How to fix a problem with R1 Sensor Glass?

[Mike Krumlauf]

I recently bought a RED ONE (currently on its way to me) off ebay. It looks like it was owned by LensRentals at one point as a picture i have of the body has a lensrentals barcode below it. I reference this information because maybe someone from LensRentals will know what happened to the camera. There is a defect of some kind on the glass in front of the sensor. My two questions are, based on this photo i've uploaded, what do you think it is and the second, is there a rather cheap way of cleaning/fixing this problem? I spoke with the guy who i bought it from and he showed me examples where it is only noticable at high isos with the lens stopped way down but in broad daylight you cant see it. Either way, when i have the means, i would like to invest the money to fix it and i am hoping that this is a simple buying of a sensor cleaning kit.

Looking forward/scared to hear what you all have to say :b.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Björn Benckert]

that looks loke somebody has been scratching off part of the coatings of the olpf...
I dont know how easy it is tk cHange the olpf in the red one but possibly you could find a camera that has this part intact but is suffering some other major way and simply swap it out.

the other thing you could do is try to clean it evenly ie remove the coating. that would not make it correct. but possibly leave you with a slightly artistic looking camera...

or could just leave it if it does not show to much.

 

[Vithya Sharma]

I think that it can not be easily fixed ...

 

[Elsie N]

If the coating is removed, does the camera become an IR camera?

If so, rent it out as an Infrared Camera and before you know it you will have enough to buy a Dragon/Weapon. Or offer to trade it as an IR camera for a non-IR CAMERA. I'll bet there are takers out there for that.

I really needed an IR camera for a few scenes in a shoot awhile back.

 

[ericyoung]

That could be just the result of a bad cleaning job, which might be easily rectified with a good cleaning job.

http://photosol.com
Use Sensor Swab size 2 with one or two drops of Eclipse Cleaning Fluid, or the pre-moistened Sensor Swab Plus. Follow the instructional videos on how to use them.

Note, any loose dust/grit/particles should be blown off/removed first.
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showth...nsor-problem&p=1332230&viewfull=1#post1332230

Or it could be using too much cleaning liquid has leaked behind the OLPF glass - accessing the back of the OLPF in a R1 is not easy, and will involve disassembling the camera (voiding warranty/risking damage if you don't know what you're doing), or getting Red to do it for you. If it's just the OLPF and not the actual sensor, it may be more affordable than you fear. Worth getting a quote/estimate from them.

 

[Mike Krumlauf]

Thanks everyone for your responses thus far. I will give the cleaning swabs a try and based on my future work with it, if it becomes a real bother i will contact RED and see what can be done. Eric, love the bueller quote at the bottom of your post. I consider myself the biggest John Hughes fan of my generation in Chicago.

 

[Mike Krumlauf]

So the camera showed up today and it's looking like the defect is on the glass right infront of the sensor, its not the OLPF filter. What now?

 

[ericyoung]

Well, if you're happy it doesn't show up in usual camera setting ranges, you could just use it as is. Obviously you bought it as seen, so you can't get your money back. Do a bunch of testing to see if you can make it show up.

If, however, it does show up in your footage, and it really isn't on the front of the OLPF, then you'll have to see if Red can help you. No harm in getting a quote for rectifying the problem as long as you specify that you want them to call you before going ahead with a clean or replacement.

 

[Mike Krumlauf]

Here is what the owner i brought from said about the issue to me this morning.

"Answering questions you had in your other message, the defect shows up with any ISO and High F/T-Stops, such as F/T22. If you shot at F2.8 and at any shutter speed and ISO, that should be fine, so it's just if you close the iris down to a pinpoint that it shows up, specifically"

 

[Christian Celada]

that is inside, i highly advise to send it to red, or get your money back and return the item, that is a sensor job, and to get there you would need to disassemble the whole setup and its imposible to do since that part is vacuum and pretty much disposable... needs a new sensor.

 

[Mike Krumlauf]

update: i spoke with RED and they are getting in touch with the owner to transfer ownership to me. they said an MX sensor replacement plus work time would cost a little over 6 grand. at this point, im going to wait until i can test it out and if the camera works fine with a lens wide open, it will be okay. *crossing fingers*

 

[Christian Celada]

get your money back... that looks like it has specular aberrations that will deflect light and create permanent distorition and artifacts...get your money back and buy another its not the last red on sale!

 

[Marcel Mulsoff]

I agree with Christian, unless you got the camera for almost nothing and you are planing to use it for fun, get you money back and save for another R1 with no issues, I can assure you, you don`t want to come back from a shooting to discover that everything is lost for a distortion or an artifact.....

 

[Andy White]

Yes, agree with everyone - there are 1's going for $5K with various bits and pieces included... this one looks like it could be a bit 'problematic' (understatement).

 

[Mike Krumlauf]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I Paid 2400 for the body so at this point I'm going to do some tests and see how it performs, if it's unuseable in all situations I'll just pay to have it fixed by red.

 

[Mike Krumlauf]

I was meaning to post these example pictures that the seller posted about the defect. As he mentioned, it looks like if you keep the lens wide open or close too, the defect does not show.

 

[Christian Celada]

funny, that will cost more than a working one... makes anyone wonder about this post.

 

[Mike Krumlauf]

Well it could just be a sensor clean which red says is 120/hr. I am still waiting for my power cables to show up to test out the camera. I dont think the sensor itself is damaged, its just some cleaning fluid dried on the glass in front of it

 

[Robert Ruffo New]

Don't buy it!!!! Could easily be OLPF scratches - and then we are talking (guessing) $500 to fix, plus shipping to Red and back.

If the OLPF has been treated this badly, likely other parts of the camera are also in terrible shape.

I would wait for someone well known from here to sell theirs. They often come up in the sales sub-forum.

 

[Mike Krumlauf]

I've already bought the camera. i am waiting to get power to the unit until i make my decision to keep the camera or not. The guy said he would offer a refund if things were not to my liking so i am protected in a way. I know for a fact that the damage is NOT on the OLPF, the OLPF is perfectly fine, its on the glass thats protecting the sensor. The Sensor itself is fine, that glass just needs to be cleaned. After speaking at length with the owner i bought it from, it really seems to be a problem that looks worse then it actually is, but i can't be the judge of that until my AC cord arrives, so until then I have to play the waiting game.