Sensor Cleaning

Kenji wrote in post #2454996
Hi Glenn, Thanks for your fascinating tutorial on your method of Sensor Cleaning.
It certainly is less expensive than the £50 that I pay for Swabs and Cleaning fluid. So why pay this money while you still have breath in your body?
Best wishes,

I wish I could claim that this was my tutorial, but it's not. Actually I skulk around on another forum and there is one fellow that seems competent technically. He developed the tutorial but didn't put his name on it so as to avoid any liability.

I have personally used a slightly modified version using isopropyl alchhol. About two months ago I was in my camera dealer's discussing sensor cleaning, and they called the local camera repair shop, asking if ispropanol (alternate name) was safe - they replied that it was, but that they use methanol (methyl alcohol).

They both should be very pure - I have 99% pure isoprop - some drug stores carry it here. Isopropanol is recommended for cleaning the recording and playback heads of tape recorders.

I'm personally a bit leary of using breath - as most of us know, human breath can have an odour - which is caused by extremely small particulate matter. I'm not convinced that some of this won't be part of the moisture deposit on the sensor. However I wouldn't be afraid to do it occasionally (in the field if I had a bad spot), using a proper cleaner for regular cleanings.

The author of the tutorial claims he has used his method very many times (I think he said hundreds).

At the present, I'm using a purpose made cleaner which works OK, but is probably no better than isopropyl alchol, and maybe not even as good.

The important thing to remember (learned from actual experience) is to dampen the cleaning tool - do not soak it. I had the swab quite wet on my second try and left horrible streaks all over the sensor - I didn't quite freak out, but damn near. Settled down and slowly and carefully used a clean damp one - success. It's probably wise to use several swabs - cotton swabs on a stick are quite inexpensive.

I always carefully and thoroughly blow out the whole chamber prior to and after wet cleaning; I believe the tutorial also covers this.

If done with the utmost care, the procedure will not pose any problems to a reasonably skilled set of hands; but there is always the risk . . . . . . .

I've had good exp with the visibledust.com sensor brushes

I have grown fond of the arctic butterfly. Here's a review.

a major plus for this is you can take it on airlines, in contrast to the copperhill system.

A Q-tip and moisture from the mouth is just asking for trouble. I'm the first to say that cameras are just tools and don't need to be babied, but having been in electronics for 30 years including optics, this is not something I would do with any of my cameras. The q-tips shed fibers quite easily and are notorious for picking up debris. Your breath and saliva are not pH neutral and contain ezymes to aid in digestion. Is that what you really want in your camera. For me, lint free swabs and lab grad methanol are the only things besides a dust blower that will be used to clean my sensor.

Mark

Mark_Cohran wrote in post #2455220
A Q-tip and moisture from the mouth is just asking for trouble. I'm the first to say that cameras are just tools and don't need to be babied, but having been in electronics for 30 years including optics, this is not something I would do with any of my cameras. The q-tips shed fibers quite easily and are notorious for picking up debris. Your breath and saliva are not pH neutral and contain ezymes to aid in digestion. Is that what you really want in your camera. For me, lint free swabs and lab grad methanol are the only things besides a dust blower that will be used to clean my sensor.

Mark

I hear you, and remember, I dont' use the method myself.

The points you raised about pH is well put. Although, with that method, one doesn't "blow", but more correctly "breathes" onto the sensor - much like cleaning eyeglasses which I've had since 1954.

Moisture is not a good idea in side an electronic device.

The point of the link was more to show the variability of methods that have been used.

Just after I posted today, I did a wet cleaning using the Visible Dust swabs and the solution. What was interesting is that I carefully swabbed, and when I checked, there were two more LARGER dust spots that weren't there prior to cleaning. I then blew some air (won't tell you how) and they were gone. Cleaning can be an interesting experience, and at first quite frustrating - discovering new spots after cleaning is not a new experience to me.

What are your thoughts on isopropanal (isopropyl alcohol)? Have you seen it used? As I noted, it's the standard cleaner for tape recorder heads.

I'm going to invest in an appropriate cleaner and swabs. That way, if the cleaner damages my sensor or sensor cover, I may have some recourse.

If I were going to use an alcohol, I think I would get anhydrous ethanol, available at virtually any chemical supply house. I believe I remember somewhere that in damaging effects to hydrocarbon plastics (polymers), ethanol has the least effect, methanol the next, and isopropanol the most of the three most common free alcohols. Of course, this prsumes the sensor cover is a polymer. It might be a resin, like conventional "plasic" lense for eyeglasses.

I think the safest route is a cleaner specifically intended for the sensor cover.

Rocket blower once in a while, wehn its really dirty Pec Pads and Eclipse Fluid.

20droger wrote in post #2457565
...
I think the safest route is a cleaner specifically intended for the sensor cover.

Yup. Lots of research and thought has gone into developing a product maximized for a specific purpose.

some excellent advice and links in here. I've really got to clean my sensor soon.

I think I'll go the blower option first, then will consider a wet kit if there's still dust there.

chet79 wrote in post #2496719
some excellent advice and links in here. I've really got to clean my sensor soon.

I think I'll go the blower option first, then will consider a wet kit if there's still dust there.

Good plan, the blower usually get most if not all of the specks on the sensor. Wet kit it only if necessary.

20droger wrote in post #2457565
I'm going to invest in an appropriate cleaner and swabs. That way, if the cleaner damages my sensor or sensor cover, I may have some recourse.

If I were going to use an alcohol, I think I would get anhydrous ethanol, available at virtually any chemical supply house. I believe I remember somewhere that in damaging effects to hydrocarbon plastics (polymers), ethanol has the least effect, methanol the next, and isopropanol the most of the three most common free alcohols. Of course, this prsumes the sensor cover is a polymer. It might be a resin, like conventional "plasic" lense for eyeglasses.

I think the safest route is a cleaner specifically intended for the sensor cover.

I've looked at my sensor more than a few times (wet cleaning and blowing).

It's really shiny and therefor hard to believe that it's any kind of plastic. Someone somewhere else said that it was glass, and quite frankly I would agree with that.

Furthermore, many people have cleaned their senors many times with the special swabs (and some with Q-tips), and none have ever mentioned scratches occuring.

I would even suggest (although I have no hard facts) that the sensor filter is optical glass, and is very hard. That being the case, it would take some considerable neglect and a grain of sand to scratch it.

Basically if one uses his head and takes things very cautiously, and follows the instructions carefully, there should be no problems.

But, there will inevitably be the "klutz" factor with someone.

Here's what happened on my last wet cleaning:

1. Checked for spots - found two.

2. Blew carefully and checked again - one spot seemed to have moved.

3. Wet cleaned and checked - one stubborn spot still there - two new ones - larger than others.

4. Blew again - stubborn spot still there - two new ones gone.

5. Wet cleaned again - stubborn spot gone, but another new one!!

6. Blew again and checked - at last, it's clean.

7. Afraid to check again - might find more spots.

I use carpet vacume machine hold about 50 mm from open camera. Works!

gjl711 wrote in post #2496732
Good plan, the blower usually get most if not all of the specks on the sensor. Wet kit it only if necessary.

Wet kit it only if necessary - good advice.

Thanks. I am giving courses of photography . I pass a lot of things with this world of pictures.
my msn is

fotomonica2007@hotmail​.com

If you whant to chat about pictures, or just have a chat...put your msn

I have the 20D ...lot of things with that machine

DavidEB wrote in post #2455197
a major plus for this is you can take it on airlines, in contrast to the copperhill system.

As you can with the Copperhill Sensorsweep - at a tiny fraction of the ridiculous cost of Butterfly - and it is an excellent solution.

Even better...