Dust on the CCD, and "Whiners"

Sailor36 · Dec 31, 2003

Yesterday, I posted a thread about a "shadow" that I assumed to be dust on the CCD, and I got a couple of replies that contained good advice about my problem. A search led me to threads about the problem with Fuji S602 cameras. In response to advice I found on those threads, I bought some canned air and blew some on the lens barrel as it extended on boot and retracted on shutdown. My "shadow" went away. Wow! What a simple solution! I have no doubt that I will have to do the same in the future.

This post is in response to many that I read when researching the problem on the Fuji forum on Pbase. I noticed two themes in those threads: One was "How do I fix this?", and the other was "This is outrageous!!! There should never be any dust in a Fuji S602!!! Fuji should fix it for free!! ... Forever!!! "Fuji should redesign the system so that dust never enters!!!"

My response to the "whiners" is, Get a life! I don't know whether you noticed, but the lens assembly extends every time you boot the camera, and it retracts when you shut it down. In the process, a large amount of air moves in a confined space around the moving lens elements, even if you always use an extension tube and filter, as I do and you should. If there is even a speck of dust in the system, which might be introduced every time the camera is booted, that speck might wind up on the CCD or anywhere else. If it does, it sure as hell is not Fuji's fault for having failed to manufacture a permanently, perectly dustproof system for what amounts, in the high-tech world, nickels and dimes.

I'm really happy with my S602, which gives me a sophisticated camera system to use for a reasonable price. The images are very nice, even when I'm doing routine construction documentation on auto.

Sailor36 · Dec 31, 2003

Sailor36 said:
Yesterday, I posted a thread about a "shadow" that I assumed to be
dust on the CCD, and I got a couple of replies that contained good
advice about my problem. A search led me to threads about the
problem with Fuji S602 cameras. In response to advice I found on
those threads, I bought some canned air and blew some on the lens
barrel as it extended on boot and retracted on shutdown. My
"shadow" went away. Wow! What a simple solution! I have no doubt
that I will have to do the same in the future.

This post is in response to many that I read when researching the
problem on the Fuji forum on Pbase. I noticed two themes in those
threads: One was "How do I fix this?", and the other was "This is
outrageous!!! There should never be any dust in a Fuji S602!!! Fuji
should fix it for free!! ... Forever!!! "Fuji should redesign the
system so that dust never enters!!!"

My response to the "whiners" is, Get a life! I don't know whether
you noticed, but the lens assembly extends every time you boot the
camera, and it retracts when you shut it down. In the process, a
large amount of air moves in a confined space around the moving
lens elements, even if you always use an extension tube and
filter, as I do and you should. If there is even a speck of dust in
the system, which might be introduced every time the camera is
booted, that speck might wind up on the CCD or anywhere else. If it
does, it sure as hell is not Fuji's fault for having failed to
manufacture a permanently, perectly dustproof system for what
amounts, in the high-tech world, nickels and dimes.

I'm really happy with my S602, which gives me a sophisticated
camera system to use for a reasonable price. The images are very
nice, even when I'm doing routine construction documentation on
auto.

A thousand pardons, please. I meant the Fuji

Forum on Digital Photography review.

jkirk@oz · Dec 31, 2003

Sailor36 said:
Sailor36 wrote:

Yesterday, I posted a thread about a "shadow" that I assumed to be dust on the CCD, and I got a couple of replies that contained good advice about my problem.

I missed it because of the title. I assumed it was a pic. I really only have time to keep track of "technical" issues these days, but its great you got it sorted out.

Sailor36 said:
A search led me to threads about the problem with Fuji S602 cameras. In response to advice I found on those threads, I bought some canned air and blew some on the lens barrel as it extended on boot and retracted on shutdown. My "shadow" went away. Wow! What a simple solution! I have no doubt that I will have to do the same in the future.

This post is in response to many that I read when researching the problem on the Fuji forum on Pbase. I noticed two themes in those threads: One was "How do I fix this?", and the other was "This is outrageous!!! There should never be any dust in a Fuji S602!!! Fuji should fix it for free!! ... Forever!!! "Fuji should redesign the system so that dust never enters!!!"

My response to the "whiners" is, Get a life! I don't know whether you noticed, but the lens assembly extends every time you boot the camera, and it retracts when you shut it down. In the process, a large amount of air moves in a confined space around the moving lens elements, even if you always use an extension tube and filter, as I do and you should.

Well, that's a bit harsh. With the extension tube and filter on, we have a closed volumetric iso-pressure system. Theoretically there will be NO / minimal air movement in that system. EXTENSIVE investigation by us found that this dust / particles was introduced during manufacture. A pathetic QC slip-up, AND there's been others. WE DO have a right to point these out, you DON'T have to agree. Sure, some ppl get a bit more excited than others over the issue. Big deal, that's what the planet is for - vent a spleen, start a revolution, solve a world issue .. AND .. still get back in time to watch neighbours

. Relax, it's all going ok.

Sailor36 said:
If there is even a speck of dust in the system, which might be introduced every time the camera is booted, that speck might wind up on the CCD or anywhere else. If it does, it sure as hell is not Fuji's fault for having failed to manufacture a permanently, perectly dustproof system for what amounts, in the high-tech world, nickels and dimes.

Maybe nickles to you, not everyone is as lucky.

Sailor36 said:
I'm really happy with my S602, which gives me a sophisticated camera system to use for a reasonable price. The images are very nice, even when I'm doing routine construction documentation on auto.

We're all VERY happy with the S4900 series. Isn't going to stop me bagging the cr*p outta them though, when I find a slip-up

JKirk

Sailor36 · Dec 31, 2003

jkirk@oz said:
jkirk@oz said:

Sailor36 wrote:

Yesterday, I posted a thread about a "shadow" that I assumed to be dust on the CCD, and I got a couple of replies that contained good advice about my problem.

Click to expand...

I missed it because of the title. I assumed it was a pic. I really
only have time to keep track of "technical" issues these days, but
its great you got it sorted out.

jkirk@oz said:

A search led me to threads about the problem with Fuji S602 cameras. In response to advice I found on those threads, I bought some canned air and blew some on the lens barrel as it extended on boot and retracted on shutdown. My "shadow" went away. Wow! What a simple solution! I have no doubt that I will have to do the same in the future.

This post is in response to many that I read when researching the problem on the Fuji forum on Pbase. I noticed two themes in those threads: One was "How do I fix this?", and the other was "This is outrageous!!! There should never be any dust in a Fuji S602!!! Fuji should fix it for free!! ... Forever!!! "Fuji should redesign the system so that dust never enters!!!"

My response to the "whiners" is, Get a life! I don't know whether you noticed, but the lens assembly extends every time you boot the camera, and it retracts when you shut it down. In the process, a large amount of air moves in a confined space around the moving lens elements, even if you always use an extension tube and filter, as I do and you should.

Click to expand...

Well, that's a bit harsh. With the extension tube and filter on, we
have a closed volumetric iso-pressure system. Theoretically there
will be NO / minimal air movement in that system. EXTENSIVE
investigation by us found that this dust / particles was introduced
during manufacture. A pathetic QC slip-up, AND there's been others.
WE DO have a right to point these out, you DON'T have to agree.
Sure, some ppl get a bit more excited than others over the issue.
Big deal, that's what the planet is for - vent a spleen, start a
revolution, solve a world issue .. AND .. still get back in time to
watch neighbours . Relax, it's all going ok.

I am flattered, sir, to have elicited a resonse from you. I don't any illusions about the airtight nature of the extension tube-filter assembly. I use the camera on a construction site daily. I always use the filter and tube, and I only change conversion lenses in the relatively airtight jobshack (It's a conex box, and the door "gasps" when I close it, but it's still a job shack. You wouldn't dine off the floor.) Still, when the camera boots, a considerable volume of air moves from the filter tube volume into the camera body, or the lens does not extend.

jkirk@oz said:
jkirk@oz said:

If there is even a speck of dust in the system, which might be introduced every time the camera is booted, that speck might wind up on the CCD or anywhere else. If it does, it sure as hell is not Fuji's fault for having failed to manufacture a permanently, perfectly dustproof system for what amounts, in the high-tech world, nickels and dimes.

Click to expand...

An analogous situation from my personal experience is this: In my building, a tiny defect in wateproofing, partly the fault of the window manufacturer and partly an installation problem, combined with wind pressure and capillary action, acted to introduce an amazingly large volume of water into a place where there will be wood flooring. While the situation is undesirable, it presents me with a choice: I can complain to the (very large) window manufacturer and wait for them to respond (maybe three months; and you think Fuji's lead-times are unreasonable), or I can solve the problem myself now and move on with my project in a timely manner. I'll tell them about the defect in their system, but I'm focused on finishing my building on time.

jkirk@oz said:
Maybe nickles to you, not everyone is as lucky. >

Thank you, sir, for correcting my spelling in a humorous manner. If money were no object, I might have a 10D, like the one my client uses to one-up me.> > I'm really happy with my S602, which gives me a sophisticated camera system to use for a reasonable price. The images are very nice, even when I'm doing routine construction documentation on auto.

jkirk@oz said:
We're all VERY happy with the S4900 series. Isn't going to stop me
bagging the cr*p outta them though, when I find a slip-up
JKirk

I hope someone from Fuji reads these things.

83bj60 · Jan 1, 2004

Sailor36 said:
Yesterday, I posted a thread about a "shadow" that I assumed to be
dust on the CCD, and I got a couple of replies that contained good
advice about my problem. A search led me to threads about the
problem with Fuji S602 cameras. In response to advice I found on
those threads, I bought some canned air and blew some on the lens
barrel as it extended on boot and retracted on shutdown. My
"shadow" went away. Wow! What a simple solution! I have no doubt
that I will have to do the same in the future.

I discovered the same problem on my camera a few days ago while on vacation. MANY dust particles, VERY obvious on pictures. It seems they appeared suddenly sometime after the 15th of december... Probably from the attic I inspected on that day!

Anyway, I removed the front lens cover (the three back screws on the external lens barrel) and shot some compressed air between the inner lens barrel and the lens, right at that fabric dust shield, and presto, the dust was gone, although some more subdued, round spots persisted.

I was nearing the end of the can of air so I said, well, why no try to remove the last bit, but unfortunately, that brought a big speck back on the CCD

(If it's not broke, go ahead, hehe) Ah well... At least it's better than it was. Just make sure you have plenty of air in stock!!!

So I can confirm that although it does not do a perfect cleaning job, blowing air between the mobile part of the lens and the fixed lens barrel can improve the situation substantially with very little technical disassembly.

Sailor36 said:
This post is in response to many that I read when researching the
problem on the Fuji forum on Pbase. I noticed two themes in those
threads: One was "How do I fix this?", and the other was "This is
outrageous!!! There should never be any dust in a Fuji S602!!! Fuji
should fix it for free!! ... Forever!!! "Fuji should redesign the
system so that dust never enters!!!"

My response to the "whiners" is, Get a life! I don't know whether
you noticed, but the lens assembly extends every time you boot the
camera, and it retracts when you shut it down. In the process, a
large amount of air moves in a confined space around the moving
lens elements, even if you always use an extension tube and
filter, as I do and you should. If there is even a speck of dust in
the system, which might be introduced every time the camera is
booted, that speck might wind up on the CCD or anywhere else. If it
does, it sure as hell is not Fuji's fault for having failed to
manufacture a permanently, perectly dustproof system for what
amounts, in the high-tech world, nickels and dimes.

There still should be a much better way to clean off the CCD in a positive manner that having to disassemble the camera since it appears that it is not possible to seal the CCD to the lens. In that sense, I fully agree with JKirk on this. Lack of easy access it IMHO unacceptable , and pretending this is not a problem as I read in a previous post from an answer by a Fuji service manager is showing plain ignorance by those service people, which is rather disconscerting and would make me doubt of their competence in that matter.

Sailor36 said:
I'm really happy with my S602, which gives me a sophisticated
camera system to use for a reasonable price. The images are very
nice, even when I'm doing routine construction documentation on
auto.

It sure is. I have been using it documenting home inspections. But I sure hope blowing air between lens and barrel will be enough to keep the CCD clean. My old 2MP has had no problems with dust after a year of intensive use in adverse conditions.

jkirk@oz · Jan 1, 2004

I can't tell if you're taking the pi** out of me or not

, good work. Doesn't matter anyway, I like it. Just to clarify, I was not attacking your character .. but the use of the word "whiners" got my goat. We're all on the same side here.
JKirk

Sailor36 said:
Sailor36 wrote:
I am flattered, sir, to have elicited a resonse from you.
Thank you, sir, for correcting my spelling in a humorous manner.

Cassandra59044 · Jan 1, 2004

As I just posted in another thread, my attempt at removing dust by blowing canned air around the camera lens caused more dust to show up in my images, so be aware of the risks before proceeding.

Cassandra

83bj60 said:
Sailor36 said:

Yesterday, I posted a thread about a "shadow" that I assumed to be
dust on the CCD, and I got a couple of replies that contained good
advice about my problem. A search led me to threads about the
problem with Fuji S602 cameras. In response to advice I found on
those threads, I bought some canned air and blew some on the lens
barrel as it extended on boot and retracted on shutdown. My
"shadow" went away. Wow! What a simple solution! I have no doubt
that I will have to do the same in the future.

Click to expand...

I discovered the same problem on my camera a few days ago while on
vacation. MANY dust particles, VERY obvious on pictures. It seems
they appeared suddenly sometime after the 15th of december...
Probably from the attic I inspected on that day!

Anyway, I removed the front lens cover (the three back screws on
the external lens barrel) and shot some compressed air between the
inner lens barrel and the lens, right at that fabric dust shield,
and presto, the dust was gone, although some more subdued, round
spots persisted.

I was nearing the end of the can of air so I said, well, why no try
to remove the last bit, but unfortunately, that brought a big speck
back on the CCD (If it's not broke, go ahead, hehe) Ah well...
At least it's better than it was. Just make sure you have plenty of
air in stock!!!

So I can confirm that although it does not do a perfect cleaning
job, blowing air between the mobile part of the lens and the fixed
lens barrel can improve the situation substantially with very
little technical disassembly.

83bj60 said:

This post is in response to many that I read when researching the
problem on the Fuji forum on Pbase. I noticed two themes in those
threads: One was "How do I fix this?", and the other was "This is
outrageous!!! There should never be any dust in a Fuji S602!!! Fuji
should fix it for free!! ... Forever!!! "Fuji should redesign the
system so that dust never enters!!!"

My response to the "whiners" is, Get a life! I don't know whether
you noticed, but the lens assembly extends every time you boot the
camera, and it retracts when you shut it down. In the process, a
large amount of air moves in a confined space around the moving
lens elements, even if you always use an extension tube and
filter, as I do and you should. If there is even a speck of dust in
the system, which might be introduced every time the camera is
booted, that speck might wind up on the CCD or anywhere else. If it
does, it sure as hell is not Fuji's fault for having failed to
manufacture a permanently, perectly dustproof system for what
amounts, in the high-tech world, nickels and dimes.

Click to expand...

There still should be a much better way to clean off the CCD in a
positive manner that having to disassemble the camera since it
appears that it is not possible to seal the CCD to the lens. In
that sense, I fully agree with JKirk on this. Lack of easy access
it IMHO unacceptable , and pretending this is not a problem as I
read in a previous post from an answer by a Fuji service manager is
showing plain ignorance by those service people, which is rather
disconscerting and would make me doubt of their competence in that
matter.

83bj60 said:

I'm really happy with my S602, which gives me a sophisticated
camera system to use for a reasonable price. The images are very
nice, even when I'm doing routine construction documentation on
auto.

Click to expand...

It sure is. I have been using it documenting home inspections. But
I sure hope blowing air between lens and barrel will be enough to
keep the CCD clean. My old 2MP has had no problems with dust after
a year of intensive use in adverse conditions.

--
http://www.pbase.com/cassandra

83bj60 · Jan 1, 2004

Cassandra said:
As I just posted in another thread, my attempt at removing dust by
blowing canned air around the camera lens caused more dust to show
up in my images, so be aware of the risks before proceeding.

Cassandra

Thanks for the warning, Cassandra! how exactly did you proceed? I removed the external lens barrel cover to access the fabric seal between the internal lens barrel and the mobile lens element itself. There was a lot of dust bewteen the external lens barrel and the internal one, so I cleaned everything externally before blowing any air through the fabric ring sealing the internal barrel from the lens. But it is indeed true that after blowing a second time, a new piece of dust fell on the CCD, although it is not as bad as before. But it is simple enough to check after blowing, just take a picture of a fluorescent light bulb like I did (bare bulb 40W, max zoom, manual focus at infinity, 1/320 @ f11, 400ISO). Any improvement then shows up immediately. You do not have to replace the external lens barrel on the camera between tests.

In terms of design, it would help IMHO if there was another ring seal on the external barrel cover. The existing fabric seal is simply pathetic.

So I guess my caveat would be, do not attempt unless the dust problem is such that you would have to take it in for servicing and that it would be too much of a hassle (I simply won't wait 4 weeks for this type of procedure, at any cost).

Cassandra59044 said:
83bj60 said:

Sailor36 said:

Yesterday, I posted a thread about a "shadow" that I assumed to be
dust on the CCD, and I got a couple of replies that contained good
advice about my problem. A search led me to threads about the
problem with Fuji S602 cameras. In response to advice I found on
those threads, I bought some canned air and blew some on the lens
barrel as it extended on boot and retracted on shutdown. My
"shadow" went away. Wow! What a simple solution! I have no doubt
that I will have to do the same in the future.

Click to expand...

I discovered the same problem on my camera a few days ago while on
vacation. MANY dust particles, VERY obvious on pictures. It seems
they appeared suddenly sometime after the 15th of december...
Probably from the attic I inspected on that day!

Anyway, I removed the front lens cover (the three back screws on
the external lens barrel) and shot some compressed air between the
inner lens barrel and the lens, right at that fabric dust shield,
and presto, the dust was gone, although some more subdued, round
spots persisted.

I was nearing the end of the can of air so I said, well, why no try
to remove the last bit, but unfortunately, that brought a big speck
back on the CCD (If it's not broke, go ahead, hehe) Ah well...
At least it's better than it was. Just make sure you have plenty of
air in stock!!!

So I can confirm that although it does not do a perfect cleaning
job, blowing air between the mobile part of the lens and the fixed
lens barrel can improve the situation substantially with very
little technical disassembly.

Cassandra59044 said:

This post is in response to many that I read when researching the
problem on the Fuji forum on Pbase. I noticed two themes in those
threads: One was "How do I fix this?", and the other was "This is
outrageous!!! There should never be any dust in a Fuji S602!!! Fuji
should fix it for free!! ... Forever!!! "Fuji should redesign the
system so that dust never enters!!!"

My response to the "whiners" is, Get a life! I don't know whether
you noticed, but the lens assembly extends every time you boot the
camera, and it retracts when you shut it down. In the process, a
large amount of air moves in a confined space around the moving
lens elements, even if you always use an extension tube and
filter, as I do and you should. If there is even a speck of dust in
the system, which might be introduced every time the camera is
booted, that speck might wind up on the CCD or anywhere else. If it
does, it sure as hell is not Fuji's fault for having failed to
manufacture a permanently, perectly dustproof system for what
amounts, in the high-tech world, nickels and dimes.

Click to expand...

There still should be a much better way to clean off the CCD in a
positive manner that having to disassemble the camera since it
appears that it is not possible to seal the CCD to the lens. In
that sense, I fully agree with JKirk on this. Lack of easy access
it IMHO unacceptable , and pretending this is not a problem as I
read in a previous post from an answer by a Fuji service manager is
showing plain ignorance by those service people, which is rather
disconscerting and would make me doubt of their competence in that
matter.

Cassandra59044 said:

I'm really happy with my S602, which gives me a sophisticated
camera system to use for a reasonable price. The images are very
nice, even when I'm doing routine construction documentation on
auto.

Click to expand...

It sure is. I have been using it documenting home inspections. But
I sure hope blowing air between lens and barrel will be enough to
keep the CCD clean. My old 2MP has had no problems with dust after
a year of intensive use in adverse conditions.

Click to expand...

--
http://www.pbase.com/cassandra

Cassandra59044 · Jan 1, 2004

I just removed the lens adapter barrel that holds the UV filter and blew around the opening where the lens and camera join (while the camera was on and the lens was extended). I have a 6900z so I wonder if it's the same inside as the 602. jkirk any comments on this?

Husband has graciously volunteered to do the honors of taking it apart to clean but he's been very busy with work and other things so he hasn't gotten around to it yet. I don't take that many pics in the wintertime anyway.

Cassandra

83bj60 said:
Thanks for the warning, Cassandra! how exactly did you proceed? I
removed the external lens barrel cover to access the fabric seal
between the internal lens barrel and the mobile lens element
itself. There was a lot of dust bewteen the external lens barrel
and the internal one, so I cleaned everything externally before
blowing any air through the fabric ring sealing the internal barrel
from the lens. But it is indeed true that after blowing a second
time, a new piece of dust fell on the CCD, although it is not as
bad as before. But it is simple enough to check after blowing, just
take a picture of a fluorescent light bulb like I did (bare bulb
40W, max zoom, manual focus at infinity, 1/320 @ f11, 400ISO). Any
improvement then shows up immediately. You do not have to replace
the external lens barrel on the camera between tests.

In terms of design, it would help IMHO if there was another ring
seal on the external barrel cover. The existing fabric seal is
simply pathetic.

So I guess my caveat would be, do not attempt unless the dust
problem is such that you would have to take it in for servicing and
that it would be too much of a hassle (I simply won't wait 4 weeks
for this type of procedure, at any cost).

--
http://www.pbase.com/cassandra

jkirk@oz · Jan 1, 2004

Cassandra59044 said:
Cassandra wrote:

I just removed the lens adapter barrel that holds the UV filter and blew around the opening where the lens and camera join (while the camera was on and the lens was extended). I have a 6900z so I wonder if it's the same inside as the 602. jkirk any comments on this?

The S602 is much more "intricate" and has a lot more bits and pieces stuck all over the place, but wrt air passages they are similar enough.

It was disappointing that you ended up with more dust when you tried the air trick. I believe that with persistance, you would have had a better result. I only have 1 other (unconfirmed) case where it was worse. Out of several 100 that I know of, that's not bad.

HOWEVER someone did come up with another solution that seems quite exciting !! Vaccum it out !!! Apparently, after a bit of forum cruising, many people swear by it .. and it makes sense. Are you game ?
JKirk

Cassandra59044 · Jan 1, 2004

What sort of vacuum cleaner? A Hoover WindTunnel? hehe

Sure, I'm game. I was born to live dangerously! lol And no I haven't had anything to drink since a glass (or two) of champagne at midnight.

Cassandra

jkirk@oz said:
jkirk@oz said:

Cassandra wrote:

I just removed the lens adapter barrel that holds the UV filter and blew around the opening where the lens and camera join (while the camera was on and the lens was extended). I have a 6900z so I wonder if it's the same inside as the 602. jkirk any comments on this?

Click to expand...

The S602 is much more "intricate" and has a lot more bits and
pieces stuck all over the place, but wrt air passages they are
similar enough.
It was disappointing that you ended up with more dust when you
tried the air trick. I believe that with persistance, you would
have had a better result. I only have 1 other (unconfirmed) case
where it was worse. Out of several 100 that I know of, that's not
bad.
HOWEVER someone did come up with another solution that seems quite
exciting !! Vaccum it out !!! Apparently, after a bit of forum
cruising, many people swear by it .. and it makes sense. Are you
game ?
JKirk

--
http://www.pbase.com/cassandra

Cassandra59044 · Jan 1, 2004

hic! j/k

BTW I did give it about a dozen blasts of canned air before giving up (taking pics in between every 2nd or 3rd try to see if it helped).

Cassandra

Cassandra said:
What sort of vacuum cleaner? A Hoover WindTunnel? hehe

Sure, I'm game. I was born to live dangerously! lol And no I
haven't had anything to drink since a glass (or two) of champagne
at midnight.

Cassandra

jkirk@oz · Jan 1, 2004

Good

It sounds a better proposition ie suck the damn dust out. A regular vacuum cleaner is what I found. Just need to form a seal around the front of the lens and SUUCK. It doesn't need to be tight either, in fact better to be able to limit the air-flow. AT least you're just not moving the dust around. A couple of ppl have tried it when all else failed and it worked.
JKirk

Cassandra59044 said:
Cassandra wrote:
What sort of vacuum cleaner? A Hoover WindTunnel? hehe

Sure, I'm game. I was born to live dangerously! lol And no I haven't had anything to drink since a glass (or two) of champagne at midnight.

Cassandra59044 · Jan 1, 2004

An ordinary carpet vacuum cleaner?! How exactly do I "form a seal" around the "front of the lens"? And where do I aim the vacuum nozzle? I have a crevice attachment I can use. Would that help? Crazy idea but definitely interesting.

Cassandra

jkirk@oz said:
Good
It sounds a better proposition ie suck the damn dust out. A regular
vacuum cleaner is what I found. Just need to form a seal around the
front of the lens and SUUCK. It doesn't need to be tight either, in
fact better to be able to limit the air-flow. AT least you're just
not moving the dust around. A couple of ppl have tried it when all
else failed and it worked.
JKirk

--
http://www.pbase.com/cassandra

83bj60 · Jan 1, 2004

Cassandra said:
I just removed the lens adapter barrel that holds the UV filter and
blew around the opening where the lens and camera join (while the
camera was on and the lens was extended). I have a 6900z so I
wonder if it's the same inside as the 602. jkirk any comments on
this?

Maybe you should try removing the external lens barrel cover - although it may be different on the 6900. A lot of dust accumulates between the lens and the external barrel. removing it on the 602 is a very simple and safe process and exposes the inner lens barrel with its flimsy make believe seal.

Cassandra59044 said:
Husband has graciously volunteered to do the honors of taking it
apart to clean but he's been very busy with work and other things
so he hasn't gotten around to it yet. I don't take that many pics
in the wintertime anyway.

Cassandra

83bj60 said:

Thanks for the warning, Cassandra! how exactly did you proceed? I
removed the external lens barrel cover to access the fabric seal
between the internal lens barrel and the mobile lens element
itself. There was a lot of dust bewteen the external lens barrel
and the internal one, so I cleaned everything externally before
blowing any air through the fabric ring sealing the internal barrel
from the lens. But it is indeed true that after blowing a second
time, a new piece of dust fell on the CCD, although it is not as
bad as before. But it is simple enough to check after blowing, just
take a picture of a fluorescent light bulb like I did (bare bulb
40W, max zoom, manual focus at infinity, 1/320 @ f11, 400ISO). Any
improvement then shows up immediately. You do not have to replace
the external lens barrel on the camera between tests.

In terms of design, it would help IMHO if there was another ring
seal on the external barrel cover. The existing fabric seal is
simply pathetic.

So I guess my caveat would be, do not attempt unless the dust
problem is such that you would have to take it in for servicing and
that it would be too much of a hassle (I simply won't wait 4 weeks
for this type of procedure, at any cost).

Click to expand...

--
http://www.pbase.com/cassandra

83bj60 · Jan 1, 2004

jkirk@oz said:
jkirk@oz said:

Cassandra wrote:

I just removed the lens adapter barrel that holds the UV filter and blew around the opening where the lens and camera join (while the camera was on and the lens was extended). I have a 6900z so I wonder if it's the same inside as the 602. jkirk any comments on this?

Click to expand...

The S602 is much more "intricate" and has a lot more bits and
pieces stuck all over the place, but wrt air passages they are
similar enough.
It was disappointing that you ended up with more dust when you
tried the air trick. I believe that with persistance, you would
have had a better result. I only have 1 other (unconfirmed) case
where it was worse. Out of several 100 that I know of, that's not
bad.
HOWEVER someone did come up with another solution that seems quite
exciting !! Vaccum it out !!! Apparently, after a bit of forum
cruising, many people swear by it .. and it makes sense. Are you
game ?
JKirk

Hey, JKirk, that sounds like a great idea: blow canned air in (to start dust moving) while sucking air out with a vaccum cleaner...

I'll try that tomorrow.

jkirk@oz · Jan 1, 2004

83bj60 said:
83bj60 wrote:

Maybe you should try removing the external lens barrel cover - although it may be different on the 6900. A lot of dust accumulates between the lens and the external barrel.

Dismantling the outer barrel cover may not be mandatory, but you are right, a LOT of dust settles in that area. Maybe a few ppl can take a peek, it's very safe. Note - when pushing the cover back on, just wiggle it a bit to allow it to mesh easy. When I shoot motorcross I empty an ounce of dirt from there

Removing it on the 602 is a very simple and safe process and exposes the inner lens barrel with its flimsy make believe seal.

IN FACT, you've hit on another bonus. The stick-on dust seal is designed to stop dust getting IN, it will just flap (out) freely when sucking OUT. We might have a winner here.
There's a good gag here but I doubt Phil would approve

JKirk

Snowdrggn · Jan 1, 2004

jkirk@oz said:
jkirk@oz said:

83bj60 wrote:

Maybe you should try removing the external lens barrel cover - although it may be different on the 6900. A lot of dust accumulates between the lens and the external barrel.

Click to expand...

Dismantling the outer barrel cover may not be mandatory, but you
are right, a LOT of dust settles in that area. Maybe a few ppl can
take a peek, it's very safe. Note - when pushing the cover back on,
just wiggle it a bit to allow it to mesh easy. When I shoot
motorcross I empty an ounce of dirt from there

Removing it on the 602 is a very simple and safe process and
exposes the inner lens barrel with its flimsy make believe seal.

IN FACT, you've hit on another bonus. The stick-on dust seal is
designed to stop dust getting IN, it will just flap (out) freely

Or.......

Just set it down on the table and turn your back, the pony tailed camera bandit will come whizzing by and, POOF , No camera, no dust, no problem? (right JKIRK?)

jkirk@oz said:
when sucking OUT. We might have a winner here.
There's a good gag here but I doubt Phil would approve
JKirk

Snowdrggn · Jan 1, 2004

Snowdrggn said:
jkirk@oz said:

Snowdrggn said:

83bj60 wrote:

Maybe you should try removing the external lens barrel cover - although it may be different on the 6900. A lot of dust accumulates between the lens and the external barrel.

Click to expand...

Dismantling the outer barrel cover may not be mandatory, but you
are right, a LOT of dust settles in that area. Maybe a few ppl can
take a peek, it's very safe. Note - when pushing the cover back on,
just wiggle it a bit to allow it to mesh easy. When I shoot
motorcross I empty an ounce of dirt from there

Removing it on the 602 is a very simple and safe process and
exposes the inner lens barrel with its flimsy make believe seal.

IN FACT, you've hit on another bonus. The stick-on dust seal is
designed to stop dust getting IN, it will just flap (out) freely

Click to expand...

Or.......

Just set it down on the table and turn your back, the pony tailed
camera bandit will come whizzing by and, POOF , No camera, no
dust, no problem? (right JKIRK?)

Snowdrggn said:

when sucking OUT. We might have a winner here.
There's a good gag here but I doubt Phil would approve
JKirk

Click to expand...

Mental Note to self: Insert text in correct place!

jkirk@oz · Jan 1, 2004

Cassandra59044 said:
Cassandra wrote:

An ordinary carpet vacuum cleaner?! How exactly do I "form a seal" around the "front of the lens"? And where do I aim the vacuum nozzle? I have a crevice attachment I can use. Would that help? Crazy idea but definitely interesting.

This is what I would do first -
1/ Power up and extend teh lens.

2/ Pop the batteries (to leave it out), leave it open and remove all cards(door open too).

3/ Find a THICK piece of plastic and (masking) tape it around the raw vacuum nozzle (NO fittings).

4/ Slide the cam lens into this plastic tubeway. It will need to be close to the vacuum nozzle so it doesn't collapse.

5/ Use you hands to form the "weak" seal around the base of the cam. The idea is to let some or more air "leak" past (to control vacuum pressure).

The idea would be NOT to create TOO much vacuum (don't want to suck all the parts out

.. just kidding). The air will be sucked from the Battery / Flash compartments, over the CCD and out the lens. DO a test run with a carboard roll to get the feel. ALSO, check you don't get any static problems. Maybe use stiff paper instead of plastic.
JKirk

Dust on the CCD, and "Whiners"

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