Scratched sensor - advice?

philthejuggler

philthejuggler

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Phil
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Hi all,

I took a load of macro shots yesterday on my 1dMKiii and noticed quite a few dust spots which weren't visible in my sensor loupe. I tried the artic butterfly but managed to smear some oil on the sensor and decided to leave well alone at this point.

I was in London today so I dropped the body in for a clean.

When the clean was finished the lady (sounding slightly cagey) said that the sensor was cleaned and their Canon checking software reported a 'pass' - within tolerance, but she thought she'd mention there was a tiny 'pinprick' aberation in the sensor - no more than two pixels wide - and doubtful if it was ever visible on a picture, but she would mention it in case I spotted anything at 100% magnification.

I asked if it could have been cleaning damage and she quickly said - "no, there's no cleaning damage"

Worried by this I went home and check the sensor in the loupe & took a photo @ a small aperture.

There are two parallel linear marks in the upper middle of the sensor 1 about 4mm long and the other about 6mm long although they are slightly dotted. They look like light scratches to me and I can faintly detect them on a photo at small aperture. If they are scratches they are not deep ones and the light from the sensor loupe needs to be at an angle to view them.

What should I do? My feeling is they should replace the CCD if it is scratched as it looks, but I suspect they will either claim it makes no difference to the shot and/or it wasn't them.

I will call in the morning I guess, but would welcome your thoughts first.

All advice appreciated!

Phil
 
Sounds like they are pulling a flanker to me.

Do you have any shots taken before cleaning ?

2 pixels wide or not it shouldn't be there.
 
you need to ascertain if it was there before getting it cleaned. anything showing up on photos taken?
 
ChrisH said:
Sounds like they are pulling a flanker to me.

Do you have any shots taken before cleaning ?

2 pixels wide or not it shouldn't be there.
Click to expand...

Yes although no smaller than f11. Perhaps I should see if it shows up at f11. She was describing a pinprick, I can see two longish scratches.
 
matty said:
you need to ascertain if it was there before getting it cleaned. anything showing up on photos taken?
Click to expand...


I can see what I think is evidence of a line at f22. I suspect it won't be visible in normal shooting conditions.
 
You could do with re-creating a recent image that shows damage now but didn't then. Once you have that then you have the evidence you need! Without this it is rather difficult to prove how the damage happened.
 
Ok - well I didn't photograph any white walls yesterday before the clean, but....

There are some light areas in some of the photos I took where you can see random assortment of dust spots & I have some at f11.

I just took a shot at f11 of the wall and you can see a feint line of dots which I think is one of the 'scratches' I can see on the sensor.

Phil
 
Even if you have an image taken before the cleaning that shows no marks and a post-clean one that does show them I could see you having a bit a struggle on your hands proving they were responsible, unless the images are both of their premises taken immediately before and after the event....
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Even if you have an image taken before the cleaning that shows no marks and a post-clean one that does show them I could see you having a bit a struggle on your hands proving they were responsible, unless the images are both of their premises taken immediately before and after the event....
Click to expand...

Well I have just checked two images side by side @ F11 in Lightroom (X:Y compare) and the one after the clean has a feint line where the one before does not.

I'm pretty confident they've done it.

So what should I do?

Phil
 
philthejuggler said:
Well I have just checked two images side by side @ F11 in Lightroom (X:Y compare) and the one after the clean has a feint line where the one before does not.

I'm pretty confident they've done it.

So what should I do?

Phil
Click to expand...


The crucial thing is going to be the timescale of the shots, how long before the cleaning was the "good" shot taken?
 
Flash In The Pan said:
The crucial thing is going to be the timescale of the shots, how long before the cleaning was the "good" shot taken?
Click to expand...


The day before. Direct comparison shot number 1074 (actually I have some up to 1082 but are less useful due to dark sections in the relevant area). I have shots after showing the issue numbered 1093 onwards.

I also took a couple of test shots to see the dust the night before and a couple whilst there so I guess 1087-ish was the last one before the clean.

Phil
 
Point out that 20k'ish TP members are watching this thread with interest. That should get you the result you need. It's a travesty that we treat our gear so well and then a company that you put your trust in do this! Good luck getting it sorted :thumbs:
 
CGeezer said:
Point out that 20k'ish TP members are watching this thread with interest. That should get you the result you need. It's a travesty that we treat our gear so well and then a company that you put your trust in do this! Good luck getting it sorted :thumbs:
Click to expand...

Many thanks for the support!

I'm heading for bed now & will call tomorrow - but if anyone has some good advice I'll read it in the morning before calling & then I'll let everyone know.

I just checked my home insurance policy and it includes up to £100,000 of legal support which I could possibly fall back on if things turn ugly.

Phil
 
I think you have to stick it on their toes anyway Phil with the evidence you have. :shrug:
 
When you handed over the camera did you sign any paperwork authorising them to do the job? If so, could you also have been waiving any claim against them if damage occurs?
 
Two points. The thing about the "aberration in the sensor two pixels wide". Is she talking about a defective sensor? Cleaning will not damage the sensor - just the glass screen that protects it.

Second point. I've had what appeared to be a scratch (or scratches) on my sensor after wet cleaning. They have turned out to be nothing more than cleaning fluid smears.
 
She meant there was a minute mark on the AA filter that wasn't caused by cleaning.

I think I've got a plan - I 'll let you know what it is and how it goes later on.

Phil
 
CGeezer said:
Point out that 20k'ish TP members are watching this thread with interest. That should get you the result you need. It's a travesty that we treat our gear so well and then a company that you put your trust in do this! Good luck getting it sorted :thumbs:
Click to expand...

I think, bearing that in mind, that you should be very careful before you accuse anyone of any damage.

Bearing in mind the above remark (about 20k members) the company involved could possibly sue you, and the owners of this site, for loss of trade and damage to their reputation.

.
 
I have to say I prefer to clean my own sensor. With the aid of a loope and correct cleaning swabs and fluid it is not that hard to do if care is taken. The whole art of cleaning a sensor is care-patience and correct cleaning stuff and its not that expensive either. One advantage of DIY is you arn't without a camera at any time.

Bazza
 
petersmart said:
I think, bearing that in mind, that you should be very careful before you accuse anyone of any damage.

Bearing in mind the above remark (about 20k members) the company involved could possibly sue you, and the owners of this site, for loss of trade and damage to their reputation.

.
Click to expand...


Good point - I'll make sure there are no references to the company involved in the thread.

Phil
 
philthejuggler said:
Hi all,

I took a load of macro shots yesterday on my 1dMKiii and noticed quite a few dust spots which weren't visible in my sensor loupe. I tried the artic butterfly but managed to smear some oil on the sensor and decided to leave well alone at this point.

I was in London today so I dropped the body in for a clean.

When the clean was finished the lady (sounding slightly cagey) said that the sensor was cleaned and their Canon checking software reported a 'pass' - within tolerance, but she thought she'd mention there was a tiny 'pinprick' aberation in the sensor - no more than two pixels wide - and doubtful if it was ever visible on a picture, but she would mention it in case I spotted anything at 100% magnification.

I asked if it could have been cleaning damage and she quickly said - "no, there's no cleaning damage"

Worried by this I went home and check the sensor in the loupe & took a photo @ a small aperture.

There are two parallel linear marks in the upper middle of the sensor 1 about 4mm long and the other about 6mm long although they are slightly dotted. They look like light scratches to me and I can faintly detect them on a photo at small aperture. If they are scratches they are not deep ones and the light from the sensor loupe needs to be at an angle to view them.

What should I do? My feeling is they should replace the CCD if it is scratched as it looks, but I suspect they will either claim it makes no difference to the shot and/or it wasn't them.

I will call in the morning I guess, but would welcome your thoughts first.

All advice appreciated!

Phil
Click to expand...

Who did you take it to?
If it's the same place I took my 40D to for a sensor clean, I wasn't impressed.
 
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