Cleaning the CCD sensor of a Panasonic Lumix Compact Digital Camera
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- Please read the entire description before attempting this process!
Dust, hairs and pollen can easily get "sucked" into the lens as the camera initialises and the barrel extends. They manifest themselves as out of focus dark areas on the image and they do not change size or position as you zoom the camera lens.
In most instances any "sensor" specks of dirt actually occur from the dust settling on infra red filter which is before the CCD itself. To clean the IR filter and the CCD the camera back and inside plates have to be removed before you can gain access. This video shows you how to perform this operation, clean the IR and CCD and then re-assemble the camera.
Using a dust blower will generally remove the dust specs, however if the camera has been used in dust enviroments or in high air pollution such as cities then there is also a possibility of a "film" of contamination also on the surface of the IR filter. Using my technique of the cotton bud removes the film thus restoring any lack of contrast due to this film. If you IR filter comes out of the holder on re-installation put the IR filter into the small recess in the lens housing, then the small rubber boot with the widest part uppermost on the IR filter and then gently place the CCD block back on top of the boot and proceed to tighten it down as per video.
I make the statement that although this is a simple task, you undertake this at your own risk and I can accept no responsibility if you "brick" your camera by damaging the LCD ribbon cables, connector latches, the IR filter or the CCD itself.
Work carefully and arrange the case and other screws so that you know where to replace them.
As a precautionary measure against the unlikely event of electrostatic discharge (ESD) causing damage to the electronics of the camera whilst you are working on it it is advisable to wear a suitable wrist strap device available from most electronic spares stores. - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Thank you Graham Houghton. This concise instruction video has saved me money and bought me time to consider an upgrade. I have a DMC-TZ7 which is almost 6 years old and my photos sufferered from grey blobs, especially noticeable with a plain background [ie blue sky] I wish I'd done this when it first appeared last year. The only nervous moment I had was when I switched on the camera after the procedure and my hopes sank when the screen did not light up. This happened about 3 times and I was worried I'd damaged the thin ribbon cable. I decided to apply a little more pressure to the connector as it looked as though I wasn't getting the connection fully 'home'. Thankfully this did the trick. Quick trial photos show no blobs but waiting a clear blue sky for confirmation. :-)
Suggestion: try a shooting white interior wall.
Great video, many thanks. This saved my wife's camera!
I found it to be important to inspect the sensor etc. before reassembling the camera, using a bright light and a good magnifying glass to ensure that it really is clean.
[A 50mm or 35mm lens from an old SLR camera can be an excellent magnifying glass, but you may need to experiment with it first. Hint: With the lens aperture wide open, hold the back of the lens about 40mm from the object, and place your eye close to the front of the lens]
Hi. I was a senior engineer with Kodak and spent lots of hours repairing photographic printers and processors. Later I joined the training and technical support centre where I eventually became manager until 2001 when Kodak started to shed people in the UK and I decide to leave and take a new career path as IT manager/programmer. I retired in 2009 when the company closed manufacturing in the UK and moved to Tunisia I still enjoy electronics and making stuff in my garage workshop.
I previously paid £65 for my TZ20 to be cleaned. Two months later the same problem arose and we refuse to pay another £65 for a clean and purchased our first bridge Fuji. I came across this video, took apart and cleaned the CCD of the TZ20 today in 20 minutes and it's immaculate again. It's revived a camera we'd written off and saved countless £65's of the future. Thank you very much for taking the time to share your knowledge, Nadine
Thank you for this. I was plagued by a large black spot and a grey boomerang-shaped shadow on every photograph. I could edit them out to some degree using a photo editor, but it was a huge pain of course. Your video is the best I've seen in terms of clarity and explanation, though unfortunately the model you used was slightly different to my Lumix DMC-TZ18 so I got stuck at the outset on removal of the back cover! Eventually I managed it, and then found the inside to be slightly different, especially with regard to removal of the ribbon cables. Anyway, with dogged persistent and improvisation I eventually got to the infra-red filter and found the offending little buggers and got them swept away. Almost as bad as the deconstruction was the matter of getting all those tiny tiny screws back in their holes! In conclusion, after watching your video twice, then two hours "hard labour" - accompanied by Play/Pause on a third play of your video - JOB DONE! Cheers.
Best demonstration on you tube - thanks I've now got rid of the blotches on my pictures
You are a lifesaver, Graham! This has happened to three of my Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 cameras. The first one was replaced by Panasonic (it was out of warranty, so I had to pay for the new one), and the second one was abandoned when I bought a used one from an independent seller on Amazon. When that one went bad, I was going to buy another brand of camera, but I was disappointed with the image quality of the Sony that I bought, so I returned it. That's when I discovered that this has happened to lots of other people too, and that's what led me to your video. I have now successfully repaired BOTH of my Panasonic cameras, so now I have a backup. Shame on Sony for not admitting to this problem and doing something about it, and thanks to you for helping me fix it, and I'm no techie! The only hard part was finding a Phillips head screwdriver that was small enough to fit the screws. (I finally found one as part of an eyeglass repair kit at Wal-Mart for $1.27.)
Thanks Greg for you feedback on this video. A lot of users have now successfully cleaned their cameras after watching this now.
And here's a big "Thank you" from Germany :-)
I just rescued my mother-in-law's DMC-FX66 and cleaned some dust from the filter!
Excellent video Graham, very clear description. Thank you! I have a Panasonic FS18 - not quite the same but similar construction and I'm going to have a go at cleaning the sensor based on your instructions.
The IR filter would be there, it doesn't always come off - it's better that way - and its only the front which gets the blobs of dust/pollen etc. Glad you achieved a good result, and thanks for getting back. Its nice to know the process works for other cameras and people.
Well done, another success story to add to the growing number of people who have managed this now.
Hi Graham,
With a very prominent dust item showing in the centre of photos I followed your clear instructions today and subsequently checked a photo taken of the sky. The images are now clear and dust-free.
Although my FX60 had a slightly different method of removing the bottom and the small ribbon cable, the instructions provided enough guidance and confidence to step through the tasks, from start to finish.
Thanks for the video, you saved me either a high cost at a local camera shop or a replacement camera.
Thanks again.
Martin
Thank you very much Graham Houghton!
My camera fell as I tripped over a stone. Since then there was a big speck on every picture. The local camera shop could not do anything. I had not the slightest clue what to do. But yesterday I followed your clear instructions and it worked! It is all clean again. I am very happy! My forthcoming holiday will be so much the better for it. Thank you so much! Anneke
Absolutely brilliant, thank you! I had two LUMIX, both with dust on the sensor and today I was told in a shop they were not repairable, nor saleable! Thanks to you, I now have two excellent cameras back that I can sell with confidence. Thank you for your clear, intelligent instructions - you've made my day!
Thanks Tim for the reply and adding yourself to the very long list of users who have successfully cleaned their sensors using this video. Appreciate the time taken by you to respond to the video.
This video gave me the confidence to open up my Sony point and shoot to remove a spec that was on the sensor. This effort was after I had tired the vacuum method and also removing the lens from the front to clean it. Once I saw the spec on the sensor I knew I found the cause of the spot in my images. The senso looked very much like the Panasonic one. Casualties of my effort include a small plastic tab that broke off one of the housing pieces, leaving me with an extra screw at the end, and also my pop up flash no longer actuates automatically, But it functions as a flash when I pull it up manually, like old times. There were anxious moments when the LCD screen was not coming on, but I realized I that the ribbon connectors came undone and was able to get them connected well again. I saved at least $300 in repair charges and gained a lot of satisfaction. I've taken nice pictures with the camera and now look forward to many more.
Thanks so much for this instruction video, Graham! I picked up an old Lumix FX150, and it's a great little digicam. Only problem, I was getting black spots on images. Drove me nuts trying to clean the lens, and realized it could be the CCD sensor, which led me to your page. I was a little hesitant to open up the cam and clean it myself. But I followed your instructions, and I was able to clear the dust! Now, images are clean and free of black spots. Much appreciated!
Thanks for the comment and adding yourself to the long list of users who have successfully cleaned their cameras. really appreciated.
Thanks for adding to the long list of people who have now successfully returned their camera back to as new working order. Thanks for responding.
Great instruction video! I did clean the inside of my Panasonic DMC-TZ18, a slightly different camera, but over-all the instructions still were quite adequate. Now this most annoying dust speck is gone from my images. It really kept me from taking pictures, but now it all works perfectly well again! Wonderful job, many thanks to you! Keep up the good work. Regards, Adriaan
Thanks very much for posting your success, adding to the long list of people who have successfully completed this repair.
Thank you for posting such an informative and clear video. Big blobs on certain photos, especially sky on full zoom, meant the camera has been consigned to the bust gadgets drawer for a year.
I found your video and plucked up the courage to take my Panasonic DMC-Z3 apart to clean the dust from the infra red filter.
I found it hard to undo the cables from back case LCD but by being careful did not need to in the end. The other tricky bit was removing the thin back plate and then fitting it when reassembling.
After a careful 45 minutes work the camera now works a treat. No more blobs.
Thank you.
I was ready to chuck my DMC-ZS5 with those dust & lint spots until I viewed your video, Graham. One of the most detailed, concise and clear do-it-yourself videos. My camera is now dust free. Many thanks.
Clear, concise, sensible, no - nonsense practical advice, well presented, not demeaning in any way, inspires confidence and ignites a 'have a go' frame of mind. Graham clearly enjoys sharing his lifetime accumulation of camera knowledge and maintenance tips, well done, mate, nice to see such quality video instruction, cheers, Paul (who is now going to see if he can solve his wife's DMC - TZ3 flickering monitor screen (looks like noise on vision) which sure sounds like a poor connection, and/or dust on CCD sensor to me!)
You just saved me the 50 euro the technician asked me this morning...
Even though my camera is slightly different from yours, I managed to clean it properly.
Thank you very much for your splendid tutorial, from Italy!
Thank you for your effort posting this information video. I was quoted £120 to repair my Lumix TZ9, which I could not afford, so followed your sequence as a last hope and it worked! Fantastic. You are the man!!
Thanks again Graham. Rather than a bad workman blames his tools. I went out and bought a good set of tweezers, an anti static camera brush and I already have a set of Lindy tools. My last plan is to buy a used camera with a different fault and swap the parts around. You have given me the confidence to take them apart.
Tried this on a rainy day. It worked a treat and the smudge has gone. Thanks Graham.
Great video. Panasonic told me that it wasn't worth the cost to repair my wife's DMC-FS15. But following your directions, with a couple of different connectors due to the different camera, and all is good and my wife is happy. Thanks for putting this tutorial together. Cheers!
Hi Graham, I've had my ZX3 for well over 10 years, grey blobs started appearing on images after about a year and the store had it cleaned for free..very nice...9 months later more blobs again, this time it cost about 50 pounds, and a year later it happened again, so I put it aside and bought an LX7.. brilliant instrument...about a year ago bought a second hand Olympus mirrorless OM1 together with a couple of lenses...Unreal results but I still need a small camera in my pocket all the time, the LX is just a bit too big so I got out my ZX and the blobs were still there... then I found your article, so well explained...I am a technical guy and have all the small tools in my lab and today set about the clean-up job... It took about an hour because there were differences in models which I had it 'discover', but now I know, next time I reckon I can do it in 15 mins. The interesting part that nobody has ever explained, until you did, is the vacuum effect in firing up the camera which sucks in dirt... so obvious. Anyway a very big thank you.
Worked well for me. Thank you very much Graham. One hint to others: Before removing the LCD back light cable, make careful note of which side is right side up, and re-install the same way. Otherwise, it is somewhat easy to re-install upside down- in which case the LCD screen will appear to be dead.
I just bought a TZ7 second hand, and lo and behold after a few hours, I realised why it was put up for sale! But your dust removal technique has fixed it, you saved the day. Thanks for a great video demo Graham.
Thanks Graham, I followed your instructions and cleaned my ZX3. All the black dots and hairs have gone from my images. Well pleased
Just to follow on from my prior post. It turned out that after cleaning my IR filter I screwed down the sensor too much and cracked the filter(which explained the mark down the left hand side of image). Was beside myself trying to find a replacement filter. I got in contact with a uk company called ace camera repair and they had them in stock more over it was delivered next day! Camera up and running! Thanks Graham for your expertise!
It worked! Thank you, Graham. The tiny screws nearly drove me nuts, but I finally got it back together and now my DMC-ZS8 is dust free!
I have to say I have never commented on anything before like this but the effect was not a blob more a line. I dropped my TZ10 and had a semi circular line across the top right corner of any photos I was taking. I though I might have cracked a lens. I watched your video through once then followed your instructions, particularly how to clean the sensor and the filter. I found what looked like a fine hair on the filter. It all worked after resetting the connections to the back of the camera a couple of times. It might be an old camera but it takes great pictures in good light so I am glad to have it working again. Thanks for taking the time to post...
Really appreciate you posting up this response. I'm glad so many people are now 'repairing' their own cameras by following the general pattern of the process. Well done and thank you.
Thank you, now over 100 people have had success with the procedure. Well done.
Thanks much for the clear instructions. Going in I thought that it wouldn't work, since I suspected that the dust was within the layers of the lens. My 1 yr warranty had expired just a few days before these dust particles started wrecking my photos, and Panasonic repair stated minimum of $172 USD.
Well, I went through this fairly easy process outlined in video, and It worked!!!
Thanks again, Isaac
Thanks for an excellent video. Even if one is too nervous to do the job oneself, it is useful to know that it is a ten minute job for the technician at a repair shop.
Thanks for this, Graham Houghton.
Today I fixed some dust on my Canon Elph 330HS sensor by direct vacuum method - vacuum cleaner from the front of lens. I just put the front of the camera - lens fully extended - on the 2.5 inch vacuum port on the cleaner itself (no hose). Worked instantly!
But the point is - for the next time I really do have to open a point-and-shoot camera - your run-through here is informative and inspiring. Thank you!
I want to add my thanks for this video. After watching the complicated full lens teardowns, my camera sat on a shelf for years until I worked up the nerve to tackle it. Sure enough, my crunchies were where you said, on the filter. Had I not looked for a refresher and seen this I would have gone the Columbus route and buggered up the camera.
Now to tackle the FZ70 I dropped which prompted me to tackle the ZS5.
All the best from a happier Grouch.
Cleaned the IR filter on my DMC-TZ8. Worked perfectly well.
TIP - on DMC-TZ8, two extra case screws need to be removed to remove the silver metal plate.
Very good tutorial. Saved me lots of money and time.
Great tutorial Graham! It took my 20min to clean the lens of an DMC-TZ18 that looks almost the same. Cleaning it myself saved me 70EUR (so much it cost me in the previous case) Vielen Dank from Germany
Hello Graham. Just followed this video to clean the IF filter on my TZ8 that was showing dust etc when I used the full zoom. Excellent, clear instructions. Many thanks indeed. Best wishes, nigel
Nick thanks for the feedback on your success, I think that makes it over 40 people who have now recovered their faulty camera by using this process, well done.
I have had TZ18 for 17 months now and I absolutely love it . It takes marvellous pictures but it has been sent back for marks on the screen twice under guarantee and it has a mark on screen again and the guarantee has run out . You can imagine I was so fed up as it is my hobby and I have sold quite a few. I am so pleasd to say I have followed your video and I have cleaned it myself. I am a lady of 75 years and if I can do it anyone can. Thank you so much it was a great help.
My husband successfully cleaned the CCD sensor of my TZ7 following the video. It was a bit fiddly especially when the UV filter fell out of the gasket but he managed to put it all back together again and voila no more dust dots. Many thanks.
Excellent video, saved me an expensive repair. I hadn't realised (a) dust on the sensor was so common on these cameras and (b) it was so easy to fix. I had a speck that only appeared in the top right corner when zoomed in. When I checked the sensor there was a very obvious dust speck.
Thanks Graham. Excellent instructions; my husband was able to complete the job without a hitch. Before we found your video we were thinking of buying a new camera! much appreciated.
Thanks for the comment and adding your name to a increasing list of successful users who have manged this repair themselves. Well done.
Thanks for adding your name to a long list of happy viewers who have successfully cleaned their cameras after following this instruction. Thanks for the feedback.
Thanks Graham, it is the second time I had to clean the sensor for my camera and now for my wifes camera. Your instruction saved us a lot of money. Now we can enjoy taking pictures again. Kind regards. Frank
Thanks to you I saved the expenses for a new camera and, althoug shaky, my experience has got me a new skill! Thank you!
I lost the very first screw I took out - it jumped out and disappeared into the carpet - but after crawling about for a while I found it, and things went better from then on. I had a bit of difficulty getting the back plate off, because it was a different design from the one you had, but it did eventually pop off. Also, there was no separate little infrared filter, but I gave what I could a little wipe with a cotton bud, and now I'm delighted to say there are no black spots. Thank you very much!
Thank you Graham. I followed your guidance to the letter and now a camera which was destined for the bin is now working perfectly.
thank you for the response
I did this to my DMC ZX1 / ZR1, and the inside is exactly as the camera in this video, except for the sensors connector, which is a little higher to the right. the infrared filter remained fitted to the sensor unit in my case.Now the dust particles are gone. Thank you so much for this step by step tutorial. Happy Holidays.
Thanks very much for the posting of your success, glad the video was helpful, thanks for watching and commenting, appreciated.
Thanks for the feedback. Essentially all the Panasonic compacts have a similar method of mounting the CCD to the lens block. It's just a matter of carefully dis-assembling the camera to gain assess to the CCD. Providing you don'y rush, or be too heavy handed on the ribbon cable latches it is a method that will pay dividends if you are plagued with the dust on the surface of the IR filter or rear focus element. Well done and thanks again.
Thank you so very much for saving my Lumix camera - your instructions were just great! Any one can do it following your instructions carefully!
Hi Mr. Houghton,
thank you so much for your video about clearing infra red filter on Panasonic camera. Your instructions are so clear, you can't miss a bit. I have now clear pictures, no stain. And when I was looking on Google, on how to do that, your video showed as the first suggestion.
Regards Zdravko Dunderovic
Hi there Graham, just wanted to say that I used your video to clean the CCD sensor for my wife's DMC-S3. Slightly different layout but otherwise very helpful video! I was able to get pretty much all of the dust off the sensor and she is very happy with the image now. Saved me a pretty penny in having to buy a new camera before our upcoming vacation. Thanks!
thank you, yet another success story, thanks for posting.
Hi Graham. I wish to thank you very much for this video. I had a dark spot in the picture of my Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10. Following your instructions and removing some dust particles from the IR-filter solved the problem and me some expenses.
Thank you.
Graham, thank you so much, your video was just the ticket for helping me resolve the dreaded black spot with confidence.
Well done Anne, you were right to investigate further for the reason the plate would not come out. You must be very pleased that you have accomplished such a task!
I had a fine hair in the corner of the picture and some blobs of dust in my Panasonic TZ10. I followed your instructions precisely and it cleaned it beautifully. One small hint - if you accidentally touch the infra-red filter with a finger it is easy to leave a fingerprint mark on it (which I did!). The solution was put to put a small drop of lens cleaner liquid onto a cotton bud and give it a gentle wipe, then leave it for a few minutes to dry - it sorted out the problem nicely.
Hi Richard, thanks for the posting, I think you must be over the 100th person now who has repaired their cameras successfully as a result of this tutorial and with over 60,000 views it is obviously a problem for a lot of viewers.
After trying to clean the lens on my TZ7 first using your other video, I used this video to clean the CCD which was actually the cause of the problem. Great video, and many thanks. I was toying with buying a new camera as marks on pictures were ruining them, but this has given it a new lease of life.
Many thanks. Last time it cost me £60 sending away from a camera shop for 3 weeks - this time 20 minutes and fixed. Fantastic.
Excellent video - clearly shown how simple it after all is to fix this irritating problem that have happened for me in two cameras.
Thanks, one more satisfied user who has made the great leap of self faith in opening up their camera. Well done.
Thanks Graham. I thought my camera was toast but the pictures are crystal sharp again. Excellent video, there was no way i would have attempted this on my one. You held my hand all the way!
Thank you, Graham. Your video gave me the courage to attempt to clean the CCD sensor in my Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS6 camera. It had some kind of fibre and what appeared to be a yellow pollen grain behind the lens, ruining almost every shot, especially in low light situations. I modified the procedure you showed as follows:
I did not unplug any of the flex circuits. Instead, once the eight screws holding the back on were removed, I shifted the back with the LCD display to the side, being very gentle with the flex circuits, making sure not to crease them or exert undue pull on the connectors.
I didn't unplug the CCD sensor. Once the three screws holding it were removed, I gently bent the flex circuit upward with one hand, holding its edges with two fingers, while I fished the IR filter and its rubber grommet out of its recess with stainless steel tweezers.
I first used a lens brush, the camel hair type attached to a rubber bulb, to gently clean the face of the CCD sensor and both sides of the IR filter. I also brushed the exposed part of the lens element that was closest to the sensor, giving it puffs of air from the rubber bulb.
Since all the flex circuits were plugged in, I was able to insert the battery and power up the camera, extending the lens. Once the lens was extended, I removed the battery, leaving the lens frozen in the extended position. I then used a rubber-tip blowgun and low pressure air - around 10-15 psi (70-100 kPa) - to blow out the inside of the extended lens assembly and the surface of the CCD sensor.
Next, the camera was partially reassembled, installing the IR filter and rubber grommet (red-hued sided toward the sensor), the CCD sensor and the bright metal shield. I then placed the back on the camera, but DID NOT install the eight screws! The battery was re-inserted and with the back held in place by hand, I was able to power the camera up and verify that the sensor and lens were clean. Only then did I proceed with installing the eight screws that hold the back in place.
For others who wish to try this procedure, note that Panasonic uses an anaerobic thread locking compound, removable grade, on all exterior screw fasteners. It is pale blue in colour, so I'd guess it is Loctite 242, or equivalent. This means that considerable torque is needed to break them free and to remove them. Use a sharp #0 crosspoint screwdriver and press firmly into the screw head to keep it from camming out and damaging the screw or the camera finish. If the screws feel "gummy" when being reinstalled, that's probably good enough to prevent them from loosening on their own, but if any of them feel loose going in, I'd recommend putting a tiny drop of Loctite 242 thread locking compound on them with the tip of a jeweller's screwdriver before snugging them up. Also note that thread locking compound should NOT be used in the vicinity of the lens or CCD sensor, as the stuff out-gasses while curing and may cause a tenacious haze to form on the optics.
A really clear and concise demonstration of both your technical knowledge and your mechanical skills. So many people complicate things due to either wanting to seem superior or because of their own lack of understanding. The real expert knows exactly what he/she is doing and has the added gift of being comfortable enough to impart that knowledge in such a way as to make it non-threatening and worth having a go at. Thank you very much indeed. I will check out your other videos also. Brendan
I am really excited to try this. I have been living in Italy for a year with my Lumix DMC-ZS8. I love this camera, but I have stopped taking pictures other than with my phone because I had to use an editing program to salvalge any pictures I wanted to keep. I am encouraged that I will have my beloved camera back as soon as I assemble a few tools. Thank you so much, and I will update later.
I just spent £55 having dust removed from my TZ10, and just noticed another small spot, so your information is invaluable - very clearly comprehensively explained. I shall certainly be attempting this myself. Many thanks!
Thank you Graham for this terrific video! I took my TZ25 to a shop in Manchester yesterday to see if they could clean it as I had a piece of dust in the lens. I was told that it could cost up to £150 to carry out and in their opinion I was better scrapping the camera. I then found your video and followed it step by step. I immediately saw the piece of dust on the IR sensor as I opened the camera, and removed it with a cotton bud. The camera now works perfectly - crystal clear photos again!
Thanks very much Graham for your excellent tutorial! We just used it and the camera is now free of sensor dirt and works perfectly.
Thank you for posting up your success, that's great.
The camera is alive again and the dust spot is gone. Thank's for sharing your knowledge!
Hi Graham Houghton and thank you for this video. I just came back from the Wacken Open Air festival, where the air was full of dust all the time. On the second day I got nasty spots and other unpleasant stuff on the pictures of my Panasonic DMC-FX37. I followed your step by step instructions for disassembling the camera and used a blower to get rid of the dust on the filter screen. I could see the dust easily and the blower removed everything in this case.
I'm so happy that the camera can be used again. :-)
Btw: there are fewer screws on the outside of the DMC-FX37 and one more on the plate inside, but the procedure is just the same. Thanx again!
thanks for posting up your success story, another to add to the hundreds now that have performed this with full success
Thanks very much for the comment, glad you was able to clean your camera and return it to full working order.
I followed your instruction and successfully cleaned my camera. Thanks a lot, Graham.
I had a number of black marks appear when taking pictures with my TZ7. I didn't wan't to pay a huge cleaning bill., but I was reluctant to open the camera up until I saw this video. You explained the procedure really well. There is no back plate on the TZ7 and I could not release the IR filter, but I didn't need to as I was able to clean the CCD and remove the dirt. Thank you ever so much for your great tutorial!
Hi Graham, I've just cleaned my wife's TZ19 using your instructions - Brilliant, worked like a dream (and i'm in her good books)
Many thanks for posting....
Brilliant! They say 'you don't get courage before the battle', but this video gave me the confidence to go for it. My Lumix FX-60 had a dust speck in the lower left corner, which made 50% of my photos unusable. I found that the display power cable had a slightly different connector which resisted my gentle persuasion to release the cable, but it turned out that this could remain happily attached while I cleaned the IR filter and rear lens surface, so not really a problem.
Thank you again.
Thank you so much! Panasonic said to try to suck OUT the dust with a vacuum and it worked... somewhat. But a bit of dust remained. Your video stepped me step by step to clean the inner lens and sensor and it worked great. The most difficult part was reinserting the ribbon connector from the screen to the main body. Panasonic Lumix dmc-ZS9
I used this for my DMC-ZS7 and it was spot on. All my nasty spots in the image are gone now. Thanks for the instructions.
Brilliant! You just saved me about $200 on a new camera. Opened up my DMC-ZR3 easily and it's practically brand-new after cleaning. The only difference appears to be that my camera either doesn't have an IR filter (??) or it's combined with the CCD. I had to open it twice to get one last stubborn piece of dust, but now it's beautiful. Thank you!
Yes the newer cameras have an attached IR filter and you did right not to try to remove it. Well done, another success.
Thank you! Another successful story with this wonderful video tutorial. I was nervous at the beginning. and after opening the case, I thought this cleaning probably wouldn't help as I didn't see any dust in any of those components (so it might be the dust particles in the lens at the front that causes problem). I was excited to see the big piece of dust's gone from the picture when I put the camera back together. Thank you very much for giving me a new camera!
Thanks a lot for this video!
It worked great for my TZ18.
The ugly spots on the photos are gone!
Just a few dust grains on the CCD, easily removed!
Wow!
Thank you, another winner in this list of successful users who have cleared their sensor of dust, well done
Located 2 more screws on the inner back plate and from then on it was actually easier as didn't have to remove the ribbons. Camera now dust free. Thank you so much - wouldn't normally have the confidence to do this but your video was brilliant
Thank you for the invaluable tips on how to replace the infra red screen when, as in my case, it flipped out of the gasket when I was 'distracted'. Thank you
Worked perfectly for my ZS10. The procedure is pretty much the same with a few small differences, and there was no obvious IR filter to remove wither. Spot free pictures now, thank you!
Thanks for giving me the courage to take my TZ8 apart, I'd thought I was going to end up having to buy another camera to be able to take photos without a giant black splotch on one side, delighted to save myself money and to have the courage next time to take something apart! Many thanks for the great video!
Well done, another happy viewer to add to the growing list, thank you for posting up your success.
Just finished having a go, followed your vid carefully and no problems. Camera sensor is now crud free and as works as good as new. Thanks once again.
:-) A big thank you Graham. I couldn't believe my luck when I found your video. I tried it and it worked. Mine's a TZ20 and it looked a little different inside as someone else also stated below. But I cleaned the back of the lens and the film in front of the CCD and it appears to have done the trick. Thanks for taking the time to post such a high quality video. Cheers. Paul for Herne Bay.
Thank you for your simple fix to a common problem with the Panasonic Lumix series of cameras. You saved me a lot of money. Well done!
Congratulations and well done for taking on such a challenge and for adding your name to the long list of people who have now done this and recovered their camera from useless to full functionality again. Thanks for taking the time to report back, really appreciated.