We thank each and every one of the people who have taken the time to tell us about their sensor cleaning experiences. This is a "can-do" website, and their successes should encourage you tremendously, especially if you've never cleaned a sensor before.
NOTE: To post a comment on this page, e-mail it to us at blueridge@copperhillimages.com . By submitting a comment, you give us permission to post all or part of it on this page (we will cite your name but no other personal information).
September 8, 2008
Hello,
Well, everything I read said sooner or later I would need to clean the sensor on my 30D, and sure enough, it came time. After researching how to do it, and getting scared in the process (of doing it myself), I found several good reviews of your products on photo.net and other sites. I ordered your mega kit and took a go at it last Friday evening. Wow, just like you said in the instructions and tutorials, that was a heck of a lot easier than I thought! A sweep with the sensor sweep, and two swipes with the sensor swipe, and my sensor was clean! I even took your advice and had a good stiff drink afterwards to relax my tension from fears of destroying my camera (and that really worked too). So, I just wanted to drop a little note to say thanks for a great combination of products, well written instructions, and good service. Oh ya, and thanks for the slinky – my five year old has been having a blast with it!
Best Regards,
Tom Welle, MN
August 29, 2008
Just wanted to say...WOW! Took me just two tries but I got it.....finally a clean sensor. Thanks for making a wonderful product and for your great tutorials.....
Sincerely,
Steve Kiel (A happy photog)
August 18, 2008
Nicholas
I received my cleaning kit last Thursday and tried it out on Friday, while I was enjoying myself at the Delta. I just want to thank you for your expertise and your product. I got a perfectly clean filter on my second swipe. I am ecstatic. So excited in fact that I called all of my buddies with DSLR's and told them about it.
Cheers, Liz Dalmau
August 4, 2008
Just in case you're keeping track of just where your orders come from... I learned of Copper Hill Images from the recent book on the EOS 40D written by David Busch, page 279. http://www.dbusch.com/
Pete Ruscitto
August 1, 2008
Nicholas, two swipes, dust free sensor! No issues. Thanks for the help and a great product.
John Panaswich
July 23, 2008
Hey Nicholas,
Got your check today - thanks very much for doing that - that is something I don't think many other companies would do - great customer service once again!!! In fact, despite UPS's efforts to try to screw this up, I think this was probably the best "blind" internet buying experiences that I have had in many years of using the internet.
And by the way, your senor cleaning products all work great - I will be back for more and I will be sure to recommend you to others.
Thanks again,
David Clark
July 21, 2008
nicholas,
i got the package today and everything looks great. just wanted to thank you for your one on one touch. great products, great service. ill def recommend.
andrew choi
July 17,2008
Nicholas,
Order arrived last night and was able to look my camera over this morning. The SensorView... as simple as it looks, and what it does , I think money well spent. I had thought of another method, but this is very easy to use in a small package. After reviewing the instructions, I had watched the video when I first ordered the product, went to work. After two swipes everything looked clean. Shooting the sky confirmed it. I'll be going to sea world this weekend and thought that I was to have spots on the pictures, but it appears that won't happen.
Thanks again for your help and I will be recommending your product to others.
Chris Wagner
July 15, 2008
Hi Nicholas,
Thanks for taking the time to help me out. I'll be sure to tell all the photographers I know who are looking for sensor cleaning supplies to check out the Copper Hill Images web site. Great products, great service, great people.
Chris Kodama
July 14, 2008
I took my Canon 5D and 4 lens to Egypt in April. Needless to say, the sensor was loaded with fine dust. I thought about sending the camera to Canon for a cleaning but, after reading several
positive reviews, decided to give your product a try.
I am an advid amateur photographer and a more than a little hesitant to open up my camera. However, I carefully followed your detailed instructions and carefully cleaned the sensor myself. The results were unbelievable! I have a new camera!
Thanks.
Bill Vanoss
San Angelo, Texas
June 23, 2008
Hi Nick-
Just wanted to pass along a short note of thanks. Caution dictated that I take every precaution in cleaning my sensors. I bought a small halogen light with a gooseneck, a little air gizmo(which I should have purchased with my order), and your materials of course. I donned the rubber gloves, re-read the instructions for the Nth time, and had at it!
Well the first couple of tries I had to admit frustration. I seemed I was working more with a kaleidoscope than with a camera. Hairs emerged, dust moved, some got darker, others lighter.
The third time proved the charm. I don't know as I did anything much different than the first couple, but the test pic I took yielded no more offending crud!
It wasn't too difficult a process, and I have faith in my capability now.
You saved me money and time, the very reason I felt this note of thanks you well deserved.
Karl Mayer
June 8, 2008
Hi, My basic kit for the Canon 5D and the SensorView arrived yesterday. Thank you for the prompt service. I'm particularly impressed with the SensorView magnifier and light. I've done my 30D quite a number of times with your system so I'm not anticipating any difficulties with the 5D kit and alternate PecPad method. Further I thank you for the M&Ms treats a for the coloured slinky which i use to keep my two South American parakeets, Rojo and Chico, at bay when they're getting into things they shouldn't be into.
Regards, Marcia Provenzano, Canada
May 28, 2008
Here's some feedback on the method and kit: IT IS AWESOME!
Regards, Rahul Deshpande
May 26, 2008
WOW! You answered my questions very fast, the shipping was lightning fast got my stuff this morning. The products are great, great packaging and a nice little gift LOL...everything was perfect. I ordered a lot of stuff on internet from both Canada and US and your service is ranked in the best.
Seriously, good job guys! Thank you.
Alexandre Lantin-Lacroix
May 21, 1948
This is a quick note to thank you for the excellent service. I ordered a MEGA Euro Kit from you only a few days ago and it has already arrived in the UK. I was also delighted to see the effort taken to make the kit as easy to use as possible - PecPads already in a resealable bag and their own bag cut in the right place, elastic bands supplied for wrapping the pecPad on the sensorSwipe, even vellum paper thrown in for charging the sensor brush. Small though they may be, these little extra things add up and make cleaning the sensor easy and painless. Although it took me 4 swabbings because it was very dirty, I now have a beautifully clean sensor, and it was easy and stress-free because of the excellent included instructions, along with the other information on your website.
In short, thanks for a great kit at a fair price and thanks for the high level of service in preparing the kit and throwing in the bits and pieces needed like rubber bands and vellum paper, and thanks for dispatching it so quickly. Feel free to use this e-mail as a testimonial on your website or anywhere else if you'd like to.
All the best - Paul Bradley; United Kingdom
May 13, 2008
Your system so works! Thank you!
I've had my Pentax K100D for a year now. It had a 3 dust bunny "cluster" since day 1, possibly from the factory. Over the first few months I got a few more dust bunnies. I finally invested in a RocketBlower, which got rid of most of the newer dusty bunnies, but that original cluster never ceased, and a few more wouldn't go. With my planning to upgrade to the K20D soon, I figured it was time to use the K100D as a "test sensor" for the Copper Hill system.
I bought your $50-something 14mm US system with the SensorView.
First off, the SensorView rules! It's a Godsend! There's no workbench can replace it, and I've never . It's so worth $15, and you cut the price in half when you buy the kit -- a great move! I'm glad I got it in the kit. It let me see exactly what I should focus my RocketBlower on, and I blew a few more specs off.
Secondly, I moved to the cleaning. Your instructions were straight-forward, especially on how to apply the PEC-PADs. I wasted a few learning how to do them tightly -- 1/3rd and inclined fold (simple, yet geometrically brilliant for disposable ends), and applying the liquid (drip, drip). I then did my first 2-pass cleanings, a new pad each time, and then inspected with the SensorView. I started with no pressure, then gradually increased pressure.
All but the original dust bunny "cluster" came off in that first 2-pass. That was great to see! I clearly had a light smear left over from one big dust spec, but the next 2-pass cleared it. Then I got down and focused on that original "cluster." It literally took a half-dozen more, 2-pass cleanings, but I reduced it to a single spec, applying more
and more pressure on each set. It looked as mitigated as I could get it, as the last two sets didn't diminish that final spec any further.
Finally, I held my breath, put the lens back on, took a wall shot at f/22, and woke up to the cleanest I'd ever seen my sensor! It's *NEVER* been this clean! No more bunnies! It's clear I have only 1 spec now, and it takes a 4x zoom on the LCD preview to see it at f/22! That's all that's left of the 3 dust bunny cluster -- 1 spec!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
-- Bryan J. Smith
P.S. And thanx again for dealing with my shipping snafu. You really went above and above the service expectations for a $50 item. Thanx again for everything!
April 29, 2008
Hi,
I just wanted to email in and say....WOW! AMAZING! and all the above. I decided to purchase your Copper Hill Method over the other solutions that were offered on your website and others and I cannot be more please. This is one of the best investments I have made for my DSLR camera. I'm a newbie to the photography world and I was a bit scared to swab my sensor but..it was so easy I about slapped myself afterwards for worrying so much. And the results are amazing my sensor is spotless now, even with a sky blue monitor test I see absolutely no dirt and before it looked like muddy rain drops here and there. Best thing of all...it was so fast and easy I got more time to play with my kick ass free slinky you gave me!
You Guys Rock!,
Darryl Jorgensen, Oregon
April 24, 2008
I just want to thank you for your superior product and speedy shipping. I was hoping to get your cleaning supplies before my trip and they got here today! I still have 2 weeks until I leave!
My sensor is SPOTLESS now...I mean, SPOTLESS as in 'pristine'. 4 tries with one of your competitors products came nowhere close to what I just did in about 10 seconds.
I will spread the word whenever possible that you are *the* place to shop for DSLR sensor cleaning supplies and I will most definitely replenish my supplies directly from you whenever needed.
Thank you for a super product and excellent shipping.
Regards from a very, very satisfied customer. -Jon Parniawski
April 11, 2008
Hi Nicholas,
I e mailed you last and asked if I should do a wet sensor wipe or try the sensor brush for my initial cleaning on my Canon 40D? Well I tried it today and practiced on a CD cover first like someone suggested and that seemed easy enough. So I put on the gloves practiced putting on the sensor swipes and tried it. I must say that it is so cool that the tool is the same width of my sensor making it really easy to do. It seem to go well so I got out my 60mm Macro put the camera on my tripod put the ISO 0n 100 and shot close ups of coins and small key chains on f30 with a yellow background then with a white background. I downloaded them to my computer and at 100% crop there wasn't a single speck! I can't thank you enough for making this so easy!
Dave Levandusky
April 11, 2008
Hello Nicholas,
I received my kit at 10:30 this morning. I read all included material. Cleaned my Canon XT. Wrapped a pec pad around the Sensor Cleaner, and cleaned it again. Used the Rocket to blow out excess dust. Found some slight dust still on sensor, and used the Sensor Swipe. WOW! That was easy! Your instruction are excellent, and I couldn't be more pleased! This kit is remarkable. The magnifier made the job so much easier, and I was even able to get all the crap off the mirror, and prism surface. My daughter Stephanie, who is 8 years old, was so impressed with the cool little slinky & pack of M&M's. Nice touch.
Thanks for a great product & excellent web site! I will recommend this to every photographer I know.
Regards....Bill Platten, Canada
April 10, 2008
Hey, I just wanted to let you know that using your kit for my Canon 40D brought me out of a sensor depression! I appreciate all the info on your website as well as the packaged material, my sensor is a clean as a whistle now! Also, thank you for the M&M's and the slinky... they were delicious (not the slinky though, it tasted like plastic.) Thanks for your much needed service to the DSLR World!!!
- Rich Grieco, California
April 5,2008
I purchased a "basic kit" from you last week, and just wanted to thank you for the great service. I recently tried cleaning dust off my sensor with a commercial brush. This has worked in the past, but this time, I must of touched the brush with my finger. When I went to clean the sensor with it, I left oil streaks all over the sensor...YIKES! So I went looking for other methods of cleaning, rather than mailing into Canon for a cleaning.
The product was packaged with a touch of class and professionalism you often don't find these days. The attention to detail was awsome.
- very detailed and easy to follow directions with tips and pictures
- pre-wrapped swab
- extra elastics and sealed bags for storage
- pre cut pec-pad package
- plastic colored slinky toy...with company logo (nice marketing touch)
- m&ms
More importantly, the product delivered as promised. All the oil/grease streaks are gone from the sensor, and I'm ready to shoot again.
Its nice to see a business doing the simple/ extra things, while so many others are looking to cut corners!
Thanks Again
John Stevens
April 3, 2008
Gentlemen:
I purchased Sensor Cleaning Kit in March, 2007 and have used the kit several times (I do change lens and even though I try do do this quickly and cleanly, well you know the drill.....). Recently, the need to clean the sensor again became obvious. Your easy-to-use cleaning kit quickly cleaned the sensor.
By the way, your instructions for changing the PecPad are excellent as well.
Thanks again for a great product.
Frank Vatroba
March 21, 2008
After a trip to Africa, my sensor was in bad shape. I was a big chicken about cleaning it, so I sent it off to Canon for them to clean the sensor. After nearly 2 weeks without my camera, it came home… and there were STILL spots on the sensor. So I bit the bullet and ordered your basic cleaning kit. After the first swabbing, it looked like I had ruined the sensor. There were streaks on the test shot. At that point, I figured I didn’t have anything to lose, so I loaded up a new pec pad and swabbed it again. This time it looked a little better. It took 4 swabbings before I was spot free, but I finally have it clean. It was scary, but it did the best job of anything I had tried. Thanks for your terrific instructions! You saved my sensor! Pictures here:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=473328
Becky Williamson
March 20, 2008
Nicholas,
I sincerely thank you for the pleasure of receiving the order today. This was my first order from your company, and you far exceeded my expectation in every measurement of customer satisfaction. As I mentioned, I am leaving Friday for an extended trip to Italy, and having received this shipment today allows me plenty of time to clean up my D70. I hope you have a very prosperous year.
Sincerely,
Stephen A. Teague
P.S. You are welcome to use my testimonial to your advantage. I look forward to your continuing success.
March 8, 2008
The sensor sweep is the best brush I ever seen, is incredible eficient! Don't waste your time with expensive products, buy this brush. Nicholas is a serious (honest) person.
Kiraly Zoltan
http://zoliky.blogspot.com/
March 3, 2008
Hello,
It has been a few months, but I recall you reaching out to me about a post on dpreview alluding that your products are somewhat over-priced. Hate to bring that up again :-( but we exchanged a few emails and I tagged my dpreview post for deletion and it was removed shortly after our talks. You sent me a complimentary kit for cleaning my Canon 30D. I received the kit and have been using it about twice a month.
I just wanted to thank you for that gesture and say that I have added your site in SEO standards to my "Links" site here: http://www.motleypixel.com/links/index.html .
Regards,
Roy Niswanger
March 1, 2008
I just want to say thank you for the great product. I just received it and could not wait to get down to business. Amazing that I got everything in the kit for the price I paid for just swabs the last time. In addition to the great product the tutorials and support on the website complete the
package. My wife and I own an event planning business and cary the SLR with us everywhere. I take most of the pictures for our website myself and was having issues with some spots that would not come clean with the blower. I cant put into words how glad I am that I was directed to your site by a photographer that we work with on a regular business. I will recomend your product every chance I get. Thank you again for all of the wonderful features of your product.
James Christianson
Antonia Chrisianson Events
Vice President of Creative Marketing
February 20, 2008
I could kiss you!!! (And I don't even LIKE men). Not a speck of dust! Wish I had learned this before my last assignment. The key is more pressure, apparently. I think the dust here in the tropics gets welded to the sensor/ glass by high humidity and salt air.
Thanks!!!
Ha HA! I laugh at dust!!
PS You can quote me.
Tor Johnson
http://www.tjhawaii.com
February 20, 2008
Hi,
I just received my sensor cleaning kit today and am looking forward to using it. I just have one question before I begin. What do I do with the extra item I received? I found no mention of it in the printed instructions you gave me. As far as I can tell it is either a lens extender or some sort of portable color balancer. Also my children won't stop trying to play with it, and as it is part of my cleaning kit I have to tell them no.
Thanks again,
Justin Saulsgiver
February 13,2008
Hi Nicholas,
Well, I was all psyched to clean my sensors today but found out that they only needed the dry static brush. The brush worked great, and the lighted magnifier is wonderful for seeing what's there or not there. I hope it is a long time before I report on the wet method. It just didn't make sense to use it when the dry brush left it "spotless".
Regards,
Steve Rams
February 2,2008
Hi Nicholas,
The order came today and everything is great. Thanks for the lens cleaning kit and toy. It was a nice surprise. You are great to deal with and I will definitely pass your business name along to others.
Thanks,
Larry Matney
January 31, 2008
Hi Nicholas,
Just dropping a note to say thanks. All the items arrived the other day just fine. BTW, Thanks for the Slinky, daughter had fun with it.
I spent some time today cleaning all my cameras/lenses and what a difference. I had come back from Christmas vacation and the sensors did collect quite a bit of dust from shooting in dusty conditions. Your Mega Package was perfect, it had everything I needed to get my gear in optimal condition - cameras, sensors, and all my lenses. The biggest help was the SensorView. It really was easy to locate exactly where any of the dust bunnies were left behind. The SensorSweep quickly got rid of the loose dust that the blower didn't dislodge. The stubborn bits were quickly dispatched with the Pec fluid/swipe. I think the SensorSweep and the SensorView will be part of my mobile kit for on-the-go care - will be perfect out in the field.
On a side note, I recently joined up with a local club a few months back to expand my photo skills. I was wondering if it would be possible to get the printable PDF of your cleaning methods that you describe on the site. Each member is supposed to present on a topic and I thought Sensor Cleaning would be ideal as we have many new digital shooters. May I also get permission to use some of your product images and instructions in my presentation? If it is problem, I understand. Naturally, I'll give credit to you and refer members to your site for the step-by-step method, supplies and super service. I have no hesitation about spreading the word!
Thanks again,
Bharat Mistry, Canada
January 15, 2008
Hi Nicholas,
In August of 2006 I received my complete “Sensor Cleaning Kit” from you and just today for the first time gave it a try! Even though I made a special notebook for your excellent tutorial and read it several times, I was still petrified to give it a try. Oh, I made a few false starts during the past year and half, but found it very easy to put everything neatly away with the thought “no need to do this project today, I can do it later”.
But today I committed myself to try it for once and all. I read everything again and then took a test shot of the blue sky zoomed in at f32 with my Canon 5D. Then I hunkered down, put on my magnifying glasses, got my small Halogen light into position and went for broke! My first attempt didn’t go too bad but I noticed a few very small smears on the sensor and this may have been due to me having put too much Eclipse on the pad. I guess I thought I would see it getting wet and when that didn’t happen I (Uh-oh) put on another drop, or two. Also contrary to your advice, I swiped again with the same pad (GAD) but this only made matters worse. My palms were really sweating now, but I remembered your advice to only use one pec-pad per one swipe each way and to remain calm and not give up. I tried again with a new pec-pad and all looked great! I then took another test shot and a side x side comparison revealed a 95% improvement! Anyway, thanks for the great tutorial and product.
Brian A. Morganti
January 9, 2008
Hi,
I just received the basic kit and it works perfectly on the first trial. I will recommanded it to anyone I know.
Thank's
Pierre Piché, Canada
January 5, 2008
Just wanted to add my thanks for your product. I bought one of your kits nearly 4 years ago and it had been on my shelf unused until I started doing some macro work at f16, which showed up the state of my D70 sensor. The sensor was so bad it took me 7 separate PecPads, but it is now completely free of dust bunnies.
Best wishes for 2008
Tony Nelson (United Kingdom)
December 13, 2007
Hello Copper Hill Images
I would just like to pass on my thanks for a great kit and great service.
I ordered your Ultimate Euro Kit on Dec 3rd. It arrived safe and sound in Australia yesterday Dec 12th. Your amazingly fast shipping puts our local mail service to shame - it can take that long to send a normal letter across town. I ordered the kit because I had (notice the passed tense) a smear on the CCD of my new Sony A100. I found it impossible to find any local help with this problem, with everyone I asked passing me on to someone else, and then finally being told I had to send the camera interstate for repair. Repair? That sounded a bit extreme. I am a real novice when it comes to photography and was told by the person who sold me the camera that since I was not a professional photographer I shouldn't attempt to clean the camera myself. Well we know what to do with advice now don't we!
My camera was cleaned and ready for action within half an hour of receiving your kit. The Sensor View was fantastic in helping see the dirt, and the SensorKlear pen quickly and easily removed the offending particles.
I will certainly recommend your products and services to each and every person I meet.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Gavin J Dimmock
Australia
December 6, 2007
After procrastinating for several months after receiving the sensor swipe, I finally got up the nerve to use it. After each swipe there was a noticeable improvement in the amount and intensity of visible dust particles in my shots. After 5 swipes, I seem to have a perfectly dust-free image. I particularly appreciated you excellent instructions and instructions for alternate pecpad use.
Many thanks. I will continue to use your excellent product and will recommend it to others to use.
Larry Wayne
Ontario
November 29, 2007
Thank you for your Digital Camera cleaning kit. It worked great.
Dr. George Matosian
p.s. Thanks for Slinky too!
November 12, 2007
Just a short note to thank you for your excellent service. On the 01/Nov/2007 I placed an order for a SensorView, I received it on the 13/Nov/2007, 12 days to clear Australian customs & postage is excellent. I used it for the first time & I can highly recommend this piece of equipment. I had only cleaned the sensor just a few days ago, but when I checked it out with the SensorView the swabs had to come out again.
Surprising how much dust was still on the sensor & how easy it was to see the areas affected.
regards,
Ken Johns
Australia
November 13, 2007
Hello Nicholas,
I received the mega kit today, and I'm very impressed. All of the pieces are high quality. I am 100% satisfied with everything. I now feel like I have the cleanest camera in the world! I'm fortunate to have found your website.
Thank you for providing such a great product, with such excellent support; your webpage and your attentive communication. My wife and I moved back to Canada from the US last year, and I've been reluctant to order items from the US after a couple of bad experienced early on. Today I received my package one day early, it was a perfect transaction.
I will certainly spread the word about your wonderful products and customer service.
Best regards,
Rob Feeney
November 10, 2007
Thank you Nicolas,
I successfully cleaned my 30D sensor yesterday after carefully reading your online tutorial. No more dust (for now anyway). I'd much rather do it myself than have my local camera store or the Canon folks take care of it for me.
Best Regards,
Steve Schiemann
October 3, 2007
Just to let you know that your products have saved me $$$. I dont know how different it works from Visible Dust or others but it comes highly recomended on PopPhoto forums. Now that I have got the real bad stuff off with Eclipse and Sensor Swipe,I now just have to use the brush to remove the dust. I just seen the Rocket Blower on your site,great idea.I may get one,it seems to be easier to transport than canned air.
Thanks,
John Stewart
November 6, 2007
I recently discovered Digital SLR photography a few weeks ago (thanks to a friend) but I was immediately concerned about specs on some of my photo's taken with my new camera. So after some research and a few questions to my friend I decided to purchase your sensor cleaning kit rather then sending it to Canon for cleaning.
First of all, thank you for the quick shipment. Secondly, I followed your write-up to the letter that came with the kit and after reading it on your website several times. It worked like a champ. No more specs!
Just figured I'd write you and thank you for a well thought out kit and tutorial.
Duane Noblick
October 27, 2007
Hello,
I want to let you know that your article on cleaning digital camera sensors is extremely informative and gave me the courage to start cleaning my own Nikon sensors all by my lonesome. Before, I was actually blowing out the shutter box and the sensor surface with "canned air", which was leaving awful artifacts on the glass. Thank you for your efforts in putting that together for the digital photographic community.
Dennis Gartner
October 19, 2007
Nicholas,
You are obviously someone dedicated to "zero tolerance" re: dust.... and I'm glad you are. I just purchased your Mega Kit and I am REALLY thrilled with the results.
First off... thanks for the slinky. Nice touch. I played up and down , hand to hand with it for nearly an half hour working up the courage to clean the sensor in my 5D. There was really no need... keeping your advise and the image of the surgeon in my mind, everything went well. My only problem was pulling out 2 pec-pads instead of 1.
It took me three tries to get the fold on the sensor-swab right and I used scotch tape instead of the rubber bands. (wrapping rubber bands as tight as you was beyond me) From there it was fairly smooth sailing. It is difficult to orient yourself and keep a sense of navigation and pressure,so I know now what your talking about, but the bottom line and good news is that I still have a camera (I do love the 5D) and I have a sensor that is 98 - 99% dust free. This is amazing since it looked like it had chicken pox before. (I used the f22 test against white and 18% gray poster board... I do believe the gray works better (at least for me shooting RAW and viewing in Phase One C1 at max contrast and 180% view.)
Anyway.. I know 98% is not 100% but since I now plan to clean the sensor once a week, I know in time I will get it there. You are right again about the fear. Once you do it and still have the use of your camera, it gets easier. I started with a good blow out using the "enormous" Giotto ( I already had 2 of the smaller rockets) and I did swab it twice (testing after each cleaning). I finished off with the sensor brush and another good blast from Giotto (since I noticed that some dust had just moved but was now obviously loose and getable with the charged brush). This final step took it from around 85% to the 98 - 99%. Just so you know, I worked right to left with the swab rotating 180 degrees and then worked vertically with the brush since I noticed that I had left some dust around the edges top, bottom, left, and right. It took five passes to sweep the 5D sensor this way (it is big sensor) and I recharged each pass. The brush works just as you said. you just pass it over the surface almost not touching and you can really get to the edges.
Well, I've been long winded enough. Forgive me but I honestly can't believe the results. It is much better than I expected and easier. This is a great product. Coming from film recently to digital, I naively thought that dust control would be similar and simple.. just blow it out. I was almost on the verge of tears when I ran the test the other night and I saw how bad it had gotten. Luckily, I remembered the blurb I had read on Earthbound Light and thougt Ok.. why not give it a try. I'm happy I did. I'm happy that it was a topic covered on the EBL website, and I'm happy you are who your are... dedicated. Thanks much.
Sincerely,
Stan Makowski
Chrysalis imaging
September 18, 2007
Nicholas,
Like everyone else, I was nervous the first time I cleaned the sensor on my 20D. But I figured, "Hey, go for it!" The camera has been used for many weddings and has taken at least 50,000 photos. It was professionally cleaned at a Canon-authorized service center (I watched as they used compressed air) and that seemed to work well for about a week. Then noticeable dust spots were back. It was a Monday night, plenty of time to get a new camera if something happened.
I have attached my before and after photos - I gave up counting the "before" spots when I reached 50. The after photo was taken after 3 successive cleanings - I had to change the PecPads a few times while I got the knack of keeping the tool even with the surface of the filter and picking up after I had reached the very ends. What an amazing difference. I figure I will use it for another week of two and then go after the few spots I have left.
With the 20D under my belt I immediately went on to the 5D - one very large noticeable dust spot in photos. One pass with the PecPad and it was completely clean - my first zero dust cleaning!
Thanks for the encouragement and clear instructions. I will definitely be recommending your product to other photographers.
Sincerely,
Chuck Hermann
Ann Charles Photography, LLC
August 12, 2007
Dear Copperhill,
I was shocked when I returned from my recent trip to Oahu, Hawaii with my 9 month old 30D and
viewed my images. Sensor spots everywhere which means more time on the computer using Photoshop to clean my images. I had read about your product on the www.texasphotoforum and decided to order the product. Everyone on the forum recommends you product by the way. I purchased the Mega Kit and proceeded to clean my father's 300D and my 30D. It was very easy with the instructions you provided. Easier than I imagined. My father's camera is about six years old and had a very dirty sensor with a few stubborn spots. It took about nine PecPads to achieve a clean sensor, but it is now clean. My 30D is nine months old and after only two PecPads I only had one tiny spot on the lower left of the sensor. I used two more PecPads (I am anal about it being clean) and my sensor is now spotless. Great product. I will recommend it to all my friends.
By the way, I am on my way back to Maui this week with my wife and you can bet my Copperhill kit is coming with me.
Regards,
Mike McAleer, Texas
July 27, 2007
Hi!
Received your sensor sweep brush today. I was a bit sceptical but i have to say I'm blown away with it. 5 passes across the sensor of my Canon 5D, each one progressively better and now theres nothing at all on there.
Great product, I'm impressed and will be having a good laugh at some friends who have spent hundreds of dollars on pretty much the same thing.
Thanks!
Steve Lycett
July 14, 2007
Hi,
I am from Singapore. I have recently bought a Sensor Sweep brush from Copper Hill Images. Would like to commend on this very effective product that you have. I managed to clean the sensor of my Canon EOS 5D with much success. I have also mentioned about your quality product on a local forum in my country. http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=295772
Thanks,
Louis Teoh
July 8, 2007
Thanks so much! By the way, I used your swab method (the wet one), and it worked wonderfully. It's so exciting to go from splotchy to CLEAN! Thanks. I know I sound like all the other people going on about how well it works, but it's true. I'm just happy to have a nice shiny sensor. :O) Thanks for getting back to me and for coming up with this nifty little bit.
by grace,
Bob Stevenson
July 4, 2007
Hello there, I just had a chance to sit down and use the sensor cleaning kit that I purchased from you guys a couple of weeks ago. I do a lot of astrophotography with a prime focus adapter which leaves the sensor basically clear open for dust to get in, and I've also done the IR filter removal mod on my camera (350D), and let me tell you it was DUSTY! I tried cleaning it with a Q-tip (both dry and wet) and simply had horrible results, it just moved the dust around and made the sensor streaky. It took me 6 wipes to clean off my sensor, but it is now COMPLETELY DUST FREE! :D I am so happy I can hardly contain myself. *Does a little dance* Thank you SO MUCH for making a wonderful product with a great website. :)
-Bill Carlson
July 4, 2007
Hello,
I received my ultimate sensor cleaning kit today, a few days earlier than expected which was a pleasant surprise since I had spent the day reviewing the tutorials in preparation. Cracked the kit open and got right to it, took a few attempts but by the third try I had it licked. No more dust spots to be seen at f/45!!! You have made this perfectionist very happy indeed! Thank you for this wonderful product =0)
The Happiest Photographer
-Matt Pearson
June 27, 2007
Used my kit this past weekend - phenomenal!!!
I will send before and after pictures if you would like to see them. I wasn't that bad with my dust bunnies, but it was nice to see how clean the sensor got in just 2 swipes.
Thank you again - and I love my slinky.
Angela Catford
June 19, 2007
I purchased your basic kit a number of months ago, but was reluctant to try using it. However, when I kept seeing numerous dust spots in my pictures, I finally said enough and gave it a try. Thanks for the detailed instructions, because I followed them closely (I skipped the part about trying a practice run), but I did add the requirement to take a couple of photos of a white wall before and after each wipe. I started out with at least a dozen spots and was down to about 3 or 4 after the first wipe. I tried a second wipe and ended up with only about two, although one of them looked like a heavy duty (very dark) spot that hadn’t been there before.
My cleaning station was in the dining room where the air was relatively still and I had to run upstairs each time to put my D20’s CF card into the computer so I could get a good view of the spots. After the 3rd wipe, I checked my first post-cleaning photo and success! There were no spots visible at all. Then I took a look at the 2nd post cleaning photo (shot just seconds after the first), and there appeared a new dust spot! Since I figured the shutter or mirror must have dislodged something inside the camera in order to make that new spot appear, I took the chance and used a blower instead of a 4th wipe, took two more photos, and all dust spots were now gone and seemed to have stayed gone!
I have to agree with your comments, that this is pretty easy once you do it a few times. Now I just need to go buy a decent pair of tweezers that will easily pull each pad from the stack, instead of the el cheapo pair that I have which can’t keep a grip on the pads! Thanks for your product.
Thad McCulloch
May 30, 2007
I just received my order from you today - very happy!! I just cleaned my 20D and was very happy with your kit. While I know that you do not make the products, you package them with a great set of instructions (w/ photos, surprise!). I have had a couple of digital cameras and had never had the nerve to try a sensor clean. I was actually recommended to your site by a fellow photog., and was told that the "kit" with the swab tool was a great way to start. Thanks again for your product - you've saved me some valuable Photoshop time!
Regards,
Sean Lensink
May 18, 2007
Hello,
I have a 20D and was really trying to not focus on my dust particles. If you knew me, you'd know
that was hard to do. But lately, I found myself cloning the sky quite a bit, specially in my panorama pictures. I've been paying attention to all the cleaning methods and fancy $200 tools and most have gotten mixed reviews. Your method on the other hand, kept appearing as one that works. I then read your tutorial, and it sounded precise and honest. I placed my order.
My kit arrived yesterday, and I didn't muster the courage to sit down and try things out until today. THANK YOU! In 5 tries ( mostly because I was barely making contact the first 4 times, LOL ) I went from 20 something annoying dust specs to 3! And although, the compulsive in me wants to keep going after those three, they are at the center edges where they'll annoy me the least.
Your system works and it seems quite safe. Thank you for your efforts and for your product. I'll be sure to be one of those people that recommend your system.
This made my day!
-Andres Ramirez
May 17, 2007
Dear Sir or Madam:
I want to thank you so much for your CCD/CMOS tutorial. A couple of weeks ago, I returned from a trip to the beach with almost 1,000 photos, each with a small spot in the upper corner of the picture. Based on the spot, the dust that was visible through the view finder, and problems I was experiencing with the auto focus on my Canon DSLR, I was sure that I had a major repair bill facing me. After contacting Canon, and before I boxed up the camera to send it off to a service center, I found a reference to your website and decided to try cleaning the sensor on my own.
Although I was concerned that I might damage the sensor, I took my time and followed your tutorial using the tools I had ordered from Copper Hill. After carefully cleaning the sensor, I reattached the lense and could still see specs of dust and was still experiencing some minor problems with the auto focus. With that said, I decided to take a few more minutes to clean both the mirror and the focusing screen using the same method as you detailed in the tutorial for the sensor cleaning. This time when I reattached the lense, I was stunned by how clean everything appeared through the view finder. Other than one or two ramdom specs of dust, the camera is like the day I took it out of the box. And, better still, the auto focus is now working great.
Thanks again for your tutorial and cleaning products. Because of Copper Hill, I am again enjoying taking pictures with my newly cleaned DSLR camera.
Mark Wohlander
Lexington, Kentucky
May 7, 2007
Nicholas,
Thank you so much for your tutorial and cleaning system that I purchased from copperhill. In my very first attempt to remove some very visible spots from my high contrast landscape image. The more clear blue sky , the more visible spots. I strive for the sharpest , clearest., most beautiful and colorful nature scenes.Those damn spots have been driving me to distraction for months . I was actually seriously considering replacing the camera. After reading that the sensor can be cleaned. I tried it . I used a small electronics Vacumn after locking up the mirror and then tried just the one pass in each direction with a pec pad mounted on a swipe tool and two drops of eclipse. I test shot the next day. Purposely including way more sky in my sunsets and the like to get some good high contrast , bright background to show case specs or no specs. No Specs. None!!!! Thank you very much I am very pleased. Keep up the good work, I will recomend your system to other digital shooters.
Sincerely,
Mr. Bruce J. Dana
April 26, 2007
I just wanted to thank you for a GREAT product! I bought your dust kit for my Nikon d70s. I've looked everywhere for something like this that wasn't super expensive! Product works great, and very quick shipping! Thank you so much, no more obnoxious dust bunnies on EVERY image! yay!
-Matt Benson
April 21, 2007
Hallo,
Thank you for sending the Euro" Kit sensor and lens cleaner, I ordered it on Wednesday 18 April received Saturday 21-april 2007. The distance form Copper Hill to Oirsbeek Holland is about 7700km, so the delivery was very fast. I have cleaned my sensor with the Sensorsweep (brush) exactly as told in the manual, it was easy and clean.
I didn't need to use the SensorSwipe. I am very glad that the dust is gone from my sensor (D70).
Greetings from Oirsbeek Holland.
Theo van Mourik
April 24, 2007
Nicholas,
Thanks for the quick response; I received my order in 1 day.
After I received the package, I read the enclosed instructions a few times; then, I began the process - actually, I ate 1 of the awesome treats you placed in the box first. As you mentioned, it took me a few times to get the hang of replacing the pad; after half a dozen times, I had no problems. To be honest, I have motor nerve damage in my right hand and was still able to replace the pad after a few practice rounds.
Thanks again for the quick response and a wonderful product; I am looking forward to placing another order to receive more cookies! lol.
Sincerely,
Scott Foster
April 10, 2007
Dear sir/madam,
Just a quick note to say thanks for sending me my sensor brush order so quickly. Not only can't I buy a good sensor brush in the UK for anywhere near your price but I get the blower also & get it sent to me as quick if not quicker than some online UK photo stores. Very pleased with my purchase & the price of the brush/blower so will not hesitate recommending your company to any UK buyer.
Thanks, Mark Slater
April 19, 2007
Dear Nicholas
I got my first DSLR, a shiny new Pentax K10D, a few of weeks ago and was having a ball taking photo after photo. I had known there was an issue with dust in DSLR sensors and bought the K10D thinking it had addressed the problem better than others. As you can imagine, I was quite concerned to find specks and even a what looked like a small hair appearing in my shots when the camera was only a couple of weeks old! Two short days ago I found your tutorial from a dpreview forum and it was so clear and made so much sense that I decided very quickly to give it a go. I
quickly located www.qualitycamera.com.au as a local supplier of Pec Pads and the Sensor Swipe and ordered both that night. (I work in a chemistry lab so had a ready source of high purity HPLC grade methanol so saved a bit of money that way). Quality Camera were excellent with service and delivery time. The upshot is that I have just cleaned my sensor for the first time and I am very pleased with the result. All but the tiniest specs are gone apart from a small patch right at the edge.
IT WAS EASY!! Perhaps I am more practically minded than other people, but your tutorial makes it sound harder than it was. I felt very confident with what I had read so didn't even bother with a trial run as you suggest.
Thank you very much for having put the effort into finding a simple, cheap and easy way to remove the dust.
Regards
Martin Gregory
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=20440233
March 27, 2007
Gentlemen:
Your order processing/shipping is superb. Even better, your instructions are outstanding!! I should've expected as much when going through your tutorials. Anybody with an "off the wall" sense of humor as you have has got to be ok. By the way, among my many "Far Side" favorites is the last one he did - two guys finishing a mummy wrap and the caption is "Well, that's a wrap."
Back to the subject. After reviewing your instructions (I also looked at www.-------.com/howto.html), I found your instructions to be much better. Theirs are ok, but I don't like moving dust around with a blower either. Anyway, first time through was no problem. Obviously, caution has to be observed, but it is not nearly as scary as some would make the process out to be.
I live in southwest lower Michigan along the Lake Michigan shoreline and take a lot of pictures of the lighthouse and pier heads of the north and south piers at St. Joseph, MI and of shoreline scenes and birds when I'm fishing on the inland lakes in our area. Lake Michigan can be awesome when the wind is out of the northwest. I'm careful and change lenses in my car but dust is always a concern when changing lenses.
So, thanks again for excellent products, instructions and the "off topic" humor.
Frank Vatroba
February 27, 2007
Hi,
I just purchased your basic cleaning kit. Let me tell you why... a while ago, I decided to shoot some plain blue sky with my D70 at f/22 to see if there was any dust on the filter. There was quite a bit (it's about 2 years old and has never been cleaned) but I almost always shoot a lot wider so I never saw it - until I looked for it, and after I knew it was there... you probably know what I am trying to describe! I tried and tried with a "rocket" blower but to no avail; this stuff was really stuck. Because I was about to leave Australia for the US for an extended stay, I checked out the downtown Sydney camera shops for advice. There were many worried looks and shaking heads when I told them that I wanted to try cleaning it myself and I was recommended to a particular camera repair and service shop. Well, to cut a long story short, they took my $70 and smeared the dirt around a bit. With less than a week left I decided to tackle the problem when I got here as I could not find Eclipse fluid locally.
So yesterday the cleaning kit arrived and I tried it tonight. The first swipe didn't go so great; I managed to leave a fiber stuck to the filter that needed two more swipes to remove. Then I left a big chunk of something on the filter - it was so large I could see it sitting there with the naked eye. Two more swipes and I was getting the hang of it. I realized that a) I wasn't using enough pressure, and b) I wasn't using enough Eclipse. I feel that with a slightly wetter PecPad and a firmer, more "deliberate" swipe, I really got it. Now there is only the slightest shadow of a speck right in the top right corner and it's completely invisible by f/11. That's awesome since I never shoot stopped down that far. I am going to leave well enough alone for the time being until it accumulates enough dust to make it worth getting in there again. This is a great product and it's a lot easier than it sounds. It's certainly a lot less nerve-wracking than I was led to believe. I think there are a lot of people getting ripped off back home!
One thing I did notice: maybe it's just my imagination, but after I left the fiber on the filter, I looked very closely at the PecPads and it appears that they have two different sides; one is very slightly "fluffier" than the other. So for subsequent swipes I put them on the tool fluffy-side-in. I don't know if it made any difference to the swiping but it made me feel better!
Thanks,
Scott McLeod
p.s. the rainbow slinky is cool :)
p.p.s. It's weird, I would think nothing of dismantling my reflecting telescope to clean the mirrors, but for some reason the idea of getting inside the D70 sort of freaked me out... maybe it had something to do with all the horror stories on the internet.
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=53266
February 1, 2007
Thanks, Nicholas. Just want to let you know, it was a breeze cleaning some spots off the xti that the anti-dust shaking couldn't get rid of. A hundred times easier than on my Canon 5D. I can't
wait until they get a 5D upgrade that has a shaking sensor. Between that and your SensorSwipe, I'll be in anti-dust heaven!
Howard Slavitt
January 25, 2007
Hello Nicholas.
Thanks very much for the fast delivery,received yesterday.I have just attempted my first cleaning of the sensor of the 10D. Amazing,just one wipe & the sensor was pristine,couldn't believe it,after all the horror stories heard from friends who had used other products.Once again many thanks for a fine piece of kit.
Best regards,
John O"Connell
January 25, 2007
I received the Basic Sensor Kit that I ordered for my Canon 5D today. I just wanted to say that I am amazed with the results after only two cleanings; it works exactly as advertised, and was really very simple to use. Thanks for helping me make - and keep - my camera dust free!
Mike Robbins
http://www.albumterrace.com/index.php?option=com_loudmouth&task=topic&id=10&Itemid=16
Hi Nicholas,
I finally did it! My newly acquired SensorSwipe was awaiting the arrival of some Pec-Pads and Eclipse solution. They had arrived today and I cleaned my sensor. I studied the tutorial and referred to it on your web site while I cleaned the sensor. It had one particularly stuck piece of
crud on it that had forced me retouch all of my images over the last few months. The sensor has never looked so good. The hand-holding tutorial is just great for the newbie and it inspires the right sort of confidence in the tyro.
Thank you for freeing me from the tyranny of sensor dust. A couple of small jpegs have been included so that you can see my results . The ISO was different for each image but the results speak for themselves. I am delighted!
Kind regards,
Jeff Cable
January 13, 2007
Hi Nicholas,
Just to confirm that my Mega Euro Kit arrived safely and completely intact due to your care in packaging. I was also warmly surprised to find the little extra you slipped in. As I write my little cute 4 year old daughter is playing with it. I had a strange thought in the back of my mind that you “knew”. Hmm! Another surprise was seeing that you had already wrapped a PecPad eliminating any doubts. I cannot choose the correct words except that I’m happily pleased to have done business with your company.
Thank you and very best regards to you and your family,
Richard Harker.
December 27, 2006
I just wanted to drop a note, quite late, of thanks for your super quick delivery of a Sensor Cleaning Kit for my Canon 20D. I realized just a few days before I left for a week in July to Hawaii that my sensor was filty, but I had been terrified to clean it myself. I researched extensively online and the "Copper Hill method" kept coming up so I decided to try my hand at it, terrified all the way. I sent an e-mail shortly after placing my order saying that I needed it quickly as I was leaving for Hawaii and the e-mail I received back stated that my package was already on the truck for delivery - I was floored! The package arrived quickly and I cannot begin to express how much better my sensor looked, after lots of practice and then many, many swipes as the sensor was quite dirty. Thanks so much for a great, effective, easy to use product and for your excellent customer service.
Best,
Nora Burns
December 28, 2006
Just a note to let you know that the SensorSwipe Kit was an answer to my prayer. Like anything new and involving some risks, I was intimidated. But after a few dry runs, I jumped in and got 100% clean sensor on my Canon 20D after 7 wipes. The swipes were easy and fun to make. I even purchased powder free gloves at CVS. After making the first swipe, found out that I didn't need gloves. I didn't know that the sensor would get dusty and need cleaning. I am certainly a new amateur, and my camera came already with, as you say, dust bunnies. Shortly after I received my camera I sent it to Canon for a cleaning (seventy bucks and three weeks down time). I'm not sure how I got to your site, but it is a blessing. If I can do it, I think anybody can.
Dan Guy
December 2, 2006
Just wanted to say thanks a million for your products & website/tutorial. I'm sure you've heard a story like this a million times, but I sent my camera off to a Pentax authorized service center (not directly to Pentax) to have the sensor cleaned, and it came back EXACTLY as dirty as it was when it left. Encountered very rude customer service when trying to explain the problem, so I decided to give this a go myself. Absolutely could not have been easier! I got 99.9% of the dust and junk on my sensor (and I'm talking about like probably 100 or more little spots!) in just one swipe back and forth. Thanks so much for this great resource and products.
Best wishes,
Joseph Allen
November 10, 2006
Nicholas,
This is the first time I have used your product, and though I may be a little slow compared to some (it took me about 8 tries), I got the sensor of my D2X spectacularly clean. I've sent it to a Nikon authorized service company before and noticed some small spots after their cleaning. But not so with your product. I was able to rid my sensor of every single spot.
I wanted to try your product because we just recently returned from a trip to Panama which
presented a combination of dust in the form of smoke (cooking fires) and intense humidity (rainforest). I tried removing dust with a special cartridge of compressed gas (no liquid residue. not air), and blew it obliquely into the chamber without using mirror lock-up, but it had no effect. I'm pretty sure the combination of smoke/dust and humidity had welded the specks to my sensor.
I noticed that I had the best results when applying a single drop of Eclipse. I only had to go back a few extra times because I apparently introduced new dust into the chamber somehow. But as I said before, the sensor didn't leave China this clean!
We're leaving for Mexico tomorrow. I'm not one who shies away from changing lenses and as a result have to use the spot healing brush quite often in my workflow. I'm looking forward to keeping my sensor dust to a minimum in the future.
Thank you for your great product. After reading all your tutorials, I was actually looking forward to giving it a try. I was respectful, but not timid with regard to the sensor, and just as you say, I wondered why I had always been afraid of cleaning it myself.
Thanks again for helping me out in a pinch with the fast shipping and for a great product.
Dave Walker
Manager / Unique Photo Tours, LLC
http://www.uniquephototours.com
January 5, 2007
I wasnt sure how to leave a comment, but I recently got the kit to clean my sensor, and it works great. The instructions, product, and the company are top notch in my book. Got the sensor cleaned after a few swipes THANKS!!!!
Korey Moore
Subject: I received your product today
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2006 17:48:29 -0700
I'd like to start by saying DAMN!!! Your sensor cleaning kit is much better than I imagined. It seems that so many times products are offered with fantastic claims and we settle when those claims are half heartedly met. In your case you have fulfilled or surpassed your promises in terms of product performance. After CAREFULLY reading over your instructions I decided to dive right in. The job was not tedious or difficult as most things of this nature are but very easy and extremely effective. I can safely say that There is not another sensor in Nevada as clean as this one is. I would stack it up against an EOS 5D out of the box and win. I can say this because there is not a single flaw to be found. And before my sensor had 14 blemishes after returning to me from a thorough cleaning..
Anyway I just wanted to SAY GREAT PRODUCT, GREAT INSTRUCTIONS and I'll recommend you to everyone I know that has a digital camera in need of a sensor cleaning.
William Mariani
Subject: What Great Results!
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2006 16:00:33 -0500
Well, I gotta tell you. I just got your ultimate DSLR cleaning kit this afternoon for my D200 and in about 45 minutes cleaned my mirror, focus screen, and CCD. My camera is now at least as clean as it was when I bought it - if not cleaner! It was all so very easy too! Very cool indeed.
Thanks for a great product & great service.
Mike Pastore
Wheaton, IL
9-October-2006 15:02
Hi just a short note about your sensor cleaning kit. I purchased the deluxe sensor cleaning kit a while back and wanted to let you know it did all your ad suggested. I have been cleaning my sensor now for almost a year with your system and it is great to not have any more dust bunnies. I admit I was concerned at first but your instructions are great and it was not that difficult to do.
Sincerely,
Mike McCahan
5-October-2006 18:58
I normally don't write to "vendors" and you've probably received enough of these emails already, but I just wanted to say thanks for putting a product out there at a very reasonable price, that actually works. Sure there are other solutions, some costing more than double yours. I was so very hesitant that I just kept putting it off, worried that it would be a $300 bill from Canon (not bad since I live in NJ, but still)... So, I ordered the CHI MEGA D-SLR CARE KIT 14mm. If you want, attached are my before and after shots with my 20D. The worry time file was with using the pre-installed PEC*PAD. A little loose fiber I guess...any way, 3 re-do's later, I got it good enough for my liking. Total time invested was about 30 minutes. But you are right, the training wheels are off and I won't be so hesitant to wait so long to clean it if it is required again.
BTW, what's with the slinky? Aside from another good desk fob here at work...some deeper meaning to be revealed in your biography?
THANK YOU!
Joseph Hoetzl
7-September-2006 5:37
Nicholas,
I bought a Canon 300D used a few weeks ago and have loved it. After browsing the web on maintaining a DSLR camera (this is the first one I have owned) I found your site and seen how to clean the CMOS sensor. Not knowing how the previous owner had maintained the camera, I done a test shot as described on your site. I could not believe how much dust was in the shot! In the previous photos I had taken, there was one spot that would show up but it was in a area that was close to the edge and could be cropped if needed. I received your kit today, followed the directions and cleaned the sensor twice just to make sure I got as much of the dust I could. I took another test shot and no more dust! The directions are very detailed and you have photos on how it is supposed to be done. I have and will recommend your product to anyone I know or read about that has dust problems.
Jimmy Cantrell
2-September-2006 14:58
Hello Nicholas
The sensor swabbing kit sat on my desk and I looked at it for about three weeks wondering if I was really up to the demands of such a surgical procedure. Finally I had some spots which just wouldn't move with my Rocket Blower and I realized that the time had come. First I practiced applying the PecPads and doing dry runs. Finally after about one and a half stiff drinks (Beefeater and Tonic) my hand became as steady as a rock. In went the Swipe and I completed two deft strokes. Re-assembling the camera and lens I did a sky shot. Much to my satisfaction most of the offending spots were history including two dark "will-nots" on the side that just refused to go with air alone. So thanks for the encouragement and I'm on my way now!
Cheers,
Marcy P.; Canada
18-July-2006 13:31
Nick,
I just wanted to drop a line to let you know how the "Complete Sensor Cleaning Kit" and the "Brush on the Fly" kit were working.
Wow, the sensor cleaning kit took care of a spot that has plagued my Canon 350D from day one. I got the 350D and ran all over town shooting just about everything I could see. I loved the change to digital with control (I have the original EOS, the 650, and had stepped into digital with a Fuji S3000) Now I could unleash my talent on the world (Ha ha!) but upon getting home and checking out a panoramic shot of our wonderful city I fould a bunch o' stuff in the sky! UFOs? Nope not nearly colorful enough... Floaters? Nope those are in my eyes, not my camera (oh, and these don't ever move.)... Aaarrghhh! DUST! So on to the internet I went seeking quick ways to rid my DSLR of dust. WOW, kinda scary what some people will try! Then I got your kit, ran through the practice run, steadied my mind (Ooooohhhmmmmmm... Oooohhhmmmm.....) Now I was ready. 1 minute later, DONE. Went outside to check again, almost all are gone! :-) Next evening another shot at it, POW, all gone! Thanx for making such a kit available, and writing directions in a manner that doesn't make me feel all nervous about doing the cleaning. Now with the "Brush on the Fly" kit I can easily keep those bunnies at bay between cleanings, which should be a long time with the brush kit.
Thanks,
Michael Sink
10-June-2006 01:58
Hello Nicholas,
Thank you very much for you work. I want share my experience with your grate sensor clean method! Before 1 year I got from you the Sensor Swipe (forfree!!! ) Before number of weeks I found that my sensor is really dirty. I decided to clean it ! I had 3 sensor-swabs (photo-solution) I decided to try it first before your method. The result was not good, after 3 sensor-swab the sensor was more dirty than before ! The main problem of sensor-swab is that fact that the plastic under the pecpad is very short and does not fit all sensor size. And I tried your method, after 5 swabbing (I did it in one direction, I found it most suitable for me) the sensor was 100% clean. Even the new sensor was not such clean ! Your method is not very difficult but little stressful for first time :) Anyway it is NOT dangerous and very effective. So you can add Israel to the map of SWABing countries :)
Thank you !
PS: Fill free to publish this email on your website
Pavel Shamis (Pasha).
25-June-2006 14:06
Sir,
I recently purchased a Mega Cleaning kit for a full frame sensor Canon 5D and also a 14mm Complete Kit to suit a Canon 10D. Having had the 10D for some years I for some reason refused to accept the fact that sensor cleaning is necessary and goes hand in hand with Digital Photography.
I was being ultra careful to change lenses as infrequently as possible in as ideal conditions as possible but to no avail, the dreaded dust bunnies inevitably appeared and in the case of the 5D in a relatively short space of time.
I must confess however that peering in the chamber with the mirror and shutter locked up gives the impression of a very forbibbing “no go” area and that comes from someone who has worked a life time with very fine delicate electronic and mechanical assemblies. The bare sensor seems to emit an aurora that says “warning, warning, stay away, don’t come near”!!!!!!!!
Long story short, after much research on the web I found your excellent website and the whole complete procedure as you described seemed a logical sensible approach to eliminating the dreaded dust bunnies.
The 10D, being the oldest and now less loved was to be the guinea pig.!!! I read and re-read the tutorial and carefully prepared for the big event. Exactly as you mentioned, I wandered why I was so nervous about performing this relatively simple procedure. I think a lot is owed to your excellent description of the procedure. None the less as also mentioned in your tutorial, you are working in a very delicate area and it’s good practice to always hold this thought.
The 5D seems even easier, as the sensor is larger and easier to access. I did however have access to another tool used in another hobby, and that is an Optivisor Binocular Magnifier with a variety of lenses and light. Using this tool I could actually examine the sensor after swabbing and see if any dust or specs remained.
So I am pleased to report that I have indeed “crossed over” as it were and am now left wandering why I avoided this necessary aspect of digital photography for so long.
John Dek
Hurst, Texas
9-June-2006 06:49
Hi Nicholas,
I just received a kit from you. It was fast:) (mailed on June 2 from VA and received in Lithuania on June 6) But I have a question - what is in the white box?:) I tried to understand this few hours but was unable to do that:) Thanks.
4-June-2006 07:25
Nicholas,
I used the brush and it was a breeze. I also used the sensor cleaner with the pec pads and that was a piece of cake too! I purchased my Canon 20D used and it was full of dust spots for maybe close to a year (from my estimate)!! I had to do three back to back cleanings and almost all of the spots are gone. The first cleaning was a bit timid with the pressure, but I was more confident each time. It was hard to guage how hard I was pressing. I will wait a few days and do another cleaning to get the very last bits of large specks.
Thanks so much for the great product, support, and expert advice!
Signed,
One Happy Customer!
Bettie Sotomayor
28-May-2006 15:40
Top of the morning to ya, Nicholas!
Just recently received the sensor-cleaning kit you sent and it's a breeze to use. A very easy and relatively inexpensive way to get rid of those digital picture "dust bunnies" out here in the desert of Iraq. My sensor was so dirty that nearly every picture with clear sky showing required substantial PP. I used six pads before I finally got all the "gunk" off the sensor (I guess that's actually the low-pass filter, huh?) but it's clean now and appears no worse for wear based on a couple dozen pics I've taken. I'd sure like to know where that stuff comes from...it's more than just dust...and can't be removed with a blower or charged brush.
Many thanks for making the kit available. Clearly I have no way to get my camera cleaned professionally by Canon in my location and I doubt they could do a better job anyway.
Many thanks,
Bob Unger
29-May-2006 19:31
Hi, I just want to tell you that my sensor is virtually dust free (just a couple of really faint specks at F29) in just 5 minutes and 1 swipe. The hardest part of cleaning the sensor was definitely waiting for UPS to ship everything here! Thanks for the great product, your tutorial is so thoroughly detailed, I was incredibly confident even without any practice runs before hand, and it worked perfectly.
Lucas in Canada
Ps. I like the slinky too!
02-Jun-2006 05:06, dawn (accordsystems) wrote:
Subject: Slinky Gallery
Nicholas, you might get some entertainment out of a small gallery of images I did last night using the freebie slinky I got when I ordered my Copperhill cleaning kit:
http://www.pbase.com/accordsystems/slinkygallery regards
dawn
16-May-2006 16:42
Hi Nicholas,
Just received my SensorSwipe Kit, and I have to tell you I can not believe the results, I cleaned a Cannon 30D. I know it`s a new camera but the sensor was not as clean as I thought a new camera ought to be, and boy did your product do the job. I have two little specks left, but I think I will get them next time. Nice to get a product that works as advertised and thanks for the prompt delivery.
Best Regards, Alan L.
3-April-2006 14:15
Nicholas.
I just have to write you to tell you how absolutely pleased I am with the products and the whole Mega kit I got. Please feel free to use this as a testimonial. It's the perfect example of how someone who isn't experienced can get amazing results.
I had about 10 little/big specks of dust show up in my Canon 20d photos after 5 months trouble-free, never having removed my lens. I tried blowing it off with a blower and some pieces moved around, but things got worse, not better. I ended up with 20 specks.
Amongst other things, I shoot skies for creating video game art and I was starting to lose so much time in all the annoying retouching of 12-15 images for every sky I'd make. I had to get this thing cleaned...or could I do it myself?
I got your Mega kit after reading many positive reviews, and seeing other products out there which really seemed way overly priced - and even gadgetty. The Mega came a day or two before I even expected it. It was wonderfully packaged, all secure and tidy. This was looking good already.
I read the online instructions a couple of times. I knew this was the sort of thing which you feel more comfortable with through practice and doing it, just as you said. But I was still nervous. It was still intimidating. I'd already lost a hard drive for my online business which is going to cost me a fortune to recover. I can't afford to mess this up. So I tried blowing with the new blower some more and got nowhere. It was time to dive into your process.
First, let me say the instructions are so clear. I had them printed out, and in front of me. The good humour made it fun, and I needed a good few laughs to loosen me up. I followed along and got into the process easily. After each attempt, I went outside to shoot the sky, came back in, and checked out the pics.
I think I was so tentative the first try I may not have even touched the sensor. So I tried again. And once more. And once more. Every time, just as you said, I got more and more comfortable. The camera was still taking the pictures. And the specks on the 4th time almost entirely came off. Finally I had the confidence to go for it and use the pen pressure you described. I whipped up the 5fth swab feeling like a pro now...
...and it worked. By worked I mean perfection. All 20-odd specks are gone. And the camera works. And my blood pressure had long since dropped. There's nothin' on that baby.
I have a brand new personal business. Let's say things are a bit slow right now. You saved me money and time from not having to send it in somewhere (and maybe not get good results). And you saved me money and time being so thorough and helping me not break the darned thing.
PEOPLE, YOU CAN DO THIS IF I CAN.
All I can say is thank you for the products, the professional delivery and packaging, and your professional tutorial. I know now if I need to, I can do it every week like you said you do.
Ok, now you just lost me a bunch of time because I had to write this darned thank you letter. Not something I've ever done, not even on New Egg which has always been perfect for me. That's how much this meant...
Regards,
][udson Kerr
http://www.HudsonKerr.com
iMODWARE - High Quality Addons for Racing Simulations
7-May-2006 15:22
Nicholas,
A belated thank you for the super-quick shipping on my order. I did get it Tuesday and successfully cleaned my sensor without a hitch. Your instructions are quite clear and complete. Turns out I didn't have to use wet cleaning. The SensorSweep II did the job. But it's nice to know I'm covered for whatever crud comes blowing my way. Thanks again for making my first step into sensor cleaning less daunting.
Sincerely,
Naomi Lasdon; Virginia Beach, VA
4-May-2006 16:01
Hi Nicholas!
Received the kit today!
Things first started last weekend, after comming back from a photo session and realised that there were 2 specs of dust in the sky on every photos. I tried to blew with my mouth, they moved a little bit, so I tried to blow harder with my mouth... Very bad thing to do... I just tried your kit and followed your tutorial. Thanks so much! I still have one hard to reach spec on the lower right corner, but I'll live with it until the next wipe. See the photos showing the difference between before and after cleaning, feel free to use them as example for your site if you wish!
Thank you very much for fast delivery and out of the common customer service!
Jocelyn Laroche
21-April-2006 11:21
Dear Nicholas,
I need you again. Last year I mysteriously found myself entering the world of panic when my images began having the "spots". Basically, I was a classic case of what is common in your testimonials. I learned from your tutorials how to confidently clean and maintain my camera sensor. You really brought a lot of people out of the dark with what you've done for this component of owning digital equipment. I am extremely thankful I don't have to depend on a dealer to do this for me. Actually it would be impossible to constantly have the camera in the shop for such a simple procedure. Thank you to the hilt.
I am writing you today because I finished a shoot in Florida this past week. The location was a beach of the finest sand you will find on earth. The ULTRA retractable brush you sell became my best friend before, during and after the shoot. And yet I accidently left my best little friend behind in Florida and would desperately love it if I could buy a few independently from the kit. Sorry for all the drama in this note, but I really hope you can help me out with this one.
Please write back and thank you again for all the work you put into bringing your wonderful products to the market. Top quality in business behaviour and product dependability.
John Campossa
Chicago, Illinois
31-March-2006 09:58
I just want to thank you guys for your wonderful DSLR cleaning kit. I was despondent over the fact that I've taken several vacations and used to be an avid arts photographer and that my camera would produce big black spots on every single image that required cloning out. Additionally, since I'm photographing on white backgrounds for my jewelry retail business, I've spent countless hours cloning out damage to my photographs.
Your product has restored my sensor 100% and I am getting much better results with my images. Thank you so much. I will be raving about you on http://www.photo.net shortly :-)
Laura N.
23-March-2006 08:36
I received my wet/dry kit this evening and couldn't wait to try it out. I took a photo before and I had 4 very noticeable specs. I prepared myself and after 15 grueling and nervous seconds, I now only have one spec! Consequently that one spec is not where any of the 4 were before, so I obviously just moved it instead of picking it up, but that's ok. I was nervous and wasn't even pressing down much. You know, there are some really paranoid people out there. One guy was really trying to get me to not clean my sensor myself, saying it will instantly void my warrenty. I'm not worried about the warrenty, I worried about my pictures!
Aaron S.
Port Huron, MI
22-March-2006 23:52
Subject: Received and Used Your Product Today
Nicholas,
I just want to thank you for a great product. I just received my "Mega Care Kit" and used the Sensor Sweep brush with very good success. It only took 2 tries to get nearly all of the dust off the sensor. I will be using the rest of the kit in the future, when needed. One other point, I used a headlamp, like the ones for hiking at night, to light up my sensor. The head light works great and is always aimed just perfectly. Here is a picture of the results:
http://www.pbase.com/tzphotos/image/57617721 . Thank you again for a great cleaning kit,
Tom http://www.tzphotos.com
Julie W. 11-March-2006 11:24
Hi. My name is Julie W. and I purchased your SensorSweep a few months ago but up until today have not dared to use it. However, after a weekend out shooting along our beautiful coastline here in sunny Perth W Australia I was horrified to see that quite a few of my pics (lots of blue sky) had dust bunnies!!! So, I followed your instructions to the letter and cleaned my sensor------------absolutely brilliant!!! Now-- no dust bunnies and one very happy customer, so thanks a lot for your great product.
Rob V. 12-March-2006 10:31
Add me to the list of satisfied customers. I've had my Nikon D70 for about a year and never have cleaned it, so, needless to say, the sensor was filthy. Had to repeat the cleaning procedure several times, but it worked like magic. Took a photo of a white surface before and after for comparison purpose. The before photo revealed numerous spots and smudges. The after-cleaning photo was spotless. Photo quality is now excellent -- good as new. I was about to take the D70 to a local shop and pay $75 for a one-time cleaning, but then found out about your sensor cleaning kit and decided to give it a try. Thanks to your procedure and products, I can now correctly do the job myself at a fraction of the cost. Thank you.
-- Rob V.; Pasadena, Texas
Journalist and avid photographer
•Here's a recent thread started by a (happy) customer:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=15409349
In case you may be thinking that success and fulfillment in business comes solely by the amount of dollars or euros you make, I would like you to read something. Tim's experience and how he found his way through 2 years worth of dust has warmed my heart to no end. He didn't buy a SensorSwipe, a SensorSweep nor a Cleaning Kit, but he used this tutorial perfectly.
http://www.pbase.com/tim32225/sensor_cleaning
Thank you so much, Tim.
Mike P. 8-February-2006 15:05
I just wanted to say thanks for a timely shipping and a nicely detailed "how to" on cleaning my sensor. 99% of the sensor was cleaned on the second swabbing and I only had to give it a third cleaning because of some dust left in a corner. Because of your insistence on studying and practicing before the actual act, I was completely calm and confident in my abilities in doing the job right without ruining my camera.
Once again, I thank you and my Digital Rebel XT thanks you for all of your knowledge and your great pricing.
Mike P.
Ottawa, KS
Joe C. 1-December-2005 5:46
Wow! I was so nervous that I shut off the heat, put the dogs away , told the wife to keep out for an hour or so, had the gloves, the practice, all the instructions, a laptop with your website up and everything else in place, and WOW how easy is that, took my time and swabbed it two sep times and that ccd is clean as a whistle. Great product, great pride in your product (shown in the instructions) and will recommend to anyone I know in the bus.
Thanks again, Joe C.
Peter Hellekalek 4-October-2005 16:10
Dear Nicholas,
I would like to thank you very much for your products, which leave an excellent impression.
Everything is carefully assembled and appears to be of high quality. I am most grateful for your honest way of trading and your fair pricing. Your shipment arrived last friday, so everything worked fine.
With my best wishes
Peter Hellekalek
