I think cleaning sensor contacts with alcohol is overrated compared to just using a dry cloth

I see so many folks here swearing by isopropyl alcohol and swabs for sensor contacts on old film cameras. But after working on a dozen Pentax K1000s last month, I found that a clean, dry microfiber cloth works just as well without the risk of leaving residue. I used to follow the alcohol method too until I noticed some sticky film on a shutter contact from a batch of off-brand wipes. A dry cloth fixed that right up and the camera fired every time after that. Maybe I'm lucky with my specific cameras, but I think the alcohol hype is overblown for simple contact cleaning. Has anyone else had a similar experience where the simpler approach worked better for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

murray.cora1mo ago

Forgot about that one time I used those fancy electronic wipes on some old manual focus lenses and the whole thing just left this weird greasy haze that took forever to clean off. Ended up tossing them and just using a soft t-shirt to wipe down the contacts, worked a charm. Also found out the hard way that rubbing alcohol can fog up certain plastic viewfinders if you're not careful, especially on those older Soviet cameras. So yeah, I'm with you on the dry cloth thing, sometimes less is just less hassle.

the_paul1mo agoMost Upvoted

That's basically life telling you to keep it simple, isn't it?

john_fisher1mo ago

Dollar store rubbing alcohol will wreck your day every single time.

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