Cleaning mirrors

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Daniel Radcliffe
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Hi all,

Can anyone pelase advise on the best way/ tools etc to clean the mirror oposite the eye peice on the Canon 400D? :eek:

I have managed to get it very dirty so need to clean it, but due to its location this is very ticky, can anyone offer any advise on how to clean? :help:

Should that fail anyone know of any good camera cleaners about?

Thanks :thumbs:
 
This sounds very confusing. Do you mean the mirror you can see when you remove the lens or are you referring to dirt you can see through the viewfinder?
 
Its the dirt i can see through the view finder. The stuff behind the lens is all clean. Its the mirrors behind the focusing plate that i have somehow managed to get really dirty. Essential teh first mirrors you cansee after looking in to the viewfinder.
 
nah sensor dust will show on pics, the focusing screen on my 350d was filthy but i never did find a way to clean it.
 
DON'T TOUCH THE MIRROR
you WILL destroy it

if you can see the muck through the viewfinder, it's not on the mirror as that would be out of focus
it's 99% likely on the focus screen

a good blast with pocket rocket should move it around
have the camera lens (well lens mount) down and give it a blast and the dust should fall out

did I mention
DON'T TOUCH THE MIRROR
you WILL destroy it

it is surface coated!
 
DON'T TOUCH THE MIRROR
you WILL destroy it

a good blast with pocket rocket should move it around
have the camera lens (well lens mount) down and give it a blast and the dust should fall out

I have tried blowing it off and it wont move :(

Looks like my only option is to send it off :'(

Thanks for your help :thumbs:
 
Right. If you can see this dirt through the viewfinder, it's almost certainly the focusing screen you're referring to and it's that which is dirty. If you remove the lens and look inside the camera (that compartment is called the mirror box) the 'roof' of the mirror box is actually the underside of the focusing screen. You might be able to blow any dust away with a rocket blower or similar, but it tends to get distributed elsewhere anyway. There's always the possibility too that it's on the other side of the screen where you can't get at it inside the prism housing.

On some bodies you can remove the screen for cleaning, but unless you're a very careful handy person I wouldn't bother - you can end up putting it back with more muck than when you took it out plus added fingerprints!

Dust in cameras is something we have to live with. My cameras usually have a spot or two of visible dust in the viewfinder, but they make no difference at all in use so I don't worry about them. My advice is ignore it, or if it's really bugging you get a pro to clean it. There's no guarantee the dust wont re-appearanext day though.;)
 
My 1dmk2N mirror is very very dirty, never seen one so bad lol, so its going to canon monday for a service and clean.
 
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