Well I decided to clean all 3 of my cameras this morning with my newly purchased "DUST-AID" camera cleaner. If you don't know what the DUST-AID camera sensor cleaner is, here's a link:
Anyway, all was going well. I cleaned my 1DmkII first, got a few little spots cleaned off so I was happy. Next up was the 5D. I used the same pad as I used on the 1DmkII, and got good results again. Time to take out the 20D now.
Since i noticed a little wrinkle in the cleaning pad, I decided to change to a new one. Just to be safe. I put on the new pad, went and hit the sensor clean option on the 20D.
I gently placed the wand with pad over the sensor (i guess AA filter, actually) and pressed softly, and tilted to the side to remove it like the instructions say. But, something looked really different about my sensor now.
There is this huge film like substance on there. That's what i thought anyway.
Turns out, it's not a film that's on the sensor, it might be the AA filter was ripped off the sensor.
I looked at the cleaning pad, and there looks like a film substance on there as well. I got some water and cleaned off the pad, and the film was gone. So this makes me believe that the sensor pad somehow gripped and ripped off the AA filter in this area inside the 20D? I don't really know, but this is my guess.
Have any of you had a problem with this? I know many people purchased some a few weeks ago in the Buy&Sell forum.
I am guessing I'll need to send the camera to Canon, and have them replace the AA filter, or possibly the sensor if that is damaged.
What has happened is that you pulled off the coating of the AA filter. If you look carefully through the DustAid own website FAQ they actually are not that sure that this cannot happen:
Q: Can Dust-Aid affect tin oxide (ITO) or dichroic coatings?
A: We are currently in the middle of analyzing this question and will publish our findings soon.
So they are in the middle of analyzing but they have released the product so the consumers can test it using their own cameras. Unbelievable.
I would send them a letter and demand for compensation. I bet that they would do it for the sake of PR.
Try cleaning it again, it certainly couldn't hurt (in any financially significant sort of way). FWIW, 'ripping off the AA filter' is an untenable scenario; it simply looks like you've spread some oily goo on the glass, and it thus needs to be (re-) cleaned. This assumes, of course, that you've used proper cleaning tools and technique.
Jeff wrote:
Try cleaning it again, it certainly couldn't hurt (in any financially significant sort of way). FWIW, 'ripping off the AA filter' is an untenable scenario; it simply looks like you've spread some oily goo on the glass, and it thus needs to be (re-) cleaned. This assumes, of course, that you've used proper cleaning tools and technique.
Good luck.
DustAid is an adhesive tape, it does not spread anything. It does look like a part of the coating is damaged.
Jeff wrote:
Try cleaning it again, it certainly couldn't hurt (in any financially significant sort of way). FWIW, 'ripping off the AA filter' is an untenable scenario; it simply looks like you've spread some oily goo on the glass, and it thus needs to be (re-) cleaned. This assumes, of course, that you've used proper cleaning tools and technique.
Good luck.
According to Dust-Aid company, the pad doesn't leave any residuals, this has been tested, so it's almost certain that something had been pulled off instead of being left on, in this case, most like the coating.
I believe that they have completed their study, and that the conclusion was that IF you pulled off the coating using this method, then the coating must have been applied incorrectly.
DavidP wrote:
I believe that they have completed their study, and that the conclusion was that IF you pulled off the coating using this method, then the coating must have been applied incorrectly.
DavidP wrote:
I believe that they have completed their study, and that the conclusion was that IF you pulled off the coating using this method, then the coating must have been applied incorrectly.
That's funny statement, does it mean Canon applied coating incorrectly on some of the cameras I wonder who has better QC, Canon or Dust-Aid...
Jeff wrote:
Try cleaning it again, it certainly couldn't hurt (in any financially significant sort of way). FWIW, 'ripping off the AA filter' is an untenable scenario; it simply looks like you've spread some oily goo on the glass, and it thus needs to be (re-) cleaned. This assumes, of course, that you've used proper cleaning tools and technique.
Good luck.
Hey Jeff, there is nothing on the camea sensor itself. I was even able to see some goo/film that was on the cleaning pad as a result of this. I cleaned off the pad, and the goo/film was gone. This leads me to believe something was taken off the sensor, and not put on the sensor during the 'cleaning' process.
I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be liable for this. You might want to investigate Dan Martin's suggestion - an IR mod is probably possible. Or you could spend the hundred or so to get a new glass filter installed, painful as that might be.
On the 20D, as on most Canon DSLRs (excluding the 5D, XTi/400D, and 1DmkIII), the top layer of the sensor "stack" is a glass cover with a dichroic coating that acts as a hot mirror to reflect infrared. That glass cover is supposed to be installed with the coating on the sensor side.
Occasionally the factory makes a mistake and the cover gets installed upside down in the sensor stack, with the coating on the outside. Clearly, that is what has happened here.
According to David Stone, President of Photographic Solutions (maker of Eclipse fluid), "IN EVERY case, the manufacturer returned the camera to them at NO CHARGE. It happens from time to time and to their credit, they have admitted their error every time we have run into this exact same situation."
The 5D, XTi/400D, and 1DmkIII intentionally have the dichroic mirror coating on the outside of the sensor stack, having dispensed with the cover glass entirely. The makers of Dust-Aid insist that it's still safe on those cameras, or at least on the 5D: http://www.dust-aid.com/5d.html
All-in-all, I am convinced that the filter stack on your sensor is defective and that if you'll give Canon the chance, they'll certainly replace it for free.
I wonder who has better QC, Canon or Dust-Aid...