# missing part of sensor coating



## bribrius (Mar 22, 2016)

and it does seem to show up in some photos should i try to get the rest of the coating off?


----------



## bribrius (Mar 22, 2016)

think i might have hit it a little hard one too many times with the qtip and wipey


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 23, 2016)




----------



## astroNikon (Mar 23, 2016)

huh?

hope you didn't use a flat tip screwdriver to clean your sensor ??


----------



## pixmedic (Mar 23, 2016)

120 grit sandpaper to get the gunk off, then 320 grit sandpaper to finish it. 
worked great on the wifes treadle.
smooth as glass.


----------



## spiralout462 (Mar 23, 2016)

Have you tried pressure washing?


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 23, 2016)

If you've scraped off part of your sensor's coatings, just use a hammer an chisel to physically remove that part of the sensor.

BAM!.... _instant crop sensor_!!!!!  Super for sports, wildlife, birding, surveilling neighbors.......

You can thank me later with a donation to my PayPal account.


----------



## Dave442 (Mar 23, 2016)

Use crop mode. 
Donate it to a family member. 
Have the sensor changed. 
.
.
I don't know, but scrapping off the rest of the coating falls down pretty far on my list.


----------



## petrochemist (Mar 23, 2016)

bribrius said:


> think i might have hit it a little hard one too many times with the qtip and wipey


Unless you are using incompatible cleaning solvents, I suspect it would be difficult to rub off any of the sensor coatings - scratching is another matter but would look different.
If it looks like part has rubbed off are you sure it's not an area of cleaning residue??
If the solvents used aren't the highest grade there is a significant risk of trace contaminants being lefts after the solvent evaporates. Also remember even top grade solvents can get contaminated if your cleaning procedures aren't careful to minimize this.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

petrochemist said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> > think i might have hit it a little hard one too many times with the qtip and wipey
> ...


alcohol and i'm pretty sure its gone but i can take another look at it. Doesn't show up in all photos just some depends on light mostly in some sky pics. Been using alcohol and pad for a while and a medical q tip never had this happen before but there was a certain particle that just didn't seem to come off i think i was a little hard on the pressure.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

petrochemist said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> > think i might have hit it a little hard one too many times with the qtip and wipey
> ...


my cleaning procedure depends almost entirely on what i ran out of, what i have available, the mood i am in, how much a hurry i am in, and for a few years how much i had been drinking at the time. This is actually the first sensor i can say i actually suspect i may have damaged however. hmmm


----------



## Overread (Mar 23, 2016)

A picture says a thousand words - show us the results and the problem


----------



## unpopular (Mar 23, 2016)

holy hell.

What ever happened to to the sound advise of never cleaning the sensor directly?!


----------



## Derrel (Mar 23, 2016)

My thoughts, based on your verbal descriptions, and no photos of the issue:

You have probably just smeared whatever that "particle" was, around. It might have been a small grease or lubricant particle that flipped off the shutter mechanism after many, many cycles, and the accumulation into a single point was flung onto the sensor. Many cameras will fling lubricant--it's not an every single shutter actuation kinda' thing, but it can happen.

The issue might very well be the wipe you're using: you need in effect a tiny flat-bladed SQUEEGE...cleaning the glass filter array located in front of the sensor of most d-slrs is best done with _a blade-type cleaning pad_--something that will actually wipe-off the solution and the stuff the solution has dissolved/loosened. A Q-tip is simply the wrong shape and type of tool.

Think about it this way... a man's handkerchief balled up is a Q-tip.

A gas station squeegee is a sensor swab.

You need the right tool to do a job easily and efficiently. *You used a butter knife as a Phillips screwdriver*. You might have burred the screw head.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

see the spot in the sky right over the roof of the playground equipment? Usually it isn't noticeable i have noticed in now in a couple sky shots which i can usually blend in post and it kind of limits me editing anything high contrast as it becomes more apparent. Basically just a darker shade of whatever in that area.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

sorry for the shot i kicked up the light so you guys could see the area easier. i had to sort through in originals to find one as they usually dont show up or i already edited it so i think this is a straight jpeg i pulled from the original folder.


----------



## Dave442 (Mar 23, 2016)

I would probably send it in for professional cleaning.


----------



## snowbear (Mar 23, 2016)

Sell the camera and take up knitting.


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 23, 2016)

I doubt you removed any part of the sensor.

Unless you complete disassembled your camera, removed it and took the glass filter off first.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

480sparky said:


> I doubt you removed any part of the sensor.
> 
> Unless you complete disassembled your camera, removed it and took the glass filter off first.


what filter?


----------



## Derrel (Mar 23, 2016)

Most d-slr's have a "filter stack" in front of the actual sensor...sometimes called the anri-aliasing filter, sometimes called the sensor protective glass, sometimes called the filter stack array; this glass array often has an anti-aliasing property to it; in d-slr cameras that omit the anti-aliasing filter, there is STILL a glass protective array above the actual sensor/

I see the goober. You have what I call a "sensor goober". And it is on the filter array. I've had a couple of these in the last 15 years. if you owned a Sensor Scope, a illuminated magnifier with a self-contained LED light in it, you could literally SEE this thing. It's NOT that large...I highly,highly doubt you could see it with the unaided eye, unless you have absolutely phenomenal close-up vision.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

Derrel said:


> Most d-slr's have a "filter stack" in front of the actual sensor...sometimes called the anri-aliasing filter, sometimes called the sensor protective glass, sometimes called the filter stack array; this glass array often has an anti-aliasing property to it; in d-slr cameras that omit the anti-aliasing filter, there is STILL a glass protective array above the actual sensor/
> 
> I see the goober. You have what I call a "sensor goober". And it is on the filter array. I've had a couple of these in the last 15 years. if you owned a Sensor Scope, a illuminated magnifier with a self-contained LED light in it, you could literally SEE this thing. It's NOT that large...I highly,highly doubt you could see it with the unaided eye, unless you have absolutely phenomenal close-up vision.


its the 7100. i will take another look at it thanks.


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 23, 2016)

bribrius said:


> its the 7100. i will take another look at it thanks.



Don't bother looking.  It's there.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

480sparky said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> > its the 7100. i will take another look at it thanks.
> ...


but i scrubbed that thing man..


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 23, 2016)

bribrius said:


> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> > bribrius said:
> ...



Unless you use power tools, you're gonna scrub a long time to get through that glass.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

sigh. your messing with me now..


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

the purple tint coating, part of it gone i actually CAN see it


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 23, 2016)

I guarantee it ain't the sensor itself.  It's the glass filter in front of it.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

480sparky said:


> I guarantee it ain't the sensor itself.  It's the glass filter in front of it.


well how am i supposed to fix it?


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)




----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

upper right hand corner cant miss it


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 23, 2016)

bribrius said:


> well how am i supposed to fix it?



Send it to a repair facility.  This isn't a DIY project.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

480sparky said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> > well how am i supposed to fix it?
> ...


care to elaborate?


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 23, 2016)

bribrius said:


> care to elaborate?



Locate a suitable repair facility.
Ship camera to said facility.  Pack well with lots of soft, fluffy stuff in a cardboard box.
A few days later, they will contact you. Pay them when they give you a price for the repair.
Watch for a box at your door a week or two later.... it will have your repaired camera in it.
Go out and shoot something.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 23, 2016)

480sparky said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> > care to elaborate?
> ...


No i mean on what YOU THINK IT IS, i assumed it was coating flaking off. And what you would think would entail in fixing it.


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 23, 2016)

bribrius said:


> No i mean on what YOU THINK IT IS, i assumed it was coating flaking off. And what you would think would entail in fixing it.



I think the glass filter in front of your sensor has been damaged.

Send it to a repair facility to fix it.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

480sparky said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> > No i mean on what YOU THINK IT IS, i assumed it was coating flaking off. And what you would think would entail in fixing it.
> ...


you seem to really be discouraging me from trying to find the parts on ebay


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

but okay,  if you want i will send it to you.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

film camera still works and its thirty years old. Go figure... I break a dslr in less than two years. LMAO


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 24, 2016)

bribrius said:


> you seem to really be discouraging me from trying to find the parts on ebay



I'm not discouraging you from doing anything.  If you want to buy the part needed and think you can handle dismantling a modern DSLR, replacing said part, and reassembling everything into a working, reliable unit... by all means, be my guest.  It's not my money on the line.  But as for finding the part, good luck with that..... considering Nikon only provides parts to Nikon repair facilities.




bribrius said:


> but okay,  if you want i will send it to you.



Whether you send it in or not is not up to me.  I don't have a dog in this fight.  It's totally up to you.  I'm just giving you a reality check.  Figure $250-400 for the pro fix.




bribrius said:


> film camera still works and its thirty years old. Go figure... I break a dslr in less than two years. LMAO



Welcome to the age of disposable goods.  You pays your money and you takes your chances.  It's what we get when we demand low-cost/mass-produced goods.


----------



## robbins.photo (Mar 24, 2016)

480sparky said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> > you seem to really be discouraging me from trying to find the parts on ebay
> ...


Well that and when said goods are improperly treated, like say using a qtip instead of a proper cleaning tool.

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> > bribrius said:
> ...


shhh. They want two hundred to disassemble it and still waiting for price of part they calling me back its like two hours away. I might just keep fixing it in post processing or find another route the camera isn't worth that much


----------



## petrochemist (Mar 24, 2016)

You may as well get it converted to IR (which involves removing the sensor stack), at least you'll get something for the money.
Typical cost is I believe $150-250.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

petrochemist said:


> You may as well get it converted to IR (which involves removing the sensor stack), at least you'll get something for the money.
> Typical cost is I believe $150-250.


interesting idea.... hmm   i would have to buy another to go with the dx lenses and some of my older lenses


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 24, 2016)

petrochemist said:


> You may as well get it converted to IR (which involves removing the sensor stack), at least you'll get something for the money.
> Typical cost is I believe $150-250.



That was going to be my next suggestion.  Convert it and either use it after you buy a replacement camera, or sell it to fund a replacement.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

nikon service center sucks and i havent even got there yet. They wanted 25 dollars to quote me a price i had to talk them into it on the phone and call them twice and still waiting for a return call. I just told them finally "look im over two hours away dont want to drive there for the hell of it, and the camera isnt worth much and you are starting to piss me off"


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

omg its just a freakn camera they act like they are brain surgeons


----------



## astroNikon (Mar 24, 2016)

bribrius said:


> see the spot in the sky right over the roof of the playground equipment? Usually it isn't noticeable i have noticed in now in a couple sky shots which i can usually blend in post and it kind of limits me editing anything high contrast as it becomes more apparent. Basically just a darker shade of whatever in that area.
> 
> View attachment 118220


That looks like a floating hippopotamus to me.
Was it pink in color earlier ?


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

astroNikon said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> > see the spot in the sky right over the roof of the playground equipment? Usually it isn't noticeable i have noticed in now in a couple sky shots which i can usually blend in post and it kind of limits me editing anything high contrast as it becomes more apparent. Basically just a darker shade of whatever in that area.
> ...


no but what do you mean? i'm side tracked on nikon service center right now thinking of driving down there with a carton of eggs instead of the camera


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 24, 2016)

bribrius said:


> omg its just a freakn camera they act like they are brain surgeons



You obviously think it's going to be like changing a light bulb.  

Let us know when you swap it out.


BTW, do you even own a JIS screwdriver?


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

480sparky said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> > omg its just a freakn camera they act like they are brain surgeons
> ...


its not that i just cant believe someone cant give a ballpark estimate over the phone and would rather waste your time shipping it to them or driving it to them but lets see if they call me back with the part price since it had to call them twice for a labor price


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

they have jis screwdrivers on amazon for eight bucks.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

alright they called back 257 for part 209 labor least i have a price now i guess i wont egg their windows


----------



## Overread (Mar 24, 2016)

Sounds like they are doing a full sensor replacement - that's way more than I'd honestly expect in parts for just hte filter glass infront of the sensor (which should in theory be all that you've damaged).


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

Overread said:


> Sounds like they are doing a full sensor replacement - that's way more than I'd honestly expect in parts for just hte filter glass infront of the sensor (which should in theory be all that you've damaged).


yes that is what i was thinking. Also if maybe something got UNDER the glass. Its been used in, umm, so not so great conditions. Think the shutter counts only around 30k though


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

kind of off subject but one of my kids actually covered it in sand once and said he was making a sand castle. I was just like ummmm.     LOL


----------



## bribrius (Mar 24, 2016)

this one ha ha (i can laugh about it now)


----------



## unpopular (Mar 30, 2016)

It's likely that the sensor and glass are one module, and their protocol is to replace the entire module even if the problem is with the glass. It might cost too much for them to diagnose the problem at that detail, or to do the precision work needed to replace only one when they have hundreds of cameras needing repairs.

Have you looked into having the filter removed entirely? There are services that can do that.


----------



## Watchful (Mar 30, 2016)

I just drop all bodies and lenses in the dishwasher once a month.
They come out a little wet, but 15 minutes in the microwave and they are like brand new.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 30, 2016)

Watchful said:


> I just drop all bodies and lenses in the dishwasher once a month.
> They come out a little wet, but 15 minutes in the microwave and they are like brand new.


i like this concept. For the moment i am just ignoring the issue. since i dont shoot pro and can clean up some in post it seems fairly mild though i may pick up another camera


----------



## bribrius (Mar 30, 2016)

unpopular said:


> It's likely that the sensor and glass are one module, and their protocol is to replace the entire module even if the problem is with the glass. It might cost too much for them to diagnose the problem at that detail, or to do the precision work needed to replace only one when they have hundreds of cameras needing repairs.
> 
> Have you looked into having the filter removed entirely? There are services that can do that.


i have a dremel with a cutting wheel that might do it.


----------



## EIngerson (Mar 30, 2016)

Hand it off to a beginner. Order a new camera. Voila! Problem solved.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 30, 2016)

EIngerson said:


> Hand it off to a beginner. Order a new camera. Voila! Problem solved.


i was thinking of using it for a beater since my concern for its welfare has just diminished quite a bit.... I could probably shoot another hundred k shots from it and have it covered in sand a few more times. Get something nicer for when i'm not at the beach, in snow, rain etc. New 7100s are 800 dollars or less and thats not even on a sale they will drop in price even more. Used are even cheaper.


----------



## EIngerson (Mar 30, 2016)

bribrius said:


> EIngerson said:
> 
> 
> > Hand it off to a beginner. Order a new camera. Voila! Problem solved.
> ...



I was going to recommend a Canon….but what ever.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 30, 2016)

EIngerson said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> > EIngerson said:
> ...


lol.

i am not brand specific other than matching lenses i still shoot some 70's cameras and point and shoots. I have no canon lenses though hmm.


----------



## EIngerson (Mar 30, 2016)

bribrius said:


> EIngerson said:
> 
> 
> > bribrius said:
> ...



All the more reason to go shopping. You'll need a new bag too. One that has Canon logos on it so people know you're a "real" photographer. 


And a new hat.


----------



## bribrius (Mar 30, 2016)

EIngerson said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> > EIngerson said:
> ...


yeah i don't care what people know or think they know. You make a valid point on the canon though i never had a canon i thought they kept changing the mounts so avoided them hmm


----------



## EIngerson (Mar 30, 2016)

bribrius said:


> EIngerson said:
> 
> 
> > bribrius said:
> ...




Well, if you don't get the hat forget it. People will judge you.


----------



## 480sparky (Mar 30, 2016)

Watchful said:


> I just drop all bodies and lenses in the dishwasher once a month.
> They come out a little wet, but 15 minutes in the microwave and they are like brand new.



Say what?

You mean you toss 'em in the nuke machine instead of the clothes dryer?


What a hack!


----------



## bribrius (Mar 30, 2016)

my dishwasher has a dry cycle you don't think it would work well enough? I wish they made cameras that way but i think only my waterproof one would survive it.


----------



## table1349 (Mar 30, 2016)

Next time use a piece of silk cloth.  That way you can strip the coating off the filter evenly.


----------

