Sensor Dirt

After 3 months (yes) Canon finally got the dirt out of the viewfinder on my once new 1DMKII.
However, I think they actually made the sensor dirtier (even though they said they cleaned it each of the 4 times they had it).

This picture was taken at F13 and has been resized 50%.
Acceptable? I tried my sensor brush and copperhill, and while I didnt make it any worse, the current spots didn't budge at all.

With my 20D, ater 1 1/2 years I dont think there were more than maybe 1 spot of dust viewable at almost any aperture.

If my eyes are working properly, I see two tiny dots left of the center (one above the other) near the top. I really had to look hard though.

I think we DSLR users are going to have to deal with dust no matter how minute.

DEATH TO DUST !!

Looks acceptable to me. A new one probably would look no better than yours does now.

I could live with that...

I've had my 30D for a few months and so far, touch wood (!), I have yet to see any evidence of dust on my photographs, (Oh dear! I should never have said that - it's going to tempt providence ) What's more, I have no intention of doing any tests like the one above - just in case there are minute specs that would start me worrying!!

Are we, perchance, running the risk of becoming just a wee bit paranoid regarding this subject?

Yeah, when I got it new, there was one large stubborn spot, visible even at about F4.
So, i sent it to canon, and they sent it back with no big dot, but lots of little ones.

It may well be that the little ones will blow out - have you tried that?

Don't take my advice on blowing, I use compressed gas - "Dust-Off" by Falcon. The gas is difluorethane, a refrigerant, or on other places an ozone killer. I never shake the can or disturb it, and it DOES NOT leave residue - it's a gas composed of carbon, hydrogen and fluorine.

It's my personal belief that a rocket blower just re-circulates dust - the Copperhill guy and I seem to be in agreement on that.

Glenn, it's funny you should mention that.
That is the exact compressed air I have, Falcon Dust Off from costco.

I dont see how you can think a rocket blower just moves dust around and compressed air doesn't. They do the same thing, blow air..

tange1 wrote in post #2274144
I dont see how you can think a rocket blower just moves dust around and compressed air doesn't. They do the same thing, blow air..

The gas in a compressed gas can is filtered and dried.

Where does the air from a rocket blower come from?

Ever watch what a small sunbeam lights up in a room? Kazillions of dust particles. That's what a rocket blower uses.

"Mr. Copperhill" is concerned that a rocket blower just moves dust around - I'm concerned that it uses a fresh supply of dust from the air in the room too.

I think a rocket blower will help, but since most air is so full of dust, it doesn't seem to me to be the ultimate solution.

I'll continue to use my compressed air/gas - that and Sensor Swabs with the cleaning solution. Everybody will have their own personal comfort level, and they will be different. I'm an engineer, so I likely have a different approach from many.

C'est la vie.

Well, i tried Rocket Blower, compressed air, sensor brush, and a quick attempt with the copperhill... none of these dust bunnies even budged an inch!!!

Purpose of the bulb blower is not to replace the air inside the camera.
Strong and well directed air blast is supposed to dislodge particles of dust and let them flow down and outside of camera.

That’s how I understand, at least..

In my case I found that trying to move a stubborn spot caused more grief than it was really worth. I'd be inclined to drop eclipse directly onto the spot concerned to try & "soak" it before doing the wipe. Them sensors/IR filters really aren't that robust so try to resist the temptation to "press a little harder" when wiping.

Edit: On the other hand, one of our local POTN'ers (Moppie) bought a new 30D that came factory fitted with dust spots BEHIND the IR filter - a return to canon to have it dismantled & cleaned remedied this but shows it is possible to get spots that cannot be removed by the user...

drisley wrote in post #2274706
Well, i tried Rocket Blower, compressed air, sensor brush, and a quick attempt with the copperhill... none of these dust bunnies even budged an inch!!!

Drisley: I would suggest that you repeat the Copperhill process a few times. I haven't read it for a few weeks, but I seem to recall that he recommended repeated gentle cleanings until it came clean.

And, perhaps a wee spot of the cleaner is worth a try to "dissolve" a stubborn spot. But I'd be very careful about this as who knows where the liquid might run?


Further to my comments on the rocket blower vs the compressed air - I realize that the purpose isn't to "replace the air" in the camera, the purpose is to blow the dust particles out. If dust is truly the problem, then using ambient air (room air) that is full of dust particles may not be the solution. We do realize that air is full of dust particles unless it has been filtered.

What it may come down to is that what we call dust on the sensor is not really dust. I suspect that it consists of small particles that wear off the camera when the mechanical parts operate - such as the mirror and the shutter.

Now that my camera has 3,000 shots on it, I'm having far less trouble with "sensor spots" than when it was new. This might be attributed to two things: 1) the initial "break-in period" is over, OR, 2) there was a lot of "stuff" in the chamber from the manufacturing process, and it has loosened/dislodged and been blown out with repeated cleanings.