Most of you have been there before more often than not, for the rest of you, your day will come! I remember the day because I had just come back from taking photos in Chosica. I had run into the issue of dust on my low-pass filter which was showing up quite visible in my photos (in fact, to the point that it was ruining my photos). Since I had cleaned the filter before I decided to clean it again, so I grabbed my Giotto "Rocket" air blower bulb, unscrewed my lenses and began to blow air into the camera to dislodge any dust from the low-pass filter, and that's when the nightmare began!!!
I currently live in Lima, Peru where in the past few days we have entered into summer, thus there has been more humidity in the air. What started out as a few pesky specs of dust turned out to be several specs of dust on my low-pass filter! I tried blowing several times and even employed extra muscle in a desperate attempt to remove the dust, but my efforts were in vain for the dust remained on the filter as if mocking me. RAGE was my emotion of the day, the kind of frustration and anger that can bring a grown man to tears. The moisture from the air had caused all the dust coupled with the force of the blower bulb air to fuse or "weld" (a commonly used term in photography) the dust to my filter. Realizing my dilemma I began contemplating my options, my father in his moment of expertise offered to clean it off using a Q-tip to which I SCREAMED "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Accepting defeat I decided that I had neither the tools nor the expertise to tackle my problem, so I decided my only other option was to send it to a professional. I grabbed the phonebook and began searching for a technician in Lima. A few minutes later I found one located in the district of Miraflores, I called and asked how much it would cost to clean the filter and was given a price of S/. 150 (Peruvian New SOL) which is equivalent to $50 USD. Not bad considering how much it costs in the states to have it sent away to a professional for maintenence. Now I would be lying if I told you I wasn't scared and worried at the mere thought of leaving my camera in the hands of a stranger (professional or not), especially since that camera is a representation of all my hard work spent in order to obtain it.
Like a frightened parent I decided to leave my child in the hands of a professional. I went with my family to Miraflores and headed over to the 3rd block of Av. Diez Canseco (#316) where the little camera shop was located. I met with the lead technician who gave me a play by play of how he intended to fix the problem. The technician stated that in order to clean the low-pass filter he was going to have take the camera apart (YIKES!). I left the technician with my camera and walked away unsure if I would see my camera again (in working order that is).
The next day I returned to the shop only to find my camera in perfect working condition, I was ecstatic, to say the least. I felt my faith restored and was more than glad to pay the maintenence fee. I would definately recommend this camera shop for those who lack the expertise or stomachs to clean their low-pass filters.
It is important to note that there do exist several products and methods for cleaning and removing dust and other foriegn matter from the low-pass filter of your CCD. If you do find yourself in a situation that requires you to clean inside your camera you might want to consider the following link. This website provides a TON of useful advice and tips, along with several products for those interested in cleaning their filter. I highly recommend you give it a read.
Here is the link: The website is called www.cleaningdigitalcameras.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment