How To Clean Camera Mirror

Mirror cleaning: the all-time way.

Mirror cleaning: the all-time style.

April 17, 2012

My camera's mirror is full of dust. What is the all-time option to make clean information technology? Is cleaning with a moisturized normal tissue newspaper adept idea? Will it damage the AF sensor? Please requite me a solution. Thank you.

Zigmont • Junior Member • Posts: 28

Re: Mirror cleaning: the best way.

I have a lot of sensor dust problems on my D70 and D200. Not sure why, as the camera is merely used in the studio and I do switch lenses, but not that oftentimes.

I sent it dorsum to Nikon one time for a cleaning, but it got dirty pretty rapidly afterwards, so I bought one of those blowers and a sensor cleaning kit.

I definitely would not use regular tissue paper, information technology's pretty rough, from what I understand. Buy one of the sensor cleaning kits, with the cleaning fluid, they're pretty cheap. Make sure you follow the directions...

My next photographic camera is going to have an ultrasonic cleaner, for sure!

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Herr Zigmont

Re: Mirror cleaning: the best way.

i'd try non to care most mirror dust and phantom AF sensor dust
just if it killing you

I probably use the sensor cleaning moisture method
or an ewipe rubber-banded on a popsicle stick

you need something with zero rest
otherwise you going to have to buffer the smears out of your mirror
which isn't terrible, merely who wants to practice that?

DRode • Senior Member • Posts: 2,815

Re: Mirror cleaning: the best way.

Is the mirror muddy or the sensor?

The mirror has no touch on on images, and so information technology'southward simply the viewfinder epitome that'due south afflicted. I'd nevertheless probably try (in order), A) blower, B) sensor castor, C) wet sensor swabs. That's the aforementioned process I use for cleaning the sensor (AA filter).

OP Engandiyur • Regular Member • Posts: 199

Re: Mirror cleaning: the best fashion.

In reply to DRode • Apr 18, 2012

Not sensor, the mirror is dirty. What if I moisturize a normal tissue newspaper and wipe the mirror with that? Will it scratch the mirror?

raymondg • Contributing Member • Posts: 998

Re: My way - inexpensive, simple and effective

When I looked at the mirror and the ground glass of my D700 and D3 at that place was a lot of grit but information technology is only the big dust bunnies that are visible. I thought that if I use a blower information technology will only shift the dust onto the sensor.

Dust adheres due to attraction then I thought I would get something else to attract the particles away from those surfaces.

I got a clean dry cotton bud (Thats what we call cotton wool wool on the cease of a stick in Commonwealth of australia) and rubbed it quickly on my shirt to get a little static electricity on information technology. I placed information technology near the dust particle and it adhered to the cotton bud. I repeated this for all the large particles. While there is still dust on them, it is now not visible in the viewfinder.

I am very happy with the consequence.
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bgD300 • Veteran Member • Posts: 4,552

The quick answer is Don't Bear upon The Mirror!

SLR mirrors are front surface mirrors to avoid refraction past passing the lite through glass surfaces.

The mirror moves out of the mode as the picture is taken and then it is not a part of the optical path creating the epitome on the sensor.

While focusing, you are looking at the discipline reflected by the mirror, non the mirror surface itself. Any dust on the mirror would be then out of focus as to be unnoticeable. The but way you tin can come across it is to look into the camera with the lens off.

Blow loose dust off with a blower so information technology doesn't motion to the sensor but, do NOT wipe the mirror with anything.
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TDong • Senior Fellow member • Posts: 1,786

Re: Mirror cleaning: the all-time fashion.

Plastic creative person castor go to any art store (Michael $5) - recollect how you option up small-scale pieces of newspaper with your plastic pen aforementioned idea you don't fifty-fifty demand to take the castor touching the AA filter try try with lens filter beginning until yous are comfy.

pluton • Veteran Member • Posts: 3,471

Re: Mirror cleaning: the best fashion.

Engandiyur wrote:

Not sensor, the mirror is muddy. What if I moisturize a normal tissue paper and wipe the mirror with that? Volition information technology scratch the mirror?

BY "normal tissue newspaper" you mean lens tissue , right?

The mirror is arguably more than frail an optical surface than the sensor cover glass or any mod lens. Information technology should be cleaned only if necessary , and so but with confirmed optical cleaning materials. Lens tissue(moistened for the outset pass) would be OK.

But, BEWARE: Any cleaning you practise at home may leave near-incommunicable-to-remove visible smears on the mirror which, while non affecting the photography, volition be displeasing to look at.
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tarnish • Senior Fellow member • Posts: 1,470

NEVER clean the mirror with anything other than a puff of air

It is a front end-surface aluminized mirror and aluminum is very soft. Y'all'll scratch the heck out of information technology. I'm speaking from from direct experience.

Information technology doesn't affect focusing or metering except for actually extreme cases where it can lead to loss of contrast merely in the viewfinder, and but at that place. It doesn't lead to visible spots on the focusing screen: those spots are caused past dust on the focusing screen. Information technology never affects paradigm quality.

Please do Not clean the mirror yourself other than with air . Information technology is VERY easy to scratch and expensive to repair. Send information technology to Nikon if you must. My communication: Get out it lonely - it has NO effect on your photographs.

Engandiyur wrote:

Not sensor, the mirror is dirty. What if I moisturize a normal tissue paper and wipe the mirror with that? Volition it scratch the mirror?

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Re: Mirror cleaning: the all-time manner.

It's non something yous tin can clean yourself. Ship it to Nikon service. Doing it yourself, you can damage / misposition the mirror which may affect both AF and transmission focus.

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