Dirty Mirror Advice

[madisonofriel]

I have never had to worry about dust, but today I just figured I'd check the mirror on my nikon D3000, and it is a bit dusty, not to the point where I can see anything in my photos but I need to clean it.
Also the felt like cloth is what is the worst... it has a bunch of small hairs stuck to it, I have no idea where that came from.
How should I go about cleaning each thing?
-The mirror
-The thing above the mirror (dont know the name of it)
-and the fabric around and below the mirror.

Thanks so much I really appreciate it!

 

[sscarmack]

As far as I know, dust on the mirror does not affect your image, unless its extremely bad.

Its dust on the sensor that is the culprit.

Please correct me if I'm wrong someone....

I usually use a air blower to get the dust out, and I also have sensor swaps.

As for the fabric, very carefully.

 

[robbins.photo]

I have never had to worry about dust, but today I just figured I'd check the mirror on my nikon D3000, and it is a bit dusty, not to the point where I can see anything in my photos but I need to clean it.
Also the felt like cloth is what is the worst... it has a bunch of small hairs stuck to it, I have no idea where that came from.
How should I go about cleaning each thing?
-The mirror
-The thing above the mirror (dont know the name of it)
-and the fabric around and below the mirror.

Thanks so much I really appreciate it!

Actually no, you don't need to clean it. Leave it be. If you can't see anything through the viewfinder or on the final image forget it and move on.

 

[Stradawhovious]

Dust on the mirror will not affect your image. When you take a photo, the mirror swings up and out of the way exposing the sensor. It plays no part in the image transfered to the sensor other than composing the shot.

That said, it's possible that the dust on your mirror could eventually transfer to the sensor where it will be notice in your images.

I usually use one of those blower bulb thingies (yes, that's the technical name) to blow the dust off my mirror and from the inside of my camera body every now and again, but only because I'm not afraid to clean my sensor should the dust reloacte there.

 

[Tinderbox (UK)]

My brand new just out of the box D600 a couple of years ago had a dirty mark on the mirror 5mm long by 2mm wide, i sent the camera straight back.

Another current thread on the same topic

Cleaning D4s mirror | Photography Forum

John.

 

[Derrel]

Never clean your d-slr mirror except to gently blow it off. I have some 30+ year old SLR cameras and have NEVER cleaned their mirrors except to occasionally, like once every five years or so, blow the dust off with a bulb blower. Dust on the mirror will tend to stay there. If it will not blow off, it will not move, and will be a non-issue.