camera cleaning???

[KISS_ME]

I just took the plunge in buying a 50d and somehow ended up buying the extended warranty as well (futureshop). they told me these things require standard maintaince and the (CMOS??) sensor needs to be clean regularly which is something that extended warranty covers. my question is that is this cleaning really neccessary and also would you trust futureshop to do this clean?? would this also be something i can clean myself? or should newbies stay away from this in general? im completely new to the SLR business so any tips such as taking pictures to accessories would be much appreciated. ooh and i got the 18-85 lense which you guys tell me is a fairly good lense. thanks in advance.

[The_Rural_Juror]

You can do it yourself. There are plenty of youtube videos on the topic.

Easy. Soap and water.

(just kidding about the last part).

[Pollywog]

Originally posted by KISS_ME
would you trust futureshop to do this clean??

No.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by KISS_ME
I just took the plunge in buying a 50d and somehow ended up buying the extended warranty as well (futureshop). they told me these things require standard maintaince and the (CMOS??) sensor needs to be clean regularly which is something that extended warranty covers. my question is that is this cleaning really neccessary and also would you trust futureshop to do this clean?? would this also be something i can clean myself? or should newbies stay away from this in general? im completely new to the SLR business so any tips such as taking pictures to accessories would be much appreciated. ooh and i got the 18-85 lense which you guys tell me is a fairly good lense. thanks in advance.

If I were you I'd return it and buy from a place like The Camera Store. I assume you paid the $1349 price FutureShop is currently advertising. It's cheaper at TCS and you can forget about any extra "sensor cleaning" warranty. Future Shop is also the last place I would want going anywhere near my camera.

If you're careful with your equipment, you will probably only have to clean your sensor after very heavy usage (i.e. lots of lens changing in dirty/dusty environments). Even then, most times you can clean any dust specs off with a blower and don't need to physically clean the sensor. In over 2 years I have never done anything but clean my sensor with a blower and nothing foreign has ever been visible in my pictures that I can tell.

If you do need to fully clean your sensor, it isn't hard to do yourself and there are lots of how-to videos.

I assume you meant the 17-85. Its a fine beginner lens, nothing too special.

[KISS_ME]

acutally futureshop was having a sale today. price was $1260 which is 50$ cheaper then camera store. well after knowing cleaning is a relative gimmik i'll probably have to rethink the warranty. thanks for all the help.

[sl888]

check this out at TCS
http://www.thecamerastore.com/events/2010/05/01/visible-dust-sensor-cleaning-demo-day

[quazimoto]

TCS will also match the futureshop price. So will Vistek for that matter.

[Go4Long]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt

If you're careful with your equipment, you will probably only have to clean your sensor after very heavy usage (i.e. lots of lens changing in dirty/dusty environments). Even then, most times you can clean any dust specs off with a blower and don't need to physically clean the sensor. In over 2 years I have never done anything but clean my sensor with a blower and nothing foreign has ever been visible in my pictures that I can tell.

I've only had my new camera since december and I've had to clean the sensor twice. damn thing is a dust magnet.

[aych]

mines been 3 years.. no physical cleaning needed, and I take it hiking and swap lenses out in the open ... I did get a piece of gravel in there once though.. lol

[blitz]

Originally posted by Go4Long


I've only had my new camera since december and I've had to clean the sensor twice. damn thing is a dust magnet.

Have you got it setup so it does the self cleaning every time you turn it off?

[Go4Long]

yup. I got a stubborn spot in nearly the exact same place twice

[clem24]

Future Shop up to their antics yet again. Best Buy is equally as bad. When I bought my TV, the fucker tried to sell me extended warranty by explaining that dead pixels will tend to clutter in one area because they are caused by explosions or something, and would therefore affect adjacent pixels. So it would be worth it to buy it. I told him he's a fucking idiot and to spare me the agony of standing there and listening to him bullshit. In the end, I bought the warranty cause they took $300 off a $400 blu-ray player, so basically warranty ended up being free. But I can see how people can fall for these things when they start throwing in technical terms and they basically don't know any better.

In any case, I don't see why FS can't do the cleaning. If you've already bought the warranty, I assume it's too late and there's nothing you can do. The sensor is quite delicate and can be fucked pretty good with bad cleaning. So if they fuck it up, new camera for you. The body will be obsolete in a few years anyway. I've had my D200 for well over 3 years now and I've only had to clean it ONCE.

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by clem24
I told him he's a fucking idiot and to spare me the agony of standing there and listening to him bullshit.

Haha that's what I like about you Clem: you're so blunt!! :rofl: