before I get to the cleaning question…there’s this, recently made the move from Nikon to Fuji medium format mirrorless so I’m unfamiliar with all but the basics of the mechanics of mirrorless cameras. When I look into the camera body I see a piece of glass covering the sensor, or is that the actual sensor. If so it doesn’t look like any I’ve seen. The spot seems to be a glob of something that has dried and stuck in place. I’ve tried removing it with one of the brush or squeegee type sensor cleaners that come with a solution of some kind, to no avail. It’s large enough to be visible if cloned out, not on the web but on a print. Any thoughts on how to remove it, or should I just send it in for repairs to be on the safe side? The picture probably doesn’t help but have you ever seen a spot like this?
Hi Bruce, Fujifilm medium format sensors do have a layer of glass in front of the sensor. It’s there for protection and also is far enough in front of the sensor that minor dust won’t show up.
Anyway, so sorry to see that big spot. If you’re sensor cleaner isn’t doing the trick, then I would send it in for cleaning.
Incidentally, if your camera has in camera stabilization, then cleaning the sensor requires several extra steps to avoid damaging the stabilization system.
Just in case you do have it, here are the steps to do before brushing or using a swab:
Turn Camera on. (The Sensor is cleaned with power on.)
Set IS mode to Off. (This pulls the sensor into lock mode.)
Switch the shutter to ES. (So the shutter won’t accidentally trip.)
Turn “Shoot without Lens” to Off. (So the shutter won’t trip w the lens off. Default is Off, but you may have turned it on to shoot adapted lenses.)
Turn Power Saving Mode to Off (So the camera will not power off after two minutes.)
Thanks David. I should have mentioned the spot seems to be on the glass cover not the sensor itself. As far as the steps you mention I had the camera off but all the others were done…accidentally I guess so I’m hoping all is well. Frustrating since the camera has less than 80 on the shutter count.
I worked at a camera shop from 2004 through 2020 and cleaned thousands of sensors through the years. I’ve seen just nearly everything, and learned some excellent techniques along the way. We primarily used Eclipse fluid with swabs from photographic solutions. They worked very well, but sometimes the Eclipse solution had little to no effect on stubborn spots of organic matter. I found that Purosol lens cleaning solution worked very well for those stubborn spots. It has an enzyme-based formula that works wonders. Just spray a small a very small amount on a swab so it’s slightly damp, then swab the sensor like normal. Chances are it’ll get rid of the stubborn spot, and once you’re done, follow it with a swab with the normal cleaning solution again.
