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D70 & Dust



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 12th 05, 01:28 AM
Little Green Eyed Dragon
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Default D70 & Dust

I having an increasingly problematic time related to
dust on my sensor, I use the camera a lot probably on the
order of 10,000 images since its purchase and have had it
for about 1 year. I change the lens on occasion, in any event
I have the power adapter and started out using a blower to
remove the loose dust, but the problem continues and got worse.

So I coughed up the 60.00 for sensor swipes and fluid and proceeded.
I have used just about the whole box and still lots of dust. Some guy at
the camera store suggested putting a single drop of fluid on the sensor
directly and I did it but the dust remains although it moves from place
to place,.... I don't believe there are any scratches "yet"

Another suggestion from someone else was to use canned air
which the manual says specifically not to do. Has anyone successfully
tried this or has success with some other approach. I am probably going
send my D70 body back to Nikon, and get a number 2 body,...but I would
like to hear some feed back if possible here.

TIA.
--
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a dragon, eating rat? The answer of: I am somewhere
in the middle.
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  #2  
Old August 12th 05, 01:47 AM
Rita Ä Berkowitz
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Default

Little Green Eyed Dragon wrote:

So I coughed up the 60.00 for sensor swipes and fluid and proceeded.
I have used just about the whole box and still lots of dust. Some guy
at the camera store suggested putting a single drop of fluid on the
sensor directly and I did it but the dust remains although it moves
from place to place,.... I don't believe there are any scratches
"yet"


NEVER EVER put liquid directly on the sensor of any camera unless the
manufacturer recommends this! We just had a thread were a gentleman ruined
his sensor by adding too much liquid to the swabs.

Make your own swabs with a PEC-PAD and use as little cleaner as possible.

Another suggestion from someone else was to use canned air
which the manual says specifically not to do. Has anyone successfully
tried this or has success with some other approach. I am probably
going send my D70 body back to Nikon, and get a number 2 body,...but
I would like to hear some feed back if possible here.


Be careful with canned compressed air which some are liquid propellants that
can come out as liquid if the can is tipped. I tried compressed air from a
compressor with the regulator turned down so low that I had a light stream
of air that I directed in the camera (not at the sensor) to get at the more
obvious dust in the surrounding areas. I followed this with a swipe using
the PEC-PAD method. There are many different ways and lots of resources on
the web for cleaning a sensor, so read them all and use the techniques that
work best for you and your camera. Just use caution and think before moving
and you'll be fine.





Rita



  #3  
Old August 12th 05, 02:39 AM
RichA
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Default

On Thu, 11 Aug 2005 20:47:19 -0400, "Rita Ä Berkowitz" ritaberk2O04
@aol.com wrote:

Little Green Eyed Dragon wrote:

So I coughed up the 60.00 for sensor swipes and fluid and proceeded.
I have used just about the whole box and still lots of dust. Some guy
at the camera store suggested putting a single drop of fluid on the
sensor directly and I did it but the dust remains although it moves
from place to place,.... I don't believe there are any scratches
"yet"


NEVER EVER put liquid directly on the sensor of any camera unless the
manufacturer recommends this! We just had a thread were a gentleman ruined
his sensor by adding too much liquid to the swabs.

Make your own swabs with a PEC-PAD and use as little cleaner as possible.


But never wipe the dusty sensor with anything near dry otherwise
you'll scratch it.
It's just like cleaning a delicate first-surface mirror:
1. Blow off as much dust as possible.
2. Use a brush (the right kind) to sweep the sensor.
3. Use the swipes with fluid.




"Bittorrents are REFUNDS for all the BAD movie products Hollywood
never gave us refunds for in the past"
  #4  
Old August 12th 05, 04:34 AM
Sheldon
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Default


"Little Green Eyed Dragon" wrote
in message
...
I having an increasingly problematic time related to
dust on my sensor, I use the camera a lot probably on the
order of 10,000 images since its purchase and have had it
for about 1 year. I change the lens on occasion, in any event
I have the power adapter and started out using a blower to
remove the loose dust, but the problem continues and got worse.

So I coughed up the 60.00 for sensor swipes and fluid and proceeded.
I have used just about the whole box and still lots of dust. Some guy at
the camera store suggested putting a single drop of fluid on the sensor
directly and I did it but the dust remains although it moves from place
to place,.... I don't believe there are any scratches "yet"

Another suggestion from someone else was to use canned air
which the manual says specifically not to do. Has anyone successfully
tried this or has success with some other approach. I am probably going
send my D70 body back to Nikon, and get a number 2 body,...but I would
like to hear some feed back if possible here.

TIA.


I always start with a big hand blower, then...

I use the Pec Pads and one of those already cut down spatulas that I bought.
I think the secret is using the correct amount of fluid and the correct
amount of pressure. I use 3 drops on the pad and work quickly. I've heard
the pressure is about the same you would use if writing. One swipe across
at the top of the sensor, when I get to the other edge I move the pad
straight down (don't lift it yet), tip it a bit the other way, and then
sweep the bottom of the sensor. When I get back to the side I started at I
lift it straight up.

Sometimes it takes more than one cleaning (always use a fresh pad a fluid)
and it doesn't have to be perfect. Most small spots you won't notice unless
you shoot a perfectly blue sky or white wall at a smaller aperture.

And, keep in mind that Nikon does not recommend this method of cleaning, at
least for the consumer, although other manufacturers do.

Be careful, but don't give up. It does work.

Sheldon


  #5  
Old August 12th 05, 07:14 AM
Jeremy Nixon
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Default

Little Green Eyed Dragon wrote:

So I coughed up the 60.00 for sensor swipes and fluid and proceeded.
I have used just about the whole box and still lots of dust.


That indicates that either you're doing it wrong, or it's far worse than
just mere dust. The only time I had to do a physical (swab/fluid) cleaning
was after the camera spent some time on a windy beach in 100% humidity
conditions.

Don't try too hard; just wet the swab with the fluid (and make sure it's
the right fluid, if you bought it with the swabs and it was made to clean
a sensor then it should be... pure methanol is what you really want) and
gently swab in one direction. Don't scrub back and forth.

Another suggestion from someone else was to use canned air
which the manual says specifically not to do. Has anyone successfully
tried this or has success with some other approach.


Do not use canned air. It is highly compressed so that it turns into
liquid, and it also contains propellant and almost certainly lubricant.
Very bad.

I use a compressed CO2 blower, but you have to be careful here, too --
you can't use CO2 cartridges meant for a BB gun, for example, or other
industrial uses, as they may be too compressed and contain lubricant.
Only food-grade, low-pressure CO2 cartriges should be attempted. These
don't last very long at all (if you hold the trigger, they will blow
for probably 30 seconds) but they aren't compressed enough to liquefy
or become cold, they don't blow hard enough to drive bits of crap into
the sensor and scratch it, and they are clean since they are meant to
be used on stuff that you're going to eat or drink. This is still
probably an idea that should only be attempted if you're confident.

--
Jeremy |
  #6  
Old August 12th 05, 06:47 PM
DoN. Nichols
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Posts: n/a
Default

In article ,
Little Green Eyed Dragon wrote:
I having an increasingly problematic time related to
dust on my sensor, I use the camera a lot probably on the
order of 10,000 images since its purchase and have had it
for about 1 year. I change the lens on occasion, in any event
I have the power adapter and started out using a blower to
remove the loose dust, but the problem continues and got worse.


Others have already touched on how to do the cleaning.

I find myself wondering why you are having such problems. First
off, do you take a lot of photos at small apertures? The dust only
affects the images taken at the smallest of apertures.

I had been using my D70 for about nine months before I ever even
tried to look for dust by selecting a very small aperture and shooting
an evenly-illuminated surface. Yes, I found dust that way, but it had
not shown up in my normal photography. (Obviously, if you are after the
maximum depth of field, you will see dust more often -- but I am more
likely to favor a higher shutter speed, so I work at more open
apertures, and the dust just plain does not show up with that.

I have had no problems using a blower to get rid of the dust.
First, I use the blower on the body with the shutter closed, to remove
as much dust as possible from the body cavity, so there will not be a
large stock of additional dust ready to jump into place. Only then do I
open the shutter to blow the dust off of the actual sensor.

I read advice about using the ear syringes available at the
drugstore, but I was rather frustrated by the minimal airflow (and
volume) available from these. Then, I was at a hamfest, and saw some
similar devices, but on steroids. They were surplus from some medical
supply place, apparently. Each is in a sterile blister pack, and is
marked:

================================================== ====================
DAVOL 3583

Ear and Ulcer Syringe

3 oz. with Slim Tip For Aspiration and Irrigation

Single Use
================================================== ====================

I only got two of these, but I wish that I had bought the whole
supply at the hamfest. (They were only $1.00 each.) Well ... perhaps
another time.

Now, I would also suggest that you check your lenses, and give
them a blowing off as well. I make sure that I re-cap whichever lens
was just removed from the camera as quickly as possible when swapping
lenses.

A nice trick, for the Nikon rear caps, is that you can join two
of them together to hold lenses back to back in the gadget bag. (Not so
useful with the longer lenses, but shorter ones make a much more
reasonable package in the camera bag if so joined and then stored on
end.

To join them, I first orient the two caps back to back, and
rotate them so the ribs interlock. I then take a small amount of MEK
(Methyl Ethyl Ketone -- an organic solvent) and drip very small amounts
into the seam formed by the junction of the two caps, rotating them to
allow access to places around the circumference, until the whole thing
has been touched by the MEK. Then hold them together for a few minutes,
allow the solvent to evaporate for another hour, and you have a rigidly
joined pair of lens back caps.

I would advise doing this where you have good ventilation --
perhaps even outdoors.

Best of luck,
DoN.
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Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
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