Look at this poor sensor!

**kwb** · 02-09-2021, 03:31 PM - **3 Likes**

Last December I noticed a strong sign of dust on the Q7 sensor that showed up on my moon pictures. I pointed the telescope to the empty part of the sky to reveal more, and after drastically increasing contrast in PP, it was obvious that there were actually many (1st attached), even though I was only able to spot one particulate when I looked at the sensor surface by my eyes. Usually my trusty Giottos Rocket blower takes care of these, but somehow the dusts didn't budge this time.

No big deal, I used a spare Q7 that evening, and the next day, and the day after, ... until yesterday when I thought it's about time to clean it.

I started by using the blower again. When I took the picture of the sensor (or rather the IR cut filter) under strong lighting, I was like oooohhhh this looks bad (2nd attached)! If you look at 1:1 crop of the relevant area of the IR cut filter (3rd attached), rotate it by 90 degrees clockwise and flip it horizontally to aid your eyes for comparison with the 1st attachment, you can directly identify which dust particulate made which pattern!
I quickly cleaned the sensor by using lint-free wipes, a plastic card cut to the width of the sensor and 99.9% isopropanol (sorry no picture, but this is my usual sensor cleaning kit) and now it looks good under the exact same lighting condition (4th picture) and it will be good for some time.

This was so disgusting it was sort of entertaining to me.

Oh, BTW you can also see a burn mark on the plastic part above the sensor in the 2nd and 4th attachment. This was most likely caused by an adapted lens focusing the sun outside of the Q7's frame even though I don't remember doing something like that intentionally. All I know is that it happened in 2017 and I haven't noticed that anything happened for a long time because the camera continued to work fine and I saw no degradation in image quality. Once I found that this happened, suddenly I started paying attention to where the sun could be even if it is totally outside of the frame.

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**barondla** · 02-09-2021, 06:32 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by kwb

Last December I noticed a strong sign of dust on the Q7 sensor that showed up on my moon pictures. I pointed the telescope to the empty part of the sky to reveal more, and after drastically increasing contrast in PP, it was obvious that there were actually many (1st attached), even though I was only able to spot one particulate when I looked at the sensor surface by my eyes. Usually my trusty Giottos Rocket blower takes care of these, but somehow the dusts didn't budge this time.

No big deal, I used a spare Q7 that evening, and the next day, and the day after, ... until yesterday when I thought it's about time to clean it.

I started by using the blower again. When I took the picture of the sensor (or rather the IR cut filter) under strong lighting, I was like oooohhhh this looks bad (2nd attached)! If you look at 1:1 crop of the relevant area of the IR cut filter (3rd attached), rotate it by 90 degrees clockwise and flip it horizontally to aid your eyes for comparison with the 1st attachment, you can directly identify which dust particulate made which pattern!
I quickly cleaned the sensor by using lint-free wipes, a plastic card cut to the width of the sensor and 99.9% isopropanol (sorry no picture, but this is my usual sensor cleaning kit) and now it looks good under the exact same lighting condition (4th picture) and it will be good for some time.

This was so disgusting it was sort of entertaining to me.

Oh, BTW you can also see a burn mark on the plastic part above the sensor in the 2nd and 4th attachment. This was most likely caused by an adapted lens focusing the sun outside of the Q7's frame even though I don't remember doing something like that intentionally. All I know is that it happened in 2017 and I haven't noticed that anything happened for a long time because the camera continued to work fine and I saw no degradation in image quality. Once I found that this happened, suddenly I started paying attention to where the sun could be even if it is totally outside of the frame.

Wow! That's a dirty sensor. Afraid to look at mine.

Thanks,
barondla

**ProfessorBuzz** · 02-10-2021, 05:51 AM

It's not a dirty sensor. It's a dirty blocking filter in front of the sensor.

**Des** · 02-10-2021, 02:53 PM

Interesting, if icky, story. Thanks for sharing @kwb.

The sensor is far easier to access than in a DSLR. No need for a loupe. As a matter of interest, would you say that the Q series (or mirrorless cameras in general) are more or less prone to getting stuff on the sensor? (Assuming the same sort of sensor shake system.)

Is a burn on the sensor filter exceptional?

reh321 · 02-11-2021, 12:49 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Des

Interesting, if icky, story. Thanks for sharing @kwb.

The sensor is far easier to access than in a DSLR. No need for a loupe. As a matter of interest, would you say that the Q series (or mirrorless cameras in general) are more or less prone to getting stuff on the sensor? (Assuming the same sort of sensor shake system.)

Is a burn on the sensor filter exceptional?

I had more trouble with dust on my K-30 than I ever have on my Q-7.

**kwb** · 02-12-2021, 05:39 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Des

Interesting, if icky, story. Thanks for sharing @kwb.

The sensor is far easier to access than in a DSLR. No need for a loupe. As a matter of interest, would you say that the Q series (or mirrorless cameras in general) are more or less prone to getting stuff on the sensor? (Assuming the same sort of sensor shake system.)

Is a burn on the sensor filter exceptional?

Hi Des, as for stuff on the IR filter, I can say two things from my experience, both of them inconclusive:

I use blower for Q7 much more frequently than for KP. I only use blower for KP when the picture looks suspicious. As for Q7, in addition to suspicious pictures, I also blow whenever I see something on the IR filter.
I don't remember exactly but I probably had to wet-wipe Q7 sensor 4 or 5-ish times including this time over the course of 6 years, so let's say it's once per 14-ish months at most. I've never had to wet-wipe KP sensor yet and I've owned it for 20-ish months. Not enough statistic. (My experience with old Canon DSLR doesn't count as it doesn't have a sensor shake system.)

As for the burn mark, I hope for others that it's rare and exceptional, but it should be easy to reproduce if you really want.

02-12-2021, 05:39 PM - 1 Like	#6
kwb Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Pacific North West Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,224 Original Poster	Originally posted by Des Interesting, if icky, story. Thanks for sharing @kwb. The sensor is far easier to access than in a DSLR. No need for a loupe. As a matter of interest, would you say that the Q series (or mirrorless cameras in general) are more or less prone to getting stuff on the sensor? (Assuming the same sort of sensor shake system.) Is a burn on the sensor filter exceptional? Hi Des, as for stuff on the IR filter, I can say two things from my experience, both of them inconclusive: I use blower for Q7 much more frequently than for KP. I only use blower for KP when the picture looks suspicious. As for Q7, in addition to suspicious pictures, I also blow whenever I see something on the IR filter. I don't remember exactly but I probably had to wet-wipe Q7 sensor 4 or 5-ish times including this time over the course of 6 years, so let's say it's once per 14-ish months at most. I've never had to wet-wipe KP sensor yet and I've owned it for 20-ish months. Not enough statistic. (My experience with old Canon DSLR doesn't count as it doesn't have a sensor shake system.) As for the burn mark, I hope for others that it's rare and exceptional, but it should be easy to reproduce if you really want.

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02-09-2021, 06:32 PM - 1 Like	#2
barondla Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: midwest, United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,714	Originally posted by kwb Last December I noticed a strong sign of dust on the Q7 sensor that showed up on my moon pictures. I pointed the telescope to the empty part of the sky to reveal more, and after drastically increasing contrast in PP, it was obvious that there were actually many (1st attached), even though I was only able to spot one particulate when I looked at the sensor surface by my eyes. Usually my trusty Giottos Rocket blower takes care of these, but somehow the dusts didn't budge this time. No big deal, I used a spare Q7 that evening, and the next day, and the day after, ... until yesterday when I thought it's about time to clean it. I started by using the blower again. When I took the picture of the sensor (or rather the IR cut filter) under strong lighting, I was like oooohhhh this looks bad (2nd attached)! If you look at 1:1 crop of the relevant area of the IR cut filter (3rd attached), rotate it by 90 degrees clockwise and flip it horizontally to aid your eyes for comparison with the 1st attachment, you can directly identify which dust particulate made which pattern! I quickly cleaned the sensor by using lint-free wipes, a plastic card cut to the width of the sensor and 99.9% isopropanol (sorry no picture, but this is my usual sensor cleaning kit) and now it looks good under the exact same lighting condition (4th picture) and it will be good for some time. This was so disgusting it was sort of entertaining to me. Oh, BTW you can also see a burn mark on the plastic part above the sensor in the 2nd and 4th attachment. This was most likely caused by an adapted lens focusing the sun outside of the Q7's frame even though I don't remember doing something like that intentionally. All I know is that it happened in 2017 and I haven't noticed that anything happened for a long time because the camera continued to work fine and I saw no degradation in image quality. Once I found that this happened, suddenly I started paying attention to where the sun could be even if it is totally outside of the frame. Wow! That's a dirty sensor. Afraid to look at mine. Thanks, barondla

02-10-2021, 05:51 AM	#3
ProfessorBuzz Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2018 Posts: 1,903	It's not a dirty sensor. It's a dirty blocking filter in front of the sensor.

02-10-2021, 02:53 PM	#4
Des Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Victoria Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 6,423	Interesting, if icky, story. Thanks for sharing @kwb. The sensor is far easier to access than in a DSLR. No need for a loupe. As a matter of interest, would you say that the Q series (or mirrorless cameras in general) are more or less prone to getting stuff on the sensor? (Assuming the same sort of sensor shake system.) Is a burn on the sensor filter exceptional?

02-11-2021, 12:49 PM - 1 Like	#5
reh321 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: South Bend, IN, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,181	Originally posted by Des Interesting, if icky, story. Thanks for sharing @kwb. The sensor is far easier to access than in a DSLR. No need for a loupe. As a matter of interest, would you say that the Q series (or mirrorless cameras in general) are more or less prone to getting stuff on the sensor? (Assuming the same sort of sensor shake system.) Is a burn on the sensor filter exceptional? I had more trouble with dust on my K-30 than I ever have on my Q-7.