Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

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Wander Andringa

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Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostFri Jun 28, 2013 1:09 am

Hi there,

I own and have been working with the Blackmagic Cinema camera lately and till so far love it.
But due to some inconvenient occasions the glass in front of the sensor got dirty. What is the best way to get it cleaned? Which tool should I use?

Greets,

Wander Andringa
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sean mclennan

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Re: Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostFri Jun 28, 2013 1:18 am

might want to double check by calling BM support, but I would think any cleaning solution designed for DSLRs should be fine...
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Scott Pultz

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Re: Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostFri Jun 28, 2013 1:46 am

Do you know what is on it? Something sticky like an oil or a piece of dust?
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Jules Bushell

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Re: Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostFri Jun 28, 2013 3:09 am

Might want to try using a squeeze blower first though before doing anything a bit more complicated. Worked for me.

Jules
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Owen Davies

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Re: Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostFri Jun 28, 2013 7:01 am

I agree with Jules.

You want to use a Rocket blower to gently remove dust from in front of the sensor.

But the most pertinent question to ask is why is this happening? You want to avoid any dirt or debris getting in there in the first place. This means ensuring your lenses are kept clean and when changing a lens get into the routine of replacing the dust cap in between changes, especially in windy conditions. Even the few seconds putting a lens back in your bag and getting the next one can let some nasties in.

Cleaning the sensor shouldn't be that much of a routine. It should only really be done where necessary. Cleaning too often will damage the glass.

I'd contact BM for their advice on the best method to use.
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Kristian Lam

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Re: Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostFri Jun 28, 2013 7:09 am

There's 2 pieces of glass in the optical path. The first is the sensor cover glass on top of that, there is another glass filter with anti reflection coating. You're only able to get onto that 2nd glass filter as the sensor is sealed behind it.
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Felix Steinhardt

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Re: Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostFri Jun 28, 2013 9:27 am

The glass of my camera got dirty once.

I cleaned it with these
http://www.amazon.de/Visible-Dust-Mini- ... sible+dust

1 wet swab to clean it and 1 dry swab to pick up the remaining liquid. The second step is not necessary when cleaning a usual sensor but I got water spottings on the glas.
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Wander Andringa

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Re: Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostFri Jun 28, 2013 4:29 pm

So it's not dust, so blowing it out isn't an option. It's something sticky like an oil. I'm aware that these things shouldn't happen, but it did. So I'm just looking for the best solution, I figure Felix Steinhardt his solution is the best. Thanks!

I will contact BMD to be sure tho.

Cheers!
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Christian Schmeer

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Re: Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostFri Jun 28, 2013 6:31 pm

How do you know it's something oily/sticky? Does the sensor have a non-uniform colour?
Christian Schmeer - DP / Colourist
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Wander Andringa

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Re: Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostSat Jun 29, 2013 1:10 am

You can just see little stains on the glass.
It's not that bad, only if you look really good you can find it back in the footage.
With the right tool it shouldn't be to hard to clean it up.
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femcos

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Re: Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostTue Jun 30, 2020 8:07 pm

i have a similar issue. Is there a solution?
Attachments
a20200630_203554.jpg
The glass is messed up
a20200630_203554.jpg (196.69 KiB) Viewed 2815 times
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Prisca97

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Re: Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostFri Dec 04, 2020 6:41 am

I also have the same issue and mine is also foggy. Did you find a solution ?
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John Richard

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Re: Cleaning the glass in front of the sensor.

PostSun Dec 06, 2020 1:03 pm

We had that on the original Pocket Cam. It was fungus on the outer sensor glass. We were on Kauai where the humidity is always very high.
The Pocket was shipped to BM and they replaced for about $50 US. Problem solved relatively quickly and inexpensively.

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