D610 Scratched sensor

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connersz

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Jamie
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So basically I went to wet clean my sensor as I have done many times before (although not on this model) and had some issues with smearing being left behind.

I ordered a new type of cleaning fluid and swab, did one single swipe from left to right and although the residue from before was totally gone I was left with a scratch on the sensor. I've done a few passes over it with new swabs but it remains on the sensor.

Does anyone know roughly how much it costs to get this fixed, I know it's not going to be cheap but would be nice to have a rough idea. Does it need to be done by Nikon or are there any other places I could use who may be cheaper?

DSC_1988 by Jamie Conroy, on Flickr

DSC_1987 by Jamie Conroy, on Flickr
 
Are you dead sure that it is a scratch on the sensor and not just a stubborn mark - scratches tend to "shine" when you look at them on the sensor

I don't think that it is cost effective to replace a sensor ..... but that's just what I have read
 
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BillN_33 said:
Are you dead sure that it is a scratch on the sensor and not just a stubborn mark - scratches tend to "shine" when you look at them on the sensor

I don't think that it is most effective to replace a sensor ..... but that's just what I have read
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Yeah I'm pretty sure it is and yes it does shine. It was definitely not budging.
 
connersz said:
Yeah I'm pretty sure it is and yes it does shine. It was definitely not budging.
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sorry about that ........ I see your images are at f22 - what's it like at f8 ......... can you live with it?
 
BillN_33 said:
sorry about that ........ I see your images are at f22 - what's it like at f8 ......... can you live with it?
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It's bearable from about f9 down but I'm going to be hovering around that area with studio photos and if I know it's there I think it's going to bother me.

There's going to be a time when it plants itself right on someones face and that's going to be the issue.
 
I used the camera for a few sessions and didn't notice the scratch but in the end I had it fixed on my insurance, the sensor was replaced. I had the camera repaired by Fixation who were very good.
 
Out of interest, do you know how much it costs to replace a sensor? I've never tried cleaning myself and now I don't think I ever will.
 
sk66 said:
I don't know why you didn't just go with AA filter removal... cost is ~ £200
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Insurance company paid...

I'm not sure how you actually manage to cause permanent damage to a sensor with a cotton swab, but that aside, the final repair bill seems incredible.
 
Can you not get rid of the marks in Photoshop until funds are available?
 
My insurance paid.

At the end of the day I needed the camera back ASAP. If my insurance says they're going to get it sorted then I'm not going to spend ages going through all the options.
 
HoppyUK said:
Insurance company paid...

I'm not sure how you actually manage to cause permanent damage to a sensor with a cotton swab, but that aside, the final repair bill seems incredible.
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Because anything can happen, you could drag a piece of dirt across it or pick up a metallic particle from the edge of the sensor. I was kind of expecting the whole "I don't know how you managed..." comments on here but it happens and if you clean it yourself your're taking the risk.
 
connersz said:
£750 was the bill.
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Holy moly!!! I was expecting the £300 mark!! Smelling salts please.

Sorry if I started something! Was just curious and had been looking at cleaning options. No chance me trying it after this.

Glad you got sorted anyway.
 
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GalJulie said:
Holy moly!!! I was expecting the £300 mark!! Smelling salts please.

Sorry if I started something! Was just curious and had been looking at cleaning options. No chance me trying it after this.

Glad you got sorted anyway.
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I think Nikon charge something like £35 for a cleaning and it's not something you have to do often.
 
HoppyUK said:
Insurance company paid...

I'm not sure how you actually manage to cause permanent damage to a sensor with a cotton swab, but that aside, the final repair bill seems incredible.
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Add a bit of sand dust to the equation and it sounds plausible.

I too would have gone for AA removal if I couldn't live with it.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
Add a bit of sand dust to the equation and it sounds plausible.

I too would have gone for AA removal if I couldn't live with it.
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I could live with it easy. I did some sessions and couldn't see the marks but as it was being paid for I decided to have it done. It means I don't have to worry about it when using or selling the camera.
 
connersz said:
My insurance paid.

At the end of the day I needed the camera back ASAP. If my insurance says they're going to get it sorted then I'm not going to spend ages going through all the options.
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Interestingly, this brings up a question for me... do I have my insurance pay for the same repair on my D4, or sell it on with the scratch? My policy has no deductible, but I'm going to be selling it either way. The scratch doesn't show in images... hmm....
 
connersz said:
I think Nikon charge something like £35 for a cleaning and it's not something you have to do often.
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Yeah I've had Nikon do it a couple of times but then people were saying how cheap it is to buy the cleaning gear which works out so cheap per clean. I'll be sticking with Nikon for sure now
 
GalJulie said:
Yeah I've had Nikon do it a couple of times but then people were saying how cheap it is to buy the cleaning gear which works out so cheap per clean. I'll be sticking with Nikon for sure now
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The only time I've ever paid for a clean was years ago when I had a 20D, Canon cleaned it but all they did was move the dust bunnies around. At least when I clean my camera myself it is actually clean and of course it doesn't have to go away for days.

Personally I think it's worth the risk. I don't know how many times I've cleaned the sensors in my cameras (a lot of times) but even if I ruin a camera tomorrow I think I'd still be in profit due to the money I've saved by cleaning them myself.
 
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