topic Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

guillaume_1980 — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 10:11:49 GMT

hello all,

I'm new to this forum and i'm coming here because i couldnt find an answer to my question so far..

It's about my canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning, after a year without being used i've found some "artefacts" appeared on the pictures... I know there is a lot of stuff said, done and shown about it...But it's no dust.. i've ordered a cleaning kit from visible dust which came very complete with all the bells and whistles... but the "cracks" won't disappear..

Yes this looks like what i can only describe as "veins" or cracks.. like a mycosis..

I've took a picture for you to see.

Any input will be GREATLY appreciated since i'm in a state of .. despair right now i'd say. .

Thanks guys !

ps: forgive me if i made some mistakes, english is not my first language.

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

kvbarkley — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 14:20:01 GMT

This is probably a hair, or a bristle from a previous cleaning. when you raise the camera for cleaning do you see anything?

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

Waddizzle — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 15:00:58 GMT

That looks like a hair.

If you have an air bulb blower, then that could blow it out of the camera. Turn the camera so that any debris can fall out of it, when you blow it out.

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

ebiggs1 — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 15:23:20 GMT

It could be and likely is mold. It will be very difficult for you to remove if not impossible. Take it to a real Canon repair shop.

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

Peter — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 15:43:22 GMT

Fungus. Time to buy a newer camera.

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

Waddizzle — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 15:53:36 GMT

@Peter wrote:
Fungus. Time to buy a newer camera.

Not good. There's a fungus among us.

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

RobertTheFat — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 16:09:54 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
It could be and likely is mold. It will be very difficult for you to remove if not impossible. Take it to a real Canon repair shop.

IOW, what you see as the sensor is actually made up of two or more layers of material. If a fungus works its way between the layers, getting it out is not a DIY project and could cost you more than a 20D is worth.

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

Waddizzle — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 16:17:07 GMT

Fungus in the camera. You buy a new one.

Now, what about the lenses that you used with it? Shouldn't they be sanitized, sterilized, or something, too?

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

ebiggs1 — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 16:36:56 GMT

Mold/fungus often looks like hairs on the sensor. Whoever said it may not be cost effective to have it cleaned is proably correct. Having a real deal Canon shop remove a single screw is probably not cost effective on a 20D!

"...what about the lenses that you used with it?"

Could be where it came from in the first place. At any rate a Canon repair shop needs to be contacted.

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

ebiggs1 — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 16:38:21 GMT

"...after a year without being used i've found some "artefacts"..."

This is a clue.

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

guillaume_1980 — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 22:37:53 GMT

hello, thanks for you input.

Yes it looks like fungus or something like this indeed...

It's no hair for sure at least. When i blowed air with air bulb blower or rub it with the appropriate tools nothing moves. It seems to be "behing" a layer of glass actually (like roberthefat said for the sensor).

Unfortunately we don't have a canon representative here in New Caledonia..Best bet would be to bring it to a shop in Australia on a trip to see if they can do something, at least appraised it, but if the repair cost more than the camera itself... argh...i'm doomed ! 😕

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

Waddizzle — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 03:11:04 GMT

@guillaume_1980 wrote:
hello, thanks for you input.
Yes it looks like fungus or something like this indeed...
It's no hair for sure at least. When i blowed air with air bulb blower or rub it with the appropriate tools nothing moves. It seems to be "behing" a layer of glass actually (like roberthefat said for the sensor).
Unfortunately we don't have a canon representative here in New Caledonia..Best bet would be to bring it to a shop in Australia on a trip to see if they can do something, at least appraised it, but if the repair cost more than the camera itself... argh...i'm doomed ! 😕

Repair cost is almost certainly to be more than the cost of a used 20D.

I have a camera in the shop getting repaired right now, because I love it so much. I look at it like this. I would compare it to restoring an old car. When I get it back, I intend to retire it in under environmentally controlled conditions.

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

RobertTheFat — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 03:53:04 GMT

I happened to get to work on a 20D a few months ago. I'd never even seen one before.

A colleague at work brought in a 20D he'd bought when it was current, and his wife (so the story goes) immediately tried to jam a CF card in backwards and bent the pins. He had thrown it in a closet and basically forgotten about it. But after he'd been with us for a while and concluded that I knew something about cameras, he brought it in to see if I could fix it. The camera was in mint condition except for the bent pins, so I agreed to give it a try. Surprisingly, I was able to straighten the pins enough to get it working. It was one of those operations where you wish you had three hands: one for the flashlight, one for the magnifying glass, and one for the long-nose pliers. It took me a couple of hours, but I somehow managed to do it. The camera's owner was overjoyed; but whether it was actually worth the trouble, who can say?

Re: canon EOS 20D sensor cleaning

ebiggs1 — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 15:37:28 GMT

There is a big difference between fixing old obsolete gear and paying cash money to do so. I have said many time all DSLR's take good pictures. This is true for the 20D but for the same amount of money a more current obsolete camera can be had. Removing or cleaning mold/fungus is one of the more expensive tasks. If every bit is not removed, it will just return.

But first it has to be looked at by a person that is familiar with servicing Canon cameras. Not by a bunch of guys guessing what might be wrong.