EEK! now that's why I just tolerate the occasional cloning required when there are skies shot at smallish apertures. I went nuts several times trying to evaluate other peoples' opinions and experiences with the various wet and dry approaches. The amazingly contradictory opinions I encountered (these are photographic forums after all...) set me back to square one every time I was about to buy some overpriced "solution" (these are photographic accessories after all...)
Phew! Did you damage the shutter as well as the sensor? Which "solution" were you employing at the time?
Roy
Some people are much better at delicate mechanical tasks than others, which might explain the amazingly contradictory opinions on the effectiveness of home sensor cleaning. Some are also more fastidious than others, so the success of any cleaning operation is judged by different standards. I know a photographer who's very strict about dust spots: he's even devised a technique to highlight them in post, which he explains here.
Rags, I too would find it helpful to hear what happened, in order to help avoid having it happen to me. If it did, I'd possibly do worse things than feint.
Sorry for your misfortune. Zebra's attempt at humor was tasteless and rude.
Zebrabot wrote:
It's always good to force or get rough with camera gear when something isn't quite right.
You have no idea what happened, but you make a statement like that?
Well I think it happened after I tried to suck out dust with a household vacuum.
My guess is I worked dust off the the landing pad of the in cam cleaning device. It seemed to lodge in between the sensor and the protective glass.
A hairlike line was the most disturbing. The "hair" didn't come off using heptane, a good solvent that doesn't hurt plastic. Hence my diagnosis, I'll ask the tech when he's finished.
I'm getting a Giotto blower, hmmm... closing the garage door after... well you know...
I too use a Giotto Rocket Bulb for most of my cleaning. When that doesn't get it, I take the lens off, turn camera upside down, and run it through the dishwasher.
What a bummer. Thanks for sharing--may save me or somebody else down the road.
As a thought, aren't there companies that will remove/replace the cover glass from a sensor? Not that I've paid much attention, but I had it in my mind that the service was in the $300 range. Nothing more than a thought, but I wonder if they would could solve the problem for a lot less money?
When all is said and done, I hope you'll let us know what the tech says. This particular issue is new to me.
(Zebra, I doubt anybody was offended--just embarassed for you.)
Specularist wrote:
Some people are much better at delicate mechanical tasks than others, which might explain the amazingly contradictory opinions on the effectiveness of home sensor cleaning.
Well, there are no firm parameters to enable us to rate ourselves in this respect. I'd say I'm pretty good where manual coordination is required. Of course I haven't done any mechanical watch repairs; or neuro-surgery.
Many people report different results with the same techniques. Take "Arctic Butterfly" for example. It's sometimes reported as a magic solution and at other times it's smearing oils all over the place. Likewise wet cleaning. Then there's the issue of which cleaning agent relates to which sensor formulation. It's a bloody minefield. Maybe you get lucky and maybe you don't - this is about risk/reward ratios.
I wish I had a local Nikon service centre that would do the cleaning for $30! last time I had a round trip of 60 miles and it cost me £40 at a 3rd party repair shop. I forgot to ask whose responsibility it would be if the camera was wrecked in the process.
So I clone out the dust spots and occasionally use a Rocket blower. Never yet heard from anyone who used the software solution afforded by NX2. Must try it one day.
Vacuum cleaners certainly do suck. Or they at least exert a partial vacuum.
You could have separated the protective cover from the sensor or done any number of horrible things to alloy a hair or funk into the assembly.
Not to self don't use a vacuum to clean camera sensor.
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If someone told me I needed a $1600 repair and I didn't have insurance, I'd more than likely get a second opinion from someone like MaxMax or Authorized photo service.
I have been marveling at all the trials and tribulations owners of DSLR's have gone through over the last decade+. Since a D30 Canon I've been easily cleaning my DSLR bodies. That would include the D30, 10D, 20D, 1D, then the D200, D300, D700 and now D7000. I have no issues. I do the unthinkable and always have. No Giotto Blower for me thanks. Just good old Costco bought Falcon Brand canned air. I'm careful to expell any possible propellant prior to use and don't move the can during use. I blast the heck out of the entire mirror box and such. Then use either a pre moistened Eclipse pad (if I have one) or if not a gentle expelling of my warm breath to fog up the sensor, then use a Qtip that is fresh and tightly wound carefully starting at the upper corner to the other and working my way across and down till I give a little twist at the end to terminate the cleaning. I blow again and voila' I have a clean sensor. I've done this with ALL of my bodies and it has worked every time. No need to be more obsessive (and I am as it is) as it just works. For me at least. To read various posts I've seen here and elsewhere you'd think it was brain surgery. It is actually pretty darned simple and safe if you take the OBVIOUS precautions. Oh well
If you look at Nikons animation of how it works; it is dependent on gravity. When triggered there is a vibration and dust settles to the bottom onto a purported sticky pad.
Because of my dust obsession I have it triggered when turned on and off.
It's not unusual for me to forget to turn my cam off. I store it them on their side or lens down.
When I discover its on; I turn the button off. So where does the dust go?
Hmmm....... I'm not going to use the function anymore.
