Canon 5d II fungus on sensor question

I was just notified my 5d II has fungus on the sensor and Canon recommendation is to replace the sensor. Cost is $977.

Camera has very few shots and is near mint condition. Should I repair it or should I buy a refurbished Mark 3 or Mark 4?

Does my 5D II have any value if I decide not to replace the sensor and sell the body?

Please chime in and help me decide

$977 for a sensor replacement on an $850(ish) camera?

You sure it's not on the mirror? Should be able to clean the sensor.

Chet wrote in post #18536448
You sure it's not on the mirror? Should be able to clean the sensor.

From Canon- “During CMS technician found camera has fungus on CMOS sensor assembly. As a preventative and to prevent fungus from spreading, technician recommends CMOS sensor assembly replacement.”

Can the fungus spread to my Canon lens from the body?

I was going to say that it is highly unusual to get fungus on a sensor but the east shore of Ohau can get mighty humid, perfect for fungus. I would not pay that price for a replacement. It seems excessive, like over the top excessive. You can get a refurb 6D or a used body for almost the same price.

However, as Chet points out, the sensor is pretty easy to clean so unless the fungus is really severe, I would try a good wet cleaning using methanol might take care of the problem for you. Try cleaning first.

I agree. And, I suggest that you start packing your camera bag with some Silica Gel.

Silica gel doesn't really work unless you just opened it, placed it in the container and sealed it. THe trouble with silica gel is that it rapidly absorbs moisture but fill up quickly. It's great for containers that have no air flow but poor for situations where you open and retrieve the equipment often.

A better solution is a dry box like this one. It will do just as good of a job removing moisture but it's constant and when you open the door letting in the moist air, it keep working to remove the moisture.

gjl711 wrote in post #18536529
Silica gel doesn't really work unless you just opened it, placed it in the container and sealed it. THe trouble with silica gel is that it rapidly absorbs moisture but fill up quickly. It's great for containers that have no air flow but poor for situations where you open and retrieve the equipment often.

Silica gel can be regenerated in an oven as many times as you need to, & nobody is going to carry a dry box on location.

Sell it for parts and use this as an excuse to upgrade. See if they will keep it and give you a deal on a 5D4.

A others have suggested, clean the sensor. Then get yourself a dry box and store the camera with one of these...https://www.amazon.com …ehumidifier/dp/​B003QZ6PZ0. They are an $18 overkill but they will suck up moisture and are renewable.

I'd ask Canon if the fungus is on the sensor itself, or the IR filter covering the sensor - if it's just on the IR filter, Canon often won't supply this seperately, but other vendors will (Lifepixel appear to sell them for $200 and would probably take a competant tech an hour to replace)

If fungus on the sensor itself, then I'd have thought there's less chance of it spreading as there's the IR filter over the top anyway.

Only deal Canon offered was trade it in for $60.00 off on the purchase of a new body.
I have a call in to the repair tech to ask a few questions, waiting for a call back.
This really sucks

Do you ever get to Honolulu? Hawaii Camera offers professional digital camera sensor cleaning at their Honolulu camera shop. $45 for a walk-in cleaning while you wait. Clean it and keep it really dry.

I would assume, perhaps incorrectly, but I still would assume that if Canon says replace the sensor, that would rule out a simple series of wet cleanings solving the problem they found.

Is it not more reasonable to assume that the fungus has grown under the AA/IR band-pass filter? And thus not able to be simply cleaned?

Anyway, I would not pay that price to replace a sensor on such an old camera. A 5D3 would be a huge improvement.

Solve the humidity problem first, or it will happen again, and to your lenses too. I agree that silica gel is impractical except if you are just storing the gear in a sealed container, and are using silica gel that you know is fresh.

We don't know the state of the sensor. OP hasn't even said the sensor is not performing well. I would keep using it if it still takes clean pics.

If the fungus is on the surface of the sensor impairing image quality, it may be impossible to clean, because fungus has the ability to etch glass. Amazing but true. You can't clean etch marks off a surface.

As for fungus spreading, sure, it will, but fungus spores are everywhere in the air, and you can't keep them from your gear. They will grow if it is moist and dark and the right temperature. They will do that eventually whether the gear has a colony already or not.

You can stop fungus in its tracks by storing the gear somewhere dry.