Dust on sensor

Grumpy_one · April 30, 2008

How can I tell? I've read that some of you check at f8 or f11. Whats the check? I'm see dark spots at the same place's in sky photo's. I just cleaned the camera side of the lens and took a sky photo and don't see the spots, I'll try later (same place and time) and see if it repeats. But was curious at this point what the check out was. Thanks

Grumpy_one · April 30, 2008

I think I just answered my own question
Here's one at f22, looks like sensor dust to me....

KennyS · April 30, 2008

Grumpy_one wrote:

How can I tell? I've read that some of you check at f8 or f11. Whats the check? I'm see dark spots at the same place's in sky photo's. I just cleaned the camera side of the lens and took a sky photo and don't see the spots, I'll try later (same place and time) and see if it repeats. But was curious at this point what the check out was. Thanks

I run the ISO at max, and take a shot of a piece of white paper at f22. You can also, duplicate the layer in photoshop. Click Images>Adjustments>Equalize, and pow...dust spots.

KennyS · April 30, 2008

Wow, looks like you've got a busy night cloning ahead.:uhoh:jawdrop

Art Scott · April 30, 2008

Time to drag out the COPPER HILL goodies and go to work....in less than 15 minutes all should be gone................:D

Grumpy_one · May 1, 2008

KennyS wrote:

I run the ISO at max, and take a shot of a piece of white paper at f22. You can also, duplicate the layer in photoshop. Click Images>Adjustments>Equalize, and pow...dust spots.

Yikes, it was like looking at a petri dish!!! I got some splannin to do.

Richard · May 1, 2008

Grumpy_one wrote:

Yikes, it was like looking at a petri dish!!! I got some splannin to do.

Pretty scary looking, isn't it? But nothing unusal, in my experience, so don't panic. Copperhill will clean that up nicely.

SloYerRoll · May 1, 2008

Richard wrote:

Pretty scary looking, isn't it? But nothing unusal, in my experience, so don't panic. Copperhill will clean that up nicely.

Just to add to that. Don't freak if the first cleaning doesn't remove all the debris.

Additional cleanings will eventually break up the badness. I'd wait a day between cleanings. But I've heard others do them back to back w/ no problems.

Photoskipper · May 1, 2008

wow, very good collection.

I would consider to send for professional cleaning if my sensor is in such conditional. I am not sure how much I can do with DIY tools.

Scott_Quier · May 1, 2008

Photoskipper wrote:

wow, very good collection.

I would consider to send for professional cleaning if my sensor is in such conditional. I am not sure how much I can do with DIY tools.

Not worth the effort. As Richard said, this is common. For me, this is not bad at all as I've had "tests" come out looking much worse. And, as he said, a Copperhill cleaning will get that looking pristine in now time (well, under an hour anyway) and you're back to shooting. Sending it in, you're without the camera for a minimum of a day (if you live near a service center) and as much as a couple of weeks if you have to ship the camera.

As for the test itself - here's what I do:

Pick an aperture I want to test at. The more stopped down the lens, the more critical the test.
Using either my 24-105 or 28-75, zoom to the long end of the focal range.
Turn off AF
Set focus to infinity
Set to Aperture Priority
Set aperture to the desired value
Set ISO to 100
Set image size to large JPG (shooting this in RAW is just so much a waste of time )
Point it at a white computer screen from a really close distance - I have the end of the lens just a couple of inches (that's about 5cm for the sane portions of the world) from the monitor. I use WinXP, so I just open up a Notepad window and maximize it.
Press the shutter. During the exposure (the shutter speed will be on the order of a second or two), move the camera around to make sure you don't get any artifacts from the screen. This shouldn't happen as you are focused so far out, but it doesn't hurt either. Besides, when was the last time you intentionally moved the camera that much? It's fun to break the rules once in a while:D
Load the resulting JPG into CS, do an auto-levels on it. Wow - look at all those dust bunnies!

claudermilk · May 1, 2008

Yep, typical. This will just take several PecPads to get it clean--one swipe in each direction, then replace the pad. Eventually the stubborn ones will start the smear, then will go away. Just take your time & be patient.

SloYerRoll · May 1, 2008

Photoskipper wrote:

I would consider to send for professional cleaning if my sensor is in such conditional.

If you do the tests. You'll see your ensor is probably the same as the rest of our

You just don't notice it that much

KED · May 1, 2008

Scott_Quier wrote:

Not worth the effort. As Richard said, this is common. For me, this is not bad at all as I've had "tests" come out looking much worse. And, as he said, a Copperhill cleaning will get that looking pristine in now time (well, under an hour anyway) and you're back to shooting. Sending it in, you're without the camera for a minimum of a day (if you live near a service center) and as much as a couple of weeks if you have to ship the camera.

As for the test itself - here's what I do:
Pick an aperture I want to test at. The more stopped down the lens, the more critical the test.

Using either my 24-105 or 28-75, zoom to the long end of the focal range.

Turn off AF

Set focus to infinity

Set to Aperture Priority

Set aperture to the desired value

Set ISO to 100

Set image size to large JPG (shooting this in RAW is just so much a waste of time )

Point it at a white computer screen from a really close distance - I have the end of the lens just a couple of inches (that's about 5cm for the sane portions of the world) from the monitor. I use WinXP, so I just open up a Notepad window and maximize it.

Press the shutter. During the exposure (the shutter speed will be on the order of a second or two), move the camera around to make sure you don't get any artifacts from the screen. This shouldn't happen as you are focused so far out, but it doesn't hurt either. Besides, when was the last time you intentionally moved the camera that much? It's fun to break the rules once in a while:D

Load the resulting JPG into CS, do an auto-levels on it. Wow - look at all those dust bunnies!

That is hugely useful as we head into green pollen season here in the East. Thanks!

KED · May 1, 2008

claudermilk wrote:

Yep, typical. This will just take several PecPads to get it clean--one swipe in each direction, then replace the pad. Eventually the stubborn ones will start the smear, then will go away. Just take your time & be patient.

I just read my manuals which talk only about using a blower. Do you know whether there are there warranty issues associated with actually wiping the sensor?

Icebear · May 1, 2008

No. Not unless you scratch it

.
But seriously (snigger) if you use a system like Eclipse & Sensor Swabs, after using a blower like a Giottos, you aren't likely to hurt your filter. Just read the effing directions twelve times BEFORE you lock your mirror up. And make sure you have a full charge on your battery, or are on a/c. Check out this site for some more good info.

Oh, and you're not actually touching the sensor, just the low-pass filter in front of it.

Photoskipper · May 1, 2008

SloYerRoll wrote:

If you do the tests. You'll see your ensor is probably the same as the rest of our You just don't notice it that much

I believe so. But I do check the sensor regularly and use rocket blower to clean it before I put the body back to the dry box. The full frame senosr in 5D gives me more headache but yet not so bad.

Here are some ways to reduce the dust collection on the sensor:
1. Use the zoom lens. wider focal length and avoid change lens in the field. A good walk about lens can cater for most of situation, such as the 24-105 or 18 -200
2. Remove dust from the body and lens by blower before open up the lens mounts and the lens cover when you need to change the lens.
3. Clean the camera bag regularly, I found the dust and fibre usually come from the camera bag. Regular vaccum the bag or the case may help.
4. replace the torn or worn divider or sponge inside the camea bag. They may produce extra foreign body to the camera.
5. Keep the camera and lens in a dust free container such as dry box or plastic box when it is not in use.
6. Consider to bring extra camera loaded with different lenses so that no need to change lens in the field. I usually do it for the projects or serious photo trips.
7. Try to change lens under control environment such as in-door, in the studio or at home. Never do it outdoor during the windy day.
9. Change the lens only after the camera shut down for awhile. The static charge built-up on the sensor will attract dust from surrounding
8. Pray hard.

claudermilk · May 2, 2008

KED wrote:

I just read my manuals which talk only about using a blower. Do you know whether there are there warranty issues associated with actually wiping the sensor?

If you scratch the filter they will charge you for replacement. This is just extreme CYA caution on the manufacturer's part (and probably a method to drive some business to theit facilities). Damage to the filter from careful wet swab cleaning is very rare; I've heard of a couple of cases of someone using way too much & getting some under the filter & I've probably read about a scratch or two (can't recall any specific cases for sure). The method I KNOW has had issues with damaging the filter is the Dust-Aid product, which has damaged the coating & their response was less than encouraging. IIRC the reports of replacement was under $200.

To reinforce Icebear's comment: you are not touching the actual sensor, but a glass filter in front of it. Much cheaper to replace.

Scott_Quier · May 2, 2008

Icebear wrote:

No. Not unless you scratch it .
But seriously (snigger) if you use a system like Eclipse & Sensor Swabs, after using a blower like a Giottos, you aren't likely to hurt your filter. Just read the effing directions twelve times BEFORE you lock your mirror up. And make sure you have a full charge on your battery, or are on a/c. Check out this site for some more good info.

Oh, and you're not actually touching the sensor, just the low-pass filter in front of it.

And, when you visit/read the site indicated, be aware that you will need to get the correct Eclipse solution. There's one for older cameras. And another for the newer cameras with tin oxide coating on the top filter. If I understand correctly, if you clean SnO2 coated filter with the older solution - bad things happen. I don't know if the reverse is true or not.

pathfinder · May 3, 2008

Icebear wrote:

No. Not unless you scratch it .
But seriously (snigger) if you use a system like Eclipse & Sensor Swabs, after using a blower like a Giottos, you aren't likely to hurt your filter. Just read the effing directions twelve times BEFORE you lock your mirror up. And make sure you have a full charge on your battery, or are on a/c. Check out this site for some more good info.

Oh, and you're not actually touching the sensor, just the low-pass filter in front of it.

The cost for replacing the low pass filter in a 5D is $306.00 - DAMHIK Turnaround is less than 2 weeks. Now my sensor is clean as a whistle

I recommend avoiding Delkin swabs. I have wet cleaned 10Ds, 20Ds, 5Ds, 1DsMklls without incident with Sensor swabs..........

Grumpy_one · May 3, 2008

So there's "sensor swabs" and there's "pec-pads". The sensor swabs seem more expensive. Ready to buy a kit. I would like some feed back on these. Thanks

BeachBill · May 3, 2008

I've used a LensPen SensorKlear on my 30D three times over the past 18 months with great results. I test my sensor similar to what Scott Quier describes -- white monitor screen, f/22, out of focus exposure.

SloYerRoll · May 3, 2008

Photoskipper wrote:

Here are some ways to reduce the dust collection on the sensor:
1. Use the zoom lens. wider focal length and avoid change lens in the field. A good walk about lens can cater for most of situation, such as the 24-105 or 18 -200\

This is only true if the zoom lens is of a high quality and provides dust protection. When you use the tele funtion on a zoom lens, air needs to come from somewhere since there is no vacumme created in the camera assembly.

I can't speak for the 24-105. But I know that the 18-200 doesn't provide any protection like this.

Art Scott · May 3, 2008

An investment to take care of your camera investment

Grumpy_one wrote:

So there's "sensor swabs" and there's "pec-pads". The sensor swabs seem more expensive. Ready to buy a kit. I would like some feed back on these. Thanks

So here is the begining of a great journey in learning to clean your sensor properly.....THE COPPERHILL METHOD................read the site carefully and order the correct kit for your camera....this is just as much an investment as your camera was an investment......now invest the time to learn to take care of that camera investment.......

Photoskipper · May 4, 2008

SloYerRoll wrote:

This is only true if the zoom lens is of a high quality and provides dust protection. When you use the tele funtion on a zoom lens, air needs to come from somewhere since there is no vacumme created in the camera assembly.

I can't speak for the 24-105. But I know that the 18-200 doesn't provide any protection like this.

I do agree with Slo that some zoom lens is not dust prove.
My point is that it can, at least, reduce of chance to get dust into the senor without frequently change the lenses in the field. The movement of front lens barrel do suck in air and potentially dust as well. That is the reason we need to blow off the visible dust on the body regularly and try to clean the camera bag with vaccum. It may just "help" but not 100% proof.

Changing the lenses in the field may invite not only small dust but may also other particules. In one occasion, the mirror of one of my old SLR got jam with a "sand". It might due to the change of lens in one of the windy day some time ago.

Grumpy_one · May 4, 2008

Art Scott wrote:

So here is the begining of a great journey in learning to clean your sensor properly.....THE COPPERHILL METHOD................read the site carefully and order the correct kit for your camera....this is just as much an investment as your camera was an investment......now invest the time to learn to take care of that camera investment.......

Thanks for the link Art. Been to that site already, it just seems that the sensor swabs are more available locally and I always try to buy locally first. Internet puts a real dampner on that though. I understand the method, was just curious which product people use and like the most. While we're on the subject, does anyone use the sensor sweep? Is it worth the money? Thanks

XHawkeye · May 4, 2008

http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/

Pec Pads & Eclipse from a local camera store plus a modified cheap spatula from Wally World. Have enough supplies to do it another 90+ times for less then $20.

Cheaper the saptula the better. Much easier to chamfer the end and to fold the Pec Pad on a thin one then a thick one.
Practiced with paper first to get the folds right.
More isn't better when it comes to Eclipse, too much will leave spots which one then has to clean off.

My spatula, created with a utility knife.

Before

After don't worry about the lines, shots taken of a Trinitron CRT

Grumpy_one · May 5, 2008

XHawkeye wrote:

http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/

Pec Pads & Eclipse from a local camera store plus a modified cheap spatula from Wally World. Have enough supplies to do it another 90+ times for less then $20.

Cheaper the saptula the better. Much easier to chamfer the end and to fold the Pec Pad on a thin one then a thick one.
Practiced with paper first to get the folds right.
More isn't better when it comes to Eclipse, too much will leave spots which one then has to clean off.

My spatula, created with a utility knife.

Before

After don't worry about the lines, shots taken of a Trinitron CRT

I like it.

Photog4Christ · August 13, 2009

Grumpy_one wrote:

So there's "sensor swabs" and there's "pec-pads". The sensor swabs seem more expensive. Ready to buy a kit. I would like some feed back on these. Thanks

You DON'T want PEC-PADS, you DO want Sensor Swabs. Both PEC-PADS and Sensor Swabs are manufactured by the same company and they say on their web site not to use PEC-PADS when cleaning the sensor.

ARKreations · August 14, 2009

Grumpy_one wrote:

Thanks for the link Art. Been to that site already, it just seems that the sensor swabs are more available locally and I always try to buy locally first. Internet puts a real dampner on that though. I understand the method, was just curious which product people use and like the most. While we're on the subject, does anyone use the sensor sweep? Is it worth the money? Thanks

When I started to see dust on my 18 mo. old D80 and also on my 2 wk. old D300, I took the plunge and ordered the complete Copper Hill Mega kit that included the Sensor Sweep.

Step 1: Rocket Blower - made very little difference.
Step 2: Sensor Sweep - both cameras clean as a whistle (D300 after 1 pass, D80 after 2 passes) - no point in going any further!

BTW, I placed my order on Saturday night and had it on Wed. - great company to order from. (And my daughter loved the slinky and M&M's!)

Dust on sensor

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