Dust in the machine....

[Denis F. McBriarty]

Hey!

Having a lot of trouble keeping the gear dust free. D2x and D-80 seem to attract dust like spotters to beer!

I regularly clean with the spatula method and Pec Pads but the specs appear like magic after 1 card of shooting. I'm sure it's already in the body and gets distributed by the shutter. Do you need to send to factory to get the insides cleaned?

Would like to hear from you folks who may have had some luck in beating the problem or have a solution.

THANKS! Dusty Bigden

[LX-A343]

I know an aviation photographer here at ZRH who brings his Nikon gear to their service point for sensor cleaning .... on a MONTHLY basis .... for free!! They told him, it was a known problem with the D2X and I guess it was the D100. Of course, it helped, that he's a long time Nikon shooter and something like a VIP there

I'm used to clean my EOS 20D's sensor always before a bigger spotting trip. I use the sensor swabs and the sensor cleaning fluid, as shown here:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/sensor-cleaning.shtml

Cheerio
Gerardo

Gerardo

[Alex - Spot-This !]

I clean my sensor with a simple blower before every spotting session. Since I do that I have way less problems. I also try to avoid changing lenses as much as possible (that's why I have a 350D for the short range - 17-85mm as well as my 20D with the 70-200mm stuck on it)

and I take it once a year to the shop for a complete cleaning

[seahawk]

There are 3 steps of cleanign a sensor on a Nikon.

1. the blower, in my experienmce it kills 90% of the spots - so most times it is all you need
2. the brush method. You a sensor brush to attract particles that aren´t blown away. Kills most of the remaining spots in most cases
3. Specpads / Sensorswabs with Eclipse fluid. I do this once a year to get a clean sensor.

1 and 2 are perfect for travel as you can´t take eclipse fluid on a plane anymore.

[Denis F. McBriarty]

Thanks folks!

Blower doesn't do it for me. It seems that I shoot where there is a lot of moisture in the air and the humidity tends to make the dust spots stick. The spatula and pads works best but I need to get the cavities cleaned I guess.

THANKS !

Denis

[Shaggy]

Yep, my D2X is the same. Its a Royal pain in the backside. I'm too scared to clean the sensor on it myself

[ollieholmes]

After a show last year where my sensor was so dirty i binned every photo i took that day i treated my D50 to a good go with the rocket blower and sensor swabs but i still have 1 speck left that will not shift. My warranty has run out now so i am going to a photography show next month and they have a fre cmaera clinic there so i will get them to clean it and then clean it religiously after every use and look into buying more bodys.

[Shaggy]

I wonder if B&H will do it on the spot for me next Sunday? What ya rekon?

[psyops]

I used a couple of D200's for a year or so before upgrading to two D2Xs. The D200's would go for a long time with no dust spots, but the D2Xs within days of coming out of the boxes had dust spots!

I find the blower is the best use very week, followed wth sensor swabs every couple of months.

Pete

[Shaggy]

Come to Kent and do mine for me Pete