Sensor cleaning

[matt22]

Hope you all had a great new year!

I'm curious to know how many people here clean there own sensor or do you send it off to be done?

I've just started shooting in a studio setting and it's become very apparent just how dirty my sensor is when using a white back ground.

Keen to hear your responses.

Cheers

Matt

[macmich]

have a look at the cleaning kits at 1 of the sponsors camera checkpoint, it sounds a hard and tedious job but it is quite easy to do your own cleaning
macca

[ricktas]

clean my own using gear from cameracheckpoint

[matt22]

Thanks for the info gents, I will order one in the morning.

How often do you conduct a wet clean? As needed or do it routinely?

[ricktas]

Thanks for the info gents, I will order one in the morning.

How often do you conduct a wet clean? As needed or do it routinely?

As needed. It also depends on your camera. Some have automatic sensor cleaning, using an ultrasonic device built into the camera, others do not. Some people change lenses in the field, several times a day, others do not. So any cleaning is based on whether it needs to be, or not.

[Tannin]

What camera are you using, Mat22? It's unusual these days to have much trouble at all with a dirty sensor. I hardly ever have to clean mine now. In the old days, before self-cleaning sensors, it was a constant chore. If your camera is self-cleaning and you are still getting dust problems, you might want to look into it a bit more carefully as this shouldn't normally happen. (Well, maybe once in a long while, but normally you can go years between cleans.) If it is a regular issue for you, there will be something wrong, perhaps excessive dust in the sir when you are changing lenses (unlikely in the studio); maybe excessive lubrication on the internal moving parts (not normally a factor but the odd model has had a problem with this); or simply holding the camera incorrectly at start-up time. (Assuming you have the normal setting, which is for the sensor to self-clean for a second during start-up, hold the camera level. This allows the dust dislodged by the vibrating sensor to settle towards the base of the casing, where there are sticky pads designed to latch on to it and stop it floating up again.

All that aside, it's good to have a cleaning kit. You should almost never need it, but when you do it's a life-saver!

[bitrusty]

Hi guys sorry to Hi Jack the thread but im also after recommendations for sensor cleaning although mine is from oil splatter and it just wont seam to budge

[ricktas]

Hi guys sorry to Hi Jack the thread but im also after recommendations for sensor cleaning although mine is from oil splatter and it just wont seam to budge

Was it there from taking ownership? Some cameras have been cleaned for free by the authorised repairers due to this issue. That is also if you did not buy your camera grey market. You can call the brand's head office in Aus to discuss.

[bitrusty]

Thanks Ricktas it was a grey market and when i rang to deal with it the company said they would clean the sensor and would take 6 weeks even though there was a recall for my model camera.I learnt my lesson about grey market the hard way

[matt22]

What camera are you using, Mat22? It's unusual these days to have much trouble at all with a dirty sensor. I hardly ever have to clean mine now. In the old days, before self-cleaning sensors, it was a constant chore. If your camera is self-cleaning and you are still getting dust problems, you might want to look into it a bit more carefully as this shouldn't normally happen. (Well, maybe once in a long while, but normally you can go years between cleans.) If it is a regular issue for you, there will be something wrong, perhaps excessive dust in the sir when you are changing lenses (unlikely in the studio); maybe excessive lubrication on the internal moving parts (not normally a factor but the odd model has had a problem with this); or simply holding the camera incorrectly at start-up time. (Assuming you have the normal setting, which is for the sensor to self-clean for a second during start-up, hold the camera level. This allows the dust dislodged by the vibrating sensor to settle towards the base of the casing, where there are sticky pads designed to latch on to it and stop it floating up again.

All that aside, it's good to have a cleaning kit. You should almost never need it, but when you do it's a life-saver!

I'm using a 50d currently, it's been used a lot in the field and a few international trips and I have never cleaned it (sensor wise). Lots of lens changes out in the dirt etc etc. Wasn't until I started to do some studio stuff with white backgrounds that I realized how dirty it had become.

I picked up one of the kits as recommended and it's come up really well, no more specs!

Auto clean is on as well

[Tannin]

^ Excellent! Chances are that you will have very little trouble now. I use mine a fair bit, including many lens changes in awkward outdoor situations, and I doubt I have to clean a sensor more often than once every year or two. Like you, I have a 50D.

[jonharrisphotography]

I picked up a bunch of cleaning equipment from the guys at *removed - please read the site rules. In particular rules 3-7*
Although a word of advice. I'm pretty handy with technical things like this, I've pulled apart many an electronic device, replaced iPhone screens, etc, so feel I am pretty competent.

However I was unlucky enough to have a bad experience cleaning the focussing screen on my 5D MkIII... not sure if I've smudged something on it or whether it has been scratched, but I'm reluctant to touch it again - looks like it will be going to the pros for rectification.

I probably should've researched a bit more before diving in and cleaning the focussing screen, as it seems to be a common-ish occurrence with the 5D3 screens...

Anyway, best of luck with your cleaning!

Jon

[arthurking83]

Focusing screens are easy to clean, but they are very fragile(or more accurately soft) being of a plastic material.

If you have scratched it and you don't like the annoyance, it should be easily removed and replaced.

If you have just smudged it in some way, again, you can easily take it out to clean it thoroughly to remove any smudge.

I've replaced the screens on my D800(without issue) and my D300(with an issue .. oops!).
With the D300, I accidentally scratched it whilst removing it .. but this was just a lapse in concentration on my part on this one single occasion.

I regularly remove the focus screen to clean it out 'properly' from my cameras.
At least 10 times on the D800 in the two years I've had it, and the D300 I've lost count how many times.
Sometimes you can get dust hairs on the upper side of the focus screen, which don't blow out, and only removal of the screen can get rid of them.

A high quality(thirdparty) screen can be had for under $100 for your 5D if it is scratched.

I don't know how easy it is to remove a Canon screen, but Nikon make it very easy with a simple retaining clip to hold them in.

And for cleaning(if it is only smudged) use a microfibre cloth with the screen completely enclosed in the cloth. Try not to touch it if you can, and if you have too, which you invariably have to, try to do so only on the sides of the edges.
To remove the screen, I place a pecpad inside the camera over the mirror(and stuff it in a bit so it doesn't fall out) and turn the camera the right way up so that it gently falls onto the pecpad.
And fit the screen back into the camera, I use tweezers with a strip of pecpad to stop the tweezers from damaging the screen.