Can't believe it ...spots/ dust on CCD already!?!?!

[ChrisW]

Hi everyone,

Only just coming up to 2 months of owning an S2 from brand new and I seem to have already got some dust/ speckles on my CCD is this possible? I've only changed my lens once, and in very controlled conditions!! i pointed the camera down whilst changing the lens, and also did it very quickly and and carefully indoors... I'm very particular when it comes to things like changing a lens!

Should I pay for it getting cleaned by fuji or try it myself? As I've gathered from reading previous posts on here it's not as hard as it sounds?!?

Any response much apreciated!

Regards

ChrisW

[Tom Nolle]

You can get dust from a single lens change, unfortunately. The good news is that CCD cleaning is a lot easier than you'd think. I use a modified spatula, PecPads (lint-free cloths) and Everclear 190-proof ethanol. I also add a bulb blower to get any abrasive dust off first. Two swipes and you're pretty much done.

Tom

[Steve P]

Hi Chris,

The same thing happened to me but on the second day and with no lens change. I followed the instructions in the handbook and used a blower. I guess I was lucky on that occasion.

I would try using a blower first. If that doesn't work then you will have to go the swab route.

Good luck


Steve

[Carlton]

Chris,
The same happened to me with no lens change. I guess my Nikkor 35-70 sucks dust inside. Fuji should give you a comp cleaning for the first time, however I would not do that, as when you get your camera back and pull the cap off to place your lens on......another chance for dust to enter. Also, you mentioned pointing the camera down and that is good, but sturred dust travels upward, sideways and down. The very best thing is to clean it yourself, sooner or later you will have to anyway. Read all the treads and find a method you like (but please don't use tape). :voegeli:

[HulaMike]

Don't sweat it! Its quite easy to do yourself. Read the posts here and read your manual. Chances are that after only 2 weeks all you need to do is blow air across the CCD with a bulb blower. If that doesn't do it, follow the instrictions for using pec pads/sensor swabs and the appropriate cleaner. Eclipse is the brand name for methanol.

[Igor]

I received my D70 new with a big spec right in the middle of the sensor.
Just blew it away. Try this first, if doesn't work buy and use Eclipse/Sensor Swabs.

[ChrisW]

Thank you very much to all of you for replying so quickly :righton:

At least now i've realised that it's not just me that this has happened to! First I'm going buy this blower that someone on here mentioned buying from the UK:

Giottos Rocket Air Blower
http://www.hiltonphoto.co.uk/images/shop/150_1080920170giotrocket.jpg

And if that doesn't work guess I'll have to go with the swabs!!

The annoying thing is that I've got a wedding next weekend so I hope to get it sorted by then!!! The dots are really quite noticeable... so if i don't get it sorted i can feel a lot of ps retouching retouching coming up! :(

Thanks again for all the response! ;) This forum is excellent!


Chris

[ChrisW]

Sorry forgot ask...

Would canned air be better than the blower I showed above? Which is the safest and most effective?

And what about a Speckgrabber does anyone recommend these?

Sorry to ask so many questions aswell, just wanna get it right!

Thanks Chris

[Tom Nolle]

Canned air is a risky play; you may get big blobs of propellant stuck to stuff. I've used SpecGrabber, but it seems useful only for really big specks. If I can't blow one of these off, I try SpecGrabber in case it's abrasive and would scratch the CCD if I dragged it across on a pad. I've cleaned mine about 10 times, using SpecGrabber only twice.

Tom

[Swampy]

When cleaning with anything but swabs, it's best not to touch the CCD with anything in my opinion. That said, the hand blower is safest to use over the canned air since you do have a possibility of accidentally blowing "liquid air" onto the ccd which would cause some serious problems.

I use canned air though and have always used canned air for over 16 months now. No swabbing. I just make sure I do a test spray outside of the camera to make sure there's no liquid in the line. I would also make sure that the canned air that you use does not say "not for camera mirrors" on it.

[HulaMike]

you're a braver man than me Charlie Brown!

[Carlton]

Just thought I'd add,,,the CCD has a protective glass filter that covers it. So, what you would be swabbing is a piece of glass and not the actual CCD. I read somewhere, there is a slight chance that dust could become lodged between the glass filter and the CCD if a forceful air were blown into the chamber. That scares me alot more than swabbing.

I have 20/20 vision and have never been able to see the tiny dust particals on the CCD, but they are there. After I do a swab my images are always dust bunny free. So, I don't think the spec grabber would be of any use if you can't see the dust.

[HulaMike]

Swampy may be getting by using canned air without problems but it's generally regarded as too risky. Besides the possibility of applying a new contaminant from the propellant, the force used could create a whirlwind inside the body bringing up dust from somewhre else. I just cleaned my CCD by the book for the first time a week ago and the process couldn't be easier.

[ChrisW]

Thanks for all the replies again...

So am I best just buying the swabbing kit (SensorSwabs) that you can buy from fuji direct?? They are the same price as anywhere else as far as I can see!

It's seems swabbing is the only way forward...

Cheers

Chris

[HulaMike]

Price it out on eBay.

[Keith Cocker]

Chris,

I see you are in the UK. I get my Sensor swabs and Eclipse Fluid from Crown Digital http://www.crown-digital.co.uk/ishop/883/shopscr1.html I dont know how much Fuji charge but I like to support smaller independant retailers and these people provide very good service.

Best wishes

[VA_Shooter]

You can get dust from a single lens change, unfortunately. The good news is that CCD cleaning is a lot easier than you'd think. I use a modified spatula, PecPads (lint-free cloths) and Everclear 190-proof ethanol. I also add a bulb blower to get any abrasive dust off first. Two swipes and you're pretty much done.

Tom

Everclear? Hum...and I thought it was only good for drinking when mixed with large amounts of Coolaid in trash cans at frat parties. I'll have to try this. Thanks for the tip, Tom.

[Tom Nolle]

In one of the few advantages of a science education, my own deal was to sign out absolute alcohol (200-proof ethanol) from the chemistry lab and mix it with package orange juice out of a machine for lunch!

Tom

[S_Leeper]

I start with a large bulb blower like the one shown above to blow the chamber with mirror down & large specs with mirror up, then swab...
However, if you want to try canned air get a filtered CO2 system... not sure if the below is filtered. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=86922&is=REG