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Scratched Low Pass Filter on D40

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I didn't mention there is one other option.

I neglected to mention the camera is quite new (which makes the damage even more painful), and at least here in Canada Nikon will provide one free cleaning within 30 days. Though it makes we wince ethically, I could send the camera in mentioning only that stubborn speck that blowing won't remove. Best case scenario is they deem the scratch as under warranty and I get a new filter. Worst case scenario is they discern user misuse and offer to fix it for $400+, which of course is only a few dollars shy of a new D40 body and only a couple of hundred shy of a D40x body, if you can find one. In any case I get my one free cleaning. I would be without the camera for a few weeks, but I do have the D80. Incidentally, after all this, I have been afraid to even look at the D80 funny. I just got a lovely 70mm 2.8 macro lens by Sigma (which isn't easily usable on the D40 because it isn't HSM), and it all has gone untouched. Instead I am doing penance with the the D40, taking pics and driving myself nuts editing out smudges that most others would regard as variations in background shadow and thus a legitimate part of the photo! Mea culpa.

I have downloaded a trial of Capture NX and have yet to find enough light to take a dust reference photo. When I give it a try I will let you know what I find. I must admit that even though I can see saving changes to actual NEF files as a clear advantage, the apparently inexplicable increase in file size leaves me cold. I am sure you have discovered that your D50 files jump in size from about 5MB to over 8MB after resaving. In any case, hand correction in Aperture is satisfactory, but unlike you am I finding I see the blemish on most of my shots, even faintly. I could see using Capture NX for tough cases where the blemish mixes in with detail I don't want to destroy.

Thanks for the wisdom and support.

Les
 
In the long run, you made a $300 mistake. If it were me, and if I had other DSLRs, I'd get the low-pass filter replaced with a piece of glass and have a sharper camera that can do IR.

FWIW, Nikon (at least in Japan) uses a cleaning technique that looks somewhat more aggressive than the wet swab technique (they use a stiffer stick covered with something like a PecPad). Maybe sometimes they scratch the filter, too.

For future reference, if the blower does't do it for you, and you're wary of using a SensorKlear pen, get a sensor brush. Very unlikely to scratch the filter with a brush, but it's more effective than just a blower.
--
David
 
shrinkie1964 said:
I have downloaded a trial of Capture NX and have yet to find enough
light to take a dust reference photo.
Click to expand...
Set the WB to incandescent light, adjust the lens to the largest f/-value and set focus to infinity. Hold a sheet of white printing paper between the lit bulb of your table lamp and the camera, and take a picture or take a picture of the lit bulb itself.

When you're done, could you post the picture here so we can check out that scratch?

Thanks,

Marco
 
I sent a D50 in for a new shutter and before they found my warranty, they told me the repair was 130 dollars.....seems it should be less than that for a filter.
--
Gene from Western Pa

http://imageevent.com/grc6
http://grc225.zenfolio.com/
FZ10....20 and 30 and FZ18

D50 ....D80 - 18 to 200VR- 50mm 1.8 - 80 to 400 OS



Just trying to learn and it's slow going!
 
I just remembered that the company that makes Sensor Swabs and Eclipse guarantees that if you used their products to clean a sensor, and the sensor is damaged, they'll pay for the repair. Here's the guarantee:

"Photographic Solutions, Inc. guarantees that it's Sensor Swab , BrushOff , Eclipse or E2 products will cause no damage to the CCD or CMOS sensor when used in accordance with the instructions provided by the camera manufacturer and/or Photographic Solutions website (PS). If it is determined that these products caused physical damage to the sensor, PS will reimburse the camera owner for the full cost of repairs upon presentation to PS of proof of purchase, camera manufacturer's repair invoice and the damaged sensor. This warranty applies to all cameras and in any country."

http://www.photosol.com/guarantee.htm

Contact them and see what they'll do. If you used the recommended procedure, they should fix it for you. That's part of why they charge $4/swab, I suppose.

David
 
David Bookbinder said:
I just remembered that the company that makes Sensor Swabs and
Eclipse guarantees that if you used their products to clean a sensor,
and the sensor is damaged, they'll pay for the repair. Here's the
guarantee:

"Photographic Solutions, Inc. guarantees that it's Sensor Swab ,
BrushOff , Eclipse or E2 products will cause no damage to the CCD or
CMOS sensor when used in accordance with the instructions provided by
the camera manufacturer and/or Photographic Solutions website (PS).
Click to expand...
On the photographic solutions website, it lists which cameras to
use Eclipse with, and which to use E2.

http://www.photosol.com/cameras_bymfg.html

It seems to me that if you use the wrong one, you are pretty
clearly not following the instructions on their website.
 
It may not be $300. It may be less. My recollection is that this is what a third-party company charges, but Nikon Service may be cheaper. A free phone call will probably reveal that info.

--
David
--
David
 
I went through this a couple years back (even called the IR conversion companies to see if they had extra filters, to no avail), and someone here saved me. They mentioned that alcohol (I was using Eclipse) can't dissolve everything, and that there are some things that are water soluble, and not alcohol soluble (ex. wood glue). The "scratch" was from a sensor brush that wasn't completely dry, and the idea was that some of the glue that holds on the bristles may have been transferred.

Long story short, after a bunch of cleanings with Eclipse to try to remove what I swore was a scratch, I tried distilled water. It worked perfectly.

I'd definitely try distilled water. You might get lucky.
 
Sorry I don't have the full URL handy, but I did find that Lifepixel (see earlier in the thread for their directions to open a D50) will sell original replacement filters for $150, and their full service is $350.

I do have a plan--Nikon Canada's service centre outside of Toronto is a reasonable drive from me. They also offer a complimentary cleaning in the first thirty days (yes, the camera is that new). It may seem disingenuous, but my hope is that if I keep my trap shut at the service counter and not thrash myself like I have in this thread, they will take it off my hands and do their best to clean. If it really is an avid bit of junk and not a scratch, they will get it off. If not they will get back to me and say either a) "scratched sensor filter, unlucky you, must be a weakness in the ITO coating, lets fix it under warranty or give you a refurbished replacement" or "scratched sensor filter, you must have gone after this with a paper clip or something, warranty void, but we can fix for $X...."

Their turn around time at this service counter is only a couple of days and I am free of a middle man retailer or expensive insured shipping, so it is a worth a try--and I sure can't beat the convenience.

I will take it in tomorrow and should have a revised report by the end of the week, say a prayer to the god Phos for me, those of you so inclined :)

Les
 
Keep us posted on what it is, as I am in the same predicament. I can't help but think that I have a blob of gook on my filter from all the junk that spewed out of my Giottos rocket blower the first time I used it. So far I have only used Sensor Swabs and Eclipse, and have not resorted to using a wooden stick and Pec pad, like the Nikon service center in Japan does.
 
The first time I cleaned my D50 sensor...I started with the Rocket Blower and made the situation much worse. Eclipse fluid worked fine after several tries. I came to the conclusion that I probably blew some excess lubricant onto the sensor. Since then I use the same procedure: Rocket blower...check for spots and then Eclipse fluid on pec pads if needed. Works for me for over 2 years now.

Mark O
 
shrinkie1964 said:
I thank everyone for the suggestions and encouragement but I think I
have decided what to do. Basically, I will leave things be, use the
camera well, live with the occasional blemish in photos (remembering
that this is a 400 dollar D40, and not a D300 that costs several
times as much), restrict occasional cleanings to the blower alone,
and if I decide I really must have a D40 series in my collection I
will upgrade to the D40x, and sell or donate the besmirched D40 to a
DIY nerd interested in buying the $150 replacement filter from
Lifepixel and making the repair.
Click to expand...
It's rather doubtful that you've scratched the sensor in the first place. It can take a little bit of practice to develop the proper technique. From your descriptions, it sounds like you've just handled your first attempt at cleaning the sensor just a bit squeamishly which isn't unusual. Most likely this "scratch" is merely a streak that can be wiped away with just a bit more time and effort.

Since you've already written the sensor off as damaged, there's nothing to stop you from getting a little more aggressive with it. If you can get that "scratch" to change it's shape at all, it's not a scratch and if it's not a scratch, it can be cleaned off.

--
'Here, look at the monkey. Look at the silly monkey!'

Tom Young
http://www.pbase.com/tyoung/
 
I notice there are no images to illustrate this scratch. It would be nice to see a 100% crop of the area, so we can get a better idea of what this is. If Nikon determines it to be a scratch, or if they manage to clean it off, then the rest of us will benefit by knowing what a scratch really looks like vs some kind of smear.
--
David
 
Nikon Canada service just called me. The jig is up! My disingenuousness didn't persuade them and they advised it is indeed a scratch, likely induced by me, and a fix isn't covered by warranty. They aren't even going to attempt their cleaning protocol for fear of worsening the problem. And I am not going to waste more money on their bench estimate charge to find out what I already know. I didn't openly admit to my cleaning efforts, but I didn't deny them either. I have stretched this issue ethically a little far as it is :)

But the inspiration just keeps coming. I will try to make the most of the camera, and try to keep the sensor as clean as possible with gentle dry sensor brush and blower cleanings. And I would sooner spend the 300 or 400 bucks on an academic copy of PS or Capture NX and zap the defect when it turns up in pics. The Nikon Service guy seemed a little surprise I had a D40 as a I was a D70 and D80 owner, so I will focus on the more sophisticated camera and fiddle with the D40 when I want to do something simple and just enjoy its compactness in my hands.

But it gets better! My 10 yr old niece has a birthday coming up and I may pass the cam on to her--I have the 18-55 kit lens on order, and am getting at a reduced price as a raincheck since it wasn't available on sale when I got the body. She will not be fussed about the imperfection, and she is smart enough to learn to use a DSLR as a starter camera. She will be thrilled to have a camera like Uncle Les and Grampa, and if she does want to learn how to take marks out of her pics (if she notices) I can teach her basic post-processing.

Instead of whinging more about this I have chosen just to be grateful to have the means to get all these gizmos , learn some valuable lessons, and make the most when something goes wrong. If I were on a limited budget and this were my only camera, I would be a little more piqued. Instead, I will just count my blessings and thank Phos it wasnt the D80.

Les

p.s. for those who want to see pics of the scratch in dust ref pics be patient with me. I don't have an online photoalbum to upload stuff too. Will keep u posted.
 
flyt100 said:
Long story short, after a bunch of cleanings with Eclipse to try to
remove what I swore was a scratch, I tried distilled water. It
worked perfectly.

I'd definitely try distilled water. You might get lucky.
Click to expand...
How can distilled water remove a physical scratch on the low-pass filter?

Marco
 
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