Panasonic gx800 sensor clean

muljao · Apr 15, 2020

Hi all,

Is there a way to physically do this? If I take off the lens with power off have I access to clean or is there something in front. I've cleaned DSLR sensors a good few times but no experience with mirrorless.

There are dots on photos that don't budge with the self clean option

Thanks

Eric Nepean · Apr 15, 2020

muljao said:
Hi all,

Is there a way to physically do this? If I take off the lens with power off have I access to clean or is there something in front. I've cleaned DSLR sensors a good few times but no experience with mirrorless.

There are dots on photos that don't budge with the self clean option

Thanks

I have done this a few times.

You can easily access the sensor cover with the lens removed and power off.

I was successful in cleaning GX7,GM1, G5 and GX1 sensor with the usual set of gear:

Blower
Brush
Sensor Swab and fluid

Aa little tricky finding a swab that fits an M43 sensor.

For cameras with IBIS I beleive cleaning with a swab might be a different ball game; I have not tried that yet. The camera may need to be on to hold the sensor in place (unsure - might depend on brand).

I guess I need to learn as I now have 4 cameras with IBIS, three Olympus and one Panny.

muljao · Apr 15, 2020

Eric Nepean said:
muljao said:

Hi all,

Is there a way to physically do this? If I take off the lens with power off have I access to clean or is there something in front. I've cleaned DSLR sensors a good few times but no experience with mirrorless.

There are dots on photos that don't budge with the self clean option

Thanks

Click to expand...

I have done this a few times.

You can easily access the sensor cover with the lens removed and power off.

I was successful in cleaning GX7,GM1, G5 and GX1 sensor with the usual set of gear:

Blower

Brush

Sensor Swab and fluid

Aa little tricky finding a swab that fits an M43 sensor.

For cameras with IBIS I beleive cleaning with a swab might be a different ball game; I have not tried that yet. The camera may need to be on to hold the sensor in place (unsure - might depend on brand).

I guess I need to learn as I now have 4 cameras with IBIS, three Olympus and one Panny.

baxters · Apr 15, 2020

I use APS-C swabs, They;re not exact, but work OK, Been cleaning mu M43 for 10 years now, For my EM5 and GX85, the sensors flop around if power is off, so I leave it on,

I use Eclipse lens fluid. I thought I would minimize my travel kit and try the pre-moistened swabs, I think they used a sugar solution in them, It was so sticky, Never again,

pannumon · Apr 15, 2020

muljao said:
Thanks,

I'll figure out the swab, must root out my cleaning kit.

I just looked at sensor with lens off. I cycled power, seems shutter closes and quickly opens again with power on but stays out of the way with power off

GX800 does not have IBIS, so no need to worry about that. If you shake the camera while it is off, it may be that the shutter closes. Then just turn the camera on and off again. Don't touch the shutter.

muljao · Apr 16, 2020

Thanks all for the great info

joergzielosko · Apr 16, 2020

Eric Nepean said:
I was successful in cleaning GX7,GM1, G5 and GX1 sensor with the usual set of gear:

Did you actually succeed in cleaning your GM1 sensor? My GM5 suffers from many dust particles that seem to sit below the glass surface, no chance to get rid of them. So this wonderful camera is now only useable at apertures up to F4 :-(

Eric Nepean · Apr 16, 2020

joergzielosko said:
Eric Nepean said:

I was successful in cleaning GX7,GM1, G5 and GX1 sensor with the usual set of gear:

Click to expand...

Did you actually succeed in cleaning your GM1 sensor? My GM5 suffers from many dust particles that seem to sit below the glass surface, no chance to get rid of them. So this wonderful camera is now only useable at apertures up to F4 :-(

I was successful in cleaning my GM1 sensor. the problem was actually a thumbprint on the sensor, not dust particles.

However the other cameras mentioned it was all dust particles, although none underneath the glass cover. I was successful in cleaning them all.

One thing I found was that it is really difficult to clean dust effectively if you cannot see it. So i got a sensor loupe. What works well is a sensor loupe with an opening on one side, like the Carson, so that you can see both the dust particles and your brush.

For dust particles under the glass I do not believe there is any way to clean that.

After going through all this I found a video from a repair shop in the EU that demonstrated their regular maintence including sensor cleaning.

They use a very small custom vaccum to vaccum out the sensor cavity. Not so much to remove dust from the snsor, but to remove dust from the camera.

Then I realised - with the sensor self cleaning, and the brushes, and blowers and swabs, we are not removing the dust from the camera very efficiently, Perhaps not at all. Most of the dust remains in the camera. We are just moving the dust off the sensor, and who knows where it will be in a few weeks?

So I have purchased some 12V diaphram air pumps from ebay, and a 12V supply. Add some plastic hose and I have my own vaccum. Careful that the hose will not touch the sensor cover!! The sensor covers s antireflection coating is key to prevent ghosting, and I don't know how robust it is.

I haven't tried it yet. The first victim will be my least loved camera, likely GX1. Or possibly G1.

pannumon · Apr 16, 2020

Eric Nepean said:
After going through all this I found a video from a repair shop in the EU that demonstrated their regular maintence including sensor cleaning.

Perhaps you mean this:

Loading…

www.dpreview.com

This video was pretty interesting, but it is now not available for public.

Eric Nepean said:
So I have purchased some 12V diaphram air pumps from ebay, and a 12V supply. Add some plastic hose and I have my own vaccum. Careful that the hose will not touch the sensor cover!! The sensor covers s antireflection coating is key to prevent ghosting, and I don't know how robust it is.

The Earth would stop rotating without vacuum pumps.

Eric Nepean · Apr 17, 2020

pannumon said:
Eric Nepean said:

After going through all this I found a video from a repair shop in the EU that demonstrated their regular maintence including sensor cleaning.

Click to expand...

Perhaps you mean this:

https://www.dpreview.com/news/54715...s-of-leica-s-in-house-sensor-cleaning-service

This video was pretty interesting, but it is now not available for public.

I checked out the caption, that wasn't it

pannumon said:
pannumon said:

So I have purchased some 12V diaphram air pumps from ebay, and a 12V supply. Add some plastic hose and I have my own vaccum. Careful that the hose will not touch the sensor cover!! The sensor covers s antireflection coating is key to prevent ghosting, and I don't know how robust it is.

Click to expand...

The Earth would stop rotating without vacuum pumps.

Fortunately that theory cannot be tested :-D:-D:-D

one blind eye · Apr 18, 2020

muljao said:
Hi all,

Is there a way to physically do this? If I take off the lens with power off have I access to clean or is there something in front. I've cleaned DSLR sensors a good few times but no experience with mirrorless.

There are dots on photos that don't budge with the self clean option

Thanks

I heard that shooting some canned compressed air on the sensor filter.

Then take a Q-tip and scrub the filter using isopropyl alcohol.

Good luck.

Eric Nepean · Apr 18, 2020

one blind eye said:
muljao said:

Hi all,

Is there a way to physically do this? If I take off the lens with power off have I access to clean or is there something in front. I've cleaned DSLR sensors a good few times but no experience with mirrorless.

There are dots on photos that don't budge with the self clean option

Thanks

Click to expand...

I heard that shooting some canned compressed air on the sensor filter.

Last thing you ever, ever, want to do.

The canned air carries little drops of fluid that are not very kind to the sensor cover.

one blind eye said:
Then take a Q-tip and scrub the filter using isopropyl alcohol.

Qtips leave behind tiny fiber strands that are really difficult to get rid of.

There are swabs and cleaning fluid made especially for this purpose. The swabs are lintless, and the cleaning fluid will not harm the antireflection coating on the sensor.

Scrubbing is to be avoided as it will damage the anti reflection coating, resulting in hgost images cause by reflection of the sensor and then the lens elements.

one blind eye said:
Good luck.

Indeed.

muljao · Apr 18, 2020

one blind eye said:
muljao said:

Hi all,

Is there a way to physically do this? If I take off the lens with power off have I access to clean or is there something in front. I've cleaned DSLR sensors a good few times but no experience with mirrorless.

There are dots on photos that don't budge with the self clean option

Thanks

Click to expand...

I heard that shooting some canned compressed air on the sensor filter.

Then take a Q-tip and scrub the filter using isopropyl alcohol.

Good luck.

I'll pass, the words shoot air and scrub just don't sit well with me when we're talking about camera sensors

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Panasonic gx800 sensor clean

muljao

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Eric Nepean

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baxters

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