Another Cleaning Question

AMcNeice · May 18, 2004

There seems to be a spec of dirt or something in my actual camera that is annoying the living mess out of me (not to mention messing up my photos), I tried blowing it out but that didn't work.

Is it same to use a clean cloth to wipe down the mirror (I assume that's what its on) or is there some other recommended method?

Big Mike · May 18, 2004

Is it really affecting your photos? If it's on the mirror, it can not be affecting the photos because the mirror flips up out of the way when the photo is taken.

If you can see it in the view finder and it's affecting your photos...it's on the lens. Try a search for lens cleaning.

If you can see it in the view finder but it's not affecting your photos, it could be on the mirror, or somewhere in the viewfinder (on the screen).

Use a blower/brush to gently try to clean the camera but be very careful.

AMcNeice · May 18, 2004

Just pulled all the images off of the camera from last night and it must be on the mirror because it didn't show up in any of the pictures.

I'll try using some weak compressed air tonight when I get off work. Thanks for info about the inner workings of the camera, a lot of this stuff is still very very new to me.

drlynn · May 18, 2004

Use very weak compressed air, and hold it several inches away. Compressed air has some amount of moisture in it that will collect on surfaces if you hold it too close. A blower brush might be a better choice.

Also, don't touch the mirror. The mirror and the shutter behinf it are extremely delicate and easy to mess up.

tr0gd0o0r · May 18, 2004

I would strongly suggest not using compressed air. Not only does it have a lot of moisture in it, which can cause problems with camera, but it is usually pretty powerful, which can mess up a camera also.

Big Mike · May 18, 2004

AMcNeice said:
Just pulled all the images off of the camera

So you are using a Digital SLR? You will want to be very, very careful when cleaning. Compressed air (as mentioned) is not a good idea. You do not want to do anything that could get dirt on the sensor. Trying to blow dust off of the mirror could make the sensor dirty besides the condensation issue.

I'd suggest using a lens brush.

voodoocat · May 18, 2004

I wouldn't use a lens brush either. It's going to transfer more dirt than what is there to begin with. A blower bulb is going to do the same thing. I suggest a microfiber pad and an ethanol solution
wrap the pec pad around a small piece of square cardstock. what you want is a small flat blade to squeegee the surface you want clean. Use like 3-5 drops of the ethanol across the blade and run it once across and once back. This should remove all the dust that is on the mirror.