UPDATE: Sensor Cleaning - HELP! Advice Needed!

Hi All -

Last night I took photos w/ my 7Dof a white sheet of paper @ f/22 and sure enough, these little spots were everywhere. I ran the camera's sensor cleaning a number of times and I used the blower repeatedly and it helped very little.

It is still under Canon warranty which probably would cover cleaning but I also have a 4 yr. extended Best Buy warranty which it would be covered. Only thing is, they would have to send it to Precision Camera in Conneticut and it would take at least 2 weeks to get it back. [:(] I will feel naked without my camera for 2 weeks (which it always takes longer than they tell you)!! Plus, with the start of fall season, I will miss all the beautiful fall colors and deer photos that should be coming available soon! [:'(]

My question is, how risky is it to attempt to clean it myself or should I just hand it over to Best Buy to send out & run around naked for two weeks? [:P] For not being able to shootphotos worth a darn 1/2 the time, it's amazing how attached I am to this thing!!


I would have toorder whatever I 'd use to clean it(I only have lens cleaners and the rocket blower). Is there something available that shows me exactly what I should and shouldn't do? I don't want to turn a needed cleaning into a needed repair!

Denise

Hey Denise, I feel your pain. Bryan's got a nice write up on cleaning here:


http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Photography-Tips/Sensor-Cleaning.aspx





I have to admit, I was as nervous as you are about doing it myself that I actually just mailed it to Canon. I don't think it took long at all, maybe a week to get mine back dirt free.

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Originally Posted by deltasun

I have to admit, I was as nervous as you are about doing it myself that I actually just mailed it to Canon. I don't think it took long at all, maybe a week to get mine back dirt free.

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How much did Canon charge you?

Denise

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Originally Posted by deltasun

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Photography-Tips/Sensor-Cleaning.aspx

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Thanks for the link! I did not see this before, all I looked at was what Bryan recommended to use.

Thanks again!

Denise

Bummer. [:(]


Have you tried the software fix? See p. 185 of your 7D manual for details on the Dust Delete feature, which records data from a reference image in the file headers of subsequent images, and if you process those images (RAW or JPG) in DPP, it applies the 'dust map' data to hide the spots (presumably by interpolating from the surrounding region of the image).


As for cleaning, the big DO NOT's are spelled out by Canon - don't power off, open the battery door, or open the card door, any of which will cause the shutter to close, damaging it.


You might want to check out Bryan's article on sensor cleaning.


There's also an article about sensor dust on Canon's Digital Learning Center.


Personally, I bought a Visible DustArctic Butterfly 724 Super Bright. I haven't needed to use it yet, but like death and taxes, sensor dust is inevitable...


Good luck!


--John

I cleaned my 1DIIN sensor a few times. No big deal.


Somehow, I haven't had to clean the 5DII at all. The cleaning feature works well enough for me.


(I do have to touch pictures up a bit if they're stopped way down, however. I just live with it. It's far better than my 1DIIN, even with occasional cleaning)

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Originally Posted by ddt0725

How much did Canon charge you?

Denise
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It was still under warranty and so it was free. I just had to pay for shipping one way - to them. Great to see that email from them saying it was going to cost me $0. :)

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Originally Posted by deltasun

It was still under warranty and so it was free. I just had to pay for shipping one way - to them. Great to see that email from them saying it was going to cost me $0. :)

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Really? Thanks for the info. Mine is still under Canon warranty also but I didn't think it would cover cleaning. Interesting!

Denise

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Originally Posted by ddt0725

Really? Thanks for the info. Mine is still under Canon warranty also but I didn't think it would cover cleaning. Interesting!

Denise
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I didn't either, but they worked under the premise that the dirt came from the factory. Anything that "caked" and not readily clean-able with a blower, etc. was not caused by me. Anyway, you'll get an estimate once they receive it. Just make sure it's complimentary.

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Originally Posted by ddt0725

My question is, how risky is it to attempt to clean it myself?

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There's very little risk. It's like the first time you ever drove a car. Sure, you could have crashed it, but most people are careful enough with their first time that they don't make any big mistakes. After the first, you realize how easy it is and you get better at driving fast (cleaning the sensor quickly) and safely.

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Originally Posted by ddt0725

or should I just hand it over to Best Buy to send out &amp; run around naked for two weeks? [img]/emoticons/emotion-4.gif[/img]

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Definitely not. I've heard plenty of folks say that the camera comes back just as dirty after Canon themselves clean it. There's really only three solutions:

• 
  Clone it out
• Don't shoot deep DOF (i.e. stay away from f/22)
• Clean it yourself

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Originally Posted by ddt0725

Is there something available that shows me exactly what I should and shouldn't do?

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<div>This is the guide I recommend to first timers:</div>
<div></div>
<div>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRW9AmDPqr0</div>

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Originally Posted by neuroanatomist

Have you tried the software fix? See p. 185 of your 7D manual for details on the Dust Delete feature, which records data from a reference image in the file headers of subsequent images, and if you process those images (RAW or JPG) in DPP, it applies the 'dust map' data to hide the spots (presumably by interpolating from the surrounding region of the image).

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I do remember reading about that a ways back. I'm going to have to go thru that again and possibly try it out. I do know the camera retains the image in your camera until you update it with a new picture but what if you go back to not needing it to retain a picture at all...can you delete it completely or once you retain one, you will always have a photo in there for it to reference?

Denise

Quote:

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Originally Posted by neuroanatomist

Have you tried the software fix? See p. 185 of your 7D manual for details on the Dust Delete feature, which records data from a reference image in the file headers of subsequent images, and if you process those images (RAW or JPG) in DPP, it applies the 'dust map' data to hide the spots (presumably by interpolating from the surrounding region of the image).

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I do remember reading about that a ways back. I'm going to have to go thru that again and possibly try it out. I do know the camera retains the image in your camera until you update it with a new picture but what if you go back to not needing it to retain a picture at all...can you delete it completely or once you retain one, you will always have a photo in there for it to reference?

Denise

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Originally Posted by Jon Ruyle

I do have to touch pictures up a bit if they're stopped way down, however. I just live with it.

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Hi John -

I think this is more than I want to leave there. My eyes will go to all ofit in every picture I take now. And there are way to many spots for me to touch-up. [:(]
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.37.26/IMG_5F00_1077.JPG[/img]

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Originally Posted by Daniel Browning

Definitely not. I've heard plenty of folks say that the camera comes back just as dirty after Canon themselves clean it. There's really only three solutions:

• Clone it out
• Don't shoot deep DOF (i.e. stay away from f/22)
• Clean it yourself

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Thanks, Daniel. I think I am going to buy what I need to clean it myself. I'm just not sure what that is yet. I noticed the spots in my sunrise photos that were shot at f/6.3 and f/7.1 so it's not like I can easily avoid seeing them in the future. I will watch the youtube link you provided and just take it from there. I am pretty nervous about doing this. I called the local camera shop down the street from me and they said they would send it out for cleaning and it would take up to 4 weeks to get it back! I don't get why a camera store can't do it "in-house" while I wait!? And from what I hear of people getting it back from Canon dirtier than it left them, if you can't trust Canon to do it right ...who can you trust?

Denise

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Originally Posted by ddt0725

I think this is more than I want to leave there. My eyes will go to all ofit in every picture I take now. And there are way to many spots for me to touch-up. [img]/emoticons/emotion-6.gif[/img]

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I agree it is too much to leave, but it would take only a few seconds to touch up. It's not *that* bad (assuming this was taken stopped way down).


I'm not saying you shouldn't clean it, but I've lived with worse on my IDIIN.

Well, I decided to clean it myself and will look into which brush and swabs to get. I'll probably order something from Amazon or B&amp;H. Thanks to everyone for helping me out with this ...much appreciated.


Denise

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daniel Browning

<div>This is the guide I recommend to first timers:</div>
<div></div>
<div>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRW9AmDPqr0</div>

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I just watched it ...thank you very much for the link! That is exactly what I needed to see! I was so bummed before viewing it but now ..how much simplier could he make it look! Heck, I can do that ...I think!? Once I find where to get them, I'm going to buy everything he showed in the video and I should be good!

Thanks again!

Denise

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Originally Posted by neuroanatomist

Personally, I bought a Visible DustArctic Butterfly 724 Super Bright.

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I think that is what I'm going to get. I can't find the Silicone dust stamp that was used in the video link Daniel provided so I think I'll just go with the Artic Butterfly , a sensor loupe and maybe a sensor pen (?) Or maybe the swabs? Heck, this stuff isn't cheap but I guess what about photography is!?

I will take a look at the article on Canon's website ...thank you!

Denise

How much does sensor cleaning (physical automated cleaning) matter in DSLR's ?



Is it essential or just another feature to misguide ?

Good luck with the cleaning - there's really nothing to it - like Daniel said it's a lot like driving a car for the first time. Eventually you get behind the wheel, apply what you know and everything goes fine.


I went with Visible Dust's V-Swabs and a bottle of Eclipse - total cost was about $50. The swabs are expensive but worth it in my opinion. I used 1 to clean my 5D, which was hideously dirty when I bought it. Two drops of Eclipse and a couple passes with the swab...done.


The butterfly thing looks interesting though a little "technical" for me; nothing against it, I just preferred manually "scraping" away the dust with a swab and it worked really well. I'll be interested to hear how the butterfly works for you.


Anyway - glad you chose to DIY. You'll be fine.

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Originally Posted by canoli

Good luck with the cleaning - there's really nothing to it - like Daniel said it's a lot like driving a car for the first time. Eventually you get behind the wheel, apply what you know and everything goes fine.


I went with Visible Dust's V-Swabs and a bottle of Eclipse - total cost was about $50. The swabs are expensive but worth it in my opinion. I used 1 to clean my 5D, which was hideously dirty when I bought it. Two drops of Eclipse and a couple passes with the swab...done.


The butterfly thing looks interesting though a little "technical" for me; nothing against it, I just preferred manually "scraping" away the dust with a swab and it worked really well. I'll be interested to hear how the butterfly works for you.


Anyway - glad you chose to DIY. You'll be fine.
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Thank you, Canoli! I still haven't quite decided what to buy yet but I'll have something ordered by this afternoon. I much rather spend $50 than what some of these other options cost!
Anway, as far as it being like driving a car ...I suppose if you're going to drive a car, you should learn how to change a flat tire ...which BTW, I still haven't done yet! [:P]

Have a great day!

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Originally Posted by ddt0725

I much rather spend $50 than what some of these other options cost!

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me too - even though at the time I thought "jeez, $48 for twelve swabs? this is ridiculous" - 4 dollars apiece? But after using one and seeing just how well it worked (along with the fluid) I changed my tune. Now 4 bucks seems like a bargain to wipe away the dust and get my sensor back to a clean state.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ddt0725

I suppose if you're going to drive a car, you should learn how to change a flat tire

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nah, not girls. Men, sure. But women...well, that's why they invented Triple A! (I know I know, terribly sexist of me - no offense intended)

I ended up ordering ...

• <span style="font-size: x-small;"]Lenspen LENSK1A Sensorklear Ii with Articulated Tip
• <span style="font-size: x-small;"]<span>Visible Dust EZ Sensor Cleaning Kit with 1 ml VDust Plus Liquid Cleaner &amp;4 DHAP (orange) 1.6" size Swabs
• <span style="font-size: x-small;"]<span>Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly 724 Super Bright VD

<span style="font-size: x-small;"]So, I should be set with what I need and should have them in a week. I didn't see anywhere to order the nerve to use them so I guess I'm on my own for that part! [:P] I'll let you know how it goes! Wish me luck and thank you to everyone for their advice!!

Also, for the heck of it I added a step-up ring to the order after Neuro's suggestion :)

Denise

wow when you decide you go all in! nice setup, those should certainly do the trick.


The question I had with the swabs was, "How hard do I press?" I found a youtube video of a guy using one and he showed the swab bending pretty steeply as he passed it over the sensor. I followed his lead and it was perfect.


I'm sure you've seen warnings about touching the sides of the sensor cavity - supposedly there's grease on the side walls that you want to avoid. I didn't see anything that looked like grease but...better safe than sorry.


good luck with it - I'm sure you'll be fine... wipe that dust away! [:)]


btw - did you think about getting a loupe? I couldn't decide if I "needed" one or not. It sure looks like a handy thing to have. After getting such great results with the V-swab and the drops I guess I'll do without one for now. Maybe I'll reconsider if the next cleaning session doesn't go so smoothly...


happy cleaning! remember "we have nothing to fear but fear itself"

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Originally Posted by canoli

wow when you decide you go all in! nice setup, those should certainly do the trick.

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lol! It was just I didn't want to wait for one thing to arrive and find it didn't work and then have to wait for the next thing. So, I figured I'd just come out with guns blazing ready to attack those little dust bunnies![:P] At least I hope it's dust!

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Originally Posted by canoli

btw - did you think about getting a loupe?

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Yes, I did have one picked out but they are not cheap! So, on that one I did figure I'd try getting by without it and only get it if I really feel I need it. With the butterfly brush having a light on it, hopefully that will do the trick ...or just clean, test, repeat!

Thanks very much for the encouragement! I figure it can't be any worse than when I had to give my dogs shots all the time ...nothing could make me more nervous than that!

Denise

I am having a meltdown!!! [:(] [:'(]

I did my sensor cleaning today using the blower, Arctic Butterfly 724 &amp; after still seeing spots I used the VisableDust VSwabs. The LensPen sensorclean hasn't arrived yet.

Throughout the process I took numerous photos and repeated the steps using 2 swabs and the Artic butterfly numerous times.


Here's a shot from right before I started (mid thread there is a photo also from the other day)...





http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/...f3d93304_z.jpg

And I got tired of repeatedly trying to get it clean ...


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/...493486cb_z.jpg

What the heck! Why is it just as dirty, if not dirtier than when I started!
The Artic Butterfly has two good lights on them and I don't even see anything on the sensor!

Advice, PLEASE!!

Denise

Well, it's tough to tell at low res, but it looks like some spots have moved, so dust is being moved around but not removed. Also (sorry for asking the obvious) are you sure your lens is clean or have you taken shots with different lenses (or if they are defocused it shouldn't matter)?

Lens dirt is typically not represented that way even at f/22. That definitely looks like sensor dust to me.


Sorry you're having such problems (and I'm sure lots of frustration), Denise. If you can spare the time, my advice would be to send it in. I'm a bit of a wimp working in such close quarters and such a sensitive part of the equipment and just wanted Canon to deal with it.


Hope you find a happy medium.

The lower is dirtier than the upper. Which is before and after?


If the dust is moving you would think the blower could push it out. You said you couldn't see it but your pics should clue you in where it is at. Keep in mind the spot on the sensor will be opposite of where it is on the picture, ie: dust at the top will be dust on the sensor at the bottom because the lens inverts the image. I have used that logic to clean mine when it just had one piece of dust.


As dirty as yours is, I probably would take it to a camera shop that offers cleaning service or packed it up and shipped it to Canon. I sent my 5D in for warranty a while back and asked they clean the sensor while it was there. It took three weeks, I broke down and bought another 5D for backup while it was gone I just couldn't be without.


Did your 7D come this dirty? Have you checked some of your early pictures to see if they were dirty as well?

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Originally Posted by HDNitehawk

The lower is dirtier than the upper. Which is before and after?

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The upper is before I attempted to clean it myself. Bottom is the results!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HDNitehawk

Did your 7D come this dirty? Have you checked some of your early pictures to see if they were dirty as well?

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Earlier pics were fine, I just noticed the problem a few weeks ago.

Denise

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Originally Posted by neuroanatomist

Also (sorry for asking the obvious) are you sure your lens is clean or have you taken shots with different lenses (or if they are defocused it shouldn't matter)?

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Yes, I used my 35mm and 17-55mm showing no difference.

Persistence pays off! I can live with this ...


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/...53baf4cf_z.jpg

Denise [:D]

[EDIT:] Good job, Denise!

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Originally Posted by Daniel Browning

[EDIT:] Good job, Denise!
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Thanks! I am so proud of myself for not giving up! I feel bipolar at the moment ...ultimate low a few hours ago and flying high now!!

It may not be as clean as Canon would have gotten it ...but it's good enough for me!

Denise

Looks good now.


persistence paid off

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Originally Posted by HDNitehawk

Looks good now.


persistence paid off
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Thank! I am so glad I had a couple of methods to use. I don't think any one thing alone would have done the trick. I will definitely be ordering more of these swabs for future use when needed!

Denise

Very nice Denise, that's what I call good results. It looks like it was worth it all [Y]


Another reason why Canon and other professionals get better results is that they clean the camera and lens before cleaning the sensor.They wear gloves and mouth-caps in the video of the local sensorcleaning business.And they do the entire cleaning process in a laboratory environment which is probably must cleaner than your house. No offense, but even if you're a cleaning maniac [;)]