Has anyone cleaned their m4/3 sensor?

[AlextheSiberian]

I clearly have a piece of dust on my sensor. When looking at the sensor with a naked eye, I cannot see anything, but it shows up on all my images now. Just look at the upper left corner

Has anyone successfully cleaned their sensors? If so, any tips/advice you could share?

Thank you very much!

Alex

 

[bg2b]

I used one of the Sensorklear pens (basically a lens pen with a slightly different tip shape) on my GH2 when it came back from service with a fingerprint on the sensor. That was the first time I've ever cleaned a camera sensor, but it turned out to be easy. I used the pen because it seemed like it would be less stressful than one of the liquid cleaning methods. I used a rocket blower, then the pen to mop up the print, and a final blow; it worked great.

 

[AlextheSiberian]

I used one of the Sensorklear pens (basically a lens pen with a slightly different tip shape) on my GH2 when it came back from service with a fingerprint on the sensor. That was the first time I've ever cleaned a camera sensor, but it turned out to be easy. I used the pen because it seemed like it would be less stressful than one of the liquid cleaning methods. I used a rocket blower, then the pen to mop up the print, and a final blow; it worked great.

Thank you for a great advice! Where did you buy your Sensorclear?

 

[EPPaar]

I use the LensPen kit. It includes the Cleaning Pen and a Magnifier. The best price I found was on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/LensPen-SKLK-1-Camera-Cleaning-Kit/dp/B003CZ5W1M/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1347827754&sr=8-8&keywords=lenspen \

You can go to the LensPen site for an explanation.

http://www.lenspen.com/home/
--
Peter

Photography has a lot in common with pipe smoking.

There is far more fiddling around with the equipment than there ever is in using it!

 

[hurricane]

I cleaned the sensor of my GH2 using the Digital Duster Refill Kit 16mm (small) from Delkin Devices. I had no previous experience cleaning a sensor and I was able to do it successfully in a very short time. You can get the refill kit for $19.95 on eBay.

 

[bg2b]

I don't remember, but lots of places sell them, and they're pretty cheap. (They also make a kit with a loupe, but I don't think that's necessary.)

 

[baxters]

I've cleaned my EPL1 sensor and it was no different than an APS-C sensor, in other words easier because no need to worry about a mirror snapping shut. However, I understand the EM5/OMD sensor floats around when powered off.

Perhaps I may try it with power applied if it ever becomes necessary.

 

[Fleabag]

My understanding is that because the EM-5 sensor is floating you have a greater risk of damage. Good luck.

 

[Narcosynthesis]

I have yet felt the need to clean my GF2 sensor, but I see no reason why it would be any different from my 400d which I have cleaned many times (beyond being slightly simpler in that it needs no manual cleaning mode to open the shutter - it is already open as standard)

Rather than diving straight into the 'contact' methods, I would always try and give it a quick clean with a rocket blower first - basically a wee device (mine was made by Giottos) that scoots a blast of air out the nozzle when you squeeze it - take the lens off, hold the camera with the sensor facing down, then (being careful not to touch the sensor itself) give a few good blasts of air over the sensor to dislodge any dust there. For me that has worked most of the time, is a nice simple method, and because it doesn't involve touching the sensor at all, removes the risk of scratching it (however small it may be done properly with a proper cleaning system).

After that I have used a lenspen sensorklear to get rid of more stubborn dirt, which seemed to work perfectly, so a good second option.
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/narcosynthesis
http://www.illaname.deviantart.com

 

[Optical1]

Your sensor is likely much worse than you think. Set your aperture to f22 and take a photo of a white wall - I was shocked how dirty my sensor was.

Using a rocket blower, you can remove a lot of the dust, but the for deeper cleaning, sensor swabs are perfect. I recently cleaned my EM-5 sensor using the 'sensor swab plus' model, which are pre-moistened with their 'eclipse' solution. I bought a 4 pack of the type 2 size (perfect size) for $16 or so. I used 2 of the 4 mostly because I wasn't sure how to use them properly. I'd recommend them to others.

 

[Thomas Kachadurian]

Don't do it on the OMD. The sensor is floating and you only make it worse. I tried, made a mess, then sent it to Olympus

Tom

http://www.kachadurian.com

Call me crazy. I happen to like photos of cats.

 

[AlextheSiberian]

I appreciate all of the advice given here, but now I am confused!

Should I or shouldn't I? That is the question! Don't want to damage the sensor mechanism and yet need to get rid of that stubborn speck of dust!

I guess I'll try the blower first and hope it works...

Alex

Don't do it on the OMD. The sensor is floating and you only make it worse. I tried, made a mess, then sent it to Olympus

Tom

http://www.kachadurian.com

Call me crazy. I happen to like photos of cats.

 

[Optical1]

Should I or shouldn't I? That is the question! Don't want to damage the sensor mechanism and yet need to get rid of that stubborn speck of dust!

I guess I'll try the blower first and hope it works...

Alex

Don't do it on the OMD. The sensor is floating and you only make it worse. I tried, made a mess, then sent it to Olympus

Tom

Tom's story is unfortunate, but I wouldn't say it is the norm.

Start with the rocket blower. If it works, great - problem solved.

If it doesn't work, buy some sensor swabs. I prefer this method to clean the sensor because you're not rubbing the sensor, you're merely wiping the contaminants off the sensor. It's not even really the sensor you're touching, but the low pass filter that is exposed.

My sensor swabs advice: use force. The wands bend under pressure. You should apply enough pressure that the wand bends with about 1/2" of deflection. Also, if there is too much solution on the swab, and it's leaving 'streaks' on the sensor, put it back in the wrapper and wring out the excess solution before a final pass. Lastly, if you're frugal, you can save the swab wands, and buy sensor cleaning cloths and solution instead of the pre-moistened swabs in the future.

I know that it Is nerve wracking, but floating sensor or not, it's not all that difficult to clean your own sensor. After having done it myself (on an EM-5), it would take a serious problem for me to send in my camera for cleaning.

 

[Skip]

Has anyone successfully cleaned their sensors? If so, any tips/advice you could share?

 

[digitalphotographer]

Optical1 wrote:

If it doesn't work, buy some sensor swabs. I prefer this method

My sensor swabs advice: use force. The wands bend under pressure.

I know that it Is nerve wracking, but floating sensor or not, it's not all that difficult to clean your own sensor. After having done it myself (on an EM-5), it would take a serious problem for me to send in my camera for cleaning.

Hi Optical1, I also have an EM-5 with streaks of dust on it, but all I read so far was "don't do it because of floating sensor" until I saw your post. Thanks for providing a success story.

I'm deciding between the Visible Dust and Sensor Swab right now, have you also considered Visible Dust? Also, how many Sensor Swab "sticks" on average do you need for each EM-5 cleaning sessions? Last question, do you also apply "use force" technique to E-M5, or especially E-M5?

 

[illy]

bg2b wrote:

I used one of the Sensorklear pens (basically a lens pen with a slightly different tip shape) on my GH2 when it came back from service with a fingerprint on the sensor. That was the first time I've ever cleaned a camera sensor, but it turned out to be easy. I used the pen because it seemed like it would be less stressful than one of the liquid cleaning methods. I used a rocket blower, then the pen to mop up the print, and a final blow; it worked great.

i used a sensorpen on my Nikon, it dropped more crap on the sensor than it cleaned, straight in the bin :-D

 

[papillon_65]

illy wrote:

bg2b wrote:

I used one of the Sensorklear pens (basically a lens pen with a slightly different tip shape) on my GH2 when it came back from service with a fingerprint on the sensor. That was the first time I've ever cleaned a camera sensor, but it turned out to be easy. I used the pen because it seemed like it would be less stressful than one of the liquid cleaning methods. I used a rocket blower, then the pen to mop up the print, and a final blow; it worked great.

i used a sensorpen on my Nikon, it dropped more crap on the sensor than it cleaned, straight in the bin :-D

 

[illy]

papillon_65 wrote:

illy wrote:

bg2b wrote:

I used one of the Sensorklear pens (basically a lens pen with a slightly different tip shape) on my GH2 when it came back from service with a fingerprint on the sensor. That was the first time I've ever cleaned a camera sensor, but it turned out to be easy. I used the pen because it seemed like it would be less stressful than one of the liquid cleaning methods. I used a rocket blower, then the pen to mop up the print, and a final blow; it worked great.

i used a sensorpen on my Nikon, it dropped more crap on the sensor than it cleaned, straight in the bin :-D

 

[SantaFeBill]

Skip wrote:

AlextheSiberian wrote:

Has anyone successfully cleaned their sensors? If so, any tips/advice you could share?

Put the Dos Equis on the Brillo pads.The combination should remove anything. :-D

 

[RonFrank]

I have been cleaning sensors for maybe a decade. I purchased a kit long ago with a sensor swipe, eclipse, pec pads, and a blower for maybe $10. Now people seem to think this stuff is gold, but really it is a few $$$ in materials. A rubbermaid spatula works well on the cheap.

Do a rocket blower first. If that does not work then a wet cleaning is needed. Doing this maintenance is easy. Apparently we have become helpless, but you can do things like fill your tires, and swab a sensor! :-D


Good Luck