Dirty G9? - Have screwdriver, will clean...or brick

From MkIIshooter

Ain't this pretty? My G9 seems to have a major spot on the sensor. And of course not in a inconspicuous corner, but right smack in my 'Rule of Thirds' line. I'd know how to handle this on my DSLRs but things like this aren't supposed to PS cameras, right? Isn't one of the design advantages of a fixed lens camera supposed to be the isolation of the sensor from the elements? I've never had this happen to any of my other (cheaper) PS cameras. So with less than 2,000 images of use I got a camera not worth using. I checked with Canon and of course my unit is out of warranty but they'll gladly clean it for $150...I don't think so.

Apparently, from the traffic on the Flickr G9 groups, this is a pretty common problem that comes from a poorly sealed lens that sucks in dust every time it extends and retracts. Some have reported sending their cameras to Canon for a cleaning only to have the spots show up a couple months later.

So armed with some small screw driver, pec pads, sensor brush and some eclipse, I gathered up the nerve to tear this sucker apart. - what could go wrong? It's basically useless now anyway right? Anyway here's video evidence it survived the surgery (warning- even though I sped up the video, it's still extremely boring!):

Post operation thoughts? Well, with these small sensors, this really should be done in a clean room the slightest dust is visible - It took two tries to get the image spot free (or at least usable). There are some really small components in there that could easily get lost or broken which may result in a $500 brick but with all that said, would I do it again? - heck yea, I'm not giving Canon another $150 for something that is a result of some poor engineering on their part.