Just realized I've been cleaning sensor contacts backwards for years

Been fixing cameras for about 8 years now and always cleaned those copper contact strips on the lens mount with a dry cloth. Last week a old timer stopped by my shop in Portland and watched me work on a Canon AE-1. He asked why I was pushing loose grit deeper into the gaps. Turns out you're supposed to use a bit of isopropyl alcohol and wipe away from the sensor, not towards it. He showed me the difference under a loupe and I could see the scratches I'd been making. Now I'm wondering how many intermittent connection issues I could have fixed faster if I'd known this. Anybody else learn a basic thing way later than they should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

norag6627d ago

What was the first clue you noticed that made you think something was off, or did you just never question your method?

stella_baker27d ago

First clue was when my grocery bill somehow cost more than my rent one month and I still didn't have anything to eat for dinner lol. @norag66 I think the real answer is I just never questioned it because being stressed about money felt normal. Took me way too long to realize buying lunch out every single day was not a necessity.