Introduction
During normal use, changing the lens of a camera allows dust or dirt to enter the lens bay. Some of these
particles may settle on the protective sensor cover glass, resulting in image artifacts. Regular inspection and
cleaning of the sensor cover glass reduces the risk of these artifacts showing up.
Cleaning is always performed on the protective cover glass, which is the top sheet of the optical filter array
located in front of the sensor. The sensor itself is sealed to protect it from environmental influences.
Perform all cleaning in a protected environment, to avoid additional contamination during the cleaning
process.
The following instructions are the ARRI recommended techniques, which are applied in our service centers
and have proven to be effective.
Any cleaning is performed at your own risk. ARRI takes no responsibility for damages caused by improper
cleaning.
1 Inspecting for dust/dirt
By inspecting the sensor cover glass for dust and dirt, one can easily determine whether cleaning is
necessary.
Required materials:
-
Camera lens
-
HD Monitor
-
Uniform white image target area
Instructions:
1. Attach the lens to the camera.
2. Set the lens focus to infinity.
3. Set the lens aperture to F16 or above.
(Note: Dust specs are less visible at wider apertures.)
4. Connect the HD monitor to the camera image output.
5. Aim the camera at the image target.
6. Adjust the exposure of the image through camera FPS, Shutter Angle/Exposure Time or Exposure
Index. Variation of exposure level may be required. Signal clipping must be avoided.
7. Inspect the image of the HD monitor for dust and dirt.
Dust/dirt particles appear as local changes in image brightness. If particles are visible, cleaning is
recommended.
Sensor Cover Glass Cleaning
– Instructions
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