Ahhh dust is invading my back!

[NickCroken]

Since I am new to the digi mf game this may seem like a foolish question but I must ask anyway.  Is it common for dust to get under the protective glass covering the sensor?  I was noticing dust in my images so I did a dry clean and there was still dust.  Tried a wet clean and got rid of a little bit more but discovered that there was dust under the glass.  I am shooting with an Aptus 65.  Would you recommend sending the back away or trying to remove the glass and eliminating the dust myself.  I am open to all suggestions, especially ones which allow me to keep the back in my possession as I do not have the funds to buy a second back.

[HarperPhotos]

Hi Nick,

Sorry to read about your predicament. I have a Aptus 75 and have never experienced dust under the glass cover. I would sagest you get in touch with your local Leaf distributor and see if they can loan you a back so yours can be properly serviced.
I wound not try and do this yourself.

Cheers

Simon

[NickCroken]

Has anyone else had this problem?  I see lots of views but no replies. 

[Dustbak]

No, I have not had dust under my IR glass. I did have a back that had its IR glass invested with fungus. You are sure it is dust? The fungus was also beneath the glas, and naturally could not be removed. I ended up upgrading the back and figured the cost of repair I saved was a nice discount on the upgrade price.

[Weldon Brewster]

I would NOT take the glass (IR Filter) off to clean it. Those are usually installed in 'clean' rooms.  Unfortunately, I think you will have to send it in to be cleaned.  I would contact your dealer for suggestions.

[BenNorton]

It is not uncommon for dust or dirt to make it's way under an IR filter unfortunately. It really depends on how a back is used and in what environment.
They are not hermetically sealed as an engineer might still require access to it later for repair purposes.
I would not recommend that you clean it yourself either. Best to let someone with the correct cleaning kit to do that as things like compressed air and store brand 'Sensor Wipes' can cause more problems than they solve. You also really need the Leaf MFG software to be able to shut down certain aspects of the chip to be able to really see what's going on with the shot after the clean.

Where are you based?

[ondebanks]

This is the nice thing about the old Kodak backs and the Mamiya ZD backs. The IR filters are clip-on, clip-off; so you can easily clean both the filter and the sensor cover glass. Or replace the IR filter with an anti-moire version, for certain shoots. Or shoot with no filter and a massive IR response, if you want! 

I wish PhaseOne & Leaf would use this clip-on, clip-off filter design. It is one of the things that MFDBs _can_ do that DSLRs can't - it is a selling point. Kodak and Mamiya realized and exploited this; why can't PhaseOne et al.? 

[adammork]

I have had dust under the IR filter on an Aptus 75 a few times the last 4 years - removed it myself, with care....

/adam

[Edmund Sumner]

Hi There

Yes dust is a fact of life and I currently have, and have had dust issues

nothing you can do really

your supplier should offer a sensor clean service

costly though

£100 a pop in London

[NickCroken]

It is not uncommon for dust or dirt to make it's way under an IR filter unfortunately. It really depends on how a back is used and in what environment.
They are not hermetically sealed as an engineer might still require access to it later for repair purposes.
I would not recommend that you clean it yourself either. Best to let someone with the correct cleaning kit to do that as things like compressed air and store brand 'Sensor Wipes' can cause more problems than they solve. You also really need the Leaf MFG software to be able to shut down certain aspects of the chip to be able to really see what's going on with the shot after the clean.

Where are you based?

I am based out of Edmonton, Alberta.

[NickCroken]

Hi There

Yes dust is a fact of life and I currently have, and have had dust issues

nothing you can do really

your supplier should offer a sensor clean service

costly though

£100 a pop in London

It isn't my sensor that is dirty though.  I frequently do wet and dry cleans.  I can see the spots under the glass!


Adam, how did you go about taking the IR filter off?

[adammork]

I have a back in V mount, there is 3 Phillips screws holding the IR filter.

[BenNorton]

I am based out of Edmonton, Alberta.

Speak to the guys at Capture Integration about who can clean it for you professionally.