Need to know about the insides...

[BeemerChef]

Excuse my ignorance, but both Canon 5D and 30D have specs... specs even looking through the view finder. I use the Chapelle system with no fear and sensors are really clean. I was curious, as one takes the lens off there is also a mirror like plate that is slented (in regular mode ~ not sensor cleaning mode) and also on top there is this plastic piece seemingly corrugated. What are those? I am sure that "I" should not try to clean them up!:D
I swore to myself that when I received the 5D I would never take the lens off! Well... there was one spot... so I did... now lint, specs... Blowing in with this little blower gizmo by the way made it worse!
Anyhow... they will probably have to both go back to Canon for cleaning... By the way also, does anyone knows how much they charge for cleaning a body?
Thanks... your answers will be appreciated.
Be well.
Ara & Spirit

[BeemerChef]

No one knows what those three elements are? One is the sensor...
Can the other two be cleaned like a sensor?... I have the feeling not.

[ziggy53]

An SLR stands for "Single Lens Reflex", and the "reflex" part of that is a mirror mechanism that reflects the image up into the viewfinder screen.

The mirror is a first surface variety and can be fairly easily scratched. I recommend blowing it off with air but I do not recommend that it be cleaned as often as the sensor itself.

Since the cleanliness of the mirror and viewfinder are not directly affecting the image (the mirror flips out of the way during the image exposure), you just shouldn't feel the need to clean them as often.

When you do clean the mirror and viewfinder screen, you should blow them first with clean, dry air and then I use a static brush to get as much actual dust off as possible.

Then I just use an alcohol based cleaner if there is actual residue to remove.

Be very gentle with anything that actually touches those surfaces.

[LiquidAir]

Do not use any kind of cloth on the corrugated side of the viewfinder screen as the microlenses on the surface act like sand paper and clog up with material they abrade off the cloth.

[BeemerChef]

Great... thank you... I think it will go out to be cleaned!...
Be well...
Ara & Spirit

[cmason]

Great... thank you... I think it will go out to be cleaned!...
Be well...
Ara & Spirit

You shouldnt have to send it to Canon. I have had luck simply blowing them out...especially removing dust from the focusing screen (thing at top). I rarely get anything sticking to the mirror itself.

I recommend a Rocket Blower: it is cheap,and simple...there is a filter in it that helps keep air that it blows dust free. Far better than your mouth, and much cheaper than aerosol cans, much gentler too.

Rocket Blower (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/388983-REG/Giottos_AA1920_Rocket_Air_Blower_.html)

[BeemerChef]

I just found out at a little camera shop here while running errands in St George (utah) that the cleaning fluid for the 30D is different than the 5D! The E2 is for the 5D... So will try that now... it is really upseting to have a camera that is only a month old, 3000 clicks and cannot shoot anything over f4!!!
Will keep you posted...
Be well and always appreciate the help. The logistics of living on the road makes things a bit more difficult!
Be well... Ara & Spirit

[cmason]

You are being fed a line: there is no difference by camera in cleaning fluid. E2 is great stuff. Use it on your lenses and your sensor, but dont use it on your mirror or focus screen.

Can you tell us more about not being able to shoot anything over f4? What exactly are you trying to do?

[Bendr]

Also, Realize, Most specks of dust you see in the viewfinder will not show up when you take a picture, the ones that will show up are on the filter in front of the sensor... For cleaning this, I personally use the Copper Hill method. You can read about it at http://www.copperhillimages.com/

There is a nice long thread all about sensor cleaning here: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=8350

And if you do a search for "Sensor cleaning" it will turn up even more threads on the topic.


Lastly, if you can show us a picture with the spots we can probably help figure out what is causing them...

Ben

[ziggy53]

You are being fed a line: there is no difference by camera in cleaning fluid. E2 is great stuff. Use it on your lenses and your sensor, but dont use it on your mirror or focus screen.

...

According to the page at "Photographic Solution" (the people who make Eclipse and E2 cleaning fluids) the Canon 30D and the 5D are recommended to use different fluids:

http://www.photosol.com/cameras_bymfg.html

I suggest contacting them directly for clarification:

http://www.photosol.com/contact.htm

[LiquidAir]

According to the page at "Photographic Solution" (the people who make Eclipse and E2 cleaning fluids) the Canon 30D and the 5D are recommended to use different fluids:



A year or so ago someone managed to destroy the anti-reflective coating on his 5D with Eclipse. It's not clear whether the problem was the fluid or the fact that he scrubbed too hard but I think that one episode resulted in Eclipse changing their recommendation for the 5D to E2.

[cmason]

According to the page at "Photographic Solution" (the people who make Eclipse and E2 cleaning fluids) the Canon 30D and the 5D are recommended to use different fluids:

http://www.photosol.com/cameras_bymfg.html

I suggest contacting them directly for clarification:

http://www.photosol.com/contact.htm

From my understanding, Eclipse is for every camera, there are newer solutions that are prefered for newer cameras. dont think there are restrictions on eclipse on a 5D but would like to see what you find out, since E2 is newer than a 5D, I have to think Eclipse is acceptable with it as well.

[BeemerChef]

According to the page at "Photographic Solution" (the people who make Eclipse and E2 cleaning fluids) the Canon 30D and the 5D are recommended to use different fluids:

http://www.photosol.com/cameras_bymfg.html

I suggest contacting them directly for clarification:

http://www.photosol.com/contact.htm

He has the sheet from Photgraphic solution and it did have the list of cameras that should use the Eclipse and others that should use E2.
Trying to shot? I shoot a lot of landscape and at F4 not only I get much blurred background but also with the 28~105mm IS "L" mega vignette.

Well, I give up!!! Where is the dirt? How strange as all was fine, one spot only, till I removed the lens! There is a Co. "camerarepair.com" that claims 3 days turn around on cleaning... might try them.

http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/photos/358997141_DYSp5-L.jpg

This above is at f9

http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/photos/358997182_kaAP4-L.jpg

Above at f18

http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/photos/358997214_YEEsc-L.jpg

above at f4, clean but vignettes and no depth!

http://beemerchef.smugmug.com/photos/358997276_G3x7B-L.jpg

f9 again...

All "seems" clean inside... I might send the lens in also...

Anyhow, frustrating... will have to rent a camera for a couple weeks as my 30D is the same way... lesson learned!

Be well... Ara & Spirit

[cmason]

That is sensor dust...you need a sensor cleaning system like Copperhill. It isnt a scary as it first sounds. you can do it yourself in minutes. Check out Bendr's links above.

(btw, Copperhill uses Eclipse/E2)

[BeemerChef]

That is sensor dust...you need a sensor cleaning system like Copperhill. It isnt a scary as it first sounds. you can do it yourself in minutes. Check out Bendr's links above.

(btw, Copperhill uses Eclipse/E2)

I have been using Copperhill for a year or more now. Got the E2 today for the 5D... What am I doing wrong?... no rubbing hard enough? 3 to 4 drops and about the pressure of a pencil eraser...
OK... I will try one more time!!! But... It looks real clean...:scratch

Be well... Ara & Spirit

[LiquidAir]

I have been using Copperhill for a year or more now. Got the E2 today for the 5D... What am I doing wrong?... no rubbing hard enough? 3 to 4 drops and about the pressure of a pencil eraser...
OK... I will try one more time!!! But... I took real clean...:scratch

Be well... Ara & Spirit

This is my technique with the Copperhill method:

I first start by stopping down to f/22 and taking a longish (around 2 second) exposure of my ceiling to get a sense of where the dust is.

Next: I start with the dry brush. I blow on the brush with a Rocket Blower and then sweep the sensor once. I blow again before each sweep until I have covered the entire surface of the sensor.

Next, another f/22 shot of the ceiling to see where I am. If I am lucky, I am done. If I am not, I go to the wet technique.

When using the wet technique, I drag using only the weight of the paddle on the sensor. Each pass, I take another shot of the ceiling to see how I am doing. Sometimes one is enough. Sometimes it takes as many as three passes. Each pass is done with a new clean PEC pad.

The key with the wet pass is only try to clean things that are still there after the dry brush. If the wet pass deposits something new on the sensor, it is usually loose enough that I can pick it up with the dry brush instead.

The key here is to keep an eye on how you are doing by taking a new exposure between each pass. Anything that moves around is best taken care of with the dry brush. Only things which stubbornly stick in one place require wet cleaning.

[BeemerChef]

Well LiquidAir... I have many spatulas for the 5D... did about 20 passes with no better results. I have a lot of patience and that was OK!:D
It has left this morning for Canon (CA)... same with the 30D... same problem. I really do not understand where that dust.specs.lint is!!! I used my "L" lens on the 30D and luckily it was a different dirt... so it is not in the lens! Blows me away... Ah! back to my faithful 10MP, IS with two gyroscopes Vivitar A20!!!
Listen, thanks for all your efforts, I thought for a while i was doing it all wrong... I wish I was.
You be well... see you down the road... right?