D80 sensor vs sensor filter replacement ? [and how not to clean a D80 sensor]

[sassan_hazeghi]

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<p>I had a case of (what I gather Tom Hogan calls) welded spot on the sensor of a D80 that could not be cleaned with a blower and the usual use of a sensor swab and ethyl alcohol still left a noticeable impression from the original dust behind (i.e. the pollen, or whatever the original contaminant was, had seemingly smudged surface coat of what I assume is the IR filter in front of the sensor.) So we used a 100% solution of methyl alcohol (used to clean organic contaminants from the surface of silicon wafers) with the sensor swab and a preliminary sensor test shot showed that the spot was gone.<br>

The extent of the cleaning action did not become obvious until the next day when, under daylight, every image looked like 3-4 stops overexposed (almost entirely washed out.) After the initial disbelief subsided, I thought that the cleaning had amounted to an inadvertent IR conversion for the D80 and, with an IR filter on the lens, I could use it for infrared photography during daytime, and as a regular camera with about 1 stop advantage for night photography without the filter. <br>

It turns out that there is usually a light (IR) source that results in an interesting but clearly undesirable (sensor-horizontal) red-to-green banding that iss hard to avoid or explain (as shown in the attached image.) I am wondering if anyone who is familiar with the construction of the sensor assembly for DSLRs (particularly Nikons) could explain whether what we loosely refer to as the IR filter is simply a thin (possibly organic) coat on the AA filter, or is it a separate piece of glass which can be replaced independent of the rest of the sensor assembly ? Also, is there an explanation for what is causing the colorful banding (since it seems to be originating at the sensor readout level rather than demosaicing ?)<br>

Finally, is is worth sending the camera for replacing the filter (or the sensor if it is all a single assembly) compared to what a used (good condition) D80 these days ?</p>

<p>Thanks for any insights !</p>

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[cameron_price]

<p>If it's any help, I routinely use HPLC-grade MeOH from my lab to clean the sensor (filter) of my D70s. I never have any problems with it at all, post cleaning. What grade MeOH did you use (ie, possibility of contaminants), and what was the source of said MeOH?</p>

[john schroeder]

<p>I would have your camera cleaned by a qualified tech with the proper equipment. If that dosn't fix the problem, then I would have the camera converted to full time IR <br>

http://www.lifepixel.com/</p>

[paradoxbox]

<p>having that camera cleaned by a 'qualified tech' (cleaning a camera is something that can be learned in about 30 seconds..!) isn't going to help it.<br>

i think you may have gotten liquid into the electronics of that camera, but it's possible it was damaged before hand by something else.<br>

i have seen another case on the internet similar to yours where someone was shooting a laser light show and the laser light destroyed the sensor producing similar results to what you've posted.<br>

in any case it's not worth it to replace the sensor on a d80 because you can buy them used for around 400$ or less now. a repair will be more than the value of the new camera.</p>