Chris Langer
Well-known member
What is the best way to clean your sensor for the FS700? Is it like cleaning a DSLR sensor? I have a few dust bunnies that won't go away with some rocket blowing.
Thanks,
Chris
Thanks,
Chris
Clean your sensor?
- Thread starter Chris Langer
- Start date
YES, absolutely correct! The sensor is BEHIND the ND filters, and the ND filters are protected by a piece of clear glass in front. There is no way to even get close to the actual sensor. You could probably even clean the glass with Windex if you wanted to - lol - I've used Eclipse swabs, and also the "SensorKlear II" which is well worth the $10 it costs - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._LENSK1A_SensorKlear_II_with_Articulated.html
What aperture are you shooting at when you see the dust bunnies / spots???
Technically, due to the physics of light, the dirt on the glass cover would have to be VERY significant to show up in recording - you should be able to see it with your naked eyeball MK1.
My camera has a couple of spots that show up past F16, very obvious at F22, but the only time I've ever used those kind of apertures was while looking for dirt on the sensor. I've never seen them under normal shooting conditions.
i think even on a camera without the ND contraption, like the FS100, there's still a piece of glass in front of the sensor. you'd never be touching the photosites directly.
i've used swabs and solutions by both Eclipse and VisibleDust (the kind designed for cropped photo camera sensors works on the FS sensors too), which are kinda the same thing as far I can tell. at under $30 this comes with solution and 4 swabs. worked well for me:
http://www.amazon.com/Visible-EZ-Se...F8&qid=1379090332&sr=8-2&keywords=visibledust
i've used swabs and solutions by both Eclipse and VisibleDust (the kind designed for cropped photo camera sensors works on the FS sensors too), which are kinda the same thing as far I can tell. at under $30 this comes with solution and 4 swabs. worked well for me:
http://www.amazon.com/Visible-EZ-Se...F8&qid=1379090332&sr=8-2&keywords=visibledust
Yes, there will always be a glass filter that blocks out a significant part of the IR and UV spectrum, otherwise you would have a slightly panchromatic camera.
Guys, the KEY here is that the glass cover on the FS700 that I am speaking of is additional to any filter that all sensors are covered with, and the FS700's glass cover is about 1cm ABOVE / IN FRONT of the sensor.
Do this simple test with a light bulb - hold your hand very close to the wall (your hand is the dirt)... how does the shadow look?? Very sharply defined right?
Now hold your hand well away from the wall, closer to the light bulb. How does the shadow look?? Very diffuse, right?
In most cameras, dirt can sit right ON the sensor (yes, actually the glass filter bonded to the top of the sensor, of course we already know that the bare silicone of the sensor is never exposed). So the spot that the dirt makes on your recording at higher aperture values is very dark and very obvious.
HOWEVER, in the FS700, the dust does NOT get to sit directly on top of the sensor (glass filter bonded to the sensor), it is now sitting on a glass cover about 1cm away from the sensor. The shadow it casts on the sensor is very diffuse, and so my point here is that for any dust to show up in your recording on the FS700, it must be significantly larger than what would show up on a standard DSLR.
This makes keeping the FS700 sensor clean much easier than standard DSLR or other video cameras where the sensor is directly exposed.
Conversely, if something is back behind that piece of glass - maybe some bits from the factory that moving the ND filters shook loose, and those bits land on the actual sensor, then unfortunately there is no way to get them off, short of sending the camera in for service.
And that is what you have to figure out if you are seeing some black dots on your FS700 recorded images... where are they sitting... on the glass cover in front of the ND filters - yes? Great, self service. No? Then unfortunately a trip to Sony service is the only way to get rid of them.
Do this simple test with a light bulb - hold your hand very close to the wall (your hand is the dirt)... how does the shadow look?? Very sharply defined right?
Now hold your hand well away from the wall, closer to the light bulb. How does the shadow look?? Very diffuse, right?
In most cameras, dirt can sit right ON the sensor (yes, actually the glass filter bonded to the top of the sensor, of course we already know that the bare silicone of the sensor is never exposed). So the spot that the dirt makes on your recording at higher aperture values is very dark and very obvious.
HOWEVER, in the FS700, the dust does NOT get to sit directly on top of the sensor (glass filter bonded to the sensor), it is now sitting on a glass cover about 1cm away from the sensor. The shadow it casts on the sensor is very diffuse, and so my point here is that for any dust to show up in your recording on the FS700, it must be significantly larger than what would show up on a standard DSLR.
This makes keeping the FS700 sensor clean much easier than standard DSLR or other video cameras where the sensor is directly exposed.
Conversely, if something is back behind that piece of glass - maybe some bits from the factory that moving the ND filters shook loose, and those bits land on the actual sensor, then unfortunately there is no way to get them off, short of sending the camera in for service.
And that is what you have to figure out if you are seeing some black dots on your FS700 recorded images... where are they sitting... on the glass cover in front of the ND filters - yes? Great, self service. No? Then unfortunately a trip to Sony service is the only way to get rid of them.