Cleaning the Camera

Cleaning the sensor

The sensor of the camera is protected by a glass-made low pass filter. What we mean by cleaning the sensor is basically cleaning the low pass filter in front of it. The filter should never be removed, unless absolutely necessary. Below, you can find a quick and step by step guide to cleaning the camera, followed by the official cleaning guide from the company.

Make sure the spots that you see are on the camera and not on the microscope. A good way to test this is to rotate the camera while the realtime image is being shown on the monitor; the dust spots that are on the sensor will not move, while everything else in the image should move with rotation.
Use a manual bulb blower to blow the dust away from the sensor. Hold the camera upside down when blowing. Do not use an air spray or a compressed air line, as they may include droplets of liquid and may do more damage than good.
Test the camera again to see if further more aggressive cleaning is required.
If so, try to confirm that the spots are on the sensor, by taking close-up images using a handheld microscope.
Get the required cleaning material: Eclipse sensor cleaning solution and full-frame size green sensor swabs (they’re usually in stock at Beau Photo, 1520 W 6th Ave, (604) 734-7771). Do not use other solution or other swabs.
Expose the low pass filter by removing the protective metal part using appropriate tools.
Take one green swab, and put a droplet or two of the Eclipse solution on each side of it.
Swab the sensor gently from right to left using one side of the swab.
Using the alternate side, swab gently from left to right.
Discard the swab. Never reuse.

Manufacturer’s Cleaning Guide

What is the best way to clean my Phantom high-speed camera sensor and lenses?
A tiny speck of dust on your sensor or filter can lead to a big ugly spot on your images, which is a shame because it is usually avoidable. The longer the lens and smaller the aperture, the more pronounced the spots will appear on your image. Accessing the Sensor

The first step in sensor cleaning is accessing the sensor itself. Some cameras (particularly those used in Cinema applications) have an Optical Low Pass Filter (OLPF) in front of the sensor. If that is the case, the lens mount must first be removed. Be sure all shims stay with the mount and are re-installed at the end of the process. The OLPF will either be attached to the lens mount or a holder in front of the camera. The OLPF holder is also removable in order to access it and the sensor glass. Do not touch the glass surface of the OLPF during the removal and re-installation process.

Cleaning the sensor

Rule #1: If the dust can be removed without using a solvent, you will save yourself a lot of headaches in getting rid of it! An important tool for every digital photographer is a bulb-style blower which forces recycled air to clean various optical surfaces. Compressed/Canned air is not recommended, as fluid particles can shoot out and attach to the sensor surface, making cleaning much more difficult. Another recommended option is to use a sensor brush, such as the Sensor Sweep brush, as it attracts dust particles to the bristles. Be sure to follow the directions. You must clean the brush by blowing air on it and sweeping it across a vellum-like surface to charge the bristles before each sweep on the sensor glass. You can also use the brush to clean the area around the sensor as dust can settle there and then get attracted back onto the sensor glass. Make sure to always blow the bristles free of dust (using a bulb blower) before storing it within its container.

If there is a smudge or dust that won't go away, try a sensor wipe or micro fiber lens cleaning cloth to gently wipe the smudge away. Just like the brush, keep these items clean and dispose of sensor wipes after each use. If you reuse them, they will build up residue which will end up back on the sensor glass. For very stubborn smudges, you might want to wrap a dry sensor wipe around a long swab for better control. If that doesn't work, a drop of Eclipse lens cleaning solution on the wipe will do the trick. A sensor wipe folded into a point with a drop of Eclipse on the tip can help very concentrated spots as well. When inspecting the sensor or filter, be sure there is plenty of light pointed at the surface to see what you are doing.

TECH TIPS

Cleaning must always be done in a controlled and dust-free environment.
Use a tiny flashlight to look at the sensor and/or filter during the cleaning process.
Always have clean sensor wipes handy for more serious dirt.
Cotton swabs aren't a good idea, unless they are wrapped in a micro fiber or sensor wipe material. Cotton swabs leave behind more than they remove.
NEVER blow on the sensor surface or use your finger to get a speck of dust off, it's going to make things much worse.
Always keep the Phantom Body cap on the camera when there is no lens attached.

Lens cleaning
Lenses gather a lot of dust as well, which can also wreak havoc on your images. Always keep the rear and front elements protected with their lens caps. There are many products out there safe for cleaning lenses, Here at Vision Research we find that a micro fiber cloth with one drop of Eclipse or Pan-cro solution (on the cloth) works at the fastest with the best results.