Dust...Eyelead sensor cleaning (SCK-1(B))

[Susurs]

The weather has been ‘nasty’ for the last month regarding camera sensors...A lot of dust. I started to notice some small particles on my camera’s sensor recently again @ narrower F. Those appear at my long exposure tries, and get’s on my nerves I have been looking for some effective cleaning solutions and came around Eyelead...But...

Can’t really understand this. Whenever I read some reviews on this product, there are always around 1/4 people telling this device left ‘smears’ on their camera sensors. Majority is, however, very satisfied. What is the issue. Are they applying the device in a wrong way, or there are some possible manufacturing issues/flaws...?

https://www.amazon.de/Eyelead-Trock...ds=eyelead&dpPl=1&dpID=31cEXQlJ67L&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/Eyelead-SCK-...ds=eyelead&dpPl=1&dpID=31uzEXprUlL&ref=plSrch

Seems that it either works perfectly, or creates more issues...

 

[Cheese&Apple]

I don't know if this is true or not (I don't use them) but Photography Life warns against knock-off products from China. You can read their take on it here: Sensor Gel Sticks.

I use the Visible Dust brand swabs that come in a pack with a small vial of cleaning liquid. I also use a loupe kit when cleaning - it's the only way I can look inside and see what I'm doing.

Just a heads-up that I always try a dry clean first - with a blower then with a swab if I have to. Last resort is a wet clean for stubborn spots as a wet clean can be tricky to do well without smears.

The swabs are ridiculously expensive for what they are and you can't reuse them from clean to clean without the risk of transferring crap to the sensor.

~ Peter

 

[someoldguy]

I'll second @Cheese&Apple . I've been using the same product as him for many years ,I use a blower first and then a wet clean if there's some uncooperative crud that won't blow off . I'll second the comment about the cost of the swabs , but I don't usually need to clean sensors more than once a year or so , so I usually can rationalize their cost.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Personally I pay a professional to do mine. It's actually due I noticed.
I don't think it's dust though on a Nikon. Some other problem they all get.

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

I use the exact same stuff as Peter mentioned above on the Mindful Photography groups cameras about once a month for the 9 of them, as people are pretty careless and slow when switching out the lenses. It's expensive for the swabs, but well worth every cent for saving me time mucking around in PP trying to clean up peoples images.

 

[kenoh]

Pretty much in line with comments earlier .I have an eyelead. The ones reviewing with smears forgot to dab dab it on the supplied adhesive paper first and transfered dirt to the sensor.

I use a rocket blower first, then swabs then eye lead if necessary then another swab.i dont stamp the eyelead like I an denying a loan application, i apply it with a gentle rocking motion edge to edge.

I have been doing this on all my cameras for years. Make sure you get the eyelead for your camera, they have different adhesion levels...

Just be gentle and dont touch anything other than sensor. Use eclipse fluid on swabs and be clinical in your one use, dispose of them practice but start with a good blast from the rocket blower and forget ionised static charged butterfly brushes they added more crap than they removed for me.

 

[Susurs]

Can you get sensors clean to the point where no dust is visible @ f22 on sky with standart dry cleaning methods? Or there will always inevitably be some dust visible @ such settings when especially searching for it

Just for fun I tried to max LR Dehaze filter and noticed that you can find small spots present at narrow apertures even if they do not show up on standart image @ f22. Probably this is normal - or such thing does not appear on your camera sensors?

That Eyelead...An e-bay seller from the UK told me that smearing can appear on some rare occasions when some poor cleaning methods (Wet as I understood) have been applied prior to Eyelead...Don’t know...
[doublepost=1529875061][/doublepost]

Pretty much in line with comments earlier .I have an eyelead. The ones reviewing with smears forgot to dab dab it on the supplied adhesive paper first and transfered dirt to the sensor.

I use a rocket blower first, then swabs then eye lead if necessary then another swab.i dont stamp the eyelead like I an denying a loan application, i apply it with a gentle rocking motion edge to edge.

I have been doing this on all my cameras for years. Make sure you get the eyelead for your camera, they have different adhesion levels...

Just be gentle and dont touch anything other than sensor. Use eclipse fluid on swabs and be clinical in your one use, dispose of them practice but start with a good blast from the rocket blower and forget ionised static charged butterfly brushes they added more crap than they removed for me.

Thank you!

...‘Denying a loan application’ ... This made my day

 

[Cheese&Apple]

Can you get sensors clean to the point where no dust is visible @ f22 on sky with standart dry cleaning methods? Or there will always inevitably be some dust visible @ such settings when especially searching for it

It's possible but it depends on what exactly is on the sensor. Dry lint/dust should come off easily with a dry clean. Anything moisture based may require a wet clean but that's very rare for me. I once had a small fly stuck to my sensor that required a wet clean to remove.

A good practice is to always change lenses with the camera body opening facing down.

Just for fun I tried to max LR Dehaze filter and noticed that you can find small spots present at narrow apertures even if they do not show up on standart image @ f22. Probably this is normal - or such thing does not appear on your camera sensors?

This is normal.

 

[Susurs]

@ this point I am pretty satisfied with how the sensor looks after dry cleaning at f22. If I play with Lightroom and search the image for a long time I can still find some tiny dots in the center of the image (2nd picture) and a spot from rear element in the corner...but this is probaly what it is for a 42MP sensor.

 

[kenoh]

@ this point I am pretty satisfied with how the sensor looks after dry cleaning at f22. If I play with Lightroom and search the image for a long time I can still find some tiny dots in the center of the image (2nd picture) and a spot from rear element in the corner...but this is probaly what it is for a 42MP sensor.
View attachment 767969


View attachment 767968

Cool... Dont wet clean unless you have to is my approach

 

[Apple fanboy]

Cool... Dont wet clean unless you have to is my approach

But don't you smell?

 

[kenoh]

But don't you smell?

Yes...

I smell lovely....

 

[kallisti]

Also remember that images are flipped in both the horizontal and vertical axes as light passes through the lens to the sensor (or put another way they are rotated 180 degrees). This means that if you see a spot in the lower left corner of your images, the dust is actually in the upper right corner of your sensor (when viewed from behind the camera as when taking a pic).

I had a large piece of something in the lower left corner of my pics and I kept using a blower on the lower right corner with the camera facing me without success. It was only when I looked in the upper left corner with the camera facing me that I saw the dust and was able to blow it off.

To think about it graphically, draw an imaginary grid on your pics with zero in both the x and y axes being the center of your pic. If your dust is in lower left of your pic it would be at negative x and negative y in the pic. When cleaning the sensor (and thus having the camera facing you), the dust will be at the same negative x but at positive y on the sensor.