Sensor cleaning products
I Simonius
Registered Users Posts: 1,034 Major grins
My experiences to date:
Photographic Solutions Sensor swab and Eclipse
The 59ml (2oz) bottle of Eclipse and packet of Sensor Swabs come in cardboard packages that don't have the quantity or size on the outside. The actual bottle of Eclipse does have the size on, and I count 8 swabs in the swab box.
[edit: according to photosolutions site there should be 12 per box - so check when you get it; as it's not sealed anyone can nick a couple and you won't be any the wiser until too late - as I just found out from warehouseexpress you're not getting a retrospective replacement:(]
First I'd like to say these products are reasonably priced and they do work;)
However you may need to repeat the process several times before you get the results you need, I used 6 of the 8 swabs before I got the results I wanted. This was no doubt due to inexperience though and I expect to need less attempts on my next try.
The instructions say to put one or two drops on the 'tip' of the swab, the diagram says two drops but their demo video says two to four drops. This is confusing as most reports of using this product also state that it works best with one or two drops at the very most.
A diagram to show what the 'tip' is would be helpful (does it mean leading edge, where it joins the handle, or one of each of the corners?) In the video it doesn't seem to be important exactly where it goes as long as it goes on the right end
How hard to apply the swab? I was being too gentle I believe to start with, I mean I was scared of scratching the sensor! Average pressure seems to be the thing, they recommend 'firm' pressure - just enough to be sure the swab is fully located on the sensor, but not enough to 'scrub', seems to be the way to go. However the video says enough pressure to bend the swab handle slightly!
After one swipe they instruct to 'turn over to use opposite side' or 'rotate 180 degrees'. However on the diagram they then drag in the opposite direction having rotated it, -- er doesn't this present the same side to the sensor? Shouldn't it be swiped in the same direction once rotated, or not rotated if swiped in the reverse direction? i.e. if reversing the direction do not 'rotate' but simply lean handle to use opposite side? Fortunately the video concurs i.e. they just swab back in the opposite direction without any rotating of the swab.
The Eclipse bottle doesn't deliver drops until you get te hang of it, what it does is pour. Not ideal when you're trying for one drop! It needs to be tipped very slowly and carefully against a dark background in good light so you can see exactly what is coming out
However once I got the hang of it, it produced the results needed at a cost that was affordable. This is a product I will stay with.
Photographic Solutions Sensor swab and Eclipse
The 59ml (2oz) bottle of Eclipse and packet of Sensor Swabs come in cardboard packages that don't have the quantity or size on the outside. The actual bottle of Eclipse does have the size on, and I count 8 swabs in the swab box.
[edit: according to photosolutions site there should be 12 per box - so check when you get it; as it's not sealed anyone can nick a couple and you won't be any the wiser until too late - as I just found out from warehouseexpress you're not getting a retrospective replacement:(]
First I'd like to say these products are reasonably priced and they do work;)
However you may need to repeat the process several times before you get the results you need, I used 6 of the 8 swabs before I got the results I wanted. This was no doubt due to inexperience though and I expect to need less attempts on my next try.
The instructions say to put one or two drops on the 'tip' of the swab, the diagram says two drops but their demo video says two to four drops. This is confusing as most reports of using this product also state that it works best with one or two drops at the very most.
A diagram to show what the 'tip' is would be helpful (does it mean leading edge, where it joins the handle, or one of each of the corners?) In the video it doesn't seem to be important exactly where it goes as long as it goes on the right end
How hard to apply the swab? I was being too gentle I believe to start with, I mean I was scared of scratching the sensor! Average pressure seems to be the thing, they recommend 'firm' pressure - just enough to be sure the swab is fully located on the sensor, but not enough to 'scrub', seems to be the way to go. However the video says enough pressure to bend the swab handle slightly!
After one swipe they instruct to 'turn over to use opposite side' or 'rotate 180 degrees'. However on the diagram they then drag in the opposite direction having rotated it, -- er doesn't this present the same side to the sensor? Shouldn't it be swiped in the same direction once rotated, or not rotated if swiped in the reverse direction? i.e. if reversing the direction do not 'rotate' but simply lean handle to use opposite side? Fortunately the video concurs i.e. they just swab back in the opposite direction without any rotating of the swab.
The Eclipse bottle doesn't deliver drops until you get te hang of it, what it does is pour. Not ideal when you're trying for one drop! It needs to be tipped very slowly and carefully against a dark background in good light so you can see exactly what is coming out
However once I got the hang of it, it produced the results needed at a cost that was affordable. This is a product I will stay with.
Veni-Vidi-Snappii
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Comments
Sadly it's downhill all the way from here on.
No batteries included, for that money you'd have thought they'd include a couple of little AAA batteries. Not impressed#1
Using it on a 5D; my very first attempt out of the box, untouched by any fingers resulted in smears over the sensor! Had it been returned and resold as new or was there some other reason that the brush was not uncontaminated?. Either way there was something on the brush that smeared the sensor. No it didn't touch the sides and no I didn't touch it with my fingers, I was very careful about that. It should either have a seal to show it is unused or instructions to clean before first use. Not impressed #2.
Their brush shape is not strong but straggly. Some filaments splay out awkwardly after spinning and make it way too easy to touch the sides. Even if only one little filament does this it could spread grease or oil. Not impressed #3
The brush is too insubstantial. They even sell a more substantial version as a separate attachment. So why not include the substantial version as integral. i.e. why make an inferior product knowingly (except to maximise profit at the expense of customer satisfaction). Not impressed #4
On returning the brush to the cap, the cap entrance and in fact the whole cap, is too narrow to avoid bending some of the bristles back on themselves, unless you are very careful. Bad design. Not impressed #5
The first one I received I returned immediately without even opening as half the brush was bent back on itself inside the transparent cap. (underlining my previous point). not impressed #6
My final opinion on this product: 'style over function' - the marketing and advertising hype could be interpreted to mean that this is a superior piece of kit. Not in terms of its ability to clean your sensor It isn't IMO. There are better and much much cheaper alternatives out there IMO. My advice: save your money.
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Have you given the Copper Hill Products (link) kits a whirl. They are a very good and, I think, less expensive alternative to what you tried.
Another point to mention - one needs to be sure to get the right Eclipse solution. The choice is driven by the type of sensor filter coatings on the camera. For example, with the Canon 40D one should get the newer Eclipse E2 solution.
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Eclipse solution choice: yes there are two types. I had a fair bit of discussion with photosol themselves (if I remember right) about which was best for 5D as at one time the v2 was recommended, but that was changed to v1.
I haven't used Copperhill but hear nothing but good about them.. Why not write us a review?
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My Photos
Thoughts on photographing a wedding, How to post a picture, AF Microadjustments?, Light Scoop
Equipment List - Check my profile
Im interested ! Good review -
thanks
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I don't use a brush, likely because I don't believe all "dust" is dust.
My 30D required a good number of wet cleanings in the first few months (I use up a package of ten swabs). It hasn't required wet cleaning for six months or so.
This doesn't make sense if the source of the "dust" is the atmosphere simply because the atmosphere where I live doesn't change much (near the ocean). Something else changed over time.
I've heard comments that early in the life of a camera, a major source of "dust" is lubricant and/or bits of moving camera parts. Moving parts require lubrication which can easily be "thrown off" during operation; if there is no lubrication, moving parts also generate little "wear bits" - again a source of contamination. BTW, lubricant is sticky and smears nicely.
Using a brush, particularly early in the life of a camera, might just smear this stuff all over the sensor - which is why I believe a wet cleaning is absolutely necessary from time to time. Now if the stuff on the sensor isn't sticky, then a brush may well work - some people report success with one - is this because some cameras are under-lubricated?
If the stuff on the sensor is truly dust (the stuff that floats in the air and can be seen in a sunbeam is dust and it's everywhere), most if not all of it can be blown off. The problem with blowing with a bulb blower is that it uses air that is full of dust - is this akin to washing your face with muddy water?
I use the Copper Hill kit and completely agree with Scott's review. I got he same results. It does work and is no big deal after a bit of practice.
http://www.chrislaudermilkphoto.com/
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