|
Search this group's discussions
|
DSLR cleaning?
|
So, I bought a DSLR a few months ago, and it's my first proper camera. All the others I have had before have been simple point-n-shoot affairs.
I took my nice new camera to London this weekend, and it's become filthy. When I look through the view finder, I can see dust and debri obstructing the view.
I went into Jessops and the guy said that it looked like some muck had got into the "penta-prism" (I think) and that I shouldn't try cleaning it myself, but I could give the little mirror inside a clean with this little kit for a fiver, and it might help.
So, thats what I did, and out I went to take some more photos. Except now I am back home, I have put the pictures on the computer to find that most of them are ruined by what looks like a hair. The lens is clean, so I can only assume the hair is inside the camera body somewhere.
Is there anywhere in Bristol that I can get my camera properly cleaned and restored to it's former glory, and how much should I expect to pay?
Many thanks for any advice offered.
Posted at 1:34AM, 28 May 2007 PDT
(permalink)
|
|
Black on White in Westbury Park do free estimates and a two-hour sensor cleaning service (assuming that's what's needed). In a previous thread Luton Camera Repairs in Old Market were also recommended.
Posted 73 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
If the hair is visible in the images, then it's on either the lens or the sensor, not the mirror or prism. Since you say the lens is clean, that leaves the sensor (or maybe dangling down in front of the sensor).
If the offending item is a hair, it should be very easy to blow off the sensor, and hopefully out of the body completely. You can do this yourself very easily. I don't have a 350D, but according to the reviews it has a "mirror lock-up" feature. (I've the same thing on my camera.) This is useful to allow access to the sensor for cleaning. With the mirror locked-up, use a powerful air blower to get rid of the hair. Do not blow with your mouth or use canned air, as you can get moisture on the sensor and you'll make things worse. Instead use a bulb blower. The cheap little ones you can get from high-street camera shops might work in this case, but I'd recommend getting one of these big boys. (I include the link to illustrate and recommend the product, not to suggest a particular retailer.) Jessops do their own-brand equivalent, but I'm not sure if it's as good as the original.
(If the hair is just dangling down in the camera body rather than stuck to the sensor, you might even be able to lift it out directly.)
Originally posted 73 months ago.
(permalink)
Gary Jones edited this topic 73 months ago.
|
|
|
I have one of those little bulb blowers in the kit I bought. I can see the hair inside the camera body, but the blower isn't dislodging it. It moves it away from the sensor, but I know it's still in there somewhere and will be back to ruin a photo sooner or later. I don't want to risk putting my finger or a pair of tweezers in there, in case I damage the sensor.
I'll have to take it to a shop and see what they can do. Not a single camera shop I have phoned today have answered though. I guess they must close on bank holiday.
Posted 73 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
I'd second Gary's comment - I've been very pleased with my Rocket Air and so far it's kept my sensor dust free. It provides a much stronger jet of air than the bulb or bulb/brush blowers you normally get in camera kits.
One useful tip - always switch the camera off before you change lenses. The reason for this, I've been told, is that the sensor gets charged when the camera is on, and the static tends to attract any nearby dust. I'm not sure if this is true or not - I thought CCDs *hated* static - but since adopting this procedure I've had far fewer problems.
Posted 73 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
|
Of course not all DSLR sensors are CCDs – Canon and Sigma use CMOS, and the four-thirds lot use something called NMOS. (They may hate static too, for all I know. Microelectronics isn't my field.)
I've not had any noticable dust problems, but I've not had my 400D long, and it does have in-built sensor cleaning.
Posted 73 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
I got dust in mine second day.
Still, the brillo pad and washing up liquid seems to have done the trick...
Posted 73 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
|
The day before leaving on my recent holiday, I thought I'd use my Dust-Aid sensor cleaning kit. It works by applying lightly-adhesive pads to the sensor to lift off dust and dirt. I'd used it successfully several times in the past, but the last time I used it was probably around a year ago.
This time, the "cleaning" pads left catastrophic amounts of adhesive on the sensor. A test shot of a blank wall looked like the surface of the moon. I went to Black on White (as mentioned earlier in this thread) for a proper sensor clean. Apparently it took a few goes to get all the gunk off, but they did a good job and all was sorted before my trip. I wrote to the Dust Aid company for an explanation, but they haven't replied. My guess is that the adhesive degraded over time and became too sticky for its intended purpose.
Posted 57 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
Sensor dust - take to black and white (as recommended above)
Dust in the mirror/pentaprism/whatever - live with it.
Posted 57 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
I bought 2 DSLRs on friday for £135 each, already sold one for £250 on eBay within 8 hours. ASDA are dumb!
Posted 57 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
I have a Rocket Air and it seems to do the trick on My camera, the few specks that can be seen on my photographs sometimes are due to my lazyness in not bothering to clean the camera! :)
Posted 57 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
@ AJ_UK... Which make and model are Asda selling for that price?
Posted 57 months ago.
(permalink)
|
|
|
They were selling the Pentax K100D
Originally posted 57 months ago.
(permalink)
AJ_UK edited this topic 57 months ago.
|
|
Do they have any left?
Posted 57 months ago.
(permalink)
|
Would you like to comment?
Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).
|
|
Bristol /
Discuss
Feed – Subscribe to Bristol discussion threads