Ok, I need to clean my sensor but money is a bit tight right now. I have the 20D. What do you recommend me getting?
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John MuellerRegistered UsersPosts: 2,555Major grins
edited June 23, 2005
Have you cleaned it?
I would try a blower first. The brushes work great,but if its you first time you might find that they dont do the job because flack and perhaps some type of lubricant is on the sensor.In that case you might want to go the wet method.
If you do get the brush get the econo pack.The fan brush works great on cleaning mirror and view screen too.
I' scared to try cleaning it with just a brush after hearing horror stories about how it made things worse. I have seen compressed air cans also, but some of them have warnings to not use them on cameras. Is there a "proper" brand out there?
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John MuellerRegistered UsersPosts: 2,555Major grins
edited June 23, 2005
You have to get over the fear of cleaning
When you ask,which brand are you talking about the brushes?
Never use canned air to blow on the sensor.Use a bulb blower.Like these
For brushes read all the info.
I use canned air for the brushes,but dont shake the can.
jeff lapointRegistered UsersPosts: 1,228Major grins
edited June 24, 2005
hot subject this sensor cleaning...
most of the people in the know will tell you to do the copperhill method.
i havent gone there yet, but i have had success with the blower/brush tandem. a few weeks ago i had a huge hair or piece of lint on my sensor. in all my pics at f8. rocket blower took care of it first try.
a week ago i purchased a used 300d for a family member and yesterday i checked the dust situation by shooting the sky at a very small aperature...dust everywhere. tried the rocket with no luck. then i went to the sensor sweep from the folks at copperhill. now no more dust. i used it on my 20d as well with similar results.
the brush/wet debate is a furious one right now in some forums. i would go the wet copperhill route if there was a serious nasty in my landscape shots that i could not remove via blower and brush.
if you decide to go with a brush, i personally see no reason to pay the big bucks for the visable dust brush when you can get the copperhill brush for a fraction of the cost.
i think the golden rule of sensor cleaning is dont do it unless it is punking your photos...
here's the philosophical issue i'm grappling with at the moment:
right now i feel the order of risk from each method in ascending order is: blower<brush<wet, so my algorithm is
1st. blower
2nd. brush for blower refractory dust
3rd. wet as nuclear option
this is based on the assumption that the different methods have various levels of risk. here's the real question: what if they all had about the same risk? or if at least the brush and the wet had about the same since these are the two that actually touch the sensor.then i would be taking 2x the risk vs. someone who went right to the wet method...i'd be interested to see what the cleaning gurus think...
Ok, I need to clean my sensor but money is a bit tight right now. I have the 20D. What do you recommend me getting?
Just cleaned my sensor for the first time today using the Sensor swab, pre made. had ordered the copperhill but the dust bunny was quicker than the mail.
Made an emergency trip to local camera store and got the Sensor Swab which appears to be almost the same as the copperhill method.They have a web site and a flash video, upper right screen, that is helpful. You will need the #2 swab for the 20D.
Sounds scarry but actually simple. The sensor is recessed in the box so you will need good light and your reading glasses if you wear them.
Ok several swabs may be needed. Then gently blow it again if you still see the bunny. Patience is the key here. Also, don't forget the obvious, dust may be on the mirror. That happened to me, but now everything appears to be clean.
Also clean the lens as well. I did not clean a new lens yesterday several shots later dust bunnies everywhere.
Actually it was easy, just take your time.
Comments
I would try a blower first. The brushes work great,but if its you first time you might find that they dont do the job because flack and perhaps some type of lubricant is on the sensor.In that case you might want to go the wet method.
If you do get the brush get the econo pack.The fan brush works great on cleaning mirror and view screen too.
Cincinnati Smug Leader
When you ask,which brand are you talking about the brushes?
Never use canned air to blow on the sensor.Use a bulb blower.Like these
For brushes read all the info.
I use canned air for the brushes,but dont shake the can.
Cincinnati Smug Leader
most of the people in the know will tell you to do the copperhill method.
i havent gone there yet, but i have had success with the blower/brush tandem. a few weeks ago i had a huge hair or piece of lint on my sensor. in all my pics at f8. rocket blower took care of it first try.
a week ago i purchased a used 300d for a family member and yesterday i checked the dust situation by shooting the sky at a very small aperature...dust everywhere. tried the rocket with no luck. then i went to the sensor sweep from the folks at copperhill. now no more dust. i used it on my 20d as well with similar results.
the brush/wet debate is a furious one right now in some forums. i would go the wet copperhill route if there was a serious nasty in my landscape shots that i could not remove via blower and brush.
if you decide to go with a brush, i personally see no reason to pay the big bucks for the visable dust brush when you can get the copperhill brush for a fraction of the cost.
i think the golden rule of sensor cleaning is dont do it unless it is punking your photos...
here's the philosophical issue i'm grappling with at the moment:
right now i feel the order of risk from each method in ascending order is: blower<brush<wet, so my algorithm is
1st. blower
2nd. brush for blower refractory dust
3rd. wet as nuclear option
this is based on the assumption that the different methods have various levels of risk. here's the real question: what if they all had about the same risk? or if at least the brush and the wet had about the same since these are the two that actually touch the sensor.then i would be taking 2x the risk vs. someone who went right to the wet method...i'd be interested to see what the cleaning gurus think...
-jeff
Just cleaned my sensor for the first time today using the Sensor swab, pre made. had ordered the copperhill but the dust bunny was quicker than the mail.
Made an emergency trip to local camera store and got the Sensor Swab which appears to be almost the same as the copperhill method.They have a web site and a flash video, upper right screen, that is helpful. You will need the #2 swab for the 20D.
Sounds scarry but actually simple. The sensor is recessed in the box so you will need good light and your reading glasses if you wear them.
Ok several swabs may be needed. Then gently blow it again if you still see the bunny. Patience is the key here. Also, don't forget the obvious, dust may be on the mirror. That happened to me, but now everything appears to be clean.
Also clean the lens as well. I did not clean a new lens yesterday several shots later dust bunnies everywhere.
Actually it was easy, just take your time.
Forgot the link: http://www.photosol.com/swabproduct.htm