Sensor Cleaning Charges

gramps

gramps

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Had an email from WEX this morning advertising a special event they were running to clear certain goods out of their various outlets.
What caught my eye was the offer of a free sensor clean for the first 100 visitors who bought something (min price shown) ... they quoted the normal charge for sensor cleaning as £36 for a crop camera or £55 for full frame and it got me wondering why the substantial difference in price?
Personally I've done both and apart from cleaning pad size I'm stumped to see a justification.
 
Maybe they have some sort of insurance against scratching the sensor (I know shouldn't happen)and that affects the price?
 
There isn’t one it’s good old rip off Britain in action ,anyone that does a wet clean on there sensor knows that start to finish time is less than five minutes ,which if they do ten a hour equates to a very nice profit indeed,but reading it again; they are offering a free service so it’s basically called a loss leader.

But I have to admit sensor swabs have increased in price lately
 
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They're just inflating the price to maximise the apparent value of the offer, in a way people will find believable.

It's not, but anyone daft enough to pay for sensor cleaning in the first place might fall for it.
 
I have always cleaned my own camera sensors if needed. There seems to be this Stigma that only professional people can do the job, I don't know why as here are plenty of videos on the subject.. Once you have the right equipment and I rate a Loupe at the most important after the swaps and cleaning fluids.Also an Articbutterfly to remove hairs. Actually the cleaning is quite straight foreward , care- time and clean environment is all that is needed . No way would I let anyone else go near my camera sensors
 
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gramps said:
Had an email from WEX this morning advertising a special event they were running to clear certain goods out of their various outlets.
What caught my eye was the offer of a free sensor clean for the first 100 visitors who bought something (min price shown) ... they quoted the normal charge for sensor cleaning as £36 for a crop camera or £55 for full frame and it got me wondering why the substantial difference in price?
Personally I've done both and apart from cleaning pad size I'm stumped to see a justification.
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Bigger swabs and more fluid required, but being slightly more serious I have no idea.
 
HoppyUK said:
The price bears no relation to the 'cost' but is based on perceived value to the customer. Pretty standard practise TBH (otherwise known as, as much as we can get away with).
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That was my thought (having cleaned all of my own) but wondered if I was missing something.
 
gramps said:
That was my thought (having cleaned all of my own) but wondered if I was missing something.
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To be fair, a free sensor clean has a very different value to different people. To the likes of most folks on here, they know what to do, have a cleaning kit (which costs a few quid, though good for multiple cleans of course) and perhaps most importantly, they have the confidence to give it a go. When you've done it once, it's a walk in the park. But not every camera user is in that position so it's a service well worth having.
 
The key is preparation.

Cling film over the surface - so it’s clean.

Get all your swabs made, wash your hands.

1 drop, swipe once, flip for the other direction.

Slow and steady.
 
Ah Dexter, I miss that show ...

For £36+ you can buy a tonne of sensor cleaning gear, watch one simple video on youtube and you're set to clean sensors for life. It's only slightly scary the first time, a bit like ... um .... riding a bike :D
 
Raymond Lin said:
Go buy an old APSC DSLR to practice on if you are afraid, or test it on a filter.
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Raymond, the practice on the filter advice is gold. I used to have this issue when it came to sensor cleaning. After a few trial runs on a filter the nerves disappeared and I got a really decent result first time.

I would also add that in reality you will never get it 100% clean. My benchmark is if it is acceptable at f/11 (rarely stop down much further than that). If there are still a few spots in the sky above that I just clone them out.
 
Fraser Euan White said:
To scary for me I'm afraid - rather pay the money to have it done.
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I used to be the same, until I watched a sensor cleaning video, cannot remember which one [or I'd dig it up for you] - anyway, the guy stated that what you are cleaning is not the actual sensor, but protective film/glass in front of it, this made me a little more at ease. It really is no tougher than cleaning an LCD monitor, it's all about the pressure. For sensors you apply barely more pressure than writing with a pen, one drop of the cleaning fluid per swab: smooth even stroke right across the sensor [the swabs are cut to your chosen sensor size] - again with the other side of the swab. Done, unless there is really stubborn dirt/grit, might take a few swabs to clear - beyond that, yes, get it done professionally.

A kit like this will see your sensor clean for a long time: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Ca...d=1522179734&sr=8-5&keywords=sensor+clean+kit

I have gotten mine spotless to f22 - course it depends on the age of the sensor, how much hardship was thrown at it etc
 
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Arno1405 said:
Good evening,
Got my FF cleaned last week in Chiswick for £50.
As some previous comment, too scared (or may be too lazy too) to clean it myself
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And thats the thing its expensive to replace a sensor so if you don't have the confidence but have the money its piece of mind for someone who has done it many times to do it for you.

I was wondering what the cling film was meant to cover.
 
realspeed said:
I rate a Loupe at the most important after the swaps and cleaning fluids.Als
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+1
My 7* loupe is one of the best camera related purchases I've ever made and believe it or not, it's so very useful for numerous other - non camera related - tasks.
 
jamesev said:
And thats the thing its expensive to replace a sensor so if you don't have the confidence but have the money its piece of mind for someone who has done it many times to do it for you.

I was wondering what the cling film was meant to cover.
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Probably for A7iii owners to stop them gushing all over the table :ROFLMAO:
 
jamesev said:
And thats the thing its expensive to replace a sensor so if you don't have the confidence but have the money its piece of mind for someone who has done it many times to do it for you.

I was wondering what the cling film was meant to cover.
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It gives you an instant sterile surface to work on.
 
Reading this thread prompted me to check my own sensor and it was pretty mucky despite using the cameras built-in cleaning mode pretty often
a blower didn't shift it so will be ordering some swabs and liquid today.
 
Most people would have a panic attack if they saw how I clean my sensor!! it involves a Dyson vacuum cleaner and a very soft watercolour brush. I have never damaged a sensor in the 10 years I have been doing it either. To see people paying £50 for a clean sounds ridiculous to me but whatever folks are comfortable with....................
 
My loupeIi wouldn't be without for sensor cleaning, saves so much time as well

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There were two stalls at the photography show doing sensor cleaning for £40. I wish I would have taken my camera now.

Best bargain I have had was a free sensor clean in the Calumet show in Manchester. Not sure if they still do it at their shows now as it was 2 years ago.
 
realspeed said:
My loupeIi wouldn't be without for sensor cleaning, saves so much time as well
<snip image>
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If that loupe was 20 quid it'd be a convenient accessory, but it's over £100 and doesn't show you anything you can't see by taking a snap of something like a plain wall at a high f/number and checking the camera's LCD. And that's what matters after all.

Say you're sitting comfortably at home and the ceiling is plain white. Perfect - you're going to take a very blurred picture of it. The more blurred the better - it makes the dark specs of dust stand out.
- Camera on aperture-priority, set lowest ISO and highest f/number like f/22.
- Set minimum focusing distance.
- Point the camera at the ceiling (or a plain wall is fine) and take a picture while moving the camera around to blur the image even more.
- Scroll around the magnified image on the LCD and see what you've got. If you're not sure, take another snap and if the mark hasn't moved, it's definitely something on the sensor.
- Remember that marks you see on the camera's LCD are inverted by the lens, ie a mark top-right on the LCD will be bottom-right on the sensor as you look at it through the lens mount.
 
Fixation and Calumet were very much outlets used by Pro Photographers and media companies who perhaps don't have the time (or inclination) to do their own sensor cleaning. If you follow Phase One at all, they often provide a free sensor clean for owners at invite events they lay on and there is always a queue (mind you at their camera prices you might expect a three course luncheon laid on too!).

Yes you can watch lots of You Tube videos about just about anything under the sun; sensor cleaning with the right tools and care is easy and quick.

A lot of Pros will use full frame cameras, so its a case of supply and demand, together with a willingness to pay. If you are a high end Pro photographer, then the time might be better spent with your client or on their project which will more than pay for the clean. Given that WEX/Calumet/Fixation are doing it every day on both clients and rented cameras, its certainly not about the time it takes but the need to ensure it doesn't bring back complaints/negative feedback or too frequent repetition of the task is more important.
 
Richard
I used to do the wall or sky photographing thing but what a time it took. First taking a photo- then putting it on a computer for checking - giving the sensor a clean where you think the part of the sensor is dirty. Then repeating again with another picture and doing the same check even repeating a few more time to make sure. More pointless shutter actuations than necessary.

Ok that loupe may be 9 years old any cost a little bit at around £115 but that also included their Artic Butterfly in a presentation box from Focus on Imaging show at the NEC.

How much would it have cost over 9 years having the sensor cleaned once a year at a price quoted by the OP in first post of £55 ? answer £495. So it is not that expensive in real terms and also not sending camera away and being without for heavens knows how many weeks over that period of time
 
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realspeed said:
Richard
I used to do the wall or sky photographing thing but what a time it took. First taking a photo- then putting it on a computer for checking - giving the sensor a clean where you think the part of the sensor is dirty. Then repeating again with another picture and doing the same check even repeating a few more time to make sure. More pointless shutter actuations than necessary.

Ok that loupe may be 9 years old any cost a little bit at around £115 but that also included their Artic Butterfly in a presentation box from Focus on Imaging show at the NEC.

How much would it have cost over 9 years having the sensor cleaned once a year at a price quoted by the OP in first post of £55 ? answer £495. So it is not that expensive in real terms and also not sending camera away and being without for heavens knows how many weeks over that period of time
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That's cool Baz, each to their own, but you don't need to check everything on the computer - just zoom in on the LCD.

The key benefit of the loupe IMHO is it shows you where on the sensor any subborn bits actually are, but once you know the image on the sensor is inverted by the lens, that mystery is solved.
 
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