i had a speck of dust on my sensor so i locked the mirror and shot some of that compressed air in there. I have heard thats not the best way to do it though. Hopefully i never have to again. I will definitly be watching this thread so i can also pick up some tips.
"A piece of toast with butter always lands butter side down, and a cat always lands on its feet. What happens if a piece of toast is tied butter side down to the back of falling cat? Does it hover above the ground in perpetual indecision?"
hmm - the general consensus on the net appears to be either ( a ) let a licensed repair shop do it or ( b ) dont do it at all. If you have to use a small blower brush (not air canisters) no closer to the sensor than the camera mount whilst holding the camera inverted to allow the dust particles to drop out.
I talked to Will ( brphoto) about the same thing. He suggested not to us caned air, it can leave junk on it and damage the sensor . He said to use a small brush air pump and to not touch the sensor with the brush it's self.
i think the blower brush or the pros is the best from what i have heard aswell. I forgot to mention when i did it with the canned air i was sure to hold the can horizontal. That ussually prevents the chemicals from coming out from what i've heard. I think it can still be risky though.
"A piece of toast with butter always lands butter side down, and a cat always lands on its feet. What happens if a piece of toast is tied butter side down to the back of falling cat? Does it hover above the ground in perpetual indecision?"
I've used them before . but I would hold the upright at a slite angle and hold the camera upside down so not to force the dust babk into the internal parts. but I feel also that the pros do it the right way and will never use a can of nitrogen again.
A blower brush (or just a squeeze-blower) is the safest way to clean sensors. I use one made by Giottos, called a "Rocket Air Blower", and it works incredibly well. As Phil mentioned; holding the camera upside down and not coming any closer than the lens mount with the blower.
Every 6-8 months I usually take both bodies to Canon for a clean and check, the sensors and focusing screens are cleaned and anything the rocket blower missed is removed.
If the sensor is really dirty (beyond what a squeeze-blower could fix), I would err on the side of caution and have Canon clean it for you.
last time i had a problem with this i took a risk and did it my self i took a straw,peice of medical gause and a can of compressed air and it worked fine but i only did it that way because i needed it that afternoon for a job
oh yea and i put the gause on the end of the straw furthest away from the camera and then blew the compressed air into the gause... the straw worked to lessen the PSI hitting the sensor but still let me direct it
though next time i will get Nikon to do it... any one have any ideas how much nikon charges and how long it takes?
oh cool.. well thanks for that bit of info... ill have to find out where in mississauga it is because that isnt to far from my place... and yea i still have a good long time on my warranty
Is there something special that they do to clean it? or it is more just the fact that while they are doing it they are responcible to replace it, if it is ruined in the cleaning process
Yeah, that is one of the cool things about the Olympus, isn't it. The sensor stays pretty clean, because of the ultrasound cleaning system. Too bad they don't seem to have a very good lens selection.
"A piece of toast with butter always lands butter side down, and a cat always lands on its feet. What happens if a piece of toast is tied butter side down to the back of falling cat? Does it hover above the ground in perpetual indecision?"
"A piece of toast with butter always lands butter side down, and a cat always lands on its feet. What happens if a piece of toast is tied butter side down to the back of falling cat? Does it hover above the ground in perpetual indecision?"
I came across a new sensor-cleaning product recently (well new to me). It's called "Arctic Butterfly" by Visible Dust. It's motorised spinning brush that runs on AAA batteries. You spin the brush for a few seconds, which throws any dust from the last wipe off and electrostatically charges the bristles. Then you wipe the sensor with it, the charge causes the dust to leap onto the brush.
It seams like a good idea to me but a bit pricey at $84 Canadian. Any thoughts on this one guys?
yes it does. got a couple of the Giottos Rocket Airs that Will suggested off ebay for six quid each and they worked a treat - cleared the camera body out completely. Marvellous.
LOL, I was telling Darryl about the Visible Dust sensor brushes (the non-motorized version of the Arctic Butterfly), also a good method of cleaning, although the rocket blower is still my preferred technique.
With the brushes, there is still something coming into contact with the sensor. If you happen to touch the brush tip, you've just contaminated it with oils and will end up depositing them on the sensor's glass surface.
Well now if Will’s got shares can we do a deal for Caedes members :-)
I saw the sensor brush some time ago and wasn’t to keen on them because I don’t trust canned air. Believe me getting moist stuff of your sensor is a real pain in the behind.
I have to agree with you Will, anything that touches the sensor has to be used with great care. But I still like the idea of removing dust rather than relocating it inside the camera.
Ok question i do have a little spot showing up on my pics but it seems to be only at some ranges (mm) does this mean it is on the lens rather then the sensor?
It’s more likely to be on the sensor. They show up more with small apertures and or uniform surfaces, like polished furniture. If it’s only one don’t even think about cleaning the sensor, wait until they become a nuisance.
Yea I didnt really have any intention to worry about it right now because it is only one spot and very small/in a corner so it is really easy to photoshop