Dust?!

missourigrlmissourigrl Registered Users Posts: 8 Beginner grinner
edited June 10, 2006 in Cameras
When I look through the viewfinder I can see several specs of dust. I blew air with a rubber blower on the mirror. I think that's where they are stuck but that didn't get it off. How can I get the dust off my mirror?

Comments

  • Red BullRed Bull Registered Users Posts: 719 Major grins
    edited June 10, 2006
    The dust might be in the actual viewfinder. If that's the case, you can't do much about it unless you send it in to get cleaned. Otherwise it's something that you just have to ignore. I think I have a speck or 2 in my viewfinder, but it doesn't bother me much.
    -Steven

    http://redbull.smugmug.com

    "Money can't buy happiness...But it can buy expensive posessions that make other people envious, and that feels just as good.":D

    Canon 20D, Canon 50 1.8 II, Canon 70-200 f/4L, Canon 17-40 f/4 L, Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro, Canon 430ex.
  • missourigrlmissourigrl Registered Users Posts: 8 Beginner grinner
    edited June 10, 2006
    Red Bull wrote:
    The dust might be in the actual viewfinder. If that's the case, you can't do much about it unless you send it in to get cleaned. Otherwise it's something that you just have to ignore. I think I have a speck or 2 in my viewfinder, but it doesn't bother me much.

    Well, when I take the lens off and look closely at the mirror I can see some dust specs on it. Is it safe to use the soft bristles on the end of the blower to carefully try and wipe the dust off the mirror?
  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,708 moderator
    edited June 10, 2006
    Welcome to dgrin, Missourigirl. Yee haw!! I used to live in the SHOW ME state.thumb.gif

    Dust that you see when looking through your viewfinder is not on the mirror, but on the ground glass at the top of the mirror box and beneath the pentaprism on the top of your camera.

    You can try to dislodge this with a rocket blower ( DO NOT use canned air!!)

    Or you can try to clean it with a clean camel's hair brush or a sensor brush, but it is generally not worth the effort. I try to just ignore them unless they are really distracting when composing.

    The dust bunnies you see when looking through your viewfinder are not captured in your pictures - they are out of the lenses shooting axis.

    Generally it is a bad idea to try to clean the mirror in an SLR as it is a front surface mirror - there is no glass protecting the silver plating - and hence it is easy to permanently scratch the mirror surface. Great care is appropriate if you feel your mirror needs cleaning. A dirty mirror has NO effect on the image captured - only how it looks in your viewfinder.

    There is a description of an SLR with pictures here :):
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
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