Sensor cleaning. What am I doing wrong?

Tomas Whitehouse said:
Just a thought but are you cleaning the sensor in the same room each time?
It maybe the room being overly dusty perhaps?

I've never had this problem and I clean with eclipse and pec pads wrapped around a sensor wand, the tests after at F/16 and above reveal 0 specks. The room I clean in is very dust free.
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I must admit, I do it in the same room, same place each time (ooh err!!!!!)
It's a pretty dusty room granted.

This is something to bear in mind for the future I guess!
 
Following on from puddleduck's post, I found this site about diffraction limits.

Bit technical for me, but basically if I shoot at no higher than F13 this should make dust bunnies less visible, and hopefully a better shot.
 
andy_fozzy said:
I must admit, I do it in the same room, same place each time (ooh err!!!!!)
It's a pretty dusty room granted.

This is something to bear in mind for the future I guess!
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Hallelujah it could be raining dust. :lol: I'd change the room you clean in and see if that helps.
 
I use a rocket blower that came free from DigitalRev when I bought my D200 18 Months ago. I clean the caps lens etc with the blower and have cleaned the sensor about 6 times without any problems and my sensor is still clean. I have been lucky to have no problems with dust.
 
OutLore said:
Do the spots move after you clean it? Are they different spots after the pro clean?
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Hard to say really.....
There's one in particular, a big ugly one that is visible on the sensor that just won't budge!
But there was so many before LCE cleaned it, that I can't tell!
 
andy_fozzy said:
Hard to say really.....
There's one in particular, a big ugly one that is visible on the sensor that just won't budge!
But there was so many before LCE cleaned it, that I can't tell!
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You have a shot from before they cleaned it, and you can take one now - that will show you what's moved, new, and still there. If they are moving about, then there's a good chance that you are getting the sensor clean but more crap is getting in, either that or you are simply spreading the muck about (in which case i would stop cleaning it in fear of scratching the sensor).

If they are in the same spot then it's obviously some really stubborn muck and you may just have to live with them.

Have you had the camera from new? If it was 2nd hand maybe it was used in some kind of crappy environment?

Is it under warranty? If so, find something else you could send it back to Nikon for warranty work - they just returned mine to me with a perfectly clean sensor :)
 
I bought the camera second hand. There was already dust before I even used it!
I guess this is the trouble with buying second hand.......

I'm not obsessed about it enough to send it off to Nikon.

YET :cuckoo:

:D

I'm really not going to worry about it so much now. Honest!!

(Thanks for your advice OutLore).
 
how many real photos do you take at F40? (thats what your test photo was taken at)

I thought I was bad testing my cameras at F22

i check at F22 - but if i cant see the dust at f8 i just leave it - i don't take many photos below f8... - so the dust is not going to show.

try to find a dust free room (bathroom?) to do your cleaning
 
andy_fozzy said:
Following on from puddleduck's post, I found this site about diffraction limits.

Bit technical for me, but basically if I shoot at no higher than F13 this should make dust bunnies less visible, and hopefully a better shot.
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I've just shot hovercraft racing at a friend's stag-do using a 1.4x TC on a 70-200 f/2.8 and wanted a bit of back ground blur, so set it shutter priority:1/40s. When the Sun came out, I was hitting f/40 and the (previously invisible) dust I saw when I uploaded the images was incredible.

I was trying to find an explanation why the dust is so visible at small apertures and just done a search of the forum. Now I wish I hadn't because my brain hurts trying to take that in and I actually studied light waves and diffraction in A-level physics. :shrug:
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
Andy I just use a blower first then a cotton bud lightly over the sensor then give it another good blow and its always clean hope you get it sorted mate
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andy_fozzy said:
COTTON BUD :eek:

I've actually heard of this before, but always been a bit scared to do it!
Never caused you a problem, obviously!
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I came across a camera shop owner in the US who swears by using cotton buds. There's a lot of paranoia about cleaning. Aside from the slight risk of scratching the glass with something hard, most methods are generally low risk. I've used every method going, including 'experimental' White Tac - like Blue Tac but non-greasy. It worked too. I've even cleaned my expensive swabs and reused them without a problem. My biggest failure was the Arctic Butterfly. Repeatedly dragged oil across from the edge of the sensor.

(PS....and now I see I've fallen in to the resurrected post trap...........)
 
MisterE said:
I came across a camera shop owner in the US who swears by using cotton buds. There's a lot of paranoia about cleaning. Aside from the slight risk of scratching the glass with something hard, most methods are generally low risk. I've used every method going, including 'experimental' White Tac - like Blue Tac but non-greasy. It worked too. I've even cleaned my expensive swabs and reused them without a problem. My biggest failure was the Arctic Butterfly. Repeatedly dragged oil across from the edge of the sensor.

(PS....and now I see I've fallen in to the resurrected post trap...........)
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:lol:

I didn't get on with the butterfly one bit. Just didn't feel right......

I have some nasty bunnies on my sensor, and they don't seem to want to shift :razz:

Still haven't plucked up the courage to use a cotton bud :eek:
Has anyone else?
 
andy_fozzy said:
:lol:

I didn't get on with the butterfly one bit. Just didn't feel right......

I have some nasty bunnies on my sensor, and they don't seem to want to shift :razz:

Still haven't plucked up the courage to use a cotton bud :eek:
Has anyone else?
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Me lol always do it this way and never hurt it just dont apply any pressure and all should be fine mate
 
first thing I do is give it a good blow out with the blower this will get rid of the heavier dust then a light swab over with a cotton bud with no preasure this will only loosen the stubborn dust and finally another blow out making sure the dust can fall out, I have done this many times with all my cameras and never had a problem
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
first thing I do is give it a good blow out with the blower this will get rid of the heavier dust then a light swab over with a cotton bus with no preasure this will only loosen the stubborn dust and finally another blow out making sure the dust can fall out, I have done this many times with all my cameras and never had a problem
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Ok, worth a try!
With Eclipse on I presume??
 
andy_fozzy said:
:lol:

Still haven't plucked up the courage to use a cotton bud :eek:
Has anyone else?
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andy_fozzy said:
Jeez mate, I'm pooping myself just thinking about doing it :eek:
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Andrew - you won't harm it. I'll repeat the story I've told here before for your benefit.

I had a lump of pollen stuck to my sensor glass that refused to be moved by wet cleaning. A significant black blob was present on my photos more than half way down and would have been a nightmare to clone out of the forthcoming holiday snaps which would totalled thousands (it was about 7000 in the end). I dripped cleaning fluid on it over an hour hoping it might soften it. It didn't.

I emailed Lehmans and asked them how much a new glass would cost, but they strangely quoted me £700 for a sensor, when it really should have been around half that price just for the glass filter. Anyway, I had no time to send it away, so I thought what the hell, nothing to lose, and went to work on it. I used the corner of a wet swab, and when that didn't work, I used it harder. And harder still. So hard in fact, the glass was squeaking. And then the pollen came off. No damage whatsoever done.

So, apart from the small risk of scratching the glass with some sharp grit or something, I have no fear of damaging my sensor glass. Just imagine you're getting a speck off your eyeball, and you won't do any damage with a cotton bud.

To help with the cleaning, the best accessory you can buy is a Visible Dust Sensor Loupe (not the Delkin equivalent). Absolutely invaluable for looking at the sensor.
 
you are going to hate me

i use a rocket blower and then, only when i remember.

i change my lenses as and when i need, usually smoking a fag.
I also use my camera at work (a coal yard) and try to avoid the dust storms but i don't stress about it.
 
andy_fozzy said:
Jeez mate, I'm pooping myself just thinking about doing it :eek:
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Have you considered shifting back to Sony - their cameras have a CCD-shift dust reduction mechanism?? :bonk:
 
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