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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Camera Cleaning
Robby Gallagher, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Brookings | SD | USA | Posted: 11:39 PM on 05.13.10 |
->> I am looking to get my camera cleaned for the first time and I know I am supposed to send it to Canon to get it done, however I have one problem.
How much does it cost? I mean generally what would the cost be? I am not a member of CPS or anything of the sort...
If you could please give me some insight on this that would be awesome. Thanks! |
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Nick Morris, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | USA | Posted: 12:31 AM on 05.14.10 |
| ->> Why not clean it yourself? It really isn't hard at all. What you pay to have Canon clean it you can buy the supplies and clean it for a year and maybe more! |
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Mark Peters, Photographer
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Highland | IL | USA | Posted: 8:29 AM on 05.14.10 |
->> Do you just want your sensor cleaned? or are you looking for a full clean/lube/adjust?
If I recall, the cost for a basic CLA on an XXD camera is in the $130 range.
If all you want to do is clean the sensor, you can do that yourself. Get a rocket blower, if you don't have one already, and if that isn't enough, I like the Artic Butterfly system. I also have the copperhill wet clean system, but prefer not to use it unless absolutely necessary. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 8:34 AM on 05.14.10 |
->> Robby learning to clean your gear is like learning to change your tires. Whether on not you WANT to do it some day you will HAVE to do it. As Nick says it isn't that hard and all of the Voodoo associated with cleaning a sensor in nonsense.
In the mean time if all you really need is a cleaning you should check the camera shops or rental houses in your area that cater to pros. My local Calumet offers a cleaning service for $60 or $75 or in that range last time I checked. It will save you the time in shipping the gear back and forth and unless you really was a factory tech to go over functions like shutter calibration etc. MUCH cheaper. |
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Robby Gallagher, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Brookings | SD | USA | Posted: 1:07 PM on 05.14.10 |
->> Thank you all very much. I understand, Eric, what you are saying. It is something I need to know how to do. It isn't necessarily that I don't want to do it, I just am not completely sure on what I am doing, so that is why I wanted someone who knows what they are doing to go over it. But thank you all for your help. I really do appreciate it.
Robby |
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Tami Chappell, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Atlanta | Ga | USA | Posted: 1:22 PM on 05.14.10 |
->> Robby
I would also recommend a local camera store. Most charge anywhere from 30-50 dollars around here in Atlanta. I am not sure I'd clean the sensor myself if your unsure. I made mine dirtier the first time I tried. See if they'll give you a lesson first. |
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Jason Miczek, Photographer
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Charlotte | NC | USA | Posted: 2:36 PM on 05.14.10 |
->> For your sensor, visit www.visibledust.com
They have everything you need. Make sure you get a sensor loupe so you can look at the thing to verify it's clean. And get the correct size swabs -- the ones for a full frame sensor are too big to clean a 1.6 or 1.3 magnified sensor. I'd call and order straight over the phone. Excellent customer service. |
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Rodrigo Pena, Photographer
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Beaumont | CA | USA | Posted: 1:38 AM on 05.17.10 |
->> Robby I don't know what your budget is, but I became a member of CPS and got my camera cleaned for free. There are various levels of membership. You must have enough gear on the CPS gear list to qualify. Here's a link to the different levels of membership and what they offer:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=MultiMiscPageAct&key=CPS_M...
There is the free membership, but you won't get a free clean and check with that membership.
As for CPS, I joined this year after becoming a freelance photographer. I'm glad I did because the shutter blew on my EOS MkIIN and I began having focus problems with my third body, the EOS 30D. The turn around service was AWESOME with the MkIIN and the charge for the blown shutter was reduced by $135 because I was a Gold member. So you see, I earned $35 by becoming a Gold member from CPS, in a distorted point of view.
It might be worth it to become a Gold member ($100) and get two free clean and checks, plus the cool camera strap and other free stuff included in your membership. If you need a repair, the loaner program could benefit you as well as the fast turnaround time and the discount taken off any repairs.
If you don't have the gear or don't want to be a CPS member, in the past I have used special brushes to clean the sensor in my camera. I've always been worried that I might scratch my sensor, but I used brushes similar to Jason's post on visibledust.com . After a few light brushes across the sensor, problem solved and no scratches on the sensor. |
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Paul Nelson, Photographer
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Temperance | MI | USA | Posted: 2:32 PM on 05.17.10 |
->> I do the work myself everytime now. I've tried a lot of methods/gear, but the "Copperhill" method is by far the best and most efficient for do-it-yourself from what I've learned.
http://www.copperhillimages.com/index.php?pr=tutorials
I only need some pec pads, eclipse liquid, a wand, their magnifier/light tool and some time. Do it once or twice (after fulling reading all instructions) and it'll be second nature. The nice thing is you really only need to invest in the tools the first time ($40-50 or so I think) and you'll probably won't run out of pec pads and eclipse that freqently..but they're really cheap to buy more.
I can't tell you the odd times I've had difficult dust spots appear and I don't have time to send the camera away. Now I still have some older sensors (which require this more often), but even with the sensor cleaning cameras, it isn't always perfect and is still a skill that is extremely useful. |
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N. Scott Trimble, Photographer
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Lake Oswego | OR | USA | Posted: 6:21 PM on 05.17.10 |
| ->> I use the "peanut butter method." A tiny amount of pb and my border collie's long tongue. Works like a charm! |
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Danny Munson, Photographer
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San Dimas | Ca | United States | Posted: 7:52 PM on 05.17.10 |
| ->> That is one of the benefits of owning a MIII. It goes to CPS so often that my sensor is always clean. Dropped it off for the third time today. :( |
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Michael Myers, Photographer
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Miami | Florida | USA | Posted: 10:39 PM on 05.17.10 |
->> To me, this is a very frustrating topic. I've had several DSLR cameras, and while I *know* I need to be able to clean the sensor, I think I really should learn how to do it before I do it - which is not possible unless I buy another camera body just for learning stuff like this.
The websites and videos all make it sound so easy, but I don't want to start out practicing on the gear I am currently using - it's the "if I make a mistake, then what??" question.
I did buy the wet cleaning stuff years ago from B&H, and recently bought the Arctic Butterfly. I've also got that big rocket blower thing. What I lack is the guts to try it out.
I was in NYC the week of the recent Photo Expo. I went to two booths where they were "showing people how to clean a sensor", but it was pathetic. They were describing what they could do, and holding up the stuff they do it with, but they never once cleaned a sensor. I was told they need to wait for someone who shows up with a camera who will let them clean the sensor as part of the demo. Well, I had my M8 with me, but I didn't feel like volunteering it for their demo.
I've given up. I'm too much of a coward to try this on my own gear, and too much of something else to send my gear in for cleaning as that's admitting that I can't do it.... and I've decided my answer is to wait for an inexpensive DSLR Nikon body to come up for sale somewhere, and start practicing. If worst comes to worst, I lose a couple of hundred dollars. If I can teach myself how to do it, I'll have a very handy skill for the future.
Sorry for going on for so long - but it just didn't sit well with me that the people who sell this stuff, and who had a booth set up at the Photo Expo, could go on about anything and everything, but couldn't actually DO IT in front of us, so we could learn. (They should have taught people how to do it - then people like me and many others would start using their products immediately!!) |
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