Paid for my sensor to be cleaned professionally terrible result

ding76uk

ding76uk

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Carl
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I paid for my 5D2 sensor to be cleaned thinking they would do a better job in a quicker time after my own last efforts took hours. Today I check the clean and am presented with this!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/22364603/IMG_8921.jpg

Sent email and await response, but need the camera as shooting 3 days this weekend starting tonight and have no time to do anything now. Chances are I will not use f22 this weekend but I expected better service than this.
 
That is horrible. If I were you, I'd demand a refund and look elsewhere.
 
Jesus! What was it like before?

I spend 2.5 hours yesterday trying to clean mine. Went through stages of making it better, then worse, then a bit better again. Its far from perfect now (i cant shift some) but its better than before so was thinking of booking mine in so someone can do it better than me but having doubts if thats what they produce!
 
That's shocking!

I assume it's come back worse than when you sent it in?

Have you used a rocket blower on it since getting it back? I find an Arctic Butterfly rather effective usually.
 
Out of interest, who did the clean?
 
ding76uk said:
London Camera Exchange in Lincoln
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My word, i take it you haven't seen some of the absolute rubbish they pass off as "used equipment" not just that particular store but the whole lot of them, i remember buying a used Sigma 20-40mm about 5 years ago marked as excellent, it arrived with so much fungus it was a wildlife park, not to mention the 1 inch scratch on the front element and cracked hood.
 
in london i'd usually use the while you wait service at fixation out in vauxhall - I used to use them until i moved down here whenever i had cack i couldn't shift myself and they were excellent
 
As Hoppy says above that has not been cleaned and if it has they must have used an old pair of socks to do it.
You want a refund.
 
That is really bad, they are my local camera store and got a couple of new lenses there last year. I was planning on taking mine there if it got so bad I couldn't do it myself but I wont bother now.

There's a camera show in Lincoln soon and they usually offer a free sensor clean to anyone going so it might be worth having a trip if you can make it. Unless it's LCE doing the cleaning of course. Isn't there a shop in skegness that offers the service now, there used to be a great little shop but I haven't been there for a long time.
 
This is one of the reasons I always do my own. Mine is never that dirty BEFORE I clean it let alone after it

Good blast out with the rocket blower and then use the solutions and the proper pads.
 
Bit of an update.

They have replied saying they are sorry for the service and are not happy with their mistake. They have offered a full refund and will re clean the sensor while I wait. I have to say that is pretty decent of them and I am going to take them up on it when I can get back to the store.

I am sure they will make a better job of it this time but am very weary of sending it there next time I need a clean. I think I will bit the bullet and go back to doing it myself again. By the time I have taken the petrol into account it would have been cheaper.
 
I have read so many stories of people not being happy after getting their sensor professionally cleaned. It's good they've now offered to do it again anyway.

I've tried various ways to do it myself, and have found most methods give a pretty poor result, other than one (wiping it with appropriate solution and material). So that is the way I do it now and it usually works ok. I find that it's almost impossible to get perfect results though, and it's easy to get too worked up about how clean it is.

Strangely, despite people here and often in the past recommending using a blower, I found that method disastrous! It must just be me. :D
 
I had a similar experience with Jessies. And it took them 9 weeks!

I had cleaned the camera, a Sigma, and removed more than 90% of the bunnies but I wanted something better. I handed the camera over to Jessies who dumped all the muck back on and then some.
 
ding76uk said:
Bit of an update.

They have replied saying they are sorry for the service and are not happy with their mistake. They have offered a full refund and will re clean the sensor while I wait. I have to say that is pretty decent of them and I am going to take them up on it when I can get back to the store.

I am sure they will make a better job of it this time but am very weary of sending it there next time I need a clean. I think I will bit the bullet and go back to doing it myself again. By the time I have taken the petrol into account it would have been cheaper.
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You use petrol to clean it :eek: That's your problem


Turps is so much better. :D

I hope that it is sorted and that they do a good job the 2nd time.
I clean my own following the guide in the tutorials on TP - it normally takes about 30 mins and uses 5 swabs.
 
2blue4u said:
I had a similar experience with Jessies. And it took them 9 weeks!

I had cleaned the camera, a Sigma, and removed more than 90% of the bunnies but I wanted something better. I handed the camera over to Jessies who dumped all the muck back on and then some.
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Not surprised at anything Jessops do.I asked a member of staff about cleaning my Nikon in Leicester a few weeks ago and he didn't seem to know how long, how much or really give a damn so I just bought a rocket blower brush instead.I then looked for advice on the net,used some cotton swabs from Tesco(100 for 40p) and although there is the odd bit of dust left its hardly noticeable any more.

I try not to become too obsessed now though. Trying to suck the dust out with a vacuum cleaner is definitely not recommended! :D
 
that sure is a p@ss poor job,but glad that they seem willing to sort it out.
i find it very hard not to become obsessed with the specks that magically appear overnight,but have so far managed just by cleaning myself.[for the most part]
 
I just avoid shooting over f8 :) no bunnies can be seen at wide apertures!
 
People.... just clean your own sensors... nothing terrible will happen. Buy a rocket blower, and an Eclipse sensor cleaning kit.
 
sorry to hear about your initial experience, and thankfully is seems its being sorted....

its opened my eyes to the big world of camera cleaning (which up until now i've done myself) can anyone recommend a worthy place to send our prize possessions of to, that actually do a decent job??
 
Pookeyhead said:
People.... just clean your own sensors... nothing terrible will happen. .
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unless you scratch the anti aliasing filter - in which case you'll be screwed and your warranty won't cover it.

Personally if it won't come off with a rocket blower or an artic butterfly - its time for a professional clean
 
tezmed said:
its opened my eyes to the big world of camera cleaning (which up until now i've done myself) can anyone recommend a worthy place to send our prize possessions of to, that actually do a decent job??
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fixation in vauxhall do a while you wait service (which includes a full deep clean of the mirror box etc as well as the actual sensor) - last time i used them it was 35 notes for a crop sensor or 45 for full frame - but the results were definitely worth it as they left it cleaner than the factory did
 
Sadly I had a bad experience with a sensor coming back a lot worse than I sent it. This was a Canon approved Glasgow company this time though.
 
Carl, if a so called professional outfit did that to a body of mine, I would be demanding a full refund and the cost of a full mirrorbox service by the manufacturer - I sure as eggs is eggs wouldn't let them near it to have another go! Your body, your choice though!
 
Pookeyhead said:
People.... just clean your own sensors... nothing terrible will happen. Buy a rocket blower, and an Eclipse sensor cleaning kit.
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Yes. It's not hard, and it's all the professionals use anyway. This, £25, good for up to four cleans http://www.cameraclean.co.uk/produc...leaning+Starter+Pack+with+Type+2+Sensor+Swabs and follow the instructions :thumbs:

Edit: and don't get too obsessive about it. It's rare to get absolutely 100% clean at the best of times, and it will get dirty again as soon as you start shooting.
 
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yeah but the profesionals (the good ones anyway) do it under clean room conditions , and clean the mirror box, sensor rounds etc - which avoidsthe main hazard of doing it yourself ,ie that you introduce more crap than you remove
 
Been cleaning my own sensors for years... never had an issue. I'd love to know what camera dealers have a "clean room" :) Unless you send it to Nikon, or another top end repair centre... such as Fixation, I find it very, very unlikely they'll have a clean room.

You'll probably just be charged a great deal of money for something you can do yourself.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Been cleaning my own sensors for years... never had an issue. I'd love to know what camera dealers have a "clean room" :) Unless you send it to Nikon, or another top end repair centre... such as Fixation, I find it very, very unlikely they'll have a clean room.

You'll probably just be charged a great deal of money for something you can do yourself.
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Having seen the state of the back workooms at Lehmanns i fully concur
 
I took my D700 to Digital Depot in Stevenage. They did a great job, got rid of the colony of bunnies that had taken up residency, and on a 'while you wait' service.

Spooks
 
Zackarydoo said:
I have read so many stories of people not being happy after getting their sensor professionally cleaned. It's good they've now offered to do it again anyway.

I've tried various ways to do it myself, and have found most methods give a pretty poor result, other than one (wiping it with appropriate solution and material). So that is the way I do it now and it usually works ok. I find that it's almost impossible to get perfect results though, and it's easy to get too worked up about how clean it is.

Strangely, despite people here and often in the past recommending using a blower, I found that method disastrous! It must just be me. :D
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I clean mine in the bathroom and bathroom only. Its all tired and generally inherits the least dust out of all the rooms in my house so works well for me.
 
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