and applicator in existence, and not one of them can be used without subsequently using dry methods to remove the mess that wet cleaning causes. However, all methods require much practice."

I really don't mean to harp on this guy, but what he's saying doesn't make any sense. He's saying that wet cleaning leaves a mess and if that is his experience, then he's pretty inept at sensor cleaning. Maybe that's why he just uses a brush and adhesive. But more to the point, dry before wet is backwards and will just spread out any lubricant. I am just very skeptical that he has successfully cleaned that many sensors with his backwards approach. Youtube has become today's newspaper, don't believe everything you see on it. It seems like the Youtube rage is to use 3 or 4 tools in all of these sensor cleaning videos, but here less is more - a good wet system should get at least 95% of the dust/debris/lubricant. For most people, that may be sufficient, but if you're slightly compulsive, you can go back in with a brush or pen to get the rest.

Truly the only video that comes close to the proper techniques is Photosol's, it may look like he's using a lot of pressure, but the "neck" of the swab is extremely flexible, so if you've never seen or used one, it may look much different than it really is. You should use no more pressure than writing with a pen or pencil with the wet method.

Again, there is so much misleading information on Youtube these days and there are millions of so-called "experts" as well. Just keep an open mind and realize that many of these are not just on the internet to altruistically make your life better. The vast majority of them have a product or service that is being hawked to you in the guise of helping you out. And that's fine if you make n illusions about it.
We have tried in our tutorial to highlight the precautions the prudent person must take when cleaning a sensor. We go as far as saying that if you reach a certain point without success you should stop and send the camera to the manufacturer. We emphatically state that sensor cleaning in general is not for everyone. We also stress that the biggest problem that bedevils most D-SLRs today is lubricant. I have not seen a Youtube presentation that is alined with this view, which in turn makes me extremely skeptical that these people have as much experience and/or knowledge as they claim to have. There are many products that are effective at sensor cleaning, my only aim here is to bring to light some misinformation that is being presented and interpretted as fact.

Nicholas

Nicholas...actually I find your post misleading...lubricant contamination is usually easily identified even if heat has changed the viscosity of the lubricant to a very thin film...after cleaning as many sensors that Scott has,and after identifying lubricant contamination or adhered dust/pollen/debris then he does indeed have to resort to wet cleaning.I'm also quite sure the good Doctor Roger Cicala doesn't hire service technicians and camera/lens repair employees who are inept...if anything Lens Rentals service is based upon honesty and integrity and their videos and online tutorials are only produced after careful deliberation...on Sunday after two years of deliberation,Roger posted a lens cleaning tutorial...I'm quite sure there was an equal amount of deliberation put out before they produced their sensor cleaning video...http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=iRW9AmDPqr0

Lens Rentals Lens Cleaning Methods-http://www.lensrentals​.com …als-lens-cleaning-methods

An excerpt from the above tutorial and in Roger's own words....

"There are some articles I try hard to avoid writing. Politics, religion, the so-called benefits of UV filters and other things that get Fanboys riled up I avoid like the plague. So for two years, while people have asked over-and-over for me to write an article on how we clean lenses, I’ve politely refused. I’ve seen what happens to such discussions on forums — it’s an immediate call for all Fanboys to come tell everyone else they’re an idiot because they don’t use Eclipse, or do use Eclipse, or brush before blowing, or blow before brushing, or whatever.

But I’ve had over 100 requests now, so I’m finally going to cave in. Since I’ll be mentioning and recommending some products by name, my usual disclosure applies: we use what we use because we like the product, sometimes a lot. Unlike 99.9% of the internet we don’t get discounts, kick-backs, click-through fees, or sell any of the things recommended at a profit. I don’t put any links to the products to make sure that’s clear."

Nicholas my take on Photosol is that they make great products with their Eclipse and the sizes of Sensor Swabs...but I cringe whenever I see their video,if a newb followed these directions he would be left scratching his head,when he sees all the dust pushed to the edges...Photosol needs to make a more in depth video showing proper sensor cleaning including using a blower and a static charged brush.

If a sensor(actually the filter covering the sensor) has never been cleaned,or pieces of dust or pollen adhered to the sensor,or sensor hasn't been cleaned for a considerable time or the camera was used in a high temperature environment(where the heat caused a reduction of the viscosity of the lubricants and the shutter mechanism splayed lubricant on the sensor or lubricant has been displaced on to the sensor)...then wet cleaning is required.

Typically if you don't have lubricant or adhered dust contamination then a rocket blower is usually sufficient to remove the dust particles...some like using compressed air for this,with quick one second bursts(with the can held upright and a pre-burst for cleaning the tip of the wand).If there are still some specs of dust...then a static charged sensor brush will remove the stubborn particles usually with one pass or a few more.

Once again wet cleaning is a last resort only to be used for removing adhered dust/pollen/debris or lubricant.

Depp,

We've been in the sensor cleaning business since 2002 so I believe I have a certain degree of credibility. And we try mightily not to be misleading in anything put up on the internet. And we are not here to disparrage any company's products, they all basically work to one degree or another.

But, please do not tell me that lubricant can be easily seen with or without a high powered sensor loupe. You and the person in the video are simply dead wrong about this - most lubricant cannot be seen on a sensor. You're talking about a very light-weight oil, nothing like 10W-40. My opinion comes from 9 years of cleaning sensors in all models of cameras, Canon, Fuji, SONY, Nikon, etc., etc. That is why you and the method in the video will have a multitude of problems - if you FIRST use a dry tool on a sensor that has not been wet-cleaned in over a month or two or three, the odds are overwhelming that you will run into and spread over the sensor a certain amount of lubricant, PERIOD!

Again, I am not disparraging LensRentals, I have heard good things about their leasing, but how many of those 15,000 cleanings came back because they were unsatisfactory? I could say that I've cleaned 50,000 sensors, but that in itself doesn't make me an expert. We hear stories everyday how people have used "camera repair" centers thinking they'd get a professional cleaning job only to have their cameras come back just as bad.

If you continue to post that video with misleading information, I will continue to follow you and correct it. His protocol is backwards, that's all I'm saying. He is probably a gentleman and a scholar but he should rethink that video.

Regards,
Nicholas
www.copperhillimages.c​om

Your quite correct you can't always see lubricant with the naked eye or a high powered sensor loupe,but there are times you can see it with only the naked eye....if you have good eyes you can also see the dispersed lubricant on the test image when it's enlarged...quite often it has a muddled orange peel look....my opinion comes from 45+ years of cleaning and repairing cameras and lens.

As I said previously-if a sensor hasn't been cleaned for a considerable amount of time,then wet cleaning is usually required...or if lubricant or adhered dust/pollen/debris is present.

I don't find the video misleading at all,what I do find misleading is if someone states that the wet method is the only way to remove un-adhered dust/debris...quite often a simple blowing of the chamber and filter is all that's required.

Kind regards,

Boomer Depp

Depp wrote in post #12434400
Your quite correct you can't always see lubricant with the naked eye or a high powered sensor loupe,but there are times you can see it with only the naked eye....if you have good eyes you can also see the dispersed lubricant on the test image when it's enlarged...quite often it has a muddled orange peel look....my opinion comes from 45+ years of cleaning and repairing cameras and lens.

As I said previously-if a sensor hasn't been cleaned for a considerable amount of time,then wet cleaning is usually required...or if lubricant or adhered dust/pollen/debris is present.

I don't find the video misleading at all,what I do find misleading is if someone states that the wet method is the only way to remove un-adhered dust/debris...quite often a simple blowing of the chamber and filter is all that's required.

My grandfather had a saying...advertisers major in misrepresentation and minor in deception.

You're misquoting me again. I am stating CATEGORICALLY that wet-cleaning is the only way to remove adhered dust and lubricant and that using a static-brush and/or adhesive first will pick up and spread lubricant.

I think the problem we're having here is that most professionals I know wet-clean their sensors on a regular basis, some every week, some once a month. Doing this will absolutely cut down on the lube buildup and will make using dry tools much more effective, including using a blower. During peak landscape season, I'll swab at least once a week. Between these cleanings I will use the static-brush at least once a day to remove loose dust. My protocol of regular wet-cleanings almost guarantees a lube-free sensor so dry tools can work their magic. If I start to see a streak in my skies, I know that the brush has found some lube and that it's getting close to time for a wet-clean.

You and I and the video disagree on the protocol or sequence of steps. He would rather look through his loupe and if he doesn't see any lube (which I believe is a fundamental error), he'll use the dry tools. My process is to view the sensor first and make sure there are no big particles sitting on the sensor, then I'll swab, view again and possibly end with a blower, brush or pen. I am getting all of the lube first (plus dust and debris) and then picking up residuals second.

I think we can agree to disagree and the forumers here will benefit from our debate, they can weigh the merits of our arguements themselves. But it's nothing personal against you or the video. My main issue is with his opinion about wet-cleaning, that it always causes a mess. To me, and thousands of others, he must be doing something wrong or is not using the proper tools. Again, this operation is NOT for every single photographer, but I just want to offer my counter-point to his very blunt warning about wet-cleaning. Nothing personal, just my opinion.

Nicholas

Nicholas R. wrote in post #12434483
You're misquoting me again. I am stating CATEGORICALLY that wet-cleaning is the only way to remove adhered dust and lubricant and that using a static-brush and/or adhesive first will pick up and spread lubricant.

I think the problem we're having here is that most professionals I know wet-clean their sensors on a regular basis, some every week, some once a month. Doing this will absolutely cut down on the lube buildup and will make using dry tools much more effective, including using a blower. During peak landscape season, I'll swab at least once a week.

You and I and the video disagree on the protocol or sequence of steps. He would rather look through his loupe and if he doesn't see any lube (which I believe is a fundamental error), he'll use the dry tools. My process is to view the sensor first and make sure there are no big particles sitting on the sensor, then I'll swab, view again and possibly end with a blower, brush or pen. I am getting all of the lube first (plus dust and debris) and then picking up residuals second.

I think we can agree to disagree and the forumers here will benefit from our debate. But it's nothing personal against you or the video.

Nicholas

I agree with your first paragraph on using wet cleaning for adhered dust/debris and lubricant.

I agree whole heartily with your second paragraph.

As to the third paragraph...in sequence first a test image is taken and inspected...followed by an inspection with the loupe...if the dust/debris is not adhered and the sensor filter has been recently wet cleaned,then usually simply removing the dust with air is all that is needed...if the air does not remove the dust/debris,then wet cleaning would be the next step(usually two to four or more new swabs are needed,sometimes only two or three swabs)...the final step would be removing any debris on the edges with air,then a charged brush,pen or the new version of the Sensor Stamp,followed by air in that order... and final inspection with another test image...if dust is still present,there is usually no need to wet clean again,a charged brush,pen,sensor stamp,then air in that order...and fingers crossed,followed by another inspection with a test image.

I am really not here to debate proper procedures,nor to agree to disagree,only to clarify the proper steps for those new to sensor cleaning.

All the best to you Nick!