How to clean your mirror, cheap and accessible way?

[freygr]

Ive got a few dust bits on my mirror, AF screen, and sensor... how should I go about cleaning each surface off? theyre such a bother.. Ive heard of pec-pads, but is there anything more readily accessible? how much do pec-pads usually cost, and for how many?

thanks

I use caned air. I got a chip of paint now in my view finder...... Check you menu for mirror lock up to clean the sensor.

GRF

[RebelXT-WH2CYK]

Ive got a few dust bits on my mirror, AF screen, and sensor... how should I go about cleaning each surface off? theyre such a bother.. Ive heard of pec-pads, but is there anything more readily accessible? how much do pec-pads usually cost, and for how many?

thanks

[RebelXT-WH2CYK]

i know how to do lock up.. ill try canned air, we have some at school, but i'll also pick some up myself... does canned air have any negative side to it?

[freygr]

i know how to do lock up.. ill try canned air, we have some at school, but i'll also pick some up myself... does canned air have any negative side to it?

You can blow stuff where is will not come out, like between the ground glass and the prism.

Also look at the back of your lenses. That was were a horse hair was hiding from me......

GRF

[SmartWombat]

Don't use canned air !
Usually it's not air, but a chemical with a low vapour pressure.
Some of the liquid can get sprayed out at low temperature and damage the sensor.

I would not clean the mirror myself, but I have cleaned the sensor.

I use the Canon recommended technique with the blower first.
Then I go to the brush from Visible Dust.
Last resort is the sensor wand, a Pec Pad, and eclipse cleaner.

[RebelXT-WH2CYK]

canned air is fun to turn upside down and freeze stuff with, i see what you mean by not using it for the sensor...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...e/_MG_4964.jpg

thats my sensor... and that one stupid dust minion is bugging the crap out of me in every shot!

Im going to hope a blower helps... ill order one asap

[mjs1973]

A good blower like this one is one of the best inexpensive pieces of gear you can have in your kit IMHO. This is the large version. There are two more smaller versions if you don't have a lot of room in your bag. I use mine constantly for blowing dust off my lenses and cleaning my sensor. You wont regret getting one!

[RebelXT-WH2CYK]

how much of the crap on my sensor will it get off? 75%? im just looking to get rid of the larger pieces, since I'll probably never use A36 or 45 on my telephoto, I dont need to remove the finer pieces of dust... but when shooting pics of the sky, alot of these dust bits are visible...

[another view]

I use the same blower that Michael recommends and would stick to this method (and only this method) for cleaning a mirror. Canned air has a lot of pressure and that can lead to problems. Reflex mirrors can scratch very easily so don't touch it with anything including a lens cleaning cloth. This blower should get almost all the dust off but it might take a little time to get everything out. Also, chances are that some of that dust is on the bottom of the focusing screen which is at the top of the mirror box.

Really, unless there's so much dust on the mirror and focusing screen that the camera is having problems autofocusing, there isn't a real need to clean it off. Sure it can be distracting and annoying but it isn't hurting anything. Obviously the story is different with a dirty sensor... I usually have a piece or two of dust that I can see in the viewfinder at any given time. It's not really that big of a deal IMO.

[JSPhoto]

First: Never ever use canned air inside your camera!
Second: It's NOT the sensor you are cleaning, it actually the IR filter over the sensor.

The reasons for NOT using canned air:

A: too high of pressure
B: It can, and will freeze the the IR filter and sensor
C: Chemicals in the can can deteriorate the IR filter film, or completely eat through the film, ruining the filter. This can be very expensive to replace.
D: the air pressure can blow dust and so into places you do not want it, including between the IR filter and the sensor, and then it's impossible to get out without sending the camera in and having the factory trained techs remove the filter to clean the dust/dirt out.

JS