Made the mistake of using drug store Isopropyl alcohol out of panic. Am I screwed?

[Trippelforge]

So I got all of my AP equipment setup and started shooting with my new (second hand mod) DSLR. To my surprise the sensor had a lot of particles on it, it was getting late and I really wanted to get some imaging time in. So I took the camera inside and blew it off (manually), took some test shots and it was still there. So I got some isopropyl alcohol and a few swabs, and very carefully cleaned the sensor. It got rid of all of the spots but it took a few tries. Only afterwards did I learn you were NOT suppose to use it as it can leave impurities behind, which are very hard if not impossible to remove.

So I wanted to know if there is anything to worry about, or if there is actually something I can can do in order to clear it up? Visually the sensor looks clean, but I ended up not being able to get back to imaging because I ran into mount issues (ugh).

Thanks!

 

[Flamidey]

Take a defocused shot at f/16 or 22 of a uniform light background (your white wall will be fine) and check for spots. 
if it’s fine then you’re good.
Isopropyl alcohol will not damage the glass of your sensor. Worst case it doesn’t clean it good enough. 
if you need more cleaning, use good quality sensor swabs and a dedicated cleaning solution.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Flamidey

[Trippelforge]

Just now, Flamidey said:

Take a defocused shot at f/16 or 22 of a uniform light background (your whit wall will be fine) and check for spots. 

Will do, thank you! I ordered a proper kit today as well!

[Adam J]

On 16/01/2023 at 17:58, Trippelforge said:

So I got all of my AP equipment setup and started shooting with my new (second hand mod) DSLR. To my surprise the sensor had a lot of particles on it, it was getting late and I really wanted to get some imaging time in. So I took the camera inside and blew it off (manually), took some test shots and it was still there. So I got some isopropyl alcohol and a few swabs, and very carefully cleaned the sensor. It got rid of all of the spots but it took a few tries. Only afterwards did I learn you were NOT suppose to use it as it can leave impurities behind, which are very hard if not impossible to remove.

So I wanted to know if there is anything to worry about, or if there is actually something I can can do in order to clear it up? Visually the sensor looks clean, but I ended up not being able to get back to imaging because I ran into mount issues (ugh).

Thanks!

 

No it will be fine. I would not use pure isopropanol though as it's way too volatile and tends to evaporate before it actually dissolves oils ets from the sensor. Normally want to mix in some other stuff including distilled water to reduce volatility. It's why I use baader fluid. It's expensive on a per volume basis but you don't need lots and it's mixed correctly for you. 

Adam

Edited January 18, 2023 by Adam J