D3 Sensor, minging

wack61

wack61

I've got an itchy hatch
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I bought a used D3 this week, the camera is mint but I think he's been changing lenses in a potato field as the sensor is minging.

EDIT

camera returned, refund received, new one ordered £2569 from clifton cameras
 
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Err no help on the cleaning although when I got hold of my S5Pro it was only 6/7 months old and was quite dirty. I had just bought the swabs from Fitp and used 3 of them. The first 2 as per instructions but it just seemed to smear the spots with 1 swipe each way. The 3rd swab I scrubbed it :D it's not perfect but doesn't show up at all now.


AND CHANGE YOUR CAMERA DETAILS!!!!!....... I know I would if I had just bagged a D3.
 
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Eclipse, Pecpads, credit card.

Have done this myself with superb results. Just take it slowly. There's minimal risk as long as you take your time.
 
Cheng said:
Eclipse, Pecpads, credit card.

Have done this myself with superb results. Just take it slowly. There's minimal risk as long as you take your time.
Click to expand...

:plusone:

And IMO use the best there is as some cheap fluid just dont work...;)
 
im in the same boat, my D3 has a few bits on it, can you let me know how you get on.
 
I wouldn't trust a lens pen type thing for that - do a wet clean.

Never had to wet clean either my A900 or my D700 - apparently the D3 can get oil thrown onto the sensor which is could be what you are seeing.
 
Nikon full frame are prone to oil on the sensor, I have had some on mine but it comes off with a wet clean.
 
I've found Eclipse2 fluid to be excellent, after being recommended it by someone..... It's very common for new sensors to be dirty, let alone used ones..... Absolutely do a wet clean, just makesure you have enough pads. ;)
 
Another vote for eclipse. :) I have found the D700's to be a lot cleaner than the (admitedly older Canon's) and I've only had to wet clean one in 5 months.

Give it a good blast out with a rocket blower to get all the crud out of the chamber followed by a wet clean. Take your time, you may have to repeat a few times to get it all off.
 
Have a read of this - its for cleaning streaks - Personally i would definitely NOT use lighter fluid.

jerry12953 said:
Lighter fuel has been highly recommended elsewhere.....the residue evaporates very quickly.

I haven't tried it myself - or anything come to that.

Sensor(s) are still quite clean and I'd be worried if I ever had to do it myself.:eek:
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If it is really bad you may want to get it done professionally the first time.

If you haven't used swabs before you may be in for a nasty surprise. My attempt using them resulted in lots more mess on the sensor.
 
barneyrubble said:
Make sure it's Eclipse 2 and not the standard Eclipse.
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Photosol who make Eclipse have stopped making Eclipse2 and have refined Eclipse fluid. They have stated it is suitable for all sensors including the tin oxide coated sensors they originally produced Eclipse2 for.

Eclipse2 used to take a little while to evaporate which was a nuiscance. The full details can be found here:

http://www.photosol.com/documents/eclipse_e2_announcement.pdf

I personally would only ever use Eclipse to clean the sensor, it is expensive but one bottle will last for years even cleaning a sensor a week.

Get a quote from Canon or Nikon to replace the sensor, it will make the cost of the cleaning materials seem like a bargain!
 
puddleduck said:
I wouldn't trust a lens pen type thing for that - do a wet clean.

Never had to wet clean either my A900 or my D700 - apparently the D3 can get oil thrown onto the sensor which is could be what you are seeing.
Click to expand...

Correct - I use an Arctic butterly for dry cleans and the pec-pads Eclipse fluid for wet cleans...

After my first attempt with the Arctic Butterly I realised I'd smeared grease all over the sensor from where it lurks just out of sight around the edges - if you use a butterfly, make sure the filaments don't creep under the edges out of sight.
I don't know what exactly it is or why it's there, just that you need to be aware of it.
Took two wet cleans to get it off, but that's the easy part...just takes a deep breath the first time you do it...
I found using the smaller DX-sized pads easier than the FX-sized pads - for some reason I always got slight drying marks at the edges when using the ones supposedly designed for the full-frame sensor...
 
Thanks for all the advice, next question, where's the cheapest place for a kit to do it with, anywhere on the high st :)
 
If it was just spots that was the problem then I would try the Rocket Air Blower which served me well for about 3 years until I got the D300. The D300 seemed to have something dried on the sensor (doughnut shaped spot) which forced me to get Pec Pads and Sensor fluid for a wet clean. Hopefully the streaks are just streaks.

The first time I used the pads and fluid I made a bigger mess because I rubbed the edge of the sensor box, and even if they are lint free pads, stuff comes off them if you do what I did. ;) After you make the mistake once, you don't do it again. Just something to be aware of. ;)
 
Cheng said:
Eclipse, Pecpads, credit card.
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The first two I understand their use but a CC :shrug:
:thinking: is that incase you knacker the sensor & have to buy another :naughty:
 
Cut the card to the size of your sensor,wrap the pad around it, drop some fluid on it,clean sensor.............;)
 
I thought you just used the CC to pay for a professional clean :D
 
Trig's said:
The first two I understand their use but a CC :shrug:
:thinking: is that incase you knacker the sensor & have to buy another :naughty:
Click to expand...

You cut the credit card to appropriate size, smooth off the ends, and wrap the pec-pad over it and tape it down.

It's no different to the old "Wendy's Knife" method. You're just making your own device for the pec-pad to wrap around.

http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/image/39082096

Edit : Oops, didn't see Fracster's reply. :D
 
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Got my pecpads from amazon (think it was £10 with prime delivery, probably eligible for super saver?). Google the copper hill method, I think that's one of the sites that popularised it anyway! Pecpads do indeed have some filaments, it's nothing major, and nothing good rocket blow afterwards shouldn't sort out!

Eclipse I got from ebay, pretty fast delivery too!

The narrower the strip, the better, unless u have some forceps you can use....otherwise your sausage fingers will struggle to control it!
 
I bought a kit from Calumet and it had plastic wands in it already made up with the pads on and held on with elastic bands. Saved me hours and they come in sealed bags so you know they are perfectly clean.

You can then just buy the pads and put them on the wands themselves, makes getting into the sensor really easy :)
 
Cheng said:
Got my pecpads from amazon (think it was £10 with prime delivery, probably eligible for super saver?).
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Yes thanks, found it and ordered a batch from Amazon. Let's see if the HPLC-grade Methanol from the lab is as good as Eclipse.
 
I've added a pic showing some of the crud, i've just had a good look at the sensor and there's what appears to be a scratch about 6-7mm long, the effect can be seen in the pic I took on saturday just behind the cockpit :(

I really hope it's not a scratch, the camera is mint with 7500 clicks :(

DSC_8094.jpg
 
wack61 said:
I really hope it's not a scratch, the camera is mint with 7500 clicks :(
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Have a look onto the sensor with some light (don't blast it too long though). The reflections will probably tell you whether it is a scratch.
 
wex has
pec-pads 10cm by 10cm 100 for £9.99
eclipse fluid 59ml for £9.99

but swabs 12 for £34.99
these seem very expensive or have I missed something?
 
I would do a sensor check rather than rely on seeing problems in images, this site has a guide how to take the test pics.

Don't forget whether the problems are the same with different lenses, especially long lines rather than spots. ;)
 
Hi Darren,

Hope the sensor is ok. If I were you I would get the D3 into Calumet in Manchester. They did a fine job on mine late last year. I have only had my sensor cleaned once in almost two years and am pretty careful when changing lenses but managed to get crud on my sensor. I tried to do it myself and ended up with some smearing. They sorted it out no problem.

There are many folk on here that have no problem with cleaning their sensors. I am not one of them :(

Chris :)
 
wack61 said:
I've added a pic showing some of the crud, i've just had a good look at the sensor and there's what appears to be a scratch about 6-7mm long, the effect can be seen in the pic I took on saturday just behind the cockpit :(

I really hope it's not a scratch, the camera is mint with 7500 clicks :(

DSC_8094.jpg
Click to expand...

That's quite visible isn't it.. might polish off with a good clean... remember there is an AA filter over that sensor.
 
Kaouthia said:
You cut the credit card to appropriate size, smooth off the ends, and wrap the pec-pad over it and tape it down.

It's no different to the old "Wendy's Knife" method. You're just making your own device for the pec-pad to wrap around.

http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/image/39082096

Edit : Oops, didn't see Fracster's reply. :D
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I went to Hobbycraft and bought a pack of gluespreaders like these for 99p. Then I trimmed off the guard around the handle to aid visibility.
 
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