Help please: Dirt or fibers on mirror

Are you not willing to attempt another round of using a blower? And just to be sure, you used a Rocket blower, right?

are you sure the dust/fiber is one the mirror, or did it get stuck to the bottom of the focus screen? If it is noticeable, close to being in focus, might be on the screen. I would take the brush off the blower, then use it.

Seeing it in the viewfinder is not an emergency so you should be able to get this done yourself. More cowbell . . . . I mean more blower!

Dave_W said:

Are you not willing to attempt another round of using a blower? And just to be sure, you used a Rocket blower, right?

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I could, but I think this is what caused the problem as it looks like it could be fibres from the brush so it may make it better or may make it worse

Brian said:

are you sure the dust/fiber is one the mirror, or did it get stuck to the bottom of the focus screen? If it is noticeable, close to being in focus, might be on the screen. I would take the brush off the blower, then use it.

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I can actually see little bits of dirt on the mirror if I look at it tilted toward the light the right way. The mirror wasn't up as I wasn't trying to do any kind of clean or blow the sensor (I just use the in camera sensor cleaning and never mess with it and have been ok so far) Removing the brush could work.

Mike d90 said:

Seeing it in the viewfinder is not an emergency so you should be able to get this done yourself. More cowbell . . . . I mean more blower!

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Yeah it can be seen in the viewfinder. And is distracting enough that if I have to pay to get it seen to, then so be it. I am so mad at myself right now because I was sorting my gear to go out shooting FINALLY tomorrow after something going wrong every time I want to go out. I guess it's a good thing it isn't showing on the images but I am clueless about this and want to decide what is the best course of action and stick with that, rather than embarking on a cocktail sequence of possible solutions that could compound to make it worse :/

Lee, the rocket blower does not have a brush attached to it. What kind of blower are you using?

Mike d90 said:

Seeing it in the viewfinder is not an emergency so you should be able to get this done yourself. More cowbell . . . . I mean more blower!

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Love that "Need More Cowbell" lol

Do you have a good blower or is it just one of those small pancake type with the brush?

You need a good "Rocket" blower.

Oh dear ...

I know that user stupidity is not covered

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Had I known this I would have thought long and hard about buying my camera. Are you sure it isn't covered?

Lawrence said:

Oh dear ...



Had I known this I would have thought long and hard about buying my camera. Are you sure it isn't covered?

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In all my years I've not seen dust or fibre on the mirror of any SLR that couldn't be dislodged with puffs from a good blower. The mirror and focus screens are not considered user cleanable. The sensor can be wet cleaned but not the mirror, it would end up being scratched. Take your camera in for a good cleaning if the puffs of air won't dislodge the dust.

If your camera is under a year old Nikon may clean it for free, many folks send cameras in for sensor clean under a year.

I am not telling you to do this but many many times I have removed brush hairs from a mirror with the tip of a clean Q-tip. Sometimes the brush hair gets stuck between the mirror and the frame that holds it in place and it just wont move with air pressure. Very light pressure is all it takes to move the hair then a dust blower to remove it completely.

Lee said:

I was changing lenses this evening and used the blower/brush before fixing the next lens on. In doing so it seems like a piece of the brush or some bits of dirt got onto the mirror. It isn't showing up on the pictures but looking through the viewfinder is terrible. Should I just take it in and have it professionally cleaned? My camera is still under warranty and although I know that user stupidity is not covered, my next question is, do I take it to an authorized Nikon dealer or do I have to send it to Nikon to avoid the warranty being voided? Is it something I can clean myself? If so how? I can't live with it because it's really distracting and I am worried that eventually this dirt is likely to transfer to the sensor. Maybe a bigger blower is needed first?

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Just so you know what this “rocket blower” is that everyone's talking about:

The definitive “model organism” of this type of blower is the Giottos Rocket Air Blaster. The “Large” version has a valve/filter at the back, so that when you use it, it doesn't suck dust in the front, and then spit that dust back out where you're trying to clean. I've seen the term “rocket blaster” or “rocket blower” used to describe similar devices, of other brands, that do not actually look nearly as much like a rocket as the Giottos product does.

Seriously, just get this, and do not ever use any other blower than it on your camera's mirror or sensor.

Especially do not ever use those cheap blower/brush things. In fact, just throw them away. Every one you have, get rid of it. Do it now.

This is what you need.

Thank you so much to all of you who have taken the time to post advice. I feel like the Village Idiot this weekend, lol

Dave_W said:

Lee, the rocket blower does not have a brush attached to it. What kind of blower are you using?

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Dave, no it is just a 'regular' blower and does have a brush attached. I usually take the brush off to blow inside the camera and cannot come up with any logical reason why I failed to remove it. It was bought from a camera store as part of a cleaning kit a couple of years back and I remember picking this set because it was one of their more expensive ones so at the time I assumed that meant it was better.... :-/

WJYPhoto said:

Love that "Need More Cowbell" lol

Do you have a good blower or is it just one of those small pancake type with the brush?

You need a good "Rocket" blower.

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Yeah I am learning through my errors after the fact I'm afraid

Lawrence said:

Oh dear ...

Had I known this I would have thought long and hard about buying my camera. Are you sure it isn't covered?

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Don't feel bad, nobody told me either

WJYPhoto said:

In all my years I've not seen dust or fibre on the mirror of any SLR that couldn't be dislodged with puffs from a good blower. The mirror and focus screens are not considered user cleanable. The sensor can be wet cleaned but not the mirror, it would end up being scratched. Take your camera in for a good cleaning if the puffs of air won't dislodge the dust.

If your camera is under a year old Nikon may clean it for free, many folks send cameras in for sensor clean under a year.

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The camera is 7 months old and I took an extended 2 year warranty with it. Because it was me that caused the issue I accept that this is probably going to cost me.

Mike d90 said:

I am not telling you to do this but many many times I have removed brush hairs from a mirror with the tip of a clean Q-tip. Sometimes the brush hair gets stuck between the mirror and the frame that holds it in place and it just wont move with air pressure. Very light pressure is all it takes to move the hair then a dust blower to remove it completely.

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I took it with me into a camera dealer yesterday, who recommended another place that specializes in Nikon and is an 'authorized dealer' (I will verify that before doing anything and will rather just call Nikon for advice).

Bob Blaylock said:

Just so you know what this “rocket blower” is that everyone's talking about:

The definitive “model organism” of this type of blower is the Giottos Rocket Air Blaster. The “Large” version has a valve/filter at the back, so that when you use it, it doesn't suck dust in the front, and then spit that dust back out where you're trying to clean. I've seen the term “rocket blaster” or “rocket blower” used to describe similar devices, of other brands, that do not actually look nearly as much like a rocket as the Giottos product does.

Seriously, just get this, and do not ever use any other blower than it on your camera's mirror or sensor.

Especially do not ever use those cheap blower/brush things. In fact, just throw them away. Every one you have, get rid of it. Do it now.

Click to expand...

Consider it done! I have learned my lesson the hard way!

fotojack said:

This is what you need.

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Yeah that's about to be ordered!

Some of it has shifted and it is something I could probably live with in the short term for now, although it does bug me and I will eventually need to have it seen to. I am just worried that with the mirror opening and closing it could flick any debris onto the sensor.

What I am going to do for now is get that rocket blower. I will have an attempt to clean it with that and keep the proper blower for all future cleaning. If the problem remains as it is and doesn't affect the picture at all, I will try live with it for a few more months and then send the camera in for a good service around a year after I've had it. I decided when I bought this one (seeing as it was my first brand new DSLR) that I would send it in for routine servicing for as long as I own it.

I still feel really stupid but I am now wiser for my error. A big thank you to each and every one of you for your advice and support

Lee...while we're on the subject...whenever changing lenses, either on or off, just remember to keep the opening of the camera body facing down, so no dust or dirt can fall in. Same with blowing the dust out....keep the opening facing down. Gravity is at work here.

Oh...and go slow when changing lenses. Changing lenses fast creates kind of a suction effect, and that's what sucks in dust. Just something to get used to.

Before you use the rocketblower, please watch the beginning of this video. The first part shows using a rocketblower--note he does NOT insert it into the camera's body. BackdoorHippie shared the video with me when I needed to know how to do a wet cleaning, and it goes through everything you'd need to know for using a blower and a wet cleaning (should you ever decide to attempt one).

Although you don't need to blow off your sensor, this does show how to do it. If the fibers gets lodged underneath the mirror, it really isn't difficult to blow off the sensor.

Thanks Jack. It's something I have always been really consistent in doing, keeping the camera body facing downwards. I didn't know changing lenses quickly had an effect on dust and things getting into the body so that is something I will be consciously aware of in the future. I rarely clean inside the body to be quite honest. I thought by keeping the body face down when changing and simply ensuring that the actual rear part of the lens was clean and dust free I would be fairly safe. Ah well, learning experience and could have been worse.

Hark, thank you for that video. Bookmarked it to watch again when my rocket blower arrives