Reading mode: Light Dark

D100 CCD Cleaning - not a cakewalk !

Go to last post
R

Riki

Senior Member
Messages
1,508
Reaction score
10
Location
PL
Just wanted to caution first time CCD cleaners, it is not so easy as it sounds. Even with the proper kit it took me several swabbings and loads of stress before I could get the CCD in a 80% acceptable state. Have finally decided to go to Nikon Service and let them handle the dirty work. I panicked at one stage when after one swabbing, I took some trial shots and found that in some places the dust had disappeared but was replaced by fine luminous dots (the kind you see in a defective LCD monitor)

This is really worrying as CCD cleaning is going to be a regular feature and it is not possible to rush to Nikon every time.

DO you think in future someone will come up with a DSLR which doesnt require CCD cleaning ???
 
Dear Marc,

Just to understand what I was doing wrong can you tell me how you did it and why did it take so long. I was using a AC adapter, were you using it too.
How long does it take you now to clean the CCD ?
Marc_ said:
Marc_
Riki said:
Dennis Meyler said:
Riki said:
Just wanted to caution first time CCD cleaners, it is not so easy
as it sounds.
Click to expand...
Like any skill it takes practice and patience.
Marc_ said:
DO you think in future someone will come up with a DSLR which
doesnt require CCD cleaning ???
Click to expand...
No.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
  • Imagination is more important than knowledge -(A.Einstein)
Click to expand...
 
You would think they would enclose the CCD in a sterile sealed environment. Sure, it would add another piece of glass in the process, but I doubt it could be a problem given the glass already in front of it...

Then we would be cleaning a piece of glass, not the CCD itself. It also wouldn't attract glass with the CCD being charged etc.
Riki said:
Just wanted to caution first time CCD cleaners, it is not so easy
as it sounds. Even with the proper kit it took me several swabbings
and loads of stress before I could get the CCD in a 80% acceptable
state. Have finally decided to go to Nikon Service and let them
handle the dirty work. I panicked at one stage when after one
swabbing, I took some trial shots and found that in some places the
dust had disappeared but was replaced by fine luminous dots (the
kind you see in a defective LCD monitor)
This is really worrying as CCD cleaning is going to be a regular
feature and it is not possible to rush to Nikon every time.
DO you think in future someone will come up with a DSLR which
doesnt require CCD cleaning ???
Click to expand...
 
Seems like one of the better ways to go about the chore with many forum members using this as this approach. Hope you get an "end well." Let me know if this helps.
 
Yes it really is a cakewalk but that does not mean that I don't get a bit stressed and nervous every time I do it! The first time took me about 3 hours as well and many many swipes with the pec pads and eclipse solution. I was very persistent and got it about 99% clean. I have cleaned my CCD about 6 times since that first try and it gets easier and less time consuming every time you do it.

I would bet any money that you were simply not applying enough pressure with your swipes to get it really clean, I think we all do that the first time because were so paranoid about doing damage.

I don't know about you but shipping the body off to nikon to get it cleaned is just not a practical solution and with some practice you will probably end up doing a better job than they will.
Don't get discouraged, it will become routine for you if you stick with it.

Dave
Riki said:
Just wanted to caution first time CCD cleaners, it is not so easy
as it sounds. Even with the proper kit it took me several swabbings
and loads of stress before I could get the CCD in a 80% acceptable
state. Have finally decided to go to Nikon Service and let them
handle the dirty work. I panicked at one stage when after one
swabbing, I took some trial shots and found that in some places the
dust had disappeared but was replaced by fine luminous dots (the
kind you see in a defective LCD monitor)
This is really worrying as CCD cleaning is going to be a regular
feature and it is not possible to rush to Nikon every time.
DO you think in future someone will come up with a DSLR which
doesnt require CCD cleaning ???
Click to expand...
 
Riki,

Go to this web site and read it thoroughly:

http://www.pbase.com/image/15473243

There are many pages and helpful photos in this link, read them all several times. After you have all of the necessary items in place practice on a pocket mirror first then tackle your sensor. It took me three tries the first time to get an acceptable sensor. Now it is a routine task that I perform regularly or when necessary.

Hope this helps.

Bob
 
Hamstor said:
You would think they would enclose the CCD in a sterile sealed
environment. Sure, it would add another piece of glass in the
process, but I doubt it could be a problem given the glass already
in front of it...

Then we would be cleaning a piece of glass, not the CCD itself. It
also wouldn't attract glass with the CCD being charged etc.
Click to expand...
At the risk of sounding like a true anal retent, we're already cleaning the anti-aliasing filter, not the CCD. Also, the "charged sensor attracts dust" bit has been pretty much debunked.

I have forgotten the brands, but there is one DSLR whose anti-aliasing filter is further from the CCD than Nikon's, so dust does not show up as readily. And one DSLR (not sure if it's out yet) has had pre-release blurbs about being self-cleaning - every now and then the sensor vibrates and knocks the dust off.

FWIW, the one time I did a wet cleaning it took two tries, and I got it almost pefect. Just a couple of spots left that showed up very blurry in the "shoot a white wall at f/22 and autolevel" test. Not sure if they're really in the camera or on the wall. Before my wet cleaning, I spent a while playing with Eclipse and a pec pad on an old filter. That (and intense study leading up to it) really helped me.

Ken Plotkin
 
Are you using pec pads and eclipse fluid to do the cleaning? I bought the little 'spatula' so I could see the exact cut and dimensions, and using pec pads and eclipse found it to be fairly easy after a few minutes to practice.
Riki said:
Just wanted to caution first time CCD cleaners, it is not so easy
as it sounds. Even with the proper kit it took me several swabbings
and loads of stress before I could get the CCD in a 80% acceptable
state. Have finally decided to go to Nikon Service and let them
handle the dirty work. I panicked at one stage when after one
swabbing, I took some trial shots and found that in some places the
dust had disappeared but was replaced by fine luminous dots (the
kind you see in a defective LCD monitor)
This is really worrying as CCD cleaning is going to be a regular
feature and it is not possible to rush to Nikon every time.
DO you think in future someone will come up with a DSLR which
doesnt require CCD cleaning ???
Click to expand...
--
Jeff
 
Marc, I hope your time has improved since that first cleaning! I keep my cleaning 'kit' and AC adapter in a ziploc bag, and the entire process takes less than 1 minute from opening the bag. I connect the adapter, set the camera menu, fasten a PecPad to the spatula, put 3 drops of Eclipse on the swab, activate the shutter, swab once on each side, close mirror, unplug adapter... and away I go. It should never take more than 2 minutes.

Chris
Marc_ said:
Marc_
Riki said:
Dennis Meyler said:
Riki said:
Just wanted to caution first time CCD cleaners, it is not so easy
as it sounds.
Click to expand...
Like any skill it takes practice and patience.
Marc_ said:
DO you think in future someone will come up with a DSLR which
doesnt require CCD cleaning ???
Click to expand...
No.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
  • Imagination is more important than knowledge -(A.Einstein)
Click to expand...
 
Yes, I have been following Nicholas's page and tips to the hilt. The only thing I dont have is a sensor swipe which I have already ordered but it has still not reached me due to postal delays. But in the meantime I carved out a spatula with a A tip and it isnt hard or too soft either, in my opinion pretty close to the sensor swipe, I imagine.

Yes, I used Pec pads as recommended on the page and used only 2 drops of eclipse, as also recommended. Maybe my pressure was not correct the first time, but after that I tried everything, with varying pressure, a bit of scrubbing, once swabbing with one drop of ecliipse, then another swabbing with 2 drops on another clean pad, then three drops on another clean pad, then tried swabbing with another clean dry pec pad, swabbing in different directions ensuring not to go over the surface again with the same pec pad. I was using a clean glass table, a very bright headlamp, a huge magnifying glass, surgical gloves and a tweezer to pull out the pads. Not to forget the Giottos Rocket Blower for air blasts too.

And mind you after each operation, was taking a break, shooting the sky and checking the spots. The one thing which scared me and made me pack up and leave the job for the experts was when I noticed in one picture, some dust specks gone but replaced with luminous spots which look like dead pixels, like on a LCD monitor. Thats when I decided to pack up and pay Nikon a visit. And I dont have very large clumsy hands and am familiar with intricate work as have worked in the past with circuit boards and screen printing too.

Can anyone please tell me what the dead pixels could be, have i damaged the sensor ?
Jeff.C said:
Riki said:
Just wanted to caution first time CCD cleaners, it is not so easy
as it sounds. Even with the proper kit it took me several swabbings
and loads of stress before I could get the CCD in a 80% acceptable
state. Have finally decided to go to Nikon Service and let them
handle the dirty work. I panicked at one stage when after one
swabbing, I took some trial shots and found that in some places the
dust had disappeared but was replaced by fine luminous dots (the
kind you see in a defective LCD monitor)
This is really worrying as CCD cleaning is going to be a regular
feature and it is not possible to rush to Nikon every time.
DO you think in future someone will come up with a DSLR which
doesnt require CCD cleaning ???
Click to expand...
--
Jeff
Click to expand...
 
If you have dead pixels it's not from cleaning. Remember you are not touching the pixels just the AA filter which is actually hard to damage. There was a thread a while back by some guy who actually knew the rating on the hardnes scale and it was quite hard.

A couple of questions;

Are you working fast enough that the methanol is not evaporating from the swab before you get it on the sensor. You don't have to rush but minutes would be too long.

Do you blow after swabing? I would not, you could just end up stirring up dust.

How dirty is it after few swipes?

Will
Riki said:
Jeff.C said:
Riki said:
Just wanted to caution first time CCD cleaners, it is not so easy
as it sounds. Even with the proper kit it took me several swabbings
and loads of stress before I could get the CCD in a 80% acceptable
state. Have finally decided to go to Nikon Service and let them
handle the dirty work. I panicked at one stage when after one
swabbing, I took some trial shots and found that in some places the
dust had disappeared but was replaced by fine luminous dots (the
kind you see in a defective LCD monitor)
This is really worrying as CCD cleaning is going to be a regular
feature and it is not possible to rush to Nikon every time.
DO you think in future someone will come up with a DSLR which
doesnt require CCD cleaning ???
Click to expand...
--
Jeff
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
Will Carlton
http://www.pbase.com/wcarlton
http://homepage.mac.com/wcarlton/iblog/index.html
 
...the hardest part was obtaining all of the required items such as the Eclipse cleaner and Pec Pads.

First time cleaning took me maybe five or ten minutes, and now, after only a few cleanings, I can do it in under five.

If one does not feel comfortable doing it themself, or if one thinks that they are doing damage to the CCD, then fine, they should send it into Nikon so Nikon can over-charge for doing the exact same thing.

-Astro
 
ok, but our AA filter is still fragile and in the D100s case it is in contact with the CCD is it not.

I like the point of the dust having less effect if it is further away from the CCD though, like shooting thought a wire fence and bluring out all the wire, at least if dust was there it would have less effect.

I havn't heard anyone debunk the charged CCD attracting dust issue myself. I know when I cleaned my sensor, there were some dust particles that were wuite firmly attached, no amount of shaking would have got them off.
Ken Plotkin said:
Hamstor said:
You would think they would enclose the CCD in a sterile sealed
environment. Sure, it would add another piece of glass in the
process, but I doubt it could be a problem given the glass already
in front of it...

Then we would be cleaning a piece of glass, not the CCD itself. It
also wouldn't attract glass with the CCD being charged etc.
Click to expand...
At the risk of sounding like a true anal retent, we're already
cleaning the anti-aliasing filter, not the CCD. Also, the "charged
sensor attracts dust" bit has been pretty much debunked.

I have forgotten the brands, but there is one DSLR whose
anti-aliasing filter is further from the CCD than Nikon's, so dust
does not show up as readily. And one DSLR (not sure if it's out
yet) has had pre-release blurbs about being self-cleaning - every
now and then the sensor vibrates and knocks the dust off.

FWIW, the one time I did a wet cleaning it took two tries, and I
got it almost pefect. Just a couple of spots left that showed up
very blurry in the "shoot a white wall at f/22 and autolevel" test.
Not sure if they're really in the camera or on the wall. Before my
wet cleaning, I spent a while playing with Eclipse and a pec pad on
an old filter. That (and intense study leading up to it) really
helped me.

Ken Plotkin
Click to expand...
 
AstroPax wrote:
Nikon can over-charge for doing the
AstroPax said:
exact same thing.
Click to expand...
You forgot the part about not cleaned as well as you can do it yourself.

I ordered my PecPads and Eclipse solution from the source given in the CopperHill site, and it took at least a week to get to me because the Eclipse solution is flammable and considered a hazardous material and can't be shipped by air.

Bob
 
Hamstor said:
ok, but our AA filter is still fragile and in the D100s case it is
in contact with the CCD is it not.
Click to expand...
I did say I was being an anal retent. :-)

I think the filter is spaced a tiny bit away from the CCD. Just enough that there is fear of getting cleaning fluid behind it, but close enough that it will never come out.
Hamstor said:
I like the point of the dust having less effect if it is further
away from the CCD though, like shooting thought a wire fence and
bluring out all the wire, at least if dust was there it would have
less effect.
Click to expand...
That's the idea. It will eventually have to be cleaned, but you'd think it would be easier with the filter further to the front.
Hamstor said:
I havn't heard anyone debunk the charged CCD attracting dust issue
myself. I know when I cleaned my sensor, there were some dust
particles that were wuite firmly attached, no amount of shaking
would have got them off.
Click to expand...
I concur with the skepticsism about the sensor shaking. I think the idea was that it would shake often, before dirt had a chance to set down roots. But I don't think that camera is on the market yet.

I enjoyed my wet cleaning experience. I had the camera about a year before I saw anything worth swabbing off. I'm kind of looking forward to having to do it again. Maybe I should go shoot a mud wrestling match or something, changing lenses often. :-)

The charged CCD issue gets put down in almost every thread on cleaning. There are some regulars here who deal with CCDs in laboratories, and they provide their knowledge on stuff like that. The most convincing argument, to me, is that the charge on a CCD is only a couple of volts. Leave a battery standing out and its terminals don't attract extra dust.

Ken Plotkin
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top