DSLR mirror not sensor cleaning help

cammiedh13

cammiedh13

Messages
77
Name
Cam
Edit My Images
No
hey guys i thought i had a filthy sensor looking through my view finder but i can say after reviewing some image in photoshop its not , it appear to be the mirror/prism infront of it and im having trouble cleaning it i just seem to make it worse. any tips of cleaning the mirror ?
 
Cleaning the mirror is fraught with warnings and best not attempted with anything beyond a blower. In simple terms it is a semi-transmissive mirror with a coating that lets around 40% of the light through it and reflects the other 60% to the pentaprism.

In short, I'd stop what you're doing NOW and seek out someone with a little experience.

Bob
 
ive only tried my blower brush on it nothing else ! thanks for the heads up , luckily i can still shoot something i need to this weekend then i can get it sent off to get cleaned ;)
 
I've cleaned my mirror (20D) lots of times with no ill effects.

If you can see something on it that a blower wont shift you could use a soft brush or a bud. Be careful of the focus screen though as they are easily marked but you should be ok as long as you take care.
 
looking through the viewfinder - you won't see the sensor - that' s the whole point of a mirror / pentaprism / viewfinder....... i.e. the whole thing about DSLR's (or SLR's)

press the shutter button - mirror goes up, light hits sensor (or film) , mirror comes down.

crap on the sensor - you see it on the files the camera produces.
crap on the mirror - you see it through the viewfinder....


hence "mirror lock up" for cleaning the sensor........

there is a huge difference between mirror and sensor!!!!!
 
Lynton said:
looking through the viewfinder - you won't see the sensor - that' s the whole point of a mirror / pentaprism / viewfinder....... i.e. the whole thing about DSLR's (or SLR's)

press the shutter button - mirror goes up, light hits sensor (or film) , mirror comes down.

crap on the sensor - you see it on the files the camera produces.
crap on the mirror - you see it through the viewfinder....


hence "mirror lock up" for cleaning the sensor........

there is a huge difference between mirror and sensor!!!!!
Click to expand...

as much as what you say may be a great techincal description of how a slr works , your not helping my quest on how to clean my mirror friend.
 
cammiedh13 said:
as much as what you say may be a great techincal description of how a slr works , your not helping my quest on how to clean my mirror friend.
Click to expand...

What he's saying is, if you can see marks on the final image, they're not on the mirror, and if you can see stuff through the viewfinder it will not appear on the image.

In fact, if you can see it through the viewfinder it will be on the underside of the focusing screen, above the mirror, not on it. You always get dust and stuff inside a DSLR, fact of life. Best to get used to it.

Knowing how a DSLR works is useful knowledge for this kind of thing, and will save you damaging the mirror for no reason.
 
cammiedh13 said:
as much as what you say may be a great techincal description of how a slr works , your not helping my quest on how to clean my mirror friend.
Click to expand...

Firstly, I am not your friend and with an attitude like that unlikely to be.

As "Hoppy" mentions above and further to my original post - if your mirror is dirty you won't see the dirt on your images. If the images are marked the crap isn't on the mirror.

Good luck
 
Last edited:
Can we make sure this stays civil please chaps. cammiedh13, Lynton was only pointing out that understanding how the camera is working will help you maintain it appropriately and saying in your original post that you thought the mess in the viewfinder was on the sensor showed a misunderstanding,so it was just an explaination of why it wouldn't be. As suggested, its most likely on the focus screen, but do take care cleaning it as it does mark easily.
 
"hey guys i thought i had a filthy sensor looking through my view finder but i can say after reviewing some image in photoshop its not , it appear to be the mirror/prism infront of it and im having trouble cleaning it i just seem to make it worse. any tips of cleaning the mirror ?"

That all seems to be perfectly clear to me. The guy thought that he had a dirty sensor but then realised that it's on the mirror/prism and is asking for tips.

To repeat myself...

Try a blower. If that doesn't work try a clean soft brush or a cotton bud, but be careful.
 
Blow on the mirror, never touch because the silver sulphate coating is ON the top, and it can be EASILY damage with contact.

Blow on the focus screen and not touch because of the texture it tends to add more fibre to it as you rub it.

The sensor contrary believe is the most resistance to cleaning, it is designed to be cleaned, hence the feature to allow you to clean it.
 
Raymond, gotta disagree with you about never touching the mirror as I've cleaned mine many times with no ill effect at all. Common sense and care should be enough.
 
woof woof said:
Raymond, gotta disagree with you about never touching the mirror as I've cleaned mine many times with no ill effect at all. Common sense and care should be enough.
Click to expand...

Common sense and care is not to touch it, at all.

As the mirror affects the focusing and it is a lot more delicate than the sensor. Slight pressure can put it out of whack, and you will end up with a camera that miss focus. That is before you start taking off layers of the skiver sulphate coating on it.

Cleaning the mirror is not advisable. And it is ill advise to say otherwise.
 
Last edited:
Got a few spots when I look through the viewfinder

Doesn't bother me now I am used to it and certainly not going poking about trying to sort it out
 
"Common sense and care is not to touch it, at all."

Rubbish. It's not an unexploded bomb and scaremongering like this helps no one.

If you're frightened by internet scaremongering or have little hand eye coordination it's best not to attempt any sort of cleaning or maintenance at all. However, if you have a modicum of common sense and a little hand eye coordination it's not a problem. Believe me, I've cleaned mine many times with no ill effects at all.
 
woof woof said:
"Common sense and care is not to touch it, at all."

Rubbish. It's not an unexploded bomb and scaremongering like this helps no one.

If you're frightened by internet scaremongering or have little hand eye coordination it's best not to attempt any sort of cleaning or maintenance at all. However, if you have a modicum of common sense and a little hand eye coordination it's not a problem. Believe me, I've cleaned mine many times with no ill effects at all.
Click to expand...

In my opinion that is the worst piece of advice i have read regarding cleaning on here and any photography forum.

All I say is that clean it at your own risk.

And it is not scaremongering, i am not selling you a cleaning service, and i am not making up the fact that the mirror is delicate, nor am i lying about the fact that the silver sulphate coating is on the top side, exposed.

That is the truth, prove to me that the mirror is robust and the coating is resistance to rubbing with fabric then I will happily stand corrected.

No, just because you have done if many times isn't evidence. Sending the camera in and do test on the surface of your mirror compare to a new one to see if you have taken any layers off, that would be evidence.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top