mini35 blemishes - outside

Shawn Alyasiri · October 15th, 2005, 04:39 PM

Hi. I've had my mini35 for about a month now (with the HD100). I just got to taking the rig outside for the first time today - I needed to wait for a battery adaptor to power the P&S.

I have noticed on the footage that there are some blemish spots on the footage. Depending on how/where I focus the lenses (Canon EF lenses), they almost disappear, and then they're right there. I can tell that one blemish is a small hair. My guess is the other spots are similar dust.

I've tried to carefully clean the front and back glass on the mini35 (Canon lens cleaning kit (solution, cloth & lens paper), as well as the front and back of the adaptor, and the front of the HD100 - and the front/back of the canon lenses. If I put the stock Fuji lens back on the HD100, it goes away - so it's something on the mini35. It's my guess that it's actually in the mini35 - probably on the mirror. All other surfaces look very clean.

Is there anything else I can do, check or clean? Likewise, is there any reasonable way of checking/cleaning the mini35 internals? At this price, I really don't want to mess with it much.

Any advice is very welcome.

Thanks.

Shawn Alyasiri

Shawn Alyasiri · October 17th, 2005, 08:24 AM

Got a chance to call tech at ZGC this morning - it's probably tiny dust/lint inside. The recommendation was that you can open it yourself (carefully of course), and attempt to use compressed air to dislodge any debris. Hopefully I will not be introducing more lint into the case this way overall. Nice to know you can get in there if you were in a pinch. Not something I plan to do often anyway... will try later today.

What's a bit scary is that it's really tough to see these particle anomalies until it's on a bigger screen. I can see how it would/could happen - hopefully not a re-occurring problem.

Shawn Alyasiri · October 18th, 2005, 07:16 AM

Well - I opened the unit, cleaned it (with compressed air blasts) and closed back up (twice) and still didn't quite cover the problem overall. Still had some specs here and there on the final image. I used a good amount of compressed air, but it didn't quite cut it.

After talking to the tech at ZGC (a man name Gee(?) - sorry about the spelling - an incredibly helpful gentleman) he recommended focusing time on the glass behind the ground glass. I used a Qtip soaked in lens cleaning fluid, and gave the glass a good swabbing. I let it evaporate best as it would, and then I gave it a good wiping with soft lens tissue paper. Everything looks very clean now. Thanks ZGC...

It was frustrating and scary, since it occured over the weekend, and I didn't have anyone to call and I certainly didn't want to open up the case an void the warranty. I now feel very confident about the system, having seen it internally, and where potential problem spots may exist. All you need is a basic cleaning kit.

Someone wrote earlier asking about the internals. I'm not endorsing that you open your case up, but it is a fascinating piece of equipment. Mirrors bouncing through a prism, back into the camera - all with moving parts. I can understand where the modest expense is, now seeing it inside.

Thought I'd write this update, in case anyone ever finds themselves in a similar pinch.

Hard to see these specs/blotches until you're previewing on a bigger monitor. Must have been some very tiny specs on that rear glass element.

Have fun,

Shawn

October 15th, 2005, 04:39 PM	#1
Shawn Alyasiri Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 256	mini35 blemishes - outside - clean or return Hi. I've had my mini35 for about a month now (with the HD100). I just got to taking the rig outside for the first time today - I needed to wait for a battery adaptor to power the P&S. I have noticed on the footage that there are some blemish spots on the footage. Depending on how/where I focus the lenses (Canon EF lenses), they almost disappear, and then they're right there. I can tell that one blemish is a small hair. My guess is the other spots are similar dust. I've tried to carefully clean the front and back glass on the mini35 (Canon lens cleaning kit (solution, cloth & lens paper), as well as the front and back of the adaptor, and the front of the HD100 - and the front/back of the canon lenses. If I put the stock Fuji lens back on the HD100, it goes away - so it's something on the mini35. It's my guess that it's actually in the mini35 - probably on the mirror. All other surfaces look very clean. Is there anything else I can do, check or clean? Likewise, is there any reasonable way of checking/cleaning the mini35 internals? At this price, I really don't want to mess with it much. Any advice is very welcome. Thanks. Shawn Alyasiri

October 17th, 2005, 08:24 AM	#2
Shawn Alyasiri Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 256	FYI - called ZGC - probably inside Got a chance to call tech at ZGC this morning - it's probably tiny dust/lint inside. The recommendation was that you can open it yourself (carefully of course), and attempt to use compressed air to dislodge any debris. Hopefully I will not be introducing more lint into the case this way overall. Nice to know you can get in there if you were in a pinch. Not something I plan to do often anyway... will try later today. What's a bit scary is that it's really tough to see these particle anomalies until it's on a bigger screen. I can see how it would/could happen - hopefully not a re-occurring problem.

October 18th, 2005, 07:16 AM	#3
Shawn Alyasiri Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 256	Update Well - I opened the unit, cleaned it (with compressed air blasts) and closed back up (twice) and still didn't quite cover the problem overall. Still had some specs here and there on the final image. I used a good amount of compressed air, but it didn't quite cut it. After talking to the tech at ZGC (a man name Gee(?) - sorry about the spelling - an incredibly helpful gentleman) he recommended focusing time on the glass behind the ground glass. I used a Qtip soaked in lens cleaning fluid, and gave the glass a good swabbing. I let it evaporate best as it would, and then I gave it a good wiping with soft lens tissue paper. Everything looks very clean now. Thanks ZGC... It was frustrating and scary, since it occured over the weekend, and I didn't have anyone to call and I certainly didn't want to open up the case an void the warranty. I now feel very confident about the system, having seen it internally, and where potential problem spots may exist. All you need is a basic cleaning kit. Someone wrote earlier asking about the internals. I'm not endorsing that you open your case up, but it is a fascinating piece of equipment. Mirrors bouncing through a prism, back into the camera - all with moving parts. I can understand where the modest expense is, now seeing it inside. Thought I'd write this update, in case anyone ever finds themselves in a similar pinch. Hard to see these specs/blotches until you're previewing on a bigger monitor. Must have been some very tiny specs on that rear glass element. Have fun, Shawn