Sensor dust on the M9
- Thread starter FBA
- Start date
too lazy to read previous posts - i use the dust aid platinum to remove my dust. i shoot 21mm at f/5.6 and smaller often, and this solution has given me a dust free sensor for under $50 buying the stuff off ebay. cheers. with a ccd, its probably quite difficult to avoid all dust 100%, yet this solution has worked extremely well for me. no need to risk the sensor with a wet clean, compressed air or brushes.
edutilos-
Senior Member
You haven't got welded dust on your sensor yet then.
DUST-AID : Sensor Cleaning Products for DSLR Cameras
Dust Aid Platinum is still a dry sensor cleaning solution and may be slightly more effective than blower method in that it is more controlled; but with strong enough blowing, it will not yield results superior to that of blowing.
Every cleaning method has its risks. Wet cleaning is the only way that I know of that gets rid of welded dust. Yes, you don't risk getting cleaning fluid under the sensor- but that's usually a result of putting too much cleaning fluid and is actually a matter of common sense... But the moment you lift up that mirror and start prodding around, it doesn't matter if it's compressed air and gunk, brushes and abrasive dust, there is human error. Pressing down too hard could do bad things to your sensor, so can failure to clean the surface of the Dust Aid tool properly.
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edutilos-
Senior Member
Do you really think that service centres have clean room setups? :bigeyes:
NazgulKing
Senior Member
Well, they do assemble the optics in a clean room...
edutilos-
Senior Member
You mean there are service centres with clean room set ups? I know that some of the brands do send these overseas because they either don't have the expertise/capability to disassemble/reassemble, it's possible that this is one reason. Clean room setups are very expensive.. Which would drive up costs unnecessarily, especially when you think about it, it is not a must for most jobs being performed at the service centres!
NazgulKing
Senior Member
Yeah, it cost like 10K a year at least to maintain a decent sized one. I think most of the serious repair jobs in Singapore are sent back to Japan for the Japanese companies.
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For bros who are curious,, I've uploaded the images I shot with the black spots. I shot first with the 28mm Summicron @ F8 and F11.
Then shot with the Konica M Hexanon 50mm at the same aperture settings as well:
M9 Black Spots
Then shot with the Konica M Hexanon 50mm at the same aperture settings as well:
M9 Black Spots
hookonclassic
Senior Member
I don't see any big issue with the camera, just some sensor dirt that will happens to ANY digital camera when shooting in small aperture (f8 and above) against clear background. These can be easily "clean" (touch up) using Lightroom that supply along with the camera.
If you compare it to scanning film, you may see scratch line, hair and or dust from scanning that need to be touch up as well.
If you compare it to scanning film, you may see scratch line, hair and or dust from scanning that need to be touch up as well.
New2digital
Member
Cougar159 said:
ALL M9? So I am going to have to content with this problem too? I hope a sparrow or two do not make a Summer.
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Nicely said bro. I guess it's something potential M9 buyers will have to seriously consider before taking the plunge. All things aside, I really enjoy shooting with the M9 and the images it produces are often breathtaking -- even without any Lightroom editing.
FARI
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i dare not even think about how dirty my sensor is... but i'm more an "available light" "wide-open" type shooter, so they don't show up.
have a read here (luminous-landscape) - it's an old article, but covers most of the points and concerns... Sensor Cleaning
"bless you"... (read article to understand)
have a read here (luminous-landscape) - it's an old article, but covers most of the points and concerns... Sensor Cleaning
"bless you"... (read article to understand)
Just came back from Leica Service Centre to clean my CCD sensor. Very fast and very courteous staff.
Tried cleaning in the past with rocket blower, ionised blower, etc... all don't really work well. The VisibleDust swap is the best attempt but easier to go back to service agent to clean.
Highly recommended to bring your camera back to service centre as you may end up wasting money on different products which may not be effective, besides having a BIG risk of damaging your expensive asset.
Tried cleaning in the past with rocket blower, ionised blower, etc... all don't really work well. The VisibleDust swap is the best attempt but easier to go back to service agent to clean.
Highly recommended to bring your camera back to service centre as you may end up wasting money on different products which may not be effective, besides having a BIG risk of damaging your expensive asset.
You can have a "clean room" labortory box, the small 700x700x700mm clear boxes with gloves to access what ever is placed inside..... these are used in hospitals, drug manufacturers, even testing facilities for high end car parts..... a dust free and temp / humidity controlled box
Forgot to mentioned that I was given some good advice on the dust management by Andrew of Leica Service Centre.
The "dust" particles that we are worried about when we changed lenses outdoor was not the major concern. The black dots that are commonly found on the CCD sensor is actually the micro paint shavings that drop off in very small pieces whenever we mount and unmount the lenses, especially if you are the kan cheong person that need to change lens with one hand in split seconds and thus more friction caused when mounting and mounting, and thus creating more paint drops.
If you are not aware of the small paint particles and didn't clear them first before you open the shutter to check the sensor, worse still if you use your super power Rocket Blower to blow it, the paint particles will then fly into the sensor chamber (now completely unblocked with the shutter wide opened), creating more black dots after blowing. That's why some of the comments was to have more dust if you use a blower.
I have tried rocket blower, zeeion blower with anti-static properties, and another 2 recommended brands. Rocket blower is the best for most dust at outside the lenses, but still cannot blow out the black dots. Only liquid cleaner could do the job, but if you do this frequently, you may cause premature wear-and-tear to the coating on the sensor.
Best advice is to be careful when changing lenses, not just careful about changing lenses indoor and camera facing down, but also ensure that you minimise friction to the walls inside the chamber.
Having a lot of fun with my M9P recently, not just in taking very nice photos, but learnt how to "tune" and calibrate the body in a non-professional way, and now to clean the sensor!
Getting more and more enjoyable with my M9P now... perhaps I should not be posting in this "Almost Giving Up on the M9" thread!
The "dust" particles that we are worried about when we changed lenses outdoor was not the major concern. The black dots that are commonly found on the CCD sensor is actually the micro paint shavings that drop off in very small pieces whenever we mount and unmount the lenses, especially if you are the kan cheong person that need to change lens with one hand in split seconds and thus more friction caused when mounting and mounting, and thus creating more paint drops.
If you are not aware of the small paint particles and didn't clear them first before you open the shutter to check the sensor, worse still if you use your super power Rocket Blower to blow it, the paint particles will then fly into the sensor chamber (now completely unblocked with the shutter wide opened), creating more black dots after blowing. That's why some of the comments was to have more dust if you use a blower.
I have tried rocket blower, zeeion blower with anti-static properties, and another 2 recommended brands. Rocket blower is the best for most dust at outside the lenses, but still cannot blow out the black dots. Only liquid cleaner could do the job, but if you do this frequently, you may cause premature wear-and-tear to the coating on the sensor.
Best advice is to be careful when changing lenses, not just careful about changing lenses indoor and camera facing down, but also ensure that you minimise friction to the walls inside the chamber.
Having a lot of fun with my M9P recently, not just in taking very nice photos, but learnt how to "tune" and calibrate the body in a non-professional way, and now to clean the sensor!
Getting more and more enjoyable with my M9P now... perhaps I should not be posting in this "Almost Giving Up on the M9" thread!
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