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(Q) Where did you get the information used to developed this site?
(A) Over 150 sources were researched and it still isn't complete.

• Visited over 100 web sites
• Visited 14 different online sensor cleaning tutorials
• Visited over 20 Forums
• Talked with all 7 DSLR Manufacturer's repair departments
• Talked to many professional Camera Repairmen who clean multiple brands of cameras on a daily basis
• Last but not least, our first hand knowledge on the subject

(Q) How long has Fargo Enterprises, Inc., been in the business of educating the consumer.
(A) This is our first educational site of this type, although we have been doing other types of free education since the early 90's. Fargo Enterprises, Inc., sponsored FREE 4 day Camera Repair Seminars annually starting in 1998, and continued them through 2001. We have had a FREE on line Parts and Service Directory since the mid 90's and we have provided free of charge a source for the camera repair industry to communicate called CamTechNet, since the early 90's. We have for many years also offered free of charge parts manuals for Kodak Projectors and some cameras .

(Q) Who was the first to start educating the photographer in cleaning their own cameras?
(A) Technically it was Photographic Solutions, but you had to buy their Sensor Swab™ to get the instructions or know someone who had a copy. Photographic Solutions in conjunction with Kodak, developed this process for the Kodak DCS line of cameras. As for the first to post (free of charge) on-line, it was FUJI in June of 2000 with the release of their S1 Pro. Micro-Tools started selling these products in Early 2001.

(Q) Who owns patents on any products or the subject of cleaning CCD's
(A) Kodak for the original Sensor Swab™ and Olympus for the Supersonic Wave Filter™. There have been some other claims of patents but we have not been able to verify any

(Q) Who was the first to use a device wrapped with a tissue to clean a DSLR sensors.
(A) Kodak did so before the Sensor Swab™ was developed. Canon and Nikon followed up with this same process once they introduced their own DSLRs and do to this date.

(Q) Why don't all camera manufacturers support/recommend the Eclipse™/Methanol and Swab cleaning technique?
(A) It all comes down to liability, and sometimes if it wasn't a procedure developed by their corporate R & D it can't be used.

(Q) Will mini-channels (holes) in the paddle of a sensor cleaning swab really help?
(A) If you are using that much chemical on your swab that you need the holes in the paddle, you are using WAY too much chemical and you will be having other problems. So the answer is no since the 2-3 drops of sensor cleaning fluid is all you need and it will NOT come close to needing the mini-channels.

 

(Q) What is the difference between the SensorWand™ and the SensorSwipe® other than the price?
(A) None, other than one is cut by us, and the other is cut by the other guys. Neither of us make these from scratch, we both take the same existing spatula and cut it down for the purpose. Both of us show you how to make your own, so you really don't need to buy either one.

(Q) Are Photographic Solutions' SensorSwab's™ as stiff as the SensorWand™?
(A) No, but they have made improvements to make them stiffer (in their latest versions) than their original design for the same reasons the SensorWand™ was developed.

(Q) Why are the manufacturers sending cameras back that aren't perfectly clean when they were sent in for a cleaning?.
(A) I'm not here to make excuses for the manufacturers, but here is what is happening in some of the cases. You must look at some of the facts. Your camera has been used and it now has dust on it and in it. It is not economical or necessary to fully disassemble your camera and remove every stray piece of dust. Then, once the camera's sensor is cleaned, the camera has to be shipped back to you. If you have ever seen UPS or the USPS at work, you know how the packages get treated like footballs. This shipping/football playing dislodges dust particles that end up floating around and then fall onto the sensor. This is why I recommend you do the cleaning yourself or walk the camera into a "Camera Repair" facility that does it in-house. If they all missed a spot that was there before, shame on them, because they more than likely were not using the Methanol and Swab method of cleaning.

(Q) Can I use "Methanol - CAS # 67-56-1" instead of Eclipse™?
(A) Absolutely yes, but you must take into consideration that standard medical grade methanol isn't nearly as clean as Eclipse™. Eclipse™ is refined Methanol with a specifications of 5ppm (parts per million) or less of contaminants, where as standard medical grade can have a specification of 500ppm or less of contaminants. This contaminant is what can leave a white film on the surface.

(Q) Why do I see dust spots on some picture but not on others that were taken minutes before or after.
(A) Dust may not be visible when shooting around f/5.6 but at f/22 it looks like a big ugly bug. It is directly related to the volume of light trying to go through and/or around that spot of dust on the filter in front of the sensor. The greater the volume of light (larger aperture opening) the more chance for the light to go through and/or bleed around the speck, diminishing the shadow on the sensor. On the other hand, using a smaller aperture lets a smaller volume of light in, but for a longer period of time, causing more of a shadow. Knowing this, you can use this knowledge to your advantage by opening up your lens (using a larger aperture opening, smaller number) if you get caught out in the field without the tools to clean and you have dust on your sensor.

(Q) What is the difference between CCD and CMOS
(A) Canon, explains this very well at Canon Technology