Bug in camera

1855

1855

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Yes
Quite literally. I was looking through my eyepiece taking some shots with my new SMC 2.8 28mm lens on my Pentax ME Super and a small bug started walking across the image. Looks like a tiny tiny tick or something. I've taken photos on my phone but unsure how to upload them onto here. Looks like it's on the focusing screen.

Anyone ever had anything like this before, and how on earth do I get rid of it?!
 
I recall (years ago, when I used slide film), that I got an infestation of tiny bugs on my slide collection. At the time, it seemed that most people knew about this problem. They damaged the slides, I believe that they fed on the emulsion side. If your camera has been kept near a stock of film, it could be a similar problem.
 
It's probably in the eyepiece and will be some kind of dustmite.
Putting the camera in a plastic bag and in freezer overnight would kill it and be easier than disassemble and clean I suppose.
There will be more than one though and any eggs might survive freeze so need doing again.
It does suggest your storage area is less than ideal -wants to be dry as possible
I did have similar with Canon 300D about 20 years ago.
 
I remember having the same issue with one of my Nikon digital cameras - gave it a good blow through with a rocket blower (not necessarily advised!) never saw it again.
 
Cluster said:
I recall (years ago, when I used slide film), that I got an infestation of tiny bugs on my slide collection. At the time, it seemed that most people knew about this problem. They damaged the slides, I believe that they fed on the emulsion side. If your camera has been kept near a stock of film, it could be a similar problem.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. No, not been kept near any film stock!
 
4wd said:
It's probably in the eyepiece and will be some kind of dustmite.
Putting the camera in a plastic bag and in freezer overnight would kill it and be easier than disassemble and clean I suppose.
There will be more than one though and any eggs might survive freeze so need doing again.
It does suggest your storage area is less than ideal -wants to be dry as possible
I did have similar with Canon 300D about 20 years ago.
Click to expand...

Looks like it could be dustmite actually.

Re: storage, it's kept in it's original pentax leather case (with a silica sachet stuffed inside) and in an old camera bag (also with a couple of silica gels in the bottom)
 
gramps said:
I remember having the same issue with one of my Nikon digital cameras - gave it a good blow through with a rocket blower (not necessarily advised!) never saw it again.
Click to expand...

I did wonder about using a blower. What issues might this cause?
 
1855 said:
I did wonder about using a blower. What issues might this cause?
Click to expand...
Well some warn of it blowing dust around the camera and there is an element of truth to that but if you hold the camera downward it helps and personally I would prefer a bit of dust to a bug :)
 
gramps said:
Well some warn of it blowing dust around the camera and there is an element of truth to that but if you hold the camera downward it helps and personally I would prefer a bit of dust to a bug :)
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice
 
1855 said:
Looks like it could be dustmite actually.

Re: storage, it's kept in it's original pentax leather case (with a silica sachet stuffed inside) and in an old camera bag (also with a couple of silica gels in the bottom)
Click to expand...
Silica will do next to nothing unless regularly recharged by heating in oven and then it will only reduce humidity in a sealed container.
 
4wd said:
Silica will do next to nothing unless regularly recharged by heating in oven and then it will only reduce humidity in a sealed container.
Click to expand...
That's interesting, didn't know that, thank you.
 
Maybe catch a spider and put it in with it LOL
 
Had one in my OM10. I took out the meter batteries and cling filmed it really well. 24hrs in the freezer then let it slowly warm up again and it was gone. It was quite standard to do in my film days.
 
You are lucky it's not in your lens:-

www.lensrentals.com

I Don’t Know Why It Swallowed a Fly – Weather Sealed Lens With a Fly Inside

I've been blogging about testing and taking apart camera equipment for almost a decade. Lensrentals.com has many thousand lenses these days, and they all get used frequently. When you have lots of lenses and they get used frequently, stuff gets inside them. Usually the stuff that gets inside is...
www.lensrentals.com
 
Think I'm going to book a service with Peter at Asahi Photo anyway, so hopefully that might rid the camera of whatever has found it's way in there!
 
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