Blemish in Viewfinder - D600
Oct 20, 2019 12:45:41 #
I'm seeing a piece of schmutz looking through the viewfinder of my Nikon D600, but it does not appear in the photos. So where is it and how do I get rid of it? Thanks.
Oct 20, 2019 12:49:57 #
LeoB wrote:
I'm seeing a piece of schmutz looking through the viewfinder of my Nikon D600, but it does not appear in the photos. So where is it and how do I get rid of it? Thanks.
Bring it to Nikon for service if it is under warranty. If not get adjusted to the piece of schmutz.It is not designed for you to remove it.
Oct 20, 2019 12:56:23 #
LeoB wrote:
I'm seeing a piece of schmutz looking through the viewfinder of my Nikon D600, but it does not appear in the photos. So where is it and how do I get rid of it? Thanks.
The good news is that it is not in the photos!
I had something like that on one of my DSLRs. It was annoying. I removed the lens and inspected the mirror and also above the mirror, there was a piece of glass there, but the fuzz was inside the viewfinder. I just lived with it.
Oct 20, 2019 13:19:00 #
It could be dirt (dust)
on the mirror,
on the base of the "prism" just above the mirror,
on the outside surface of the eyepiece,
or internal in the "prism" area.
The first three are user rectifiable.
on the mirror,
on the base of the "prism" just above the mirror,
on the outside surface of the eyepiece,
or internal in the "prism" area.
The first three are user rectifiable.
Oct 20, 2019 13:23:21 #
LeoB wrote:
I'm seeing a piece of schmutz looking through the viewfinder of my Nikon D600, but it does not appear in the photos. So where is it and how do I get rid of it? Thanks.
It's either on the focusing screen or the mirror. Leave it alone. If it really bothers you that much, then have it cleaned by a camera repair place, that will fix something free of charge if they break it while in the process of cleaning the mirror, focusing screen, or the sensor. You might as well have the sensor cleaned while they're at it in any case.
Oct 20, 2019 13:25:04 #
Longshadow wrote:
It could be dirt (dust)
on the mirror,
on the base of the "prism" just above the mirror,
on the outside surface of the eyepiece,
or internal in the "prism" area.
The first three are user rectifiable.
on the mirror,
on the base of the "prism" just above the mirror,
on the outside surface of the eyepiece,
or internal in the "prism" area.
The first three are user rectifiable.
Not all DSLRs have pentaprisms. Some entry level DSLRs have mirrors instead.
Oct 20, 2019 13:26:50 #
Gene51 wrote:
Not all DSLRs have pentaprisms. Some entry level DSLRs have mirrors instead.
That's why I put "prism" in quotes.
Oct 20, 2019 13:53:21 #
PixelStan77 wrote:
Bring it to Nikon for service if it is under warranty.
If not get adjusted to the piece of schmutz. It is
not designed for you to remove it.
Bring it to Nikon for service if it is under warranty.
If not get adjusted to the piece of schmutz. It is
not designed for you to remove it.
You may be able to blow it away but otherwise,
as Stan pointed out, finder schmutz is a normal
part of life with SLRs.
Oct 20, 2019 14:06:45 #
If the appearance of the schmutz
changes quite noticeably when it's
viewed at large vs small apertures
[using DoF PV] then it's very likely
on the mirror. If it hardly changes
at all it's most likely on either side
of the view screen, or the bottom
of the prism. It's a very simple job
to access that area so it won't cost
much from a generalist repair shop
[no need to send to Nikon].
If it's on the bottom of the screen,
very likely you can blow it off with
a rocket blower. Likewise if it's on
the mirror, blow it off or use a very
soft brush.
There is great myth, and paranoia,
about cleaning a mirror. Common
sense care to a delicate surface on
a delicate physical mounting should
be exercised, but cleaning a mirror
is a rather routine chore. Anything
on the mirror big enuf to see in the
finder should be visible by looking
directly at the mirror [lens is off].
changes quite noticeably when it's
viewed at large vs small apertures
[using DoF PV] then it's very likely
on the mirror. If it hardly changes
at all it's most likely on either side
of the view screen, or the bottom
of the prism. It's a very simple job
to access that area so it won't cost
much from a generalist repair shop
[no need to send to Nikon].
If it's on the bottom of the screen,
very likely you can blow it off with
a rocket blower. Likewise if it's on
the mirror, blow it off or use a very
soft brush.
There is great myth, and paranoia,
about cleaning a mirror. Common
sense care to a delicate surface on
a delicate physical mounting should
be exercised, but cleaning a mirror
is a rather routine chore. Anything
on the mirror big enuf to see in the
finder should be visible by looking
directly at the mirror [lens is off].
Oct 20, 2019 16:01:11 #
Leitz
Loc: Solms
LeoB wrote:
I'm seeing a piece of schmutz looking through the viewfinder of my Nikon D600, but it does not appear in the photos. So where is it and how do I get rid of it? Thanks.
According to the title, it's in the viewfinder. Any competent repairman can clean it.
Oct 20, 2019 16:14:16 #
Leitz wrote:
According to the title, it's in the viewfinder. Any competent repairman can clean it.
Could also mean that the blemish is seen when looking through the viewfinder.
(It just depends on how many words one uses to communicate a thought, whether the thought is complete or not.)
Oct 20, 2019 17:35:41 #
Longshadow wrote:
Could also mean that the blemish is seen
when looking through the viewfinder.
(It just depends on how many words one
uses to communicate a thought, whether
the thought is complete or not.)
Could also mean that the blemish is seen
when looking through the viewfinder.
(It just depends on how many words one
uses to communicate a thought, whether
the thought is complete or not.)
Thaz a most reasonable interpretation.
Well OK, at that level of interpretation
the camera's lens, mirror, view screen,
prism, plus eyepiece optics, are ALL
parts of the viewfinder. That IS, after
all, what makes an SLR an SLR !
Acoarst, where the dirt is present with
varied camera lenses, that eliminates
that element [ooops, pun!] of the view
system from any possible blame. Once
upon a time, cameras had an included
viewfinder. But SLRs turn that concept
on its head. An SLR is a very elaborate
viewfinder, with an included camera :-)
Oct 20, 2019 17:44:49 #
User ID wrote:
Well, on that level of interpretation, br the cam... (show quote)
Yup, and if it resides inside the "prism" area (behind the viewfinder <eyepiece> glass and down to the surface above the mirror), it is not normally "user" cleanable.
I only noted the areas that one can get to without camera disassembly.
Acoarst most people refer to the little window one looks through, the viewfinder. Not the whole associated mechanics.
Depends on how many hairs one wants to split.
As in "Look through the viewfinder.".
Oct 21, 2019 06:14:39 #
The Villages
Loc: The Villages, Florida
I know its a pain because you want something that is perfect, but the positive is, you'll always be able to ID the camera as being yours because of the schmutz.
Oct 21, 2019 10:44:06 #
amfoto1
Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
When you see a speck of some sort while looking through a DSLR's optical viewfinder, it is almost always either on the mirror or on the focus screen.
If it's sharply defined, it's on the focus screen. If it's blurry and ill-defined, it's on the mirror.
Neither will have any effect at all on photos taken with the camera. Whenever an image is taken, the mirror flips up out of the way, covering the focus screen in the process.
Because of this... and because it's extremely easy to damage the mirror and focus screen (leading to expensive repairs)... it's usually best to just let it be and try to ignore it until you have the camera professionally cleaned.
The most you might try is a gentle puff of air from a bulb blower ("Rocket Blower" is one brand). This isn't very risky and might dislodge whatever is on the mirror or focus screen. Hopefully blowing the speck out of the camera, rather than setting it up to get onto the sensor the next time the shutter is opened!
If it's sharply defined, it's on the focus screen. If it's blurry and ill-defined, it's on the mirror.
Neither will have any effect at all on photos taken with the camera. Whenever an image is taken, the mirror flips up out of the way, covering the focus screen in the process.
Because of this... and because it's extremely easy to damage the mirror and focus screen (leading to expensive repairs)... it's usually best to just let it be and try to ignore it until you have the camera professionally cleaned.
The most you might try is a gentle puff of air from a bulb blower ("Rocket Blower" is one brand). This isn't very risky and might dislodge whatever is on the mirror or focus screen. Hopefully blowing the speck out of the camera, rather than setting it up to get onto the sensor the next time the shutter is opened!
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