DSLR mirror cleaning?

Silverstar · July 3rd, 2008, 08:45 PM

Well guys, the D40 has been great to me so far..but I am noticing I am getting specks on the mirror. I'm guessing it's mostly from when I am in the car switching out lenses while I am taking shots of storms, and though I am as quick as possible to switch..always those couple seconds that it's exposed.

I bought a rocket air for cleaning mirror and sensor it worked fine for the sensor, but now I have spots lingering on the mirror and it's getting a bit irritating. What should I use to clean it? I know focus wise it will not be bothered apart from a smudge on the mirror...but I haven't been able to pinpoint online a good solvent, cloth, kit to keep it clean.

Any help would be awesome!

Shadowness · July 3rd, 2008, 08:53 PM

If its on the mirror, dont bother. Unless its REALLY obvious. Remember the mirror is how you see through the lens, but when you press the shutter release, the mirror flips up, so the dust wont be on the photos. Of course, anything on the CCD/CMOS will be on the photos images/smilies/smile.gif

BerserkerCatSplat · July 3rd, 2008, 08:53 PM

Get some Eclipse fluid, works great on mirrors and sensors.

nomix · July 3rd, 2008, 09:04 PM

Yeah, so I've heard. But unless the spots are really noticable, and distracts from day to day use, I wouldn't bother really. images/smilies/smile.gif

Silverstar · July 3rd, 2008, 10:26 PM

Thanks for the replies. I keep telling myself the mirror's specks will never touch the sensor, but I keep thinking that the odd one will fall off the mirror an migrate to the shutter images/smilies/tongue.gif

.

I'll see if my local camera shop has the Eclipse fluid, I'd hope they would. If and when I clean it, do I use a certain cloth? Or does the cleaner come with it's own cloth.

Thanks in advance for the replies, heading out to the lake to have a fun 4th and snap some good shots images/smilies/thumbsup.gif

BerserkerCatSplat · July 3rd, 2008, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silverstar

I'll see if my local camera shop has the Eclipse fluid, I'd hope they would. If and when I clean it, do I use a certain cloth? Or does the cleaner come with it's own cloth.

I generally use Pec Pads for cleaning with Eclipse, or Sensor Swabs if cleaning the sensor.

nomix · July 3rd, 2008, 10:35 PM

Best of luck Silverstar. Have a nice 4th. images/smilies/smile.gif

IceBone · July 3rd, 2008, 10:53 PM

Would a burst of compressed air do the trick?

BerserkerCatSplat · July 4th, 2008, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IceBone

Would a burst of compressed air do the trick?

If you enjoy your mirror/sensor being covered in a thin film of hard-to-remove propellant residue, then by all means use compressed air. I'd recommend against it.

47 · July 4th, 2008, 06:49 AM

I've never cleaned my sensor. images/smilies/blush.gif

I've had ma d50 for 1.5 years. There have been ocasional spots, but they go away in a while images/smilies/biggrin.gif

And I don't change lenses that often.

So, what's the best way to clean it. Buy that air blowing thingy or something else?

The thing is, I did not want to touch it myself, don't want to do something wrong. And the local Nikon dealer told me that they clean cameras, but If I heard him correctly, they replace the mirror too, and that would cost round 55EUR! And since I don't see any spots, I don't see a reason for doing it there.

So, I wan't to be able to do it myself. And when things get really messy, then I'll go to the dealer! images/smilies/smile.gif

matt2000 · July 4th, 2008, 09:40 AM

I like the look of this:

http://www.flaghead.co.uk/images/product/green/0502.jpg

http://www.flaghead.co.uk/pages/gree...-products.html

Basically it's an aerosol can with an attachment on it to create a vacuum which sucks the dust off the sensor or mirror instead of blowing it away. No propellant residue.

They are quite expensive, nearly £50 for a 400ml kit. But I suppose you could just buy your own air tins after this one is empty.

Solberg · July 4th, 2008, 09:46 AM

I always send mine away to a lab for a clean. It's much cheaper than you might expect. It only takes a few days at most. Some places will do it on the spot for you.

TopGearDog · July 5th, 2008, 02:17 PM

My D70 was so riddled with dust on the sensor it took me at least 15 minutes per image to clone out the spots. I researched most of the Do-It-Yourself solutions, but ended up just taking it to the local Nikon dealer and it came back spotless and has been ever since. Well worth the money.

IceBone · July 5th, 2008, 03:32 PM

Do they also clean the body and lens or just the sensor?

Solberg · July 5th, 2008, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IceBone

Do they also clean the body and lens or just the sensor?

Whatever you ask for images/smilies/wink.gif

nomix · July 5th, 2008, 03:54 PM

I suspect they will do it if you ask them to. I would spend some time cleaning the body itself myself, though, as it's a nice little fiddly job with a small brush. I use a brush with one soft brush and one hard, the soft one to just brush off small dust from the camera itself, and the hard one to get into hard-to-get-at spots on the camera. Works like a charm.

Well, at least if they charge extra for cleaning the body itself. Then I'd do that job myself. But sensor and mirror, that's another story. images/smilies/smile.gif

JaredK · July 10th, 2008, 07:34 PM

+1 for the DIY crowd.

I would recommend using a product like the Giottos Rocket Blower to get most of the stuff off. If that doesn't do the trick, then use the "wet method" with Pec Pads and Eclipse fluid. Many people refer to that as the "copper hill method".

A quick search on Google will give you the results you need for how to do the procedure. The mirror would be even easier than the sensor.

Good luck!

July 3rd, 2008, 08:45 PM	#1
Silverstar Joined: Jul 29th, 2005 Last Online: 05:48 AM Location: Center Point, Iowa Age: 21 Posts: 1,072 Car: '08 Subaru Impreza STI\|'90 Ford Mustang GT LFS Status: Rep Power: 19	DSLR mirror cleaning? Well guys, the D40 has been great to me so far..but I am noticing I am getting specks on the mirror. I'm guessing it's mostly from when I am in the car switching out lenses while I am taking shots of storms, and though I am as quick as possible to switch..always those couple seconds that it's exposed. I bought a rocket air for cleaning mirror and sensor it worked fine for the sensor, but now I have spots lingering on the mirror and it's getting a bit irritating. What should I use to clean it? I know focus wise it will not be bothered apart from a smudge on the mirror...but I haven't been able to pinpoint online a good solvent, cloth, kit to keep it clean. Any help would be awesome! __________________ SS - Bishop of the Hot Hatches, Church of the Horizontally Opposed Flickr\|deviantART

July 3rd, 2008, 08:53 PM	#2
Shadowness Joined: Jun 20th, 2005 Last Online: Yesterday Location: Midlands, UK Age: 21 Posts: 1,029 Car: Renault Clio Rep Power: 20	If its on the mirror, dont bother. Unless its REALLY obvious. Remember the mirror is how you see through the lens, but when you press the shutter release, the mirror flips up, so the dust wont be on the photos. Of course, anything on the CCD/CMOS will be on the photos __________________ Photo gallery----> http://www.danfreemanphotography.com/

July 3rd, 2008, 08:53 PM	#3
BerserkerCatSplat Hormone Induced Joined: Jun 21st, 2005 Last Online: 02:41 AM Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 5,428 Car: Pimpmobile Rep Power: 57	Get some Eclipse fluid, works great on mirrors and sensors. __________________ OSPhoto

July 3rd, 2008, 09:04 PM	#4
nomix True Viking Joined: May 26th, 2005 Last Online: August 16th, 2008 Location: Norway Posts: 2,750 Rep Power: 16	Yeah, so I've heard. But unless the spots are really noticable, and distracts from day to day use, I wouldn't bother really. __________________ "If you're not getting the picture you want, you're not close enough" - Robert Capa "Your first 14000 pictures are your worst" - HCB - David Bailey! Who's he?!

July 3rd, 2008, 10:26 PM	#5
Silverstar Joined: Jul 29th, 2005 Last Online: 05:48 AM Location: Center Point, Iowa Age: 21 Posts: 1,072 Car: '08 Subaru Impreza STI\|'90 Ford Mustang GT LFS Status: Rep Power: 19	Thanks for the replies. I keep telling myself the mirror's specks will never touch the sensor, but I keep thinking that the odd one will fall off the mirror an migrate to the shutter . I'll see if my local camera shop has the Eclipse fluid, I'd hope they would. If and when I clean it, do I use a certain cloth? Or does the cleaner come with it's own cloth. Thanks in advance for the replies, heading out to the lake to have a fun 4th and snap some good shots __________________ SS - Bishop of the Hot Hatches, Church of the Horizontally Opposed Flickr\|deviantART

July 3rd, 2008, 10:35 PM	#7
nomix True Viking Joined: May 26th, 2005 Last Online: August 16th, 2008 Location: Norway Posts: 2,750 Rep Power: 16	Best of luck Silverstar. Have a nice 4th. __________________ "If you're not getting the picture you want, you're not close enough" - Robert Capa "Your first 14000 pictures are your worst" - HCB - David Bailey! Who's he?!

July 3rd, 2008, 10:53 PM	#8
IceBone Gulf Livery Rules Joined: Jan 14th, 2007 Last Online: August 28th, 2008 Location: Slovenistan Age: 24 Posts: 5,861 Car: Mitsubishi Carisma GDI Rep Power: 54	Would a burst of compressed air do the trick? __________________ The Mitsubishop of Natural Aspiraton

July 4th, 2008, 06:49 AM	#10
47 Joined: Mar 6th, 2006 Last Online: August 28th, 2008 Location: CRO Age: 23 Posts: 712 Car: Punto 1.1 Rep Power: 11	I've never cleaned my sensor. I've had ma d50 for 1.5 years. There have been ocasional spots, but they go away in a while And I don't change lenses that often. So, what's the best way to clean it. Buy that air blowing thingy or something else? The thing is, I did not want to touch it myself, don't want to do something wrong. And the local Nikon dealer told me that they clean cameras, but If I heard him correctly, they replace the mirror too, and that would cost round 55EUR! And since I don't see any spots, I don't see a reason for doing it there. So, I wan't to be able to do it myself. And when things get really messy, then I'll go to the dealer! __________________ 47 - tuning by Medtronic

July 4th, 2008, 09:40 AM	#11
matt2000 Squirrel Mincer Joined: Feb 17th, 2006 Last Online: Yesterday Location: Market Harborough, UK Age: 18 Posts: 2,597 Car: Legs and East Midand Trains for a while again LFS Status: Rep Power: 37	I like the look of this: http://www.flaghead.co.uk/pages/gree...-products.html Basically it's an aerosol can with an attachment on it to create a vacuum which sucks the dust off the sensor or mirror instead of blowing it away. No propellant residue. They are quite expensive, nearly £50 for a 400ml kit. But I suppose you could just buy your own air tins after this one is empty. __________________ Lolpandas are taking over the world! Very slowly

July 4th, 2008, 09:46 AM	#12
Solberg Joined: Apr 24th, 2008 Last Online: Yesterday Posts: 650 Rep Power: 10	I always send mine away to a lab for a clean. It's much cheaper than you might expect. It only takes a few days at most. Some places will do it on the spot for you. __________________

July 5th, 2008, 02:17 PM	#13
TopGearDog Joined: Feb 20th, 2007 Last Online: 01:20 AM Location: Iceland Posts: 306 Rep Power: 9	My D70 was so riddled with dust on the sensor it took me at least 15 minutes per image to clone out the spots. I researched most of the Do-It-Yourself solutions, but ended up just taking it to the local Nikon dealer and it came back spotless and has been ever since. Well worth the money. __________________

July 5th, 2008, 03:32 PM	#14
IceBone Gulf Livery Rules Joined: Jan 14th, 2007 Last Online: August 28th, 2008 Location: Slovenistan Age: 24 Posts: 5,861 Car: Mitsubishi Carisma GDI Rep Power: 54	Do they also clean the body and lens or just the sensor? __________________ The Mitsubishop of Natural Aspiraton

July 5th, 2008, 03:54 PM	#16
nomix True Viking Joined: May 26th, 2005 Last Online: August 16th, 2008 Location: Norway Posts: 2,750 Rep Power: 16	I suspect they will do it if you ask them to. I would spend some time cleaning the body itself myself, though, as it's a nice little fiddly job with a small brush. I use a brush with one soft brush and one hard, the soft one to just brush off small dust from the camera itself, and the hard one to get into hard-to-get-at spots on the camera. Works like a charm. Well, at least if they charge extra for cleaning the body itself. Then I'd do that job myself. But sensor and mirror, that's another story. __________________ "If you're not getting the picture you want, you're not close enough" - Robert Capa "Your first 14000 pictures are your worst" - HCB - David Bailey! Who's he?!

July 10th, 2008, 07:34 PM	#17
JaredK Joined: Jul 10th, 2008 Last Online: August 21st, 2008 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5 Rep Power: 0	+1 for the DIY crowd. I would recommend using a product like the Giottos Rocket Blower to get most of the stuff off. If that doesn't do the trick, then use the "wet method" with Pec Pads and Eclipse fluid. Many people refer to that as the "copper hill method". A quick search on Google will give you the results you need for how to do the procedure. The mirror would be even easier than the sensor. Good luck!

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