Cleaning the mirror/focusing screen

[Trevor Quinn]

After having my sensor cleaned, I've noticed a few little dust specs in the viewfinder of my D3;

not affecting the images but distracting and annoying to say the least

How does one go about having the mirror and focusing screen properly cleaned, the rocket blower and fine brush aren't doing much and I don't want to make things worse

Cheers
Trev

 

[woof woof]

I doubt that anything on the mirror will show up that well when looking through the VF so maybe what you see is on the focusing screen or in the VF? If you want to clean the mirror proceed with care, I've cleaned mine in various cameras with a soft cloth with no ill effects at all.

I don't know if your focusing screen can be removed but if it can it may make cleaning it much easier and will enable you to clean both sides, be careful though as they can be easily marked. When I got my 5D I found that the screen was marked and had dust on it but a rinse under a warm tap and a blow with a rocket removed the surface contamination, no problem.

It may be possible to dismantle the VF at least to a degree but personally after cleaning the mirror and focusing screen and giving the VF a good rocket I live with whatever contamination is left visible. It is annoying :thumbsdown: and distracting :thumbsdown: and I do wish that DSLR's were better in this respect :thumbsdown: and there is always the option of sending the camera away to be cleaned but the issue will very probably reoccure.

I think it's just something that you (mostly) have to live with

 

[Trevor Quinn]

I hear your shout - did a bit of digging online and found that you can replace the focusing screen easily enough, so might try cleaning it as you mentioned and if that fails, get another screen.

Never thought dust be be this annoying but I am a little OCD

Some of the marks on the mirror can only be seen if I breathe on it, don't want to touch that with anything other than a very soft cloth though.

Maybe ask could they swab it next time I get the sensor done?

 

[woof woof]

Never thought dust be be this annoying but I am a little OCD

Maybe ask could they swab it next time I get the sensor done?

I'm the same, if I see a fault it's all I can see... :razz:

Personally I've found that when paying for cleaning all they seem to do is move the contamination about... I therefore think it's best to do as much as you can yourself and only send it away if it's really bad and/or can't be a DIY job.

 

[Studi0488]

This post has just reminded me to et a new focus screen, I have one on one of the 5ds that's is really knack are, god only knows how it got into the condition it is in....

 

[Nod]

SLR mirrors are first surface (the metal coating is on the reflective side) so are rather delicate (and not user replaceable!), so cleaning them is probably best left to a service centre. Highly visible dust is more likely to be on the focus screen which often is user replaceable (especially on Pro bodies). Dust tends to squeeze past the screen and settle above it (on the non blowable side) and this has always been a problem with SLRs. It's more common now because DSLRs tend to have dust blown around at fairly high pressure from rocket blowers while debunnificating the sensor!

I'm sure there are plenty of videos on YouTube (or similar) showing the screen replacement procedure - shouldn't be too hard, although extreme care needs to be taken to avoid dropping the thing into the mirror box, scratching it or getting more dust above it! It could be worth sending the body off for a clean and service - get a quote.

 

[Trevor Quinn]

It doesn't help matters when my 24-70 came away from the body last night - landed on the hood but the zoom is stiff now between 35-70mm :bang:

No idea how it detached :shrug:

 

[woof woof]

SLR mirrors are first surface (the metal coating is on the reflective side) so are rather delicate (and not user replaceable!), so cleaning them is probably best left to a service centre. Highly visible dust is more likely to be on the focus screen which often is user replaceable (especially on Pro bodies). Dust tends to squeeze past the screen and settle above it (on the non blowable side) and this has always been a problem with SLRs. It's more common now because DSLRs tend to have dust blown around at fairly high pressure from rocket blowers while debunnificating the sensor!

I've cleaned my mirrors... thinks a bit... lots of times with no problem what so ever. If you're really cack handed it may be a problem but anyone with more than a couple of functioning brain cells and an opposing thumb should be able to manage just fine. Not that it's something you'd want to do four times a day, that wont be necessary, but certainly a functioning human should be able to manage this once in a while, should it be necessary.

I'm not so sure that Rocket blowers are the cause of dust behind focusing screens. I think it's just as likely, more likely even, that dust enters under it's own power via one route or another. My 300D and 10D certainly had dust in the VF years before I bought my very first Rocket.