Have I screwed the sensor on a camera I'm about to sell?

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Pete
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Hi guys,

I have recently bought a new D850 and a 24-70 2.8 VR and thought I'd sell my trustee D800 and 24-70 2.8 ED. I have been getting the boxed out etc and thought I'd give the sensor a quick wet clean using the method I have always used (A new pec pad wrapped around a swab with a drop of cleaning solution, only swiped once across the sensor with each pec pad).

I took a couple of shots of the sky at F18 and noticed some lines at the top of the image. Hoping it was dust, I swiped across the top of the sensor with a new pad and tried again, and the lines are in exactly the same place.

I assume these are permanent scratches and there is nothing I can do other than a repair which would not be worth the expense?

you can see the photos here


Clearly this is a pain but not as bad as if it had happened with the new camera. I was planning on selling it for about £600 which I thought was good value for a camera with 40k actuations. I want to be up front with anybody buying it, any suggestions for how much I should offer it for now?
 
I'd suspect oily streaks, it seems hard to believe you made several scratches they aren't even lined up.
Get a good light and magnifying glass or reading glasses even if you don't normally wear them and have close look.
Incidentally I always go side to side!
 
I'd suspect oily streaks, it seems hard to believe you made several scratches they aren't even lined up.
Get a good light and magnifying glass or reading glasses even if you don't normally wear them and have close look.
Incidentally I always go side to side!

Thank you, should I be able to see them? my short vision is getting bad as get older! I was surprised that they remained exactly the same after another wipe across the top of the sensor?
 
I'd suggest a professional clean, then you'll know. The sensor still looks very dirty.
 
As per Pete I think it's just streaks.

Things on the sensor can be hard to see so you may need to get it at exactly the right angle and in the right light to see it or you may see it with a magnifying glass but I'd be tempted to just believe what you're seeing in the pictures, trust it's just streaks and do yet another wet clean as perhaps the amount of fluid wasn't quite right.

Hope you get it sorted, but I'd be surprised if it's actual damage.

I don't know how many times I've cleaned the sensors on my various cameras (lots) and I've never damaged anything and I'm quietly confident you haven't either.
 
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Thank you, should I be able to see them? my short vision is getting bad as get older! I was surprised that they remained exactly the same after another wipe across the top of the sensor?
Err if there on the top of the picture when viewed .there actually on the BOTTOM of the sensor ,everything is reversed ..
 
Also it looks to me like you’ve swiped top to bottom or visa-versa, that’s seems wrong. They are made to go from side-to-side.

Does it matter if you swipe vertically or horizontally, I don't think so
With m4/3 sensors aps-c swaps are a good fit if swiping vertically, works fine for me
 
The width of the swabs is not big enough to cover a full frame sensor, aps-c swabs are probably fine on an M43 sensor but no swabs could fit FF in that way.

I realise that, but my point is direction of swipe is irrelevant and you said "They are made to go from side-to-side"
 
I realise that, but my point is direction of swipe is irrelevant and you said "They are made to go from side-to-side"

Well, they are. An APS-C swab isn’t made for M43 is it? If it was being used for its intended purpose (APS-C sensors) then it’s made to go side-to-side.

I could use a tripod to hang my washing on, but it wasn’t made for that.
 
Well, they are. An APS-C swab isn’t made for M43 is it? If it was being used for its intended purpose (APS-C sensors) then it’s made to go side-to-side.

I could use a tripod to hang my washing on, but it wasn’t made for that.
Fortunately MFT sensors don’t seem to attract dust ,at least Olympus ones dont. Not sure why but it’s a rare occurrence if they do
 
Sensor cleaning is nightmare. I manage to avoid it for years and when needed just go to Canon. At f/10 you normally have only a few spots to take care of, unless nikon is much worse. I hardly see any reason to shoot at f/18! All these solutions mix badly with oil and create a lot of mess. I'd rather not go there.

As it happens new owner might not even care about small dust if they shoot something like weddings at wider apertures.
 
I could use a tripod to hang my washing on, but it wasn’t made for that.

Ooh actually I like that idea. Would be ideal for say a large coat or something, wouldn't it?

Thanks for the tip! :ty:
 
I find it easy to sensor clean using a loupe,not worth attempting without one
 
I realise that, but my point is direction of swipe is irrelevant and you said "They are made to go from side-to-side"
Direction of the clean isn’t irrelevant if the correct sided cleaning swab is used. Cleaning swabs for full frame sensors are 24mm because the full frame sensor on the D800 is 24mm x 35.9mm. Hence left to right (or right to left) is preferable to cover the whole sensor in one stoke. If you went top to bottom you would only clean 24mm x 24mm and leave an area uncleaned area of about 11mm. To go top to bottom the swab would need to 35.9mm wide to cover the whole sensor in one stoke. I guess 24mm wide swabs are cheaper for the manufacturer to make than 35.9mm wide swabs. Another point to consider is you are also only supposed each side of the swab just once so can’t go over the sensor multiple times with the same swab.
 
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Also it looks to me like you’ve swiped top to bottom or visa-versa, that’s seems wrong. They are made to go from side-to-side.

Do it without the pecpads as well, they do leave lint at times.

I've been using them for years since I bought my then new 20D and have never ever seen that. I thought that was one of the points of them and in fact it does say on the packet "lint free." I'd recommend them.

I suppose they could however transfer lint from other places if the user isn't using good technique to get them out of the packet and use them.
 
Glad you sorted it ,the right sized tools for the job worked I take it
 
I think it helps to remember that you're not cleaning the sensor, your cleaning a piece of glass that covers it and it is really quite robust... within reason :D

I was a bit apprehensive the first time I did it but since then I've lost count of the number of times I've done it. It's just routine now. And after all those cleans I can happily report that I've never damaged anything :D
 
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