dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
3972
TheAnalyzer
join:2006-01-20
Ubiquiti EdgeRouter ER-4
Synology RT6600ax
Synology RT2600ac

TheAnalyzer

Member

[Tech] Dust in viewfinder

Hi there,

I started with photography as a hobby way back in the day where we only shot film. I had several SLR cameras the last one I believe was the Minolta x300.

All SLR cameras I owned had a crystal clear VF. And they all got thrown in the back of a dusty jeep when I finished taking nature/ wildlife photos.

Today every DSLR has some dust particles in the VF. Starting with a Nikon D3200 up to a D4s. I went to several shops and tested this. Even new ones right out of the box.

Whether it is a $600 or $6000 camera. Pentaprism or penta mirror weather sealed/not weather sealed .. all this doesn't matter. Also this is not a Nikon specific issue. A brands have this issue. Dust gets into the pentaprism/viewfinder assembly.

That's why today I am very careful with my DSLR gear.

So...
Quality issues or do they think because its just a cosmetic issue its not worth fixing ?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

Regards,

TA

immed
@172.56.37.x

immed

Anon

Re: Dust in viewfinder

Dunno the answer to your WHY question. But i do know personally that Nikon dealers for example have immediately exchanged items with dust inside - from F3 prisms to D series bodies.

donoreo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
North York, ON

donoreo to TheAnalyzer

Premium Member

to TheAnalyzer
I get dust in mine. As long as it is not dust on the sensor it does not matter unless you are completely anal. I have taken my rocket blower and blew the dust off my viewer before. I have also replaced the focus screen before as well and that got most of the dust (this is where most of it will accumulate).

rcroning
D700 Rocks
Premium Member
join:2005-05-21
Winnipeg, MB

rcroning to TheAnalyzer

Premium Member

to TheAnalyzer
I've had dust in the VF optics of my film SLRs too and it's never been an issue, though
a little distracting at times. Cleaning is easy enough.

Just the act of changing lenses can introduce dust into the camera body and into the internals of the VF optics. Film SLRs were never immune to this issue. Neither were/are lenses.

I think this is more prevalent today as people are less inclined to blow out the innards of the body to prevent dust from elsewhere settling on the sensor. And mostly from the hype about how difficult it is to clean a sensor. Fact of the matter is, one does not clean the sensor. It's the filter stack that covers it that gets cleaned

mk_416
@108.168.55.x

mk_416 to donoreo

Anon

to donoreo
I always clean the mirror and mirror assembly with a nylon brush when I am already cleaning the senor. The majority of dust that I notice in the viewfinder is actually on the mirror.

The mirror on my Canons always has more gunk on it than the sensor. If it is really bad I will use a sensor swab and fluid on the mirror it self, but most of the time a brush will do.

The brush I use on the mirror and mirror assembly is always a single use deal and I always clean the mirror first and then the assembly.
TheAnalyzer
join:2006-01-20
Ubiquiti EdgeRouter ER-4
Synology RT6600ax
Synology RT2600ac

TheAnalyzer

Member

Thanks guys for all the input on this matter.

Probably you're right rcroning. People are less inclined to blow out the innards of the body.

As a matter of fact there is a NSC a few miles from where I am now and I spoke to two technicians.

They said that one should never take a rocket blower to blow into a DSLR camera.
And actually never blow into the camera with anything.
Dust that is on the focusing screen can be pushed up by the blast of air into the VF optics.

So I assume there is no seal between the focusing screen and the pentaprism/ pentamirror.

Also do not use a rocket air on the outside of your camera body especially the eyepiece of the VF. Again dust can be pushed into the VF that way too.

So HTH can it be cleaned I asked..

Well either remove the focusing screen like donoreo described and clean with air outside of the camera (although this is not something a user should do himself they said) if the dust hasn't gone further into the VF optics.

or

use a highly static brush. Don't touch anything inside the camera with the brush.
Hold it as close to the dust particles as possible. If the dust issue isn't bad then through static the particles will be sucked onto the bristles of the brush.

If this does not help try to live with it or have it cleaned by NSC.

And of course if the dust has been pushed up into the VF optics already it can only be cleaned by nikon.

sheesh... why don't they seal off the VF optics. One seal between the focusing screen and the pentaprism and one seal between the eye peace and the VF camber.

This would take care of an annoying issue.

TA

rcroning
D700 Rocks
Premium Member
join:2005-05-21
Winnipeg, MB

1 recommendation

rcroning to TheAnalyzer

Premium Member

to TheAnalyzer
I would say if it does not effect the image in any way whatsoever, leave it be. If it irritates to the point you want to swing the camera into orbit, do something about it. But bear in mind that if dust got there in the first place, it can get there again. You may be fighting a losing battle as dust is everywhere

You can get some really good brushes from VisibleDust.com They may be a bit expensive but certainly worth what you pay for them. They have a motor that rotates the bristles at high speed to accumulate a static charge. Then the motor is stopped and the brush used to clean dust off the sensor. The bristles can also be cleaned by swishing around in isopropyl alcohol, then using the motor to spin the brush dry.

Caution: Don't use the brush to clean the innards of the camera and then use it to clean the sensor. You may transfer more than dust to the filter stack and that may take more than a brush to clean off.
rcroning

2 recommendations

rcroning to TheAnalyzer

Premium Member

to TheAnalyzer
said by TheAnalyzer:

sheesh... why don't they seal off the VF optics. One seal between the focusing screen and the pentaprism and one seal between the eye peace and the VF camber.

That would raise manufacturing costs that would translate to higher costs to the end user. Also, with those precautions it would mean they would have to assemble them in clean rooms to ensure no dust gets in them in the first place. That would be too prohibitively expensive all around considering the millions of bodies they manufacture for each model.

I remember some older Nikon film SLRs that had removable prism assemblies and they were so easy to clean. Then there were the ones with interchangeable screen assemblies that enabled easy removal of the focusing screen for cleaning or replacement/changing.

Those were the days......sigh.....
TheAnalyzer
join:2006-01-20
Ubiquiti EdgeRouter ER-4
Synology RT6600ax
Synology RT2600ac

1 edit

TheAnalyzer

Member

I agree with what you are saying rcroning.
But as I recall there are certain grades for clean rooms. So that could translate into less to --> more expensive.

And maybe not all cameras can be assembled in a clean room such as the very basic beginner cameras such as the Canon rebels or the Nikon D3200 but I would expect at least a $6000 camera to be dust free and not to get dust inside the VF optics.

Why? Simply because of a much better user experience / experience of quality of a product.

A high end camera for a pro or even semi pro with dust , lint , hairs or even little insects inside them for me is not acceptable.

TA
TheAnalyzer

TheAnalyzer to rcroning

Member

to rcroning
I just replaced my camera with a D3300. It has a few extremely small dust particles in the FV that can only be seen when viewing the blue sky and looking very closely.

So they can easily be ignored ATM.

But the brushes from VisibleDust.com you recommended absolutely are fantastic.
If the dust gets worse I will try one.

TA

rcroning
D700 Rocks
Premium Member
join:2005-05-21
Winnipeg, MB

rcroning

Premium Member

said by TheAnalyzer:

I just replaced my camera with a D3300. It has a few extremely small dust particles in the FV that can only be seen when viewing the blue sky and looking very closely.

So they can easily be ignored ATM.

But the brushes from VisibleDust.com you recommended absolutely are fantastic.
If the dust gets worse I will try one.

TA

Congrats on the new camera.

And as for VisibleDust, they quite possibly make the best and most popular sensor cleaning products. May be a bit pricier than the competition, but as they say, you get what you pay for. If you opt for the Arctic Butterfly, get it bundled with a sensor loupe. You won't be disappointed.