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Oil on your sensor?

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
I had the problem bigtime on my 2. So far (he says fingers crossed) my 3 has behaved.
 

LJL

New member
I had droplets on all my 1-series cameras for about a month. I kept after them with Eclipse and PecPads on a small rubber spatula thingie. After cleaning them about twice a week for the first month, the oil disappeared and I have not had an issue with them since. I think the oil comes from the mirror mechanism. Once the excess oil gets removed, there is little problem, and interestingly, now the sensor can be easily cleaned with just a light puff of air. No longer need any "wet" methods.

LJ
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
I believe one of the sensor cleaning product manufacturers (Visible dust?) sells something called "Chamber Clean" or something like that----marketed to clean excess oils/lubricants. Sometimes using a sensor swab---if not careful, you can accidentally introduce the contaminant (lube) onto the sensor itself!
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
Did that with my just bought 1Ds back in 2005, had dust on the sensor, cleaned it with a visibledust brush and smeared oil over the sensor, thought I'd scratched it and panicked!
 

robmac

Well-known member
I trimmed my full-frame VD brush back in width after doing that once and regularly clean it with 99% Iso Alcohol. The amount of oil/grease they have flying around an easily coated piece of glass is rather startling. At least unlike my old 5D the loose junk doesn't end up inside my pentaprism area..
 

LJL

New member
I believe one of the sensor cleaning product manufacturers (Visible dust?) sells something called "Chamber Clean" or something like that----marketed to clean excess oils/lubricants. Sometimes using a sensor swab---if not careful, you can accidentally introduce the contaminant (lube) onto the sensor itself!
I thought that Chamber Clean stuff was to be used with just the mirror up and not with the sensor exposed? I have used it on my 1-series bodies and have never had a problem. I have found that most of the oil and gunk that goes flying around does abate after a month or so of shooting. When I had one of the bodies back in for a shutter replacement, Canon did a complete cleaning and stuff, and sure enough, there was more fresh oil from the mirror mechanism flying around for a few weeks that I needed to be more diligent in cleaning. Once that was over, things stay pretty clean, and all I need do now is use the Visible Dust brushes or just a puff of air to remove dust. Have no oil issues any longer.

LJ
 

dseelig

Member
For me it was the first 5D. I had some dust got my new sensor brush out and promptly smeared oil from the chamber all over the place. it was late called visible dust in the morning they talked me through cleaning the camera after wondering all night if I had destroyed my camera. I was lucky i had already bought there liquid cleaners chamber clean and sensor clean. What a scary night. David
 

mark1958

Member
It was one of my older cameras that i no longer have -- i think the 1DsmkII that I spent a fortune on swaps etc to get off. They should offer us some sort of rebate for doing it ourselves
 
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