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Dust on viewfinder...

971 views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  spluurfg 
#1 ·
Hi there,

Five weeks ago, I got my new camera, a Canon 40 D. This weekend, I discovered there was dust and something looking like a curly hair on the viewfinder. This morning, I went back to the store where I bought it and their reaction was rather unsatisfying
They told me this was normal and that they can send the camera back to Canon but that it will take ages to have it back. I should just learn to live with it. I told them that one of the reasons I choose the 40 D was that it was supposed to be better sealed than the 400 D model but that didn't help either.

Does anybody know if I can clean the matte glass of the viewfinder myself without too much risk?

Kind regards,

Cinq
 
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#4 ·
Thanks for the replies. I was given the impression that it would take ages to send the watch to Canon and get it back. I think they didn't want to do it because it might cost them a few bucks for handling and transportation.

I will see how the dust progresses and decide based on that. It's just that I was very disappointed, I had read a lot about digital SLR cameras but I have never read anything about this :think:

Kind regards,

Cinq
 
#5 ·
Take it back. The store should not be complaining as it doesn't cost them anything to send it back. The 40D is a lot of money. The store should be bending over backwards to help you.

If you want to have a go at cleaning it, take the lens off, and use a blower on the mirror and the cavity above it which leads to the viewfinder.

When they say better sealed, I think they're talking about around the sensor.
 
#6 ·
More often than not this has happened when the lens was off. It is a very simple matter as DragonJade say to sort - as long as this is a hair and not a scratch.
As he says, remove the lens and use a blower brush (do NOT use a cloth) and blow across the mirror and around the general cavity area. This should clear it.
You may find the hair (as it can have oil adhered to it) has stuck to the fresnel screen above the mirror - again just use the blower brush (great thing to have on any camera kit). If that doesn't shift it then a proper lens cloth or paper could be used. (not on the mirror though).

The retailer sounds completely incompetent. In fact any decent camera repair shop (AD or not) will probably have a quick look for no charge and use a blower if handy too.

But it should easily be sorted by yourself at home - Best of luck.
 
#7 ·
Hi there,

I found a great videoclip about the focusing screen, which made it clear where to look and blow. This way, I got rid of the large hairs and now there are only a few tiny specs left.

http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/masterclass/eos_40d_focus_screen.do

Check out the main site too (http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/index.do), there is a lot more info and other useful video clips in the Masterclass section.

Thank you all for your help and the camera shop indeed proved to be unprofessional, especially when I see how simple it was.

Kind regards,

Cinq
 
#8 ·
I had a 40d, and the dust on the focusing screen was the straw that broke the camels back. You can get it a bit cleaner, but you will keep getting dust on it. And watch you don't knock the little felt strip when you are cleaning the screen, or it will produce a darker strip at the top when you look through the viewfinder!
 
#11 ·
Yep, blower is the way to go. Do NOT use compressed air, as it will leave a residue on the mirror. Unfortunately you will have to learn to live with stuff entering the viewfinder and sensor if you have more than one lens. There's plenty of resources on the net explaining how to clean these properly. Just remember the sensor and viewfinder/mirror are stupendously fragile.

Dealer sounds like a moron for not explaining this to you. You don't need to send it back to Canon unless it gets extremely mucked up.
 
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