Has anyone damaged or heard of damaging thier sensor during cleanings.

i think the sensor is tougher than expected, and i used the sensorklear, lenspen type device,which has given me the cleanest outcome. have done copperhill method and i didnt find it effective. but with the sensorklear i find my self scrubbing quite forcefully and effectively and see no damage at all. i also dont use the sensoklear more than 3 times just in case some debris was to stick upon it. so im curious if there are any horror stories out there.

Ah, but we haven't seen any of your images yet, have we?

Welcome to the forums - I suspect you are correct in your assumptions.

I was cleaning the sensor on my 300D a while back, for the first time, and used a Q-tip, I did manage to put a small scratch on the clear glass that sits over the sensor. It didnt effect the images at all, and Canon did replace it free of charge when I took it in to have the AF system checked. I have cleaned the Sensor on the 300D and 5D dozens of time since with no problems.

Stay clear of q-tips, but the Copperhill kit I use does work wonders.

-Johnny

nycgrip wrote in post #2278887
any horror stories out there.

Yes. (see sig...)

joeseph wrote in post #2279782
Yes. (see sig...)

That is an ugly and expensive story. Thanks for the warning so well documented with pictures...

where can i find a good tutorial to how clean sensor?

My comments on the guy that damaged his sensor filter:

PT Barnum was said to have said (he actually didn't): There is a sucker born every minute.

My version: there are ten klutzes born every minute.

Think for a moment: Do we really know what "dust" is composed of? Is it lint dust from clothing, or dead skin? While these are yucky they are soft. Or is dust tiny pieces of clay sized dirt (which is rock, and very hard)?

BEFORE cleaning with the pad and solution, BLOW the surface off thoroughly. This type of dirt particle is far less likely to stick, so when the MOIST pad (not wet) is used GENTLY on the surface the grit won't grind into the surface. Common sense? I think so.

There will always be someone that won't or can't follow recommended procedures carefully and will screw something up.

Google for Copperhill, and read the article carefully and thoroughly. He doesn't have much use for a rocket blower (and neither do I - I use compressed "air"). But having said that, it is my opinion that gently blowing out the chamber and the surface of the sensor is a wise first step before the wet cleaning.

Think about it this way: if you were down on your hands and knees washing a floor, would you pick up and remove the large chunks of dirt and trash before using the water and cloth? Of course.

These are just my personal observations and opinions; I won't be insulted if anyone disagrees.

Titus213 wrote in post #2280348
That is an ugly and expensive story. Thanks for the warning so well documented with pictures...

No problem - actually I think anyone contemplating serious sensor cleaning should see how easily the surface of a IR filter/sensor is damaged. Do it with care and the right tools and you'll likely have no problem at all.

And yes, Klutz is a good description of that particular episode!

mantra wrote in post #2280360
where can i find a good tutorial to how clean sensor?

This is the best site I've found that explains sensor cleaning methods...

http://www.cleaningdig​italcameras.com/index.​html

Hope it helps

Bill

I've sctatched a sensor cover

I'll keep the story short.
From lens servicing i had developed an awsome safe way of removing sensor dust specs one by one.For the first two years with my 300D i only cleaned the sensor this way
Of course doing it this way can't remove extremely fine dust so the copperhill method is needed occasionally.In the last year i cleaned using the coppehill method three times with a home made spatula thingy.
Overall it worked fine but just as i was cleaning for the last time to sell the camera i must have got a grain of dust/sand on the cleaning tissue and managed to put a 3mm long scratch on the sensor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I went ahead and sold the camera (honestly described) because the scratch simply didn't show on the images below f10 and even at smaller apertures it only showed in blank areas...and even THEN it was easy to clone out in photoshop.
In a sense i was lucky as hell.It was enough to teach me a very valuable lesson while losing not much money.

Moral of the story? Sensor covers are pretty tough but there are some things to beware of.Never ever use anything other than proper cleaning products straight from the packet !!!