Questions about cleaning Sensors...

I have had my Canon 300D for about 1 1/2 months and shot about 2000 frames with it. The results so far have been pretty good. Unfortunately yesterday I noticed some spots starting to appear in my images, especially at high F stops (32 - 45 most obviously). So I opened her up, selected clean sensor and saw that there was indeed some foreign matter on there.

Blowing did not remove the spots so I want to my local camera shop and asked their advice. The sold me $48.00 sensor cleaning swabs (Sensor Swab from Photographic Solutions). After very carefully following all instructions the result was more spots in my images... not less. After repeating this process very, very, very carefully and not having any improvement I boxed the damn thing up and sent it back to Canon for them to take care of the mess.

So, have any one else run into this with there sensors and if so what have you done? I love this camera but am obviously a little frustrated with this sensor dust and cleaning thing...

Regards,

Craig

I have heard that you have to do the swabbing several times at first. I haven't done it personally but I've bought the "hardware". I think this is a neverending battle.

On my last trip I had a huge problem with this. On the D100 you aren't supposed to be able to clean it in the field, but this is what I did. I set the exposure to bulb, pressed the shutter with the lens off, then blew out the body with compressed air from a tank. I touched up spots carefully. Didn't fix everything but got 90% of the garbage. The swabs and alcohol are now part of my traveling toolkit.

I tried the swabbing about 6 -7 times with the same result. Very frustrating as there are only 12 swabs in the $48 dollar box. That comes to about $4 a swab...

The Canon 300D does have a sensor cleaning mode as opposed to just doing the bulb exposure method. The manual says to send it to Canon to do though. It seems they might be right.

Thanks,

Craig

The first time I swabbed, it took several (6-8) tries to get the crap off.

I'm better now, and do it more frequently, and can get it in 2-3.

I use the rubber spatula method myself, with a pec pad and eclipse, and that damned $80 ac adapter.

Compressed air scares me. Between the silicon grease in regulators, and the oil in air tools, I think that would be flirting with disaster. I've also heard of mixed results blowing off a charged sensor, any dirt sticks right back on. It does, however, appear that Craig was able to make a workable field repair.

Thanks Ryan, I would be fascinated to know in more detail how you clean the sensor and the products you use. I would really like to get this down so in the future I don't keep having to ship this thing off to Canon and wait, and wait, and wait...

I am already pondering plunking down the funds for a second camera body so I don't have any down time. I am already having some withdrawl...

Best Regards,

Craig

What did you buy for $48.00?

Can't you just get some isopropanol or similar?

/Anders

I haven't tried it myself. But I have found this site. http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/ccd_cleaning

It shows you how to make your own & method to clean it.

Becky

Rhizopora beet me to the link, but that is the procedure I use.

I look for globbies with the camera on a tripod, A priority, taking a picture of a white piece of paper at f22. I keep cleaning until they are reasonably gone.

Don't use too much eclipse either, a couple of drops is all you need.

Anders, these are the recommended swabs I used:

http://www.micro-tools.com/Merchant2/merch...5&Store_Code=MT

I do not recommend them at all. The link posted in a previous reply seems to be a better way to go. I am studying this now myself and plan on trying it next time... whenever I get my camera back from Canon that is of course.

Craig

Yes, compressed air isn't what I would choose but it's all I had. I took it straight from the tank valve and used progressively stronger amounts until I got most of it to go away. I touched up with a q-tip of all things. I was desperate!