should I buy an a580?

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pakodominguez
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by pakodominguez »

Atgets_Apprentice wrote:
I heard about this issue after I'd bought mine, and noticed my sensor getting progressively dirtier, despite all my attempts to remove dust & debris. I had hoped that Sony would address this with a firmware update ...
leaving me with the only option of returning the camera to the retailer, and ending 31 years of Minolta/Sony ownership by switching brands.

Sony may be big, but they are doing themselves no favours by ignoring the customer, with their appalling customer service.
Sad story... I'm just curious, how do you imaging this firmware upgrade that will keep your sensor clean?
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Atgets_Apprentice
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Re: should I buy an a580?

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Update:

I've just received an e-mail from the retailer that they cannot do a refund, and can only exchange "like for like", and since I don't want another a580, I am stuck with it.

I may was well go back to the clapped out a100 I "upgraded" from. At least the sensor cleaning on that works properly.
XG-1, XD-5, XD-7, X-500, XG1n, X300, 7000i, 700si, 800si, 500si Super, 600si, Dynax 5, KM 7D, a100, a200, a300, a580. And another 600si.....
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Atgets_Apprentice
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by Atgets_Apprentice »

pakodominguez wrote:Sad story... I'm just curious, how do you imaging this firmware upgrade that will keep your sensor clean?
There must be some way of improving the effectiveness of the cleaning mode through firmware, to bring it in line with older, cheaper models it actually worked on.
XG-1, XD-5, XD-7, X-500, XG1n, X300, 7000i, 700si, 800si, 500si Super, 600si, Dynax 5, KM 7D, a100, a200, a300, a580. And another 600si.....
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pakodominguez
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by pakodominguez »

Atgets_Apprentice wrote:
pakodominguez wrote:Sad story... I'm just curious, how do you imaging this firmware upgrade that will keep your sensor clean?
There must be some way of improving the effectiveness of the cleaning mode through firmware, to bring it in line with older, cheaper models it actually worked on.
As everybody else, I had had issues with dust on the sensor, but nothing as bad as the issues you describe. I recall David K complaining about one model he had with the same issues, and he discovered that most of the dust were already in the camera, no product of mishandling or sloppiness. I don't know how he solved that issue...

Probably your camera have the same problem (I guess you do change your lenses carefully, on a controlled environment, turning the camera off before changing lenses, and all those hygienic rules...) and the dust came inside the camera, due to a bad handling during the assembly process. In that case, I'll take the offer of your dealer and take a new body instead.

Regards

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Atgets_Apprentice
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by Atgets_Apprentice »

An example of how bad the problem is:

Image
XG-1, XD-5, XD-7, X-500, XG1n, X300, 7000i, 700si, 800si, 500si Super, 600si, Dynax 5, KM 7D, a100, a200, a300, a580. And another 600si.....
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by Lonnie Utah »

Atgets_Apprentice wrote:There must be some way of improving the effectiveness of the cleaning mode through firmware, to bring it in line with older, cheaper models it actually worked on.
$10 US will solve 95% of your problem....

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CF0Q8wIwAQ
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Dusty
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by Dusty »

Lonnie Utah wrote:
Atgets_Apprentice wrote:There must be some way of improving the effectiveness of the cleaning mode through firmware, to bring it in line with older, cheaper models it actually worked on.
$10 US will solve 95% of your problem....

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CF0Q8wIwAQ
Shhhh! I was going to offer him $500 for it! :)

Dusty
An a700, an a550 and couple of a580s, plus even more lenses (Zeiss included!).
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Atgets_Apprentice
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by Atgets_Apprentice »

Lonnie Utah wrote:
Atgets_Apprentice wrote:There must be some way of improving the effectiveness of the cleaning mode through firmware, to bring it in line with older, cheaper models it actually worked on.
$10 US will solve 95% of your problem....

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CF0Q8wIwAQ

Tried & failed...... :roll:
XG-1, XD-5, XD-7, X-500, XG1n, X300, 7000i, 700si, 800si, 500si Super, 600si, Dynax 5, KM 7D, a100, a200, a300, a580. And another 600si.....
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by David Kilpatrick »

Our 580 has done nearly a year and while it has sometimes had one or two spots, a quick blast with a jet blower clears it perfectly. We got three spots during a week in Ibiza (quite dusty in places) and fixed it in the open air, just open camera, cleaning mode (aimed down all the time), blast a few times with the blower, do a sky check shot at f/22. No more dust.

David
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by Lonnie Utah »

Atgets_Apprentice wrote:
Lonnie Utah wrote:
Atgets_Apprentice wrote:There must be some way of improving the effectiveness of the cleaning mode through firmware, to bring it in line with older, cheaper models it actually worked on.
$10 US will solve 95% of your problem....

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CF0Q8wIwAQ

Tried & failed...... :roll:
For the final 5%....

http://www.photosol.com/store/pc/viewCa ... Category=4

My a900 gets this treatment about twice a year. It's easy and takes less than 5 mins..

This is what happens when you change lenses in a dust storm. My rocket blower fixed this without need of a sensor swabing...
Image
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Atgets_Apprentice
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by Atgets_Apprentice »

I have been informed by the retailer that they will have the semsor cleaned free of charge, which is very generous of them. However, Sony are conspicuous by their silence in this. Despite my sending a number of e-mails, I have had nothing from them, except automated responses. I also see that the a580 (& a560) are not repairable at the UK service centre, and you are directed to return the camera to the retailer for repair.

I am not filled with confidence in Sony these days, and I can see the a580 being the last ever Sony product I ever purchase.

For those who have suggested various cleaning methods, I have tried a Speck - Grabber, Giottos Air Rocket, and a Sensor Klean II. None of them have been particularly effective, and I maintain that that is due to the ineffective sensor cleaning of the a580 itself, so no amount of cleaning by any service centre is going to solve the problem, unless the cleaning mode & anti-dust is sorted out by Sony, who don't seem interested these days, unless you have an SLT.
XG-1, XD-5, XD-7, X-500, XG1n, X300, 7000i, 700si, 800si, 500si Super, 600si, Dynax 5, KM 7D, a100, a200, a300, a580. And another 600si.....
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by David Kilpatrick »

If the process you mention can't remove the dirt, then it is not loose dust and therefore will not be shaken off by the vibration-based sensor cleaning.

It may be any of the following: particles of mucus, caused by anyone coughing or sneezing in the room shortly before the sensor is exposed for cleaning, or otherwise; particle of greasy adhesive dust, such as dandruff, aerially carried cooking oil particles, oil particles from vehicle exhaust, and some types of pollen which are sticky; or particles of oil and perhaps fine particles resulting from mechanical wear inside the camera (or both combined).

But it's definitely sticky dust not just dry dust, because the sensor cleaning mechanism is pretty good at shifting that. It is no more effective than any of the similar mechanisms in Canon, Nikon and Pentax (all work the same way, and have about the same effect). It's slightly less effective than Olympus's ultrasonic membrane.

David
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by artington »

David Kilpatrick wrote:Our 580 has done nearly a year and while it has sometimes had one or two spots, a quick blast with a jet blower clears it perfectly. We got three spots during a week in Ibiza (quite dusty in places) and fixed it in the open air, just open camera, cleaning mode (aimed down all the time), blast a few times with the blower, do a sky check shot at f/22. No more dust.

David
I always understood that using pressurised air blowers like the Kenro Air Duster (which I use on negatives) is risky for cleaning sensors because of the danger of either dislodging the sensor and/or driving dust further inside the camera. Has this advice now changed?
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by pakodominguez »

artington wrote:
David Kilpatrick wrote:Our 580 has done nearly a year and while it has sometimes had one or two spots, a quick blast with a jet blower clears it perfectly. We got three spots during a week in Ibiza (quite dusty in places) and fixed it in the open air, just open camera, cleaning mode (aimed down all the time), blast a few times with the blower, do a sky check shot at f/22. No more dust.

David
I always understood that using pressurised air blowers like the Kenro Air Duster (which I use on negatives) is risky for cleaning sensors because of the danger of either dislodging the sensor and/or driving dust further inside the camera. Has this advice now changed?
air blowers are OK
Air canister or any kind of compressed air is better to avoid
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Re: should I buy an a580?

Unread post by David Kilpatrick »

By jet blower I mean the same as Rocket blower. Hama called them jet, Giottos called them Rocket. Big bulb blower. My favourite is the Lenspen blower which has valves to prevent it just sucking and blowing dust around.

There is one system which uses a canister - Green Clean, with a venturi effect adaptor so that it sucks instead of blowing using the pressurised canister. No propellant goes near the sensor. Correct - never aim a CFC/pressurised can of air at the sensor!

David
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