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I noticed a few people at the Melbourne Mini Meet haven't cleaned there CCD Sensor and they seemed a bit apprehensive about doing so. What might be a suggestion is after GregB comes back from Sydney (hopefully with some tips from Birddog), some of us Melbourne people who are interested should get together to discuss techniques. I've been cleaning my CCD now probably once a fortnight since I started. Now I've actually started to get quite good at it since my SensorSwipe arrived the other day. Here is my latest photos of a zero detailed subject (ie. the sky). I haven't autoleveled (autolevel looked worst) it. Chucked the brightness down a bit and raised the contrast so that if there were any small dustbunnies I would see them. Tried various settings in brightness/contrast, nothing revealed. This was after 4-5 swipes (sensor was pretty grotty after F1GP).


<img src="http://www.morganpost.com/NoDust.jpg">

kipper,
Woohooo! you've got three dead pixels
My joke, you've done a good job there and you can do it free for melbourne's members as we doing in Sydney for many months now.

Great idea... Being a big whoos myself I haven't had the courage to do it, so I'd be keen to have a "work-shop" on it...

mudder wrote:Great idea... Being a big whoos myself I haven't had the courage to do it, so I'd be keen to have a "work-shop" on it...

Mudder,
Order a dozen of mixed reds from the Yarra and few of the gurus can use the red to clean the CCD instead of Eclipse Fluid. cheaper and effectively that way.

Now we're talkin' Birddog... One way to calm them nerves

I swear the eclipse fluid to me doesn't seam that great. It seems more like a mix of methanol and water as I find it smears a fairbit.

kipper wrote:I swear the eclipse fluid to me doesn't seam that great. It seems more like a mix of methanol and water as I find it smears a fairbit.

They sold you the fake or immitation fluid not the real one, kipper! bring it back and ask for the refunds Get the Red and clean it up more easier.

I have a spatula with an extrordinary long handle. Perhaps I could do it for you all from Sydney. Would have be a day with little wind.

kipper, I saw a demonstration of cleaning at Birddog's place when I was in Sydney last time, maybe a month ago. Onyx did the demo, and despite a few hiccups during the process, I could see that it wasn't all that hard.

I have used my fabulous rocket blower a couple of time, and test shots indicate that I don't really have any dust bunnies. I am annoyingly careful when changing lenses.

However, I have carefully carved a perfectly good eraser into a spatula, I have the fluid, I have the pec-pads, and if any dust gets on my sensor, I'm going in.

You, on the other hand, have already done it, and going by that test shot, you have done it very well. I'm coming to you kipper, you de man.

I'll be up for a cleaning sesh if others are keen. Not sure what we'll do with the left over red as I gather only two drop are required for cleaning.

Cheers
Dean

Melbourne will have a long week-end this week, good time for organize a meet with CCD cleaning.

Yes. I would like to join. As mudder said, I also didn't have the courage to do it. But hey with collective courage and Birdie's suggested herbal medicine from the Yarra region, why not !

cheers,
ajax

Birddog114 wrote:Melbourne will have a long week-end this week, good time for organize a meet with CCD cleaning.

No good this weekend, Mudder and I are going to the Great Ocean Road Photography Workshop. Can't wait. Wo Ho. Pictures at 11.

Cheers
Dean

I would be interest too in the CCD cleaning. Haven't been game enough myself and have been using the same method as Greg. So far not too many nasty dust bunnies.

Guys....have fun down the Great Ocean Rd. Can't wait to see the pics!

Ahhh....so it was Deano and Mudder the two guys that I was talking to at the end that were going down the Great Ocean Rd for the course!

G'day All,

Is a Melbourne CCD cleaning Sesh still on the cards?? I am most certainly interested in attending one, and can probably drag a few friends along as well.

Like many others, I'm a little hessitant in going it alone without at least watching someone do it first. Monkey see Monkey do

Kipper, based on a previous thread, looks like you've learnt the hard way, but looking at the sky image in this thread you seem to have it sussed.

I'll try contact BirdDog to purchase the necessary CCD cleaning gear.

Any thoughts??

Till next time...
Regards
Keith

kab wrote:
I'll try contact BirdDog to purchase the necessary CCD cleaning gear.

Any thoughts??

Till next time...
Regards
Keith

hmmm...u can get the stuff from Nulans in melb..where birddog gets the wipes and liquid from.

Cheerz genji. I'll check em out!

I'd be interested in this session if it goes ahead

Hi Guys,

You can order your sensor swipe tool and pec pads from http://www.copperhillimages.com (I got mine from there). As for eclipse, I use my own methanol from a lab (99.99 % pure) or you can buy eclipse from Nulabs. As for pecpads I wouldn't recommend getting them from Nulab as they are overprices. You will not believe how easy it is to do. They instructions are all on the website plus sent to you with your order. Really cheap and took only a few days to deliver from the US.

Alex

yeah i make my own similiar to copperhills method.

genji wrote:yeah i make my own similiar to copperhills method.

I have ton of spatula in my hand, thanks to pippin88 and phillipB.

Just get Pec*Pad and Eclipse fluid from Nulab ($25.00 + $18.00 = $43.00) if you're in Melbourne, and make yourself a spatula, it's more solid and better than copperhill.

Do the dry blowing first before using the wet method, that what I advised Sydney members, if you can blow the dust out and the CCD is cleaned then you don't need to use the wet method.

Remember: Using chemical is not always safe on your CCD, try to avoid as much as you can unless sometjing stuck hard on it.

I have my D70 for a year now and only use wet method once same as my D100/ D2h.

Birddog114 wrote:
I have my D70 for a year now and only use wet method once same as my D100/ D2h.

It should be some kind of trick!!! Oh, yes, I know! You just pretend that you're changing lenses but I'm sure you have 5 or 6 D70 bodies Once forgot to bring spare body and that's when you had to change lens for real and then you've got a couple of dust specs

Birdie,

Have you got any of those Rocket things in-stock? How much are they?

Thanks
Alex

Hilop,
Changing lens often does not mean you need to use the wet method!

If you were here last Saturday, once you've seen the minitrekker from pluckaduck with all red dust covered in and outside of the bag, his lenses and D70 were bad with dust same as on the CCD of his camera.

I showed him the way to use the Giotto air rocket to blow away the dust, few blows and it's all cleaned, no wet method used.

To use the wet method only if you can't get rid of the dust on the CCD, if the dust is still loosen and you applied excess eclipse fluid, then it's a chance for the dust get stuck on the CCD, same as you store or use your camera in the humidity area, the humidity made the dust bunnies glued onto the CCD also.

I don't have 6 or 7 D70 bodies as you mentioned, the D70 is only a toy for my kids when I take them out shooting with me to keep them not boring, I only use the D100/ D2h and D2x now and swapped lenses often.

Birddog114 wrote:Hilop,
.........
I don't have 6 or 7 D70 bodies as you mentioned, the D70 is only a toy for my kids when I take them out shooting with me to keep them not boring, I only use the D100/ D2h and D2x now and swapped lenses often.

C'mon Birddog! Don't take it too seriously! I was just kidding!  BTW, I've got Giotto rocket too, thank you

By the way,

If anyone in Melbourne wants pure methanol (identical to elcipse) for free, please let me know and I will try to supply some for the next Melbourne meet.

Alex

I just had my snesor clened by Camera Clinic for $99. They did a very good job but I can't help but feel that I've been overcharged for something that is essentially very simple. So my question is, did this CCD cleanign session come to pass or did it never happen? IF that latter, any chance of it hapening soon? I'd like to see it done before I have a go myself.

Cheers,

Bruce

endymion wrote:I just had my snesor clened by Camera Clinic for $99. They did a very good job but I can't help but feel that I've been overcharged for something that is essentially very simple. So my question is, did this CCD cleanign session come to pass or did it never happen? IF that latter, any chance of it hapening soon? I'd like to see it done before I have a go myself.

Cheers,

Bruce

if u just had your sensor cleaned, is it dirty again, so quickly. for them amoun t of money they charged, i bought the goods instead. tough lesson learnt but i passed

endymion wrote:I just had my snesor clened by Camera Clinic for $99. They did a very good job but I can't help but feel that I've been overcharged for something that is essentially very simple. So my question is, did this CCD cleanign session come to pass or did it never happen? IF that latter, any chance of it hapening soon? I'd like to see it done before I have a go myself.

Cheers,

Bruce

endymion,
You're rich man, we can't afford it here, and we all try to learn how to DIY, keep the cash for the good REDs

endymion wrote:I just had my snesor clened by Camera Clinic for $99. They did a very good job but I can't help but feel that I've been overcharged for something that is essentially very simple. So my question is, did this CCD cleanign session come to pass or did it never happen? IF that latter, any chance of it hapening soon? I'd like to see it done before I have a go myself.

Cheers,

Bruce

Hi,

I can do for you at half price. Seriously, it is not difficult to clean the CCD. I can mine regularly. I even apply some pressure when cleaning as some of the dust are so stubborn.

regards,

Arthur

My CCD needs cleaning. I've just bought what I need from Birdie and NuLabs. All I need now, is the courage, which unfortunately you can't buy.
Still, I'd prefer to wait until one of these cleaning seshs happen in Melbourne, so that I can see it being done before I have a go.

kab wrote:My CCD needs cleaning. I've just bought what I need from Birdie and NuLabs. All I need now, is the courage, which unfortunately you can't buy.
Still, I'd prefer to wait until one of these cleaning seshs happen in Melbourne, so that I can see it being done before I have a go.

kab,
Contact Alex, he may give you some methanol (eclipse fluid) and just get the Pec*pad only.