Visible Dust Sensor Loupes: which one?

Going to get some Visible dust sensor cleaning equipment and do it myself. I have a 5D.

Do I want the 7x or the 5x Sensor Loupe?

Arctic Butterfly a good idea, too?

Thanks in advance for replies by folks very familiar with sensor cleaning and the like.

<Subscribing Out of Curiosity...>

I've got the original loupe (I'm guessing 5X) and it works fine. Really can see sensor and in perfect focus to examine it.

The Artic Butterfly brushes....... I got them with a cleaning kit. Never used them, I'd sell them here if I could find them. The spinner and battery and static discharging and all that other stuff (to me at least) is CRAP............ I figure if I can't blow it off, might as well wet clean it......

Next I also use and swear by the GREEN Visible Dust swabs and SMEAR AWAY SOLUTION. Other solutions I've tried have "waterspotted" on occasion, SMEAR AWAY doesn't. The green Swabs are different than the orange ones (different material) and TO ME they seem to work better (I have a bunch of orange ones I'd sell). Everyone one here say use CopperHill (which may well be a fine product but I'm not testing it on my camera), BUT TO ME, I don't want to wrap a Tissue (and get god knows what on it) around a spatula and swab my sensor with it..........

I've cleaned sensors MANY MANY MANY TIMES and no problems, no sense messing with success......

On the 5D I can say this (had 2 at one time). As time passes and you clean it many times (about 20 or so for me) INCLUDING the inside of the area around the sensor, you seem to get the dust out that came from the factory and it seems like overnight there are no dust problems. Mine was nasty looking all the time, MANY MANY cleanings later, suddenly it was clean all the time, no further problems......

Flying Photog,,,,,,,,,,,, Hi Buddy, hope to see you at ISAP in Seattle this spring....

Mark H

P51Mstg wrote in post #6180826
I've got the original loupe (I'm guessing 5X) and it works fine. Really can see sensor and in perfect focus to examine it.

The Artic Butterfly brushes....... I got them with a cleaning kit. Never used them, I'd sell them here if I could find them. The spinner and battery and static discharging and all that other stuff (to me at least) is CRAP............ I figure if I can't blow it off, might as well wet clean it......

Next I also use and swear by the GREEN Visible Dust swabs and SMEAR AWAY SOLUTION. Other solutions I've tried have "waterspotted" on occasion, SMEAR AWAY doesn't. The green Swabs are different than the orange ones (different material) and TO ME they seem to work better (I have a bunch of orange ones I'd sell). Everyone one here say use CopperHill (which may well be a fine product but I'm not testing it on my camera), BUT TO ME, I don't want to wrap a Tissue (and get god knows what on it) around a spatula and swab my sensor with it..........

I've cleaned sensors MANY MANY MANY TIMES and no problems, no sense messing with success......

On the 5D I can say this (had 2 at one time). As time passes and you clean it many times (about 20 or so for me) INCLUDING the inside of the area around the sensor, you seem to get the dust out that came from the factory and it seems like overnight there are no dust problems. Mine was nasty looking all the time, MANY MANY cleanings later, suddenly it was clean all the time, no further problems......

Flying Photog,,,,,,,,,,,, Hi Buddy, hope to see you at ISAP in Seattle this spring....

Mark H

i cleaned my 5d sensor twice in a one year, and the camera was fairly heavily used. i also had the shutter replaced so canon cleaned it once .

i used visible dust swabs and a rocker blower.....and that's it.

ed rader

Terrific responses and greatly appreciated, Mark H & Ed.

@ Mark: any adverse experience with VDust Plus solution or have you not tried it?

I have not tried VDust Plus solution........... I can't say anything about it.....

I did try Visible Dust Sensor Cleaning Solution:
Mfr # 2291205-1
<LI class=singleBullet>B&H # VISCL ON B&H PHOTO.........$36 (OUCH>>>>>><LI class=singleBullet>This was the Solution that "waterspotted" on me (may have been the orange swab conributing, I tried both at one time)
Generally I use the SMEAR AWAY ($20, still too much), it seems to work a bit better. Honestly for all we know, this is all the same stuff in different bottles......

You guys may choke, but I use real QTIPS on the inside of the chamber instead of the VDust special swabs....... (I just make sure there are no lose strands on them)..........

I also use the sensor cleaning swabs to GENTLY stroke the mirror after cleaning the sensor (I use smear away there too). Then I may well use them on a lens filter afterwards...... Then they get tossed in the garbage......

Mark H

P51Mstg wrote in post #6181728
I have not tried VDust Plus solution........... I can't say anything about it.....

I did try Visible Dust Sensor Cleaning Solution:
Mfr # 2291205-1
<LI class=singleBullet>B&H # VISCL ON B&H PHOTO.........$36 (OUCH>>>>>><LI class=singleBullet>This was the Solution that "waterspotted" on me (may have been the orange swab conributing, I tried both at one time)
Generally I use the SMEAR AWAY ($20, still too much), it seems to work a bit better. Honestly for all we know, this is all the same stuff in different bottles......

You guys may choke, but I use real QTIPS on the inside of the chamber instead of the VDust special swabs....... (I just make sure there are no lose strands on them)..........

I also use the sensor cleaning swabs to GENTLY stroke the mirror after cleaning the sensor (I use smear away there too). Then I may well use them on a lens filter afterwards...... Then they get tossed in the garbage......

Mark H

Wow - you got brass ones, Mark!

Actually, I think if you are GENTLE with the mirror, no problem there, I figure Canon cleans them too???? Of course Canon's official position is that you shouldn't clean your sensor because of some (insert proper term here I'm thinking IDIOT), scratches one, they come back on Canon and say ..... FIX it you said we could clean it........... So I really think I can clean it better than Canon, its a matter of doing it once then its not much problem after the first time......

Brass ones? Maybe slightly and slightly larger than normal. But I can say I do know Col. Joe Kittinger who made a jump from a balloon in 1960 at 102,800 feet. Joe was also the only person to go supersonic without a machine of any kind on his own. (He did that since betwen 100,000' and say 30,000' there are virtually no air molecules that would slow you down to a "normal" freefall speed of 125 MPH or so). Now Joe has brass ones and they are BIG too........ Nice guy, he also scored a MIG kill in Vietnam and then later got shot down and spent about a year as a POW........ Heck of a guy..........

Mark H

b.d.bop wrote in post #6181818
Wow - you got brass ones, Mark!

the only thing i touch is the sensor, and i do that as infrequently as possible. e.g., i've only wet cleaned my 1d mark III sensor once in eight months of heavy use.

the only other thing i use is a rocket blower occasionally. mirror dust does not affect IQ .

ed rader

I hate to tell you guys, but Copperhill sells a magnifier that goes for something like $14.95 IIRC and includes the built in LED light.

http://www.copperhilli​mages.com …ore_information​.php?id=47

J.

JohnJ80 wrote in post #6182324
I hate to tell you guys, but Copperhill sells a magnifier that goes for something like $14.95 IIRC and includes the built in LED light.

http://www.copperhilli​mages.com …ore_information​.php?id=47

J.

Anyone have any experience with this one? Look pretty good to me. Going to have to get something soon as its time I think to wet clean the 5D. 5X macro shots show EVERYTHING!

I have one. It works great especially for wet cleaning and to see if there is any dust on your sensor. The whole "sensor loupe" thing for $100 is a farce. It's a magnifying glass with a cheap led flashlight. $14.95 is the right price.

J

I'd have to say for that price, you can't go wrong.........

Mark H

I've got the VD 7X loupe. It's newer than the 5X. It's way overpriced, but I love it. The VD 5X was reportedly better than the Delkin one, so I would guess that the 7X is better still. I'm not particularly fond of the company, but I broke down and got it because I thought it was the best out there. I like Copper Hill products and use them, but I question whether their 3X loupe can compare.

Well, it seems that I can see tiny specs of dust on the sensor with it that I don't even notice in my images. So, how much magnification do you need?

J.