Sensor cleaning question (1 Viewer)

Does the Canon 1D MK 11 have 'in-built' sensor cleaning similar to the 40D ?

Like others I am tempted to purchase a used M11 but to me this is a major advantage that the 40D has (over the 30D) and would affect my decision.

Built-in sensor cleaning isn't such a major issue - it might remove odd bits of dust but I find that I still have to manually clean the sensor to remove bits of gunge that inevitably gets on the sensor. I once had a small insect get inside whilst changing lenses and you should have seen the amount of "slime" that left on the sensor - it was like a slug trail!

Sadly not. The MkIII has, but not the MkII.

Having said that I agree with RezMole, having owned a 20D and now a 1DMkIIN I don't find manually cleaning the sensor to be a major issue (and I do a lot of lens swapping). I use brushes from Visible Dust and find them to work as advertised.

QuantumTiger said:

Sadly not. The MkIII has, but not the MkII.

Having said that I agree with RezMole, having owned a 20D and now a 1DMkIIN I don't find manually cleaning the sensor to be a major issue (and I do a lot of lens swapping). I use brushes from Visible Dust and find them to work as advertised.

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I got into digital with a 20D and (like others) was a bit scared of cleaning by all the hype and the fact that Canon recommend to always send them off for professional cleaning. Since owning the 40D I have never had to clean it.

Has anyone got a MK 111 for sale.......I can go as high as £750

David Smith said:

I got into digital with a 20D and (like others) was a bit scared of cleaning by all the hype and the fact that Canon recommend to always send them off for professional cleaning.

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Yeah, they would do that - makes them a bit of extra money. I've never come across anyone who has done any damage by doing it themselves. There are loads of threads on here recommending suitable products and advice.

I don't thinks auto sensor cleaning in cameras is that effective. After all, what does it do? Just vibrates the dust off the sensor. And what happens to this dust? It just goes back onto that sensor - it isn't removed from inside the camara. Eventually your cameras' insides will look like the inside of a hoover bag!

rezMole said:

After all, what does it do? Just vibrates the dust off the sensor. And what happens to this dust? It just goes back onto that sensor - it isn't removed from inside the camara. Eventually your cameras' insides will look like the inside of a hoover bag!

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I thought that some of the latest bodies had a sticky pad under the sensor to trap the dust.

David Smith said:

Has anyone got a MK 111 for sale.......I can go as high as £750

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Don't think you will get a Mk III for £750

David Smith said:

I got into digital with a 20D and (like others) was a bit scared of cleaning by all the hype and the fact that Canon recommend to always send them off for professional cleaning. Since owning the 40D I have never had to clean it.

Has anyone got a MK 111 for sale.......I can go as high as £750

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at £2999.99 at WE I doubt anyone will be jumping to sell one for <£1500 but you could get lucky

I use Sensorklear lenspens as used and sold by Art Morris -- just occasionally some Channel Islands retailers seem to get bulk shipments and do them for about £4 but you have to look hard and often to find them -- I think they are about £15 in most shops

Auto-cleaning is absolutely worth having. It works, and works brilliantly.

I own or have owned 400D, two 40Ds, 50D and 1D III, and have never had to manually clean te sensor on any of them, while my two 20Ds (which don't have self-cleaning) are constant dust bunny warrens. I would not even consider buying a camera that didn't have this feature. (Bear it in mind that I work exclusively outdoors, and mostly in a hot, dusty environment.)

rezMole said:

I don't thinks auto sensor cleaning in cameras is that effective. After all, what does it do? Just vibrates the dust off the sensor. And what happens to this dust? It just goes back onto that sensor - it isn't removed from inside the camara. Eventually your cameras' insides will look like the inside of a hoover bag!

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Not so. If you read the literature that the manufacturers provide, you will discover that part of the self-cleaning package is a dust-collection area - it amounts essentially to something like double-sided sticky tape, and this is where the dust ends up eventually. If you hold the camera horizontal while it's cleaning itself, the dust drops straight down onto the pad. If you hold it at other angles, it floats around for a while before some random motion places it in contact with the pad, but either way it gets there in the end.

Naturally, you help it out by blowing any surplus dust out of the mirror chamber with a rocket blower now and again, and any time you send your camera in for service, Canon replace the pad with a fresh one as a courtesy.

Finally, note that the dust cleaning system is just that: a dust cleaning system. It cannot do anything about smuts, grease, oil, or slug trails! But if dust is a problem for you, the self-cleaning sensors are brilliant.

PS: David, the 1D III is simply superb. Scratch up some currency - sell your grandmother if you have to - and go for it. I still use my various other bodies for some stuff, but the 1D III is by far the best of them. Shockingly expensive, but worth it for sure.

I agree with Tannin, the auto cleaning works great on my 40D. In the 14 months I have had it I have used a Rocket blower once and that's it.

Roy C said:

Don't think you will get a Mk III for £750

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OK then-------I will go as high as £795.00 :t:

I'm no expert but I have found the cleaning system on the 40D to be excellent-so much so that (now I realise) the MK11 doesnt have it I have back-pedalled.

Tannin
Unfortunately (at my age) I don't have a granny-would you consider loaning me yours and I'll see what she fetches...anything over £3K is yours:-O

David,
I wouldn't let the lack of a sensor cleaner dissuade you from buying a mk11 .
I have just moved from a 40D to a MK11n and had exactly the same concerns as you.
Within a couple of weeks, my fears were reality. Serious dust on the sensor. It was easily removed though with a £7 rocket blower.
After the initial shock of having to use three hands for just about everything, I am realising what a brilliant piece of gear the mk11N is.
The auto focus on the mk11n is a good enough reason on its own to make the change, my 40d is now strictly a reserve.
Mike.

mike nesbitt said:

David,
After the initial shock of having to use three hands for just about everything, I am realising what a brilliant piece of gear the mk11N is..
Mike.

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Very encouraging Mike-thanks for that.
I did use the rocket on my 20D and it worked fine. I also purchased a special brush but never needed it.

Maybe a daft question but what do you mean by "use three hands" ?

I've used a rocket blower for easy dust removal and for more stubborn stuff a 'lenspen' from Art Morris's website works a treat and is easy to use.

Like Mike, I wouldn't be put off the mkII or mkIIN simply by dust issues. Using 3 hands can be tricky when you only have two... Having said that, if you can use more than one finger per hand to do the paired button presses the mkII needs for some menu selections, you can manage with just 2 hands.

David,
As you are aware the 40D is very user friendly, for example to change from manual to AV, you simply click the command dial and it's there. On the mk11 to carry out the same function you need to simultaneously keep two separate buttons depressed and also turn a dial, on top of this you would also need to monitor the small LCD screen on the top of the camera to check the status.
I don't have three hands either but there were times when I could have done with them. I'm OK with it all now but there was a bit of a learning curve, old dogs and new tricks etc.
Mike.