[JJ_SO]

For those who are not familiar with the sensor cleaning technique used by a big lens rental service: http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2010/04/...era-sensor

 

I always wondered what that adhesion cushion "Dust-Aid" was. Now I found one like this: 



 

For those of you speaking German: http://www.eyelead.eu/produkte/r-produkte/tup.html

[dave9t5]

Not all fluids and swabs are created equal or clean the same things, for example:

http://visibledust.com/WetCleaningManual.php

http://www.visibledust.com/products.php#cleaning

 

You might need a swab and cleaner combo suitable for more aggressive contaminants?

[JJ_SO]

Possible. I just wonder how they would get onto the sensor? It might be as well a clever marketing idea, so they can sell another highly expensive fluid with secret ingredients which could as well be alcohol and a bit of a detergent... no doubt, the fluid is working but some doubts about the value of the liquids. On the other side, a drop per swab is enough...


The text for this eyelead thing says it removes also spots of oil. I'm looking forward to it because I think it's a good way to lift the particles off the sensor instead of moving them over it although those AA filters are hard to scratch.


I still think less is more, but I also think it becomes easier with more experience. And how to get experience?

[borisbg]

JoJy, are you going to try eyelead method? Please post your impressions, I would love to hear it. If this sticky patch do the job it will be great. 

[JJ_SO]

Yes, I ordered this thing. Always thought about getting Dust-Aid which is a bit cheaper - but with shipping costs the price was too high to me. That eyelead is a German manufacturer and easier to get in Europe. Amazon stocks it. Should arrive in a couple of days, will post my impressions later.

[Guest]

Just my two cents. I've stayed away from wet cleaning. If you ever cleaned glass or a mirror, to get it complete streak-free takes some effort.

So far, with a blower and a static brush, I've been able to get rid of almost all dust, and the remainder doesn't affect pictures, it's only visible with smallest apertures on the computer when contrast is dramatically increased. 

[borisbg]

Photonius, which static brush do you use?

[dave9t5]

Possible. I just wonder how they would get onto the sensor? It might be as well a clever marketing idea, so they can sell another highly expensive fluid with secret ingredients which could as well be alcohol and a bit of a detergent... no doubt, the fluid is working but some doubts about the value of the liquids. On the other side, a drop per swab is enough...

 

How...it's a Nikon?

 

...complaining about expensive $9 cost to clean the most expensive component in a $3000 body...hummm...

[JJ_SO]

First, the D800 never had oil on sensor because of the shutter. And the D600 never was sold for 3000$

 

Second, the cleaning fluid already is meant for oil. Or are you referring to the cleaning fluid for the antistatic brush?

 

Third, how do you come up with 9$? Here in Switzerland I pay 30$ for 8ml. Even perfume or printer ink is cheaper

 

Fourth, don't forget the swabs. 48 swabs for FX cost here 181$. And I don't have any customers to pay for that.

 

So, one cleaning costs about 5$ if I'm lucky enough to get it done with one swab. But this calculation just doesn't care about antistatic brush (between 120 and 180$, depending), blower (between 20 and 70$) gloves and a sensor loupe (arround 100$)

 

So, the equipment for cleaning a sensor is in a way as expensive as printing your big size prints yourself and the only reason to justify the costs and the risk of destructing something is the time I would have to wait to get the camera back from cleaning. Cleaning itself is between 60 and 100$ if I ask the repair center or a camera store. If you have to pay less - that doesn't help me, I have to deal with the costs in Switzerland. Importing those stuff form U.S. comes with the slight disadvantage that if anything goes wrong the shipping costs of sending the stuff back eat up very easily the tiny price difference.

[Guest]

Photonius, which static brush do you use?

 

 

dustpatrol, http://www.thedustpatrol.com/products.html   

Comes in a little plastic tube, easy to take along on travels, not that expensive. (~25$).  I got it from in Europe from some UK shop, for a similar price. So, even in Switzerland, you can keep your costs down... ;-)

 

Probably like any brush, it takes two or three times to get the sensor clean (in between I check with taking pictures of a white wall with aperture >32, and looking at it on the computer with severely cranked up contrast). Usually what happens is that some dust is left at the edge, when one doesn't really push the brush completely to the edge, or some dust swirls around, and settles again - hence the 2 - 3 times). With practice, it probably could be done in one swipe.

 

The brush I clean by blowing it with the rocket blower, I avoid touching it to avoid grease.