Sensor cleaning despair.

Matt Taylor

Matt Taylor

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Matthew
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Having had no issues cleaning my 5D sensor recently I tried the same yesterday on my 30D using a combination of swabs and lensklear and after a while I had a 98% clear sensor. I went out this afternoon to take some sunny weather shots and on returning home I find my nice clear sensor has already got some nasty spots on it which have pretty much ruined my shots.

Why would this happen? Where has this dust suddenly come from? What can I do to ensure a more thorough clean next time (tomorrow hopefully).
 
Dust can be a real pain. However having cleaned my sensors many times I don't usually have a problem with the dust coming back after such a short time. Dust can come from a number of places not least of all from the shutter itself.

The spots could be down to

a/ Despite thinking you had a clean sensor it was still dirty, and using a small aperture the dust bunnies came back

b/ The shutter is shedding some particles

c/ Could the dust spots be residual lens cleaning fluid? Using excessive amounts can leave some on the sensor that the swab doesn't fully remove.

Just some suggestions, may not be any of these but they are all I can think of
 
My 5D is a legendary dust magnet, and I've spent countless hours cleaning my sensor over the 5 years or so that I've had it. More than once I've spent an hour or more cleaning it then the following day taken two or three hundred shots. Reviewing them that evening I've seen the first spot appear maybe five shots in to the day - without a lens change.

The best tool I have bought to help clean my sensor is a Visible Dust Sensor Loupe. Delkin do a similar one, but at the time I bought mine [years now] the Visible Dust one was the best. You will be surprised at how clean your sensor looks - until you view it through a magnifying illuminated loupe.

Over the past year I've hardly cleaned it. Certainly no wet clean, and just an occasional rocket blow job. Probably just been lucky.

I've also made an effort to restrict the aperture to nothing smaller than f8. This has helped.

And your pictures aren't ruined. A bit of repair with an editing program and the problem will be gone. It's a way of life you're going to have to get used to. After all, negative damage - scratches and spots - were common in film's heyday and were nowhere near as easy to repair.
 
From what I have been told, It's unlikely to be dust, much more likely to be grease from the mirror mechanism. Unless that is cleaned away, any dust you miss will adhere to it like glue. I admire peoples bravery in cleaning their own sensors, but personally I prefer to have mine cleaned by experts. Calumet have proved themselves to me in this regard..
 
Would love to give Fixation's cleaning service a go but I keep hearing stories of sensors being cleaned by shops only to come worse or no better, plus money is pretty tight over the next 2-3 months and I don't think my wife would appreciate me spending money on a pro clean at the moment!

However, I gave it a blast with the rocket blower and a quick swab this afternoon and things seem to be a lot better than yesterday.:)
 
my mk II is a dust magnet
as you all have mentioned above it has happend to myslf cleaned the sensor only to takeshots and low and beholld others there.
once i have swabbed my sensor (well actualy low pass filter as this protects the sensor)
I turn my camera facing with the opening for lens down.
I even blow the lens clean before attaching it to the camera with the camera still facing down.
even when you change lenses out doors you should always face camera down
 
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