Help with lens dirt?

[Guy Fawkes]

Hello there,

Firstly a big hello from a newbie! I am so chuffed to have found this site and can't wait to sift throught the forum as I'm sure their are many great threads.

Anyway, I treated myself to a canon 400d for xmas, after having and playing with a compact for years. I'm loving my new hobby but still have lots to learn.

(You will have to bear with me here in case my terminolgy is inept!) One thing that has been bugging me though recently is the fact i look through the view finder it appears dirty and there's perhaps even a crack (or it could be a hair). My photo's appear perfect though (i think to my untrained eye)and it isn't like it is just one lens with the problem as the 'dirt' appears when i use both lenses.

I have looked after the camera, and have tried cleanign the lens and 'inside' the camera itself with a cleaning brush/blower but to no avail.

I do apologise if my questions are ridiculous but i suppose we all have to start somewhere.

Thanks, and you're sure to hear more from me.

Lee

 

[davidbridges]

It could well be the mirror with the dirt on, its unlinkely for your lens to be dirty as its so new. If it bugs you enough go and get it professionally cleaned but your shots should turn out fine if its on the mirror anyway.

 

[CT]

Hello and welcome.

Dust and hair which you can see in the viewfinder is actually on the focusing screen and wont have any effect on your images at all. Annoying as it is, it's best ignored or get a pro to clean it if it really bugs you. Dust in cameras is a fact of life, and you're bound to get dust on the focusing screen eventually anyway.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

It could well be the mirror with the dirt on, its unlinkely for your lens to be dirty as its so new. If it bugs you enough go and get it professionally cleaned but your shots should turn out fine if its on the mirror anyway.

Hello and welcome.

Dust and hair which you can see in the viewfinder is actually on the focusing screen and wont have any effect on your images at all. Annoying as it is, it's best ignored or get a pro to clean it if it really bugs you. Dust in cameras is a fact of life, and you're bound to get dust on the focusing screen eventually anyway.

Thanks so much for the snappy replies guys.

Is the focusing screen something i could clean myself, and if so, where is it? :shake::bonk:

 

[CT]

Is the focusing screen something i could clean myself, and if so, where is it? :shake::bonk:

If you remove the lens and look upwards into the camera body, the focusing screen forms the 'roof' of that compartment behind the lens which is called the mirror box. You can clearly see it's a glass screen.

Whether you can remove it or not depends on which body you have, and I'm not sure if the 400D screen is user replaceable or not. If it is user removable look for a little clip at the top front of the lens opening which causes the screen to swing down in a little metal frame.

Don't even think about trying it unless you're a very patient careful type, as you can have trouble getting it back and end up with fingerprints and more muck on it than when you started.

While you're in there dont think about rubbing the mirror with anything, and be careful not to touch it with your fingers. These mirrors are surface coated -not rear coated like conventional mirrors, and are very easily damaged.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I will defintely not touch it then! I AM NOT the patient type!

I'm slightly worried now though, as I may have inadvertantly touched the mirror with by brush/cloth - but I shant do it again. :bang::thumbsdown:

I suppose the crux of the matter is, if there's no no detriment to the image quality, and I can put up with it, the dirt will no no harm whatsoever???

Thanks again.

 

[CT]

If it's any consolation, a gazillion years ago, I rubbed the mirror of my first SLR with a rag and took half the surface off.

I have the odd dust spot in the viewfinder of all my bodies and I just don't worry about it. I used to use an old Nikkormat provided for work, and the screen was so covered in hair and crap you could hardly see through it, but it produced great clean shots.