Cleaning/rookie mistake

drummerkev

drummerkev

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Name
Kevin
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Hi guys!

Very noob question! Hope you have checked out my photo's too :-)

I had a very rookie mistake with the camera and have had to send it off for repair......

I attempted to clean the plastic with the AF dots on as there was marks on it. I attempted it and the lights went very blurry and also it went out of focus after i had cleaned it. I have cleaned the mirror successfully in the past though.

The question is, if i get marks on that part how do i get them off? the mark on there seemed fairly stubborn, is there actually anyway of doing so that i dont have to send it off for repair again due to being a total tool!

Help appreciated!
 
Or you just slightly moved the focus screen out of position.

I'd highly doubt it's anything more serious than those two options.
 
Ignore them, they're not going to effect your images.
 
Sounds like you did something to the superimposed scren, top of the mirror box?

Can be cleaned with care and all advice piints to not wiping, just blowing however I have removed and wiped a few on 5d mk1s as they seem particularly prone to getting minging.
 
oh i see what the diopter is now. No it wasnt that at all dude, seems such a complicated name for a simple piece of equipment!!

Yeah it was the screen buddy, i think it will have to get totally impossible to see through before i try and touch it again in honesty! Not had the camera for a few days now and its killing me!

I just cant understand why something that is locked into place with a clip is so easy to screw up with a simple fairly soft wipe!
 
I guess the simple rule is that if you don't know what you are doing, don't go poking around inside the mirror box of a camera. Unless you have got crap on your actual sensor, the images won't be affected by dirt you can see in there. If it bothers you, use a rocket blower or similar to remove it, which doesn't involve actually touching anything..
 
Had the same problem a long time ago...... used a camera shop supplied bud and cleaning fluid and made it worse. Apparently the surface has lots of circular grooves and its those that need cleaning in a circular motion, not wiping across them. As already mentioned, although its annouying to see the dust in the view finder, it makes no difference to the picture :thumbs:
 
don't worry, I have done the same thing and had to sent mine off for repair, I tried to clean the focusing screen with a cloth on the end of my finger and scratched and left a black mark on it,it doesn't stop you from taking shots but when you look through the view finder its annoying mines been in the shop 3 weeks now (WTF) bet you don't do it again I won't
 
3 weeks!! wow! i sent mine off on Tuesday afternoon and itll be back by the latest of 1 tomorrow afternoon!!

Yes it is something i wont be doing again in honesty!

Its a really silly design idea though really as it does get dirty and it does need cleaning but there is no way im paying £40 per time it needs cleaning which will more than likely be every couple of weeks with the amount i use the camera. I just like to keep my stuff in tip top condition, yet i feel like i cant with the particular design they have used.

You would have thought for something that is clipped into to place so securely it would be nice and easy to remove clean and replace.
 
where did you take yours kev, as i work in manchester i took mine to calumet, been in today still not ready so another week as they only pick up and drop off on fridays, give me the excuse that they'er having trouble getting the parts because of the tsunami mostly with the smaller cameras 1100d's (mine)
 
I sent it off to lehmanns in stoke dude,

Camulet....i think they gave me a quote of £96 to fix it as well when i emailed them and i told them to shove it.

I put my new lens on today to test the viewfinder etc and they have done a spot on job. I would get your camera back and send it off to them dude.
 
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robbers they gave me a quote of £36.00 +vat, I would of asked for it back but they send them to a place in stafford.
I work at the MMU and i have since found out I could of taken it to the photography dept and they send them away for a fee so next time anything goes wrong with my camera i will give them a try.
 
The other annoying thing is i bought a sigma 120-400mm lens and that turned up the day i'd took my camera in
 
drummerkev said:
I sent it off to lehmanns in stoke dude,

Camulet....i think they gave me a quote of £96 to fix it as well when i emailed them and i told them to shove it.

I put my new lens on today to test the viewfinder etc and they have done a spot on job. I would get your camera back and send it off to them dude.
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I thought that Calumet sent all their cleaning jobs to Lehmans in Stoke...perhaps i got it wrong..:thinking:
 
Sounds like you've scratched the focussing screen. Very easy to replace and cheap too. I did mine on the D300 and I got 2 from Nikon for a couple of quid. I believe the Canon ones are easier to replace also.

Kev.
 
Don't know where calumet send their cameras, just know it's taken a month to repair, if it takes any longer I'll forget how to use it ( not that I'm any good at it anyhow).
But now you've mentioned it i will find lehmans number an give them a ring
 
Phoned about my camera today, still not ready (5weeks ) they'll have had it
 
To the OP, as Kev says you scratched the focusing screen.

The ground glass ones in film cameras were a little more forgiving than the plastic ones found in modern DSLR's but even they were still fairly easy to damage.

Dust there doesn't affect the image, but if it very distracting and if a rocket blower can't shift my last personal recourse is very careful use of a nylon sensor brush (statically charged by puffing with a rocket blower). If a (very gentle) stroke with this doesn't move it stays there and I live with it.

What you were probably charged for the fitting of a new screen. The plastic ones are so fragile they are practically disposable.
 
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