Stupid Person Of The Year Is Taro Taylor!!

[tarotastic]

I've been away from Sydney for a while, but I'm now back and looking forward to going on some shoot ups with you guys. However.... I've been incredibly stupid.



Unwittingly, I got a little cooking oil in my Giotto Air rocket when I left it in the kitchen. When I went to clean my CCD this morning I completely forgot about that and after taking some pictures with my camera I've got noise like NEVER before. it looks like dust all over the place, but I suspect it is tiny bits of oil. When I blow the Giotto on some glass I can see tiny grease marks!!

Would ethanol get rid of that oil? Is it possible to get oil off a CCD. Have I truly screwed up my camera?!! Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Sheila Smart]

I would give ethanol a go (or Eclipse which I use) plus a PecPad.

Cheers
Sheila

[gstark]

Whoooo boy!

I'd try Eclipse. It can't really make anything worse.

[Alpha_7]

Welcome back Taro, wowsa! That's one sticky / oily sensor, yuck! I hope you can get in clean with numerous wet cleans just don't overdo the eclipse either!

[losfp]

Obviously they're breeding like... dust bunnies

[avkomp]

I would expect the alcohol to disolve the oil.
ouch.
hope you get it right

sTeve

[Sheila Smart]

It looks exactly like what happened when I used a blower brush on my 5D(with no oil!) when I was in New Zealand. I did not have my Eclipse with me to clean my lenses so had to use the blower. It looks like dust to me, not oil. If it were oil, I am sure you would see the film around it. It took me several attempts when I returned home with Eclipse and a SensorSwipe plus PecPad but eventually it came clean. I did wonder if it was ever going to become clean again.


Cheers
Sheila

[moggy]

Air Rocket in the kitchen? what where you using it to baste a roast? Damn, those Giott0s are versatile!

Bob.

.

[Alex]

In case eclipse doesn't do it, you should try hexane or any other very pure hydrocarbon solvent. Hexane dissolves oil well.

Alex

[petal666]

Unwittingly, I got a little cooking oil in my Giotto Air rocket when I left it in the kitchen.

How did this manage to happen 'unwittingly'?

[MattC]

Dish detergent and hot water will also do the job. Most detergents, except the really cheap and really expensive "enviornmentally friendly" brands are excellent degreasers.

I used exactly that to clean mine recently. Different problem though. Mine was blowing what appeared to be tiny specs of black rubber. I pulled the ends off and gave it a thorough wash and very thorough rinse. No more rubber and no residues.

Cheers PS I cannot see how oil would have made it into the blower.

[stubbsy]

Dish detergent and hot water will also do the job. Most detergents, except the really cheap and really expensive "enviornmentally friendly" brands are excellent degreasers.

I used exactly that to clean mine recently. Different problem though. Mine was blowing what appeared to be tiny specs of black rubber. I pulled the ends off and gave it a thorough wash and very thorough rinse. No more rubber and no residues.

Cheers PS I cannot see how oil would have made it into the blower.

MATT just for the "don't try this at home people" This cleaning method is for the Giotto blower, not the sensor.

[MattC]

Thanks for the clarification Stubbsy.


Cheers

[Nnnnsic]

Shit. My sensor's gotten all bubbly.

[MattC]

I was tempted to add something about the type of person who would actually try that on a sensor....

Leigh? You? Naaah! Surely not!

There was a guy who used toilet paper on his D70 sensor over on DPR last week. After seeing an image of what the sensor was seeing, my first thought was whether or not the toilet paper had been used for other purposes.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read. ... e=18316830

Some people take the cake!

Cheers

[mark]

There was a guy who used toilet paper on his D70 sensor over on DPR last week. After seeing an image of what the sensor was seeing, my first thought was whether or not the toilet paper had been used for other purposes.

Some people take the cake!

And here I was thinking I was a dickhead for getting a grain of beach sand on mine.

[Michael]

I use tiny amounts of compressed air so I'll never have this problem unless I shake the can up before hand or tip it upside down.

bad luck taro

[gstark]

I ise tiny amounts of compressed air so I'll never have this problem unless I shake the can up before hand or tip it upside down.

Michael,

I hope that you're kidding here, and that you don't use any form of canned/compressed air on the sensor.

If you do, you run the risk of getting the propellant onto your sensor. That is generally regarded as not being a good thing.

[Michael]

Nope not kidding, done it a million times never gotten anything on the sensor I'll probly invest in a rocket blower one of these days though to stop the grief people give me for using a can of compressed air.

no matter how many times I tell them the lengths I go to ensure that no propellant makes its way to the sensor.

[drifter]

Is the Eclipse solution readily available ? My sensor needs a clean but i haven't got the gear to do it yet . Is there a shop in Sydney that sells it ?

[MattC]

Drifter, I think that you can get it through the merchandise section on this site.

Michael, I won't hold the canned air against you. You are obviously aware of the potential for problems. Maybe, no good for n00bs though.

Cheers

[big pix]

This may help........

http://www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com/

[tarotastic]

Thanks everyone for all your advice!!! I was totally freaked out yesterday that I'd killed my camera for good!! I decided to take the wussy expensive option and went down to Maxwells and handed over my $56 for a CCD clean!! After an hour they had it all cleaned up and spotless!! Thanks once again for all the support!!

[Alpha_7]

Glad to hear it survived and is clean again, that is great news Taro, so... where are the pics huh ? Surely you have some new ones to post ?

[gstark]

Nope not kidding, done it a million times never gotten anything on the sensor I'll probly invest in a rocket blower one of these days though to stop the grief people give me for using a can of compressed air.

no matter how many times I tell them the lengths I go to ensure that no propellant makes its way to the sensor.

Michael,

I'd put that down to good luck, rather than good management. You are playing with fire here, and you know this. The problem is that despite whatever steps you think you're taking to minimise the potential for proellant to escape, it's somtheing that's beyond your control.

Given the minimal cost of a Giotto, why are you delaying this purchase?

[gstark]

Is the Eclipse solution readily available ? My sensor needs a clean but i haven't got the gear to do it yet . Is there a shop in Sydney that sells it ?

Slider,

The short answer is no; nobody in Sydney sells it.

But I have a far better suggestion: Get thyself to the next minimeet - weekend after next - and bring a small bottle with you. Apart from enjoying the benefits of being at a minimeet, you'll be able to fill the bottle with ethanol for free.

Problem solved.

[gstark]

Taro,

Sounds like a good result.

[Sheila Smart]

Is the Eclipse solution readily available ? My sensor needs a clean but i haven't got the gear to do it yet . Is there a shop in Sydney that sells it ?

I buy my Eclipse from Nulab in Melbourne http://www.nulab.com.au - just email them and they will send you a bottle (order two while you are at it). The last time I bought some it was $22 a bottle but has probably gone up. I bought my SensorSwipe and PecPads from Copperhill in the US at http://www.pbase.com/copperhill Eclipse cannot be sent by air because of its high combustability.

Someone told me awhile back that the Eclipse bottles no longer come with PecPads but I cannot authenticate this. Its a tad nerve wracking when you first clean your sensor but after awhile its a doddle.

Cheers
Sheila

[johnd]

Thanks everyone for all your advice!!! I was totally freaked out yesterday that I'd killed my camera for good!! I decided to take the wussy expensive option and went down to Maxwells and handed over my $56 for a CCD clean!! After an hour they had it all cleaned up and spotless!! Thanks once again for all the support!!

For an out of towner like me, where is Maxwells? If it's in the city area I might drop in and get them to clean my CCD while I'm in Sydney Friday afternoon.

Cheers
John

[Glen]

John, they are at Lidcombe, which is next to the Homebush Olympic precinct. It is half an hour by car from the city, probably $30 each way in a taxi. It is 5-10 minutes walk to the Olympic stadiums.

[Michael]

Nope not kidding, done it a million times never gotten anything on the sensor I'll probly invest in a rocket blower one of these days though to stop the grief people give me for using a can of compressed air.

no matter how many times I tell them the lengths I go to ensure that no propellant makes its way to the sensor.

Michael,

I'd put that down to good luck, rather than good management. You are playing with fire here, and you know this. The problem is that despite whatever steps you think you're taking to minimise the potential for proellant to escape, it's somtheing that's beyond your control.

Given the minimal cost of a Giotto, why are you delaying this purchase?

Well I do have cert 1 In fire management and public safety from the QFRS so I would assume i'm well equiped to play with fire

jokes aside how much are the giottos air thingys (rocket blower) and where do I get them?

Edit: my spelling is atrocious at the moment.

[NikonUser]

Send birdy an email

Got mine a week ago from him for $17 (If I remember correctly)

Paul

[johnd]

John, they are at Lidcombe, which is next to the Homebush Olympic precinct. It is half an hour by car from the city, probably $30 each way in a taxi. It is 5-10 minutes walk to the Olympic stadiums.

Thanks Glen. If there is time I'll try to get there, however seeing it's out of the city I might have to give it a miss as I don't want to impact my photo gathering time in Sydney.

Cheers
John

[Glen]

John, I would rate Sydney Harbour as many more chances for postcard shots than the stadium

[birddog114]

John, they are at Lidcombe, which is next to the Homebush Olympic precinct. It is half an hour by car from the city, probably $30 each way in a taxi. It is 5-10 minutes walk to the Olympic stadiums.

Thanks Glen. If there is time I'll try to get there, however seeing it's out of the city I might have to give it a miss as I don't want to impact my photo gathering time in Sydney.

Cheers
John

Where Trieu's office is, just about 5 min. to Maxwell at Lidcombe.

[losfp]

qualitycamera.com.au has tons of DSLR cleaning bits & pieces like the pec pads, eclipse solution etc.. a bit pricey, but no more so than anywhere else I've found. I might get one of the cleaning packs myself. I know you can get cheaper workarounds, but IMO it's probably worth it to get "the good stuff" to keep your sensor in shape.

The process is dead simple too, had a quick lesson in sensor wiping at a recent mni-meet at Birdy's (thanks Trent (MCWB)!)

[birddog114]

Actually, you only need to buy Pec Pad, pure ethanol is free supply from the mini meet with your own container.

Members in QLD can get it from Manta, if Manta runs out, give me a yell, I'll send a "full tanker" up for him.

That's! once you have two main above items + Giottos Air Rocket, then your choice of doing it in your own time, of course with a good nice Red beside.

[johnd]

John, they are at Lidcombe, which is next to the Homebush Olympic precinct. It is half an hour by car from the city, probably $30 each way in a taxi. It is 5-10 minutes walk to the Olympic stadiums.

Thanks Glen. If there is time I'll try to get there, however seeing it's out of the city I might have to give it a miss as I don't want to impact my photo gathering time in Sydney.

Cheers
John

Where Trieu's office is, just about 5 min. to Maxwell at Lidcombe.

Thanks Birddog. I think I need to go to Trieu's office Friday afternoon for a meeting.

[Michael]

Birdy, could I possibly ask how one would obtain a rocket blower off of you?

[birddog114]

Birdy, could I possibly ask how one would obtain a rocket blower off of you?

You didn't ask last time when you ordered your D200.

Simple!
If any member in your area has an order, I can set it up on the launch pad and fire it off to you with their order to save you shipping, otherwise it'll cost $6.60 + $17.00 for the rocket.

[losfp]

Actually, you only need to buy Pec Pad, pure ethanol is free supply from the mini meet with your own container.

Sounds like I'm coming to the mini meet with a good 'ol bottle for some ethanol action

What do you improvisers use for a wiping stick thing? Obviously you would have to get something that is the right size for your sensor?

[Glen]

Des, just make sure you buy pec pads and then wrap them around something smaller than your sensor eg something like a plastic paddle pop stick. You must use pec pads as they are lint and dust free. See above story about toilet paper

[MattC]

Des,

My first swipe was made from one of those rubber tipped kitchen spatulas that are available from the supermarket. I cut it down using a very sharp blade. The width should be 14mm and there needs to be a bit of length for some flexibility. The tip needs to be dead straight so that it sits evenly across the sensor. If you want to make your own then have a look at the copperhill site on pbase and use his as a guide.

Cheers

[birddog114]

Actually, you only need to buy Pec Pad, pure ethanol is free supply from the mini meet with your own container.

Sounds like I'm coming to the mini meet with a good 'ol bottle for some ethanol action

What do you improvisers use for a wiping stick thing? Obviously you would have to get something that is the right size for your sensor?

Des,
Last time you were here, Technik got the fluid.
You were spoiled with the new toys and forgot the rest.
Back to classroom for another tutorial.