HELP! time sensitive re cleaning sensor

wheresdavid

Sorry about the title but here is my situation. i cleaned the image sensor on my 40d last night using my artic butterfly brush and ended up with some "smearing" on the sensor. i guess there must have been some oil or "grease" on the brush.

my situation is this - i am in a small town in vietnam. in order for me to get to a canon repair center i will have to take a train tonight (weds 3/11) and then a train back the next day. i really don't want to do that if at all possible so here are my questions:

1) will the "smudges have a significant impact? (i am sure the answer is yes but i am just hoping) i guess that depends on how bad the smears are. i will go take some test shots after sending this.

2) can i clean it myself? all i have with me is lens solution (not sure the brand), lens tissue papers and a cloth. i haven't found any articles on how to clean smudges only how to get rid of dust

any advice would be greatly appreciated. O'll check back in a couple of hours since i don't have to leave to catch the train until 4pm. it is currently 9:30 am here, 8:30pm cst on 3/10.

cheers
Dave

rainbow

beware of what you use to clean sensor
It is unclear from your post if the "lens cleaner" is made for using on the sensor, versus on your lenses and filters. The products are probably different (which is why a sensor brush can be very expensive versus a cheap lens pen/brush).

The sensor (actually a cover over the sensor) is likely much more susceptible to scratching and damage and you should make sure that any product you use is designed for sensor cleaning. You should be able to find an appropriate product online -- probably one of the wet cleaning systems.

Do take test shots as the smear may not show under most conditions. At least this will take away the urgency about having to take a train tomorrow and allow you to wait for a cleaning product should you choose to order and do it yourself while still taking photos.

Also, I have read in forums that the smearing may be from inside the camera (not from your brush) as some of these self-cleaning sensors have an adhesive to catch the dust that may be the source of your smearing.

Try this link to a sensor cleaning article: http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/sensorclean.html

Good luck,
Dave

Art Scott

wheresdavid wrote:

Sorry about the title but here is my situation. i cleaned the image sensor on my 40d last night using my artic butterfly brush and ended up with some "smearing" on the sensor. i guess there must have been some oil or "grease" on the brush.

my situation is this - i am in a small town in vietnam. in order for me to get to a canon repair center i will have to take a train tonight (weds 3/11) and then a train back the next day. i really don't want to do that if at all possible so here are my questions:

1) will the "smudges have a significant impact? (i am sure the answer is yes but i am just hoping) i guess that depends on how bad the smears are. i will go take some test shots after sending this.

2) can i clean it myself? all i have with me is lens solution (not sure the brand), lens tissue papers and a cloth. i haven't found any articles on how to clean smudges only how to get rid of dust

any advice would be greatly appreciated. O'll check back in a couple of hours since i don't have to leave to catch the train until 4pm. it is currently 9:30 am here, 8:30pm cst on 3/10.

cheers
Dave

I have used a ZEISS lens cleaning pad...prewetted from factory.....TO clean my sensor while I was waiting for the copper hill kit to arrive......
I just took it out of sealed package and gentley wiped from right to left 3 or 4 times to get whiole sensor cleaned.....threw away used cleaner, got another new one and did it again......it was clean and no scratches or any type of adverse effect......
I only condone doing this as a last resort......if your using any other brand of cleaning pad beside ZEISS make sure they are very soft to the touch....................

wheresdavid

well i have decided not to try to do it myself. i took some test shots and at f8 the smudges show up in shots of the sky. however, at f8 i really couldn't see anything in a few portraits i took just now. hmm, it must be there. now the question is do i keep it the way it is (it will probably be months before i could send it in for cleaning or try myself - or be in a city that has a service center) or I could go to hanoi and get it done at the canon service center for free. now my only thought is, "is it possible that the canon tech could make matters worse"? i hope this wouldn't be an option but one never knows.

thanks for the input!

Dave

rainbow

wheresdavid wrote:

well i have decided not to try to do it myself. i took some test shots and at f8 the smudges show up in shots of the sky. however, at f8 i really couldn't see anything in a few portraits i took just now. hmm, it must be there. now the question is do i keep it the way it is (it will probably be months before i could send it in for cleaning or try myself - or be in a city that has a service center) or I could go to hanoi and get it done at the canon service center for free. now my only thought is, "is it possible that the canon tech could make matters worse"? i hope this wouldn't be an option but one never knows.

thanks for the input!

Dave

The Canon cleaning may no longer be free as of sometime this month -- perhaps just past (change of policy). You may want to contact Canon directly before making the trip and getting an idea of the costs if it is important to your decision-making.

wheresdavid

thanks for pointing that out to me. i did check with the regional office which is where the cleaning will be done and they informed that it will be free of charge. given this and the fact that it might be quite a while beofre i can have it cleaned properly i am leaning towards taking the train tonight which will mean two days (nights) of minimal sleep

cheers,

Dave

Richard

wheresdavid wrote:

thanks for pointing that out to me. i did check with the regional office which is where the cleaning will be done and they informed that it will be free of charge. given this and the fact that it might be quite a while beofre i can have it cleaned properly i am leaning towards taking the train tonight which will mean two days (nights) of minimal sleep

cheers,

Dave

If it is an oil or grease smudge, it won't go away. They also can be fairly large compared to dust bunnies. While it may not show up in every pic, Murphy's Law suggests that it will turn up at the worst possible time. Better to do something about it as soon as you get the chance. A brush will only make it worse (and further contaminate the brush). The Copperhill wet method is probably the best for this situation, but I don't know whether you can get the kit in Viet Nam.

wheresdavid

Thanks Richard.


Well i am waiting for the train and have an appoitment tomorrow at 3pm at the canon repair center. Hopefully the canon guys won't be spraying windex on it and using a rag to wipe it clean and end upscratching the sensor.

thanks again,

David

Scott_Quier

I have to agree with Richard - I think only a wet method will remove the grease smear. Anything dry will just spread it around for greater enjoyment.

While the Copperhill method is my weapon of choice, there are other options to consider. There is at least one tool that looks like a lens pen but isn't that has been reported to produce good results - sorry don't have a link right now. The point is, don't limit your search to just one tool.

Hope it all gets cleared up to your satisfaction.

P.S. - I don't think you need to worry about them using Windex and a dirty rag on your sensor. Maybe water and sandpaper though - it's cheaper:lol J/K!

ziggy53

The Canon 40D does have a conductive surface (Tin Oxide) over the anti-alias filter which helps to get rid of dust. The Eclipse E2 fluid is designed for proper cleaning without eroding/affecting the conductive surface.

pathfinder

If it it helps, I used an Arctic Butterfly on my 5D a year ago last spring, and found grease smears left all over my sensor's filter as well. The grease was probably from the camera's shutter, not the brush; but picked up by the brush along the edge of the sensor. Anyway, I was due to go overseas in about 6 weeks, so I diligently tried to remove the grease with an off brand sensor swab. Bad Idea!! I ended up with a large scratch across the anti aliasing filter and had to send it to Canon for replacement for ~ $150. It came back in time for my trip ( Thank You, Canon Factory Service ) and continues to function just fine to this day.

I had cleaned sensors many, many times previously, and I still do it, but I must confess, I am more cautious, careful, and less obsessive about an occasional dust bunny than I used to be. I still own an Arctic Butterfly (with a different brush), but the truth is, I have not used it since. Now I use a rocket blower, or wet cleaning. But grease I will send away to Canon.

aktse

pathfinder wrote:

If it it helps, I used an Arctic Butterfly on my 5D a year ago last spring, and found grease smears left all over my sensor's filter as well.

Skippy did the *exact* same thing.

But the wet method (she used copperhill) worked and it cleaned right up clap