Sensor cleaning.

[quote]My question is can anyone recommend a good (ideally quick) sensor cleaning service for a canon 40d in the Leeds/Bradford area[/quote] If you don't fancy doing it yourself, [link=http://www.hlehmann.co.uk/6.html]H Lehmanns[/link] in Stoke will clean a 40D sensor for £35+VAT, in a 2 hour slot while you wait. But you need to pre-book.

Quote:My question is can anyone recommend a good (ideally quick) sensor cleaning service for a canon 40d in the Leeds/Bradford area


If you don't fancy doing it yourself, H Lehmanns in Stoke will clean a 40D sensor for £35+VAT, in a 2 hour slot while you wait. But you need to pre-book.

personally I'd pay someone else to do it cos if they muck it up you can blame them, I just got mine done for £20.00 I was well pleased but I don't live anywhere near you ... ;-( I converted my cam to a pinhole, and there was a whole flock of bunnies .... its unavoidable really (esp. at f22) even moreso as a pinhole at night it doesn't matter but for a studio beauty shot, it really would

personally I'd pay someone else to do it cos if they muck it up you can blame them, I just got mine done for £20.00

I was well pleased but I don't live anywhere near you ... ;-(

I converted my cam to a pinhole, and there was a whole flock of bunnies ....

its unavoidable really (esp. at f22) even moreso as a pinhole

at night it doesn't matter but for a studio beauty shot, it really would

Sounds like you prb do need them removed then.. Basically there is more than one type of dust bunnie. Dust thats not attatched to the sensor and dust thats stuck to the sensor. So the 1st plan of attack is either blow or suck off the dust. This is where a artic butterfly or a blower can be used. There is some good blowers out there and the artic is a good tool. Another usefull thing is a loupe to view the dust, so you can see exactly where you want to concentrate, else take a shot at F22, with the flash on towards a white sheet (turn to manual focus if you cant get a lock close enough, no need to have the shot in focus for dust bunnies). When you view the back screen, rem the sensor will be in mirrored when you look at the picture, compared to the actual sensor. If you cant move the bunny, then the next phase is swabs. There is a lot of them out there, people swear by different ones. I like the greenclean ones, expensive but they come in packs, so you know they clean. Lots on this covered on the site in other posts... so worth checking our a search or two. Failing all that, there is the Diana way, go get it done professionaly, though as said before, the min you change a lens you can be back at square one :-) Prb looking between 20-40 pound a time... Tommy

Sounds like you prb do need them removed then..

Basically there is more than one type of dust bunnie. Dust thats not attatched to the sensor and dust thats stuck to the sensor.

So the 1st plan of attack is either blow or suck off the dust. This is where a artic butterfly or a blower can be used. There is some good blowers out there and the artic is a good tool.

Another usefull thing is a loupe to view the dust, so you can see exactly where you want to concentrate, else take a shot at F22, with the flash on towards a white sheet (turn to manual focus if you cant get a lock close enough, no need to have the shot in focus for dust bunnies). When you view the back screen, rem the sensor will be in mirrored when you look at the picture, compared to the actual sensor.

If you cant move the bunny, then the next phase is swabs. There is a lot of them out there, people swear by different ones. I like the greenclean ones, expensive but they come in packs, so you know they clean. Lots on this covered on the site in other posts... so worth checking our a search or two.

Failing all that, there is the Diana way, go get it done professionaly, though as said before, the min you change a lens you can be back at square one Prb looking between 20-40 pound a time...

Tommy

Sensor cleaning is scary the first time you do it, follow the instructions implicitly with regard to locking the mirror up and unless you're certain that your batteries are fully charged, use the mains power-pack for your camera. After you've cleaned it once, you'll wonder what you were worried about! I'd suggest using a blower first. If that doesn't shift it, try the Arctic Butterfly or similar. If the dust survives that, try the wet swabs. I've never needed to use swabs yet and I've been swapping lenses happily on my Fuji S3 Pro for 4 or 5 years now. Usually stick the lenses in my pocket while I'm changing them too. As someone else said, you could find that the first lens change after cleaning could see you back at square one, so you could spend lots of money paying someone else to carry out what is really a straightforward procedure. I've changed lenses in doubtful situations and got away with it and I've also changed lenses in what I thought were the best of situations, only to find the sensor heavily contaminated afterwards, so my advice is, have a go yourself. Alex.

Sensor cleaning is scary the first time you do it, follow the instructions implicitly with regard to locking the mirror up and unless you're certain that your batteries are fully charged, use the mains power-pack for your camera. After you've cleaned it once, you'll wonder what you were worried about! I'd suggest using a blower first. If that doesn't shift it, try the Arctic Butterfly or similar. If the dust survives that, try the wet swabs. I've never needed to use swabs yet and I've been swapping lenses happily on my Fuji S3 Pro for 4 or 5 years now. Usually stick the lenses in my pocket while I'm changing them too. As someone else said, you could find that the first lens change after cleaning could see you back at square one, so you could spend lots of money paying someone else to carry out what is really a straightforward procedure. I've changed lenses in doubtful situations and got away with it and I've also changed lenses in what I thought were the best of situations, only to find the sensor heavily contaminated afterwards, so my advice is, have a go yourself.
Alex.

hmm I might take some of your advice then Alex.... good stuff thanks from me on that one

hmm I might take some of your advice then Alex....

good stuff

thanks from me on that one

Alex, I have decided to give it a go myself. Just a matter of deciding what with. I guess I balk at £50+ for the butterfly or the brushoff which got good reviews on here too but I balk more at £40 for a clean and as I can't get to Lehmans being without the camera whilst it's done. I try to swap lenses carefully and as little as possible so hopefully if I do manage to clean the thing myself, which is highly questionable, it will stay clean for a bit. Having finally bought a walkabout to replace my 35mm prime I'm hoping that will stay on camera most of the time which may help too. Thanks all for the useful advice. Dave

Alex,

I have decided to give it a go myself. Just a matter of deciding what with. I guess I balk at £50+ for the butterfly or the brushoff which got good reviews on here too but I balk more at £40 for a clean and as I can't get to Lehmans being without the camera whilst it's done. I try to swap lenses carefully and as little as possible so hopefully if I do manage to clean the thing myself, which is highly questionable, it will stay clean for a bit. Having finally bought a walkabout to replace my 35mm prime I'm hoping that will stay on camera most of the time which may help too.

Thanks all for the useful advice.

Dave

I use one of those rubbery rocket blower things with a long red nozzle on a 5D. takes a few minutes, works fine. needs doing periodically, dependant on camera usage, maybe once a week if its being used several times that week. I do change lenses a fair bit. Nice to think I'm saving £40 a week. I suppose its possible to get more persisitent marks that aren't puffed away, hasn't happened yet though.

I use one of those rubbery rocket blower things with a long red nozzle on a 5D. takes a few minutes, works fine. needs doing periodically, dependant on camera usage, maybe once a week if its being used several times that week. I do change lenses a fair bit.
Nice to think I'm saving £40 a week.

I suppose its possible to get more persisitent marks that aren't puffed away, hasn't happened yet though.

A cheap butterfly alternative is to buy a rocket blower and a small, flat, nylon paintbursh. Blow across the paintbrush to build up static, then use as you wouuld a butterfly. The blower is also useful, as others have said, as a first run at the cleaning too Also if you turnt he camera off when changing lenses, you'll get less static pull of dust into the body as well, I get much smaller bunny sets since I started following that advice

A cheap butterfly alternative is to buy a rocket blower and a small, flat, nylon paintbursh. Blow across the paintbrush to build up static, then use as you wouuld a butterfly. The blower is also useful, as others have said, as a first run at the cleaning too

Also if you turnt he camera off when changing lenses, you'll get less static pull of dust into the body as well, I get much smaller bunny sets since I started following that advice

There are so many options my head is starting to spin. The butterfly is £86 in Dale or Jacabs which are my nearest decent camera shops and not much cheaper online (excluding WE who I refuse to use after a bad experience) so the rocket blower or blower + paintbrush is a tempting option. As far as I can tell the worst I'm likely to do with a brush (butterfly or B & Q) is to drag more stuff and maybe some oil across the sensor which would then justify the expense of buying swabs or paying to have it cleaned. I think I am just putting off having to take the lens off and go near the sensor with my less than delicate hands regardless of what cleaning kit they end up holding at the time.

There are so many options my head is starting to spin. The butterfly is £86 in Dale or Jacabs which are my nearest decent camera shops and not much cheaper online (excluding WE who I refuse to use after a bad experience) so the rocket blower or blower + paintbrush is a tempting option. As far as I can tell the worst I'm likely to do with a brush (butterfly or B & Q) is to drag more stuff and maybe some oil across the sensor which would then justify the expense of buying swabs or paying to have it cleaned.
I think I am just putting off having to take the lens off and go near the sensor with my less than delicate hands regardless of what cleaning kit they end up holding at the time.

All branches of Calumet now do sensor cleaning.

All branches of Calumet now do sensor cleaning.

Thanks Barrie, Just as I had plucked up the courage to have a bash myself and I've just noticed Dale do too. I think I'll just stick it in the washing machine and have done with it. I am assumming a 40 degree setting but do I hang it on the washing line or tumble dry? And if an errant red sock gets in with it are all my future shots going to have a .6 pink filter effect?

Thanks Barrie,

Just as I had plucked up the courage to have a bash myself and I've just noticed Dale do too.

I think I'll just stick it in the washing machine and have done with it. I am assumming a 40 degree setting but do I hang it on the washing line or tumble dry? And if an errant red sock gets in with it are all my future shots going to have a .6 pink filter effect?

[quote]Try wire wool and vim...that should work.[/quote] Hi Cathy thanks for your advice on how to clean my sensor but I cant get the streaks of my images any help would be appreciated ? Paul

Quote:Try wire wool and vim...that should work.


Hi Cathy thanks for your advice on how to clean my sensor but I cant get the streaks of my images any help would be appreciated ?

Paul

I let Sarah (Whipspeed) clean mine. Might be worth P.M'ing her to find out her secret method :) Adrian

I let Sarah (Whipspeed) clean mine.
Might be worth P.M'ing her to find out her secret method

Adrian